Our Latest Blog on Music & Instruments

Purchasing Your First Violin

Lora By Lora on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 4:39pm EST
Big bow small violin

Buying your first violin is an exciting, and sometimes daunting task. It’s an important decision since the quality of your violin can directly affect your progress. A good quality violin will be enjoyable to play. On the other hand, a poorly made violin can lead to frustration and slowed progress. Here are some tips to help you make the best choice.

What Is (and Isn’t) Flamenco: Part Two

Leah Kruszewski By Leah Kruszewski on Mon, 11/25/2019 - 1:45pm EST

       There is a lot of great music out there that shares techniques, sounds, and inspiration with flamenco, yet is decidedly not flamenco. It might belong to a different style altogether, or it could be fusion or flamenco-inspired genre. It’s normal for the distinction to be a bit hazy outside of Spain. However, if you’re looking to learn a certain style of guitar (flamenco or otherwise), it’s helpful to be able to articulate what you want.   

5 Tips for Buying Your First Electric Guitar 

Sara Landeau By Sara Landeau on Sun, 11/24/2019 - 10:56am EST

Picking out an electric guitar can be overwhelming, especially for the beginner. All the sizes, styles, and shapes available... it's a lot to sort through. Here are some tips for finding the best electric guitar for your personal musical aspirations. 

What Is (And Isn't) Flamenco: Part One

Leah Kruszewski By Leah Kruszewski on Wed, 11/20/2019 - 11:12am EST

The past week was an exciting one for flamenco! International Flamenco Day was Saturday, November 16th. Spanish-born pop star Rosalía, whose musical roots and inspirations lie in flamenco, won Album of the Year and two other awards at the Latin Grammys. And, best of all, Lessonface opened enrollment for our introductory Flamenco Guitar Workshop, starting January 2020.  

8 Reasons to Participate in Recitals and Open Mic Nights

Leah Kruszewski By Leah Kruszewski on Mon, 11/18/2019 - 11:24am EST

In case you haven’t heard, Lessonface has several upcoming performance opportunities open to all members of our community. Recitals will be December 3rd and 7th, and you can sign up here. We expect these will feature primarily younger students (children and teens), but any age is welcome.

Recital and Open Mic Sign Up Is Now Open

Claire Cunningham By Claire Cunningham on Tue, 11/12/2019 - 10:09am EST

Winter Recital Tree Image

Lessonface students and teachers: Sign up to participate in our Winter Recitals and Open Mic Nights. 
Looking forward to seeing you there!

All-Time Greatest Learning Tips (Part 1)

Claire Cunningham By Claire Cunningham on Wed, 11/06/2019 - 10:00am EST
Liz Rentas

We asked Lessonface teachers to inspire us with their all-time favorite tips from their own mentors and masters. Here we present the first set of their responses.

Liz Rentas, popular piano teacher, shared the very encouraging tip above from all-time great Thelonius Monk.

Click on each image below to go to the teacher's page and get more great tips from them.

Reinventing Teaching Strategies: Combining Old with New Methods

Cole Porter By Cole Porter on Mon, 11/04/2019 - 12:00am EST

The majority of universities in modern times educate their music students to be classically trained. While this is greatly beneficial to understanding music and creating a solid foundation, it does not focus enough on modern music. By teaching strictly classical, it would sell students short of their full potential and capabilities. Educating students with electronic instruments, modern music theory, and the different aspects of music business is the logical way to ensure musicians are provided with the best education and all the resources necessary to be successful. 

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String Handling Techniques Examined

David Heumann By David Heumann on Mon, 10/21/2019 - 6:47am EDT
Close up on Dave Heumann's guitar

You may have noticed sometimes that people can play the same guitar and sound very different from one another, or a player can play a variety of guitars, and still sound like him or herself. This video tutorial explores some techniques that can be used by guitarists to create a signature sound.

Using Improvisation to Increase Your Self- Confidence and Tune in to Your Own Musical Voice

Jim Funnell By Jim Funnell on Wed, 10/16/2019 - 1:00am EDT

Improvisation can sometimes feel daunting, even to the best musicians. Questions like "where should I start?" or "is what I am playing any good?" are indeed uttered far too often, when in fact there is no right or wrong. Everyone is capable of improvising (we all do it in speech for example), but even so, blockages often remain when put on the spot in a musical situation that requires “in the moment” creativity. So how does one go about asserting her/himself musically?

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