The Playground
The Simply Music blog
Learn Beethoven’s 5th, Part Two
We are going to head into the next section of Symphony No. 5 in C Minor by Beethoven. If you are using the version from Free Scores, it is going to be more complex than what I am demonstrating here. The book I am working…
The Music Lesson – Review
Anyone who knows of Victor Wooten would have to put him in their list of greatest bass guitarists of all time. As a bass player myself, I regularly find myself dumbfounded by musical feats I have absolutely no idea how he performs. it’s no small…
Performance Coach Dr Don Greene Interview with Gordon Harvey
Dr Don Greene was an elite-level sports psychologist before discovering that the issues faced by top musicians were really a lot like those of sports people. Since then he has worked with musicians from major orchestras and the Juilliard School among many others, coaching them…
Musical Inventor Linsey Pollak Interview with Caroline and Hannah Schmidli
“It’s a shame that we tend to live in a society where we leave music-making to the experts”. Not that Linsey Pollak is a non-expert, far from it. Having spent most of his life studying music and designing and making instruments, it’s just that he…
Simply Music Teacher – Shanta Hejmadi
Shanta Hejmadi is a classic case of someone destined for a musical career who finally found it in teaching. Although an accomplished singer, Shanta doubted her abilities as a piano teacher until she was introduced to Simply Music. Now she’s a very successful and much…
Simply Music Student – Richie Rust
Richie Rust is a fantastic student in a class of four teenagers. After only four years of taking Simply Music, he is currently a level 9 student and studying the Jazz supplemental materials. The class was formed shortly after one year from the dates of…
Story of a Song – The Rite of Spring
This new occasional series is already contradicting itself in the first edition by discussing not a song but a full-length orchestral piece. Still, the 100th anniversary of one of the milestone events in music is worth commemorating. There are few if any genuinely unprecedented new…
A Late Quartet – Book Review
An outstanding ensemble cast and the overriding theme of passion, both musical and romantic, make this movie a captivating experience. The Fugue String Quartet is celebrating its 25th anniversary just as the senior member and cellist, Peter (Christopher Walken), is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The…
Songwriters – Working With Other Musicians
Since Neil has so wonderfully helped us all understand the power and influence of arrangements, I am certain that when you write a song you envisage a lot more than just you at the piano and microphone. Working with other musicians can really allow your…
From Neil Moore
I’m sitting here at home looking out of my window. It’s a beautiful morning and it’s very quiet. I’m thinking about what has happened this year. So far, I’ve traveled throughout the USA. I’ve been to Germany and Canada, and next week I head off…
