Learn With Rob

Learning chords on the guitar can feel like being a contortionist - the guitar is a very physically demanding instrument and our fingers soon remind us that pressing down strings is not something we're used to! It's not just a matter of learning the chord shapes but understanding the mechanics of where to place our fingers. If chords sound muted, chances are that we are touching an adjacent string, stopping it from ringing out. As for them sounding out of tune, it's very easy to push strings up or down, or with too much pressure, causing them to bend in pitch and make the chord you're playing sound unpleasant. To address these issues, I've produced the "Guitar Chord Buster" course - a short course where I break down the problems and how to fix them. Head over to Skillshare to check out the intro -  by using the following link to sign up, you can get 2 months free access to Skillshare Premium! https://skl.sh/2J2QDg1

Do you need to read music to play the piano? Although many would say yes, I would argue that whilst it certainly helps, it's not a pre-requisite. Music is like any language - first we hear, then we speak (or in the case of music, play/sing) and only later read and write. So it shouldn't stop us in our quest to play piano! If you're a complete beginner, or a musician who plays another instrument (such as singer/songwriter or a guitarist in a band), check out my "Piano Made Simple" course on Skillshare . The course is designed to help you play your favourite 4 chord songs or make up your own :)

What do you do when there's no dedicated sound engineer? If you're a musician, or involved with a church/organisation, there may be times when you need to do live sound out of necessity - perhaps connecting up a couple of micropones, plug in a guitar/keyboard/laptop, maybe even get a rough recording of someone speaking. Live sound can be made very complicated, but it doesn't have to be. Often a simple setup can get perfectly good results and is preferrable where everything needs to be set up and taken down (such as with the many churches who hire school and community buildings each week). Things can and will go wrong - even as simple as a cable breaking - so what will make the difference is ensuring multiple people understand your setup and are aware/prepared for issues when they arise. If you've got other responsibilities (hosting/presenting an event, leading worship, playing in your band etc), then - and I speak from experience - you don't wanna be rushing aro...

Understanding how music "works" helps to take out some of the guesswork, opening doors to improvising, composing, songwriting and playing by ear. When talking about western music, there are 12 musical "keys", which are sets of 7 notes and chords which work together - if you know what key you're playing in, then you can know/figure out what notes and chords you immediately have available to you. Below is a FREE chart ( click here to download full size copy ) I've put together of the notes and chords in each key, along with some short explanatory notes. For example, if we are improvising single notes in the key of C, then we have the notes of C, D, E, F, G, A and B - which is all the white notes on the piano. Want to play in the key of G? Then our notes become G, A, B, C, D, E and F# - only 1 note has changed compared to C, introducing 1 black note on the piano. When I was learning, I didn't understand the difference between "major" keys ...

Thanks for visiting my blog, which I've finally got round to setting up after years of mulling over the idea! As a multi-instrumentalist and music educator, I'll use this space to teach you snippets about piano, electric guitar and practical music theory (i.e. the theory that enables you to improvise on your instrument, play in bands and compose/songwrite).  Having spent many years involved in church and worship, I'll also share my thoughts and experiences - I may rant sometimes (hey, it's theraputic!!) but always with an aim to encourage and make people think! If you want to know more and see what I do, please check out the following links :) My website: www.learnwithrob.co.uk Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/learnwithrob Live Sound Basics video course on Skillshare: https://skl.sh/2ZEfcaD