When I mention the words ‘classical music’ to some people, I sometimes get an immediate negative response. The usual comments include: “Why would I want to listen to that stuff?”, “That stuff’s just old – why would I bother with it?” or even “Give me good old _____________ instead”. Fill the blank space with “Country”, “Rock”, “Blues” “Metal” or any number of other options. In this post, I will be showing all you non-classical music buffs that classical music is indeed worth your time and effort. I will also hope to show you what to listen for in classical music, and how to make it more acce ..read more

History has shown that all societies from the most primitive to the most sophisticated, have utilized music and made it an integral and organic part of that society. In the less advanced civilizations, rhythm was a major component of their musical experience and a part of their everyday lives. Rhythmic beats were used to enhance various occasions such as hunting, betrothals and coming of age ceremonies, and in some cases the rhythms were used to communicate across distances to other tribes. When we pose the question: “What is music’s effect on society?”, it becomes obvious how important music ..read more

When it comes to music keyboards for home use, originally there were only acoustic pianos, upright or grand, with more than 5000 brands competing in an eager marketplace back in the 19th and 20th centuries. Then in the late 1930s, the Hammond and later the Lowery companies, came up with the electronic organ for home use, and the competition for consumer business began. The main differences between the two products included two keyboards instead of one, choices of alternate sounds that could be made, and a non responsive touch on the organ. This last feature meant that when you touched an organ ..read more

Since I was a child, I can always remember asking that question. As a younger child, my parents kept alive the illusion of Santa Claus, along with the traditional plate of cookies and glass of milk by the fireplace. Even then, I occasionally wondered a) how a fat man could possibly get down the chimney carrying a huge (in my mind) bag of toys, and more puzzling b) why we, as a Jewish family, would be getting involved in all this every year when we also celebrated Hanukkah. It did cross my mind also to ask myself why I always asked how many days till Christmas instead of how long to Hanukkah. B ..read more

Listening to music has come a long way since I was a kid. The only way that I could enjoy music at all was either on a wind-up record player (called a gramophone or a phonograph) or on the radio. If you had a car with a radio you could listen while driving, if there was any music worth listening to, but you were always at the mercy of the program producers. They chose the music, and you either listened or turned the radio off – that was your only choice. Later, with the evolution of the portable tape recorder, you could record what you wanted, and listened whenever you had the time or inclinat ..read more

Needless to say, just about anything and everything is available on YouTube these days – you name it, it’s there. This amazing resource is almost taken for granted, but 25 years ago it just wasn’t around at all, and neither was Google. Since their invention, we have probably the two greatest resources on the planet at our fingertips. We can find just about anything from any era and in any category. Today I am focusing mainly on YouTube music and videos, with a view to exploring Google in a later post. In keeping with the passion for all things musical that my wife and I share, we are always l ..read more

I was talking to an acquaintance of mine, Graham, recently about the anxiety that is often felt before and during a performance of any kind, be it a musical one, a dramatic one or a public speaking engagement. He told me that he started learning the piano as a seven year old, and a year later, began violin lessons. The main difference between the two teachers was that the piano instructor carefully pointed out all the things that he was doing incorrectly, while the violin teacher emphasized all the things that he was doing correctly. As Graham progressed in his music studies, he became increas ..read more

There can be no doubt that music has incredible power, but is it powerful enough to influence a person’s mindset and/or emotional state? Can it affect childrens’ behavior patterns to such an extent that it can really help them to relax? And why do kids need to relax at all? I hope to be able to answer these questions in my post below, and put forward the pros and cons of relaxing music for kids. Music as we know, has all kinds of benefits for your health and wellness, mental and physical, so why not use the power of music, if it can be achieved, to help relax adults and children which in turn ..read more

“The hills are alive, with the sound of music…..” Who doesn’t know or at least hasn’t heard of this song – a mainstay of perhaps one of the most famous and iconic musicals of all time – The Sound Of Music. If you have never heard of or listened to this musical, I strongly suggest that you do as soon as possible. The combination of a great story, memorable songs, dancing, dialogue and amazing visuals (movie) are truly the essence of what we know as the best of musical theater. So what is musical theater? This amazing medium has an ancient history dating back some 2500 years to the Greeks, and ..read more

So what’s songwriting got to do with your musical health you may ask? There are a few reasons, but mainly the fact that songwriting is usually a creative process, and can be very rewarding from the emotional and spiritual standpoint. You may feel an overwhelming need to be creative, and if you happen to be musical, involving yourself in the creative process of writing some good songs, may make you feel more fulfilled than say painting a picture or sculpting a pot. The main purpose of this post is to offer some worthwhile tips and advice, not just on writing songs, but how to write good songs ..read more