Source: Pixabay

Reading music can be a notoriously confusing skill to develop at first. Without a strong understanding of what you’re looking at, a song in musical notation can seem like pages of complete gibberish. This is only more true with an instrument such as the piano, which has an especially wide range of playable notes and therefore much more musical notation to memorize. One aspect of sheet music that’s a common sticking point is the concept of … Continue Reading

Tomasz Stanko (born July 11, 1942)

Why does trumpet talent at this moment in history seem to flow to men whose surnames begin with the letter S? I don’t know. But then, I have been baffled by lesser mysteries than that!

Devoted readers of this blog will surely want to know that one of these great contemporary jazz trumpeters, Tomasz Stanko, portrayed above, has brought out a new album ( via ECM). Its name is Wislawa, because Stanko was inspired by the writing of … Continue Reading

Michael Jackson 13 years old on the album Ben released on 3 august 1972

I decided to write about Michael Jackson when I realized how much I missed him. And that’s never happened before. An iconic master of our universe: why would I miss him? I never even met the guy. And how could I feel like him?

Symbols and Logic

Perhaps the connection begins with the fact that Michael and I are painters. … Continue Reading

Whitney Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012)

We at Just Sheet Music would like to bid a fond farewell to the year 2012, as we look with hope to the New Year 2013.

Here, in emotive order, are five stories that especially caught our attention. We’ll begin with a death that saddens us, and move on to a recent dust-up in the operatic world that, in its resolution, has given us reason to hope about the future, musical and otherwise.

Whitney Houston

… Continue Reading

In a world where the liberal arts are dying out, it’s nice to find solace in the talents of other musicians. This euphoria is heightened exponentially when you play an instrument yourself. The possibilities for an instrument to choose can be overwhelming, so I am here as a guiding light. Below are a few of my choices of excellent instruments for beginners to learn.

1. Piano

The piano is an instrument that, while intimidating, is phenomenally valuable to learn. Piano teaches many of the theories used in music, and acts as a gateway to help learn others … Continue Reading