Picture this: you’re sitting at a piano, staring at a sea of black and white keys. It looks like the designer accidentally spilled a chessboard on it. But fear not, brave beginner! Today, we’re diving into the fascinating (and surprisingly simple) world of sharps (#) and flats (♭). By the end of this article, you’ll not only understand what these mysterious symbols mean but also learn how they connect to the white and black keys on a piano. Step One: Meet the “Natural” Notes

When learning guitar, understanding the basic building blocks of harmony and chord shapes is essential. Power chords, octaves, and octave...

Creating your first song on guitar can feel like a big step, but with a few simple techniques, you can start crafting music that’s...

As a guitar player, it is imperative that we have a solid grasp of rhythm. This can help us with comping, which is supporting a song with...

Unlocking a Deeper Connection to Sound Have you ever watched a musician hear a song once and then immediately start playing along, as if...

This is a special blog post, and definitely a longer one that you are probably used to reading from myself or Ryan here at The American...

Dominant chords are foundational elements in music harmony, creating tension, expectation, and resolution. Whether you're playing guitar,...

Recently we discussed note values and how we could benefit from understanding them better. It will take a long time and lots of practice...

Chord scales, a cornerstone of jazz music , are a set of notes intended to be played over a single chord in a chord progression. They...

As a guitarist, understanding chord progressions is like learning the alphabet of music . They're the building blocks that form the...

Guitar chord voicings can seem like a labyrinth of strings and frets, but once you get the hang of them, they open up a world of musical...

Music, a universal language, is fundamentally built on harmony and melody. Chords, which form the backbone of harmonic progressions, can...

Explore the power of pentatonic scales—learn the theory behind major and minor pentatonics, their origins, why they’re essential for guitarists, and how to use them in solos and improvisation.

In the vast and colorful world of music theory , certain chords possess a mystique that sets them apart. One such chord is the "minor 7...

One of the main things a guitarist could tell you about guitar-centric music from the 1980s is that it was a period of blistering...

Let's learn about the benefits of understanding music theory in this blog post!

In this article, we will introduce the basics of diatonic chords, which every musician should know!

Here are the basics of playing solo guitar, playing chords and melody at the same time. Be sure to check out the performance videos!

Let's learn the barre chord basics you need to know and use in your guitar playing!

Learning the basics of music - scales, arpeggios and chords - is essential for musicians. This article will help you understand the basics.