Musical Instruments Bring Music to Life

The world of musical instruments is as vast as it is old. Man has been making music since he first banged rocks together; and since that time music has become a large part of the human experience. It is the focal point of many human activities and the instruments used to create our music are continually evolving.

Drums are arguably the oldest of musical instruments. They the most primal of any existing group of instruments, but have continually been a staple of most genres of music. Their use can be documented all over the world, and in nearly every culture and in every era. Today, drums are the heart of most popular music, whether they be acoustic drums or electronic.

Stringed instruments have been used by humans for millennia. Evidence of these musical instruments can be found dating as far back as Ancient Greece and earlier. This group of instruments has evolved to include a great many variations, ranging from the violin to the guitar, with each sub-category including even more variations. The guitar, for instance, can be found in acoustic, electric and hybrid configurations. The invention of electronic effects processors and other types of synthesizers have only served to increase the variety within this group.

Finally, there are the wind instruments. This group of musical instruments can be broken down into two main categories; brass and woodwind. Brass instruments get their name because they are almost always made from metal, and that metal is often brass. Sound is produced by vibrating the lips against a mouthpiece, and this vibration is amplified through the tubing of the instrument. Examples of brass instruments include trumpets, trombones and tubas; just to name a few.

Woodwinds are members of the wind group of musical instruments, but their name is a bit of a misnomer. Woodwinds aren't always made from wood. Their name most often has to do with the fact that they require the use of a wooden reed in order to produce sound, but even this aspect is not universal to the group. Flutes, for example, are not only made from metal (although they can be made of wood, and most were for centuries) but they also do not use a reed of any kind. Saxophones are also made from metal, but they do require a wooden reed.

Piano Lessons for Children Bring Music to Life

Bringing music to life is a musician's job and their joy. Children taking piano lessons can also learn to bring life and artistry into the pieces they are playing once they understand this concept. But how is this communicated to a child who plays mechanically and doesn't know how to make their pieces sound, well, human?

Here some ways to do this which I do not recommend.

1. Tell the student who has no idea what you are talking about that they play like a machine.

2. Tell the student who has no idea what you are talking about that their playing sounds so terrible they should quit because playing piano just isn't their forte.

3. Tell the student who has no idea what you are talking about that they are incapable of playing beautiful music on the piano because they just don't have the personality for it.

I don't recommend any of these approaches, because only someone who doesn't have any idea what the problem is would do this. Too bad for them, but this doesn't have to be you.

Here's the real issue and what you can do about it. The reason students sometimes don't understand how to bring their music to life is because they don't know that they can. Try having this conversation with your child or piano student.

    "Sally, do you see this page of music? Do you know what it is?"

Here are the answers that 95 percent of students give.

    "Uuuhhmmm....notes?" "Uuuhhmmmm.........music?" "Uuuhhmmmmm...............my lesson?"

Before I tell you my answer to this question, think about how you would answer it if you were the piano student? Do you have a better one? Here's mine.

"No Sally, what you are looking at are just ink blots on paper. That's it. That's all you see here. There is no life in those ink blots or the paper they are printed on. There is no life in the piano you are playing on. It is just a mechanical device to make sounds. But music has life!!! When you hear a jazzy beat and start to tap your foot or swing to the music, that's life! When you hear a lullaby and it makes to want to rest, that's life. Music has power to affect us, but where does that energy come from?" "Uuuhhmmm....I don't know?"

"Well, let's think about this for a moment. The ink blots on the paper aren't alive, and the piano you're playing isn't alive, so what else could bring the music to life?"

"Uuuhhmmm....I don't know?"

"Are you alive, Sally?"

"Yes!"

"Sure you are alive, and you have the power to bring this music to life." That's what learning to play the piano is all about."

You can do that by putting a little Sally into your playing. You have a great personality, Sally. Let it shine through in your music. Communicate each note like you would tell a personal story of interest to your best friend. It takes hard work and planning to learn to play the piano, Sally, but it also takes a little magic. And you have the magic it takes to bring ink blots on paper to life!"

To learn the best way to share the gift of music with children visit Amazon.com for my Piano Bears Musical Stories for Children The exciting Piano Bears Musical Stories for children ages 5 to 11 feature the loveable characters, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Children love following along with Albeart to Mrs. Treble Beary's piano studio in Musical Acres Forest. Here they learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand and appreciate! Piano students laugh and giggle while reading "Little Bear's Musical Garden" and "Little Bear's Piano Goals."