Beginner Piano Songs - What Are The Basic Beginner Piano Chords to Hound Dog By Elvis Presley?

A very simple piano song for complete beginners to learn to play is Hound Dog by Elvis Presley.

It is written in a 12 bar blues sequence and perfect for a beginner to Piano. The good thing about learning a 12 bar blues is that it is the basis many different songs, so once you have learned the structure of one song, you will be able to play any other song that is written in a blues progression.

Quite a few of Elvis Presley's songs are based around a 12 bar blues, and even though they are quite simple they sound very effective. People across the world love the style of music, and it is what Elvis is renowned for.

Hound Dog was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, writing this song as just teenagers. The first artist to record this song was Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton in 1952, and it actually became a number one hit for her, and was by far her biggest success.

Elvis decided to cover the popular hit after hearing it at a concert in Las Vegas in 1956, and then recorded it at the same time as his single Don't Be Cruel. They were both released at the same time. It quickly rose to top spot all over the US, and was number one for 11 consecutive weeks.

In 1958 it became the only third record to sell more than 3 million copies, which was an amazing success. The song has featured in the Elvis Presley Biopic in 2005, in 1994 it was featured in the popular film Forest Gump, and most recently it was sung by Eddie Clendening, portraying Elvis Presley, in the Broadway musical "Million Dollar Quartet."

So what are the basic beginner chords to Hound Dog?

Hound Dog is written in a very simple key of C Major.

It contains the basic piano chords C Major, F Major and G Major, which are easy beginner piano chords and you can use a simple blues scale riff to start and end the song.

You can also add interest and put life into the song by using a glissando, which means gliding up and down the keyboard.

A nice way to start the song is by starting on C chord, 3 octaves above where you want to play the song, so one octave above middle C, and then do a glissando down to your starting note.

The rhythm uses fast chords in your right hand with a simple three note bass section in the left hand. It uses the chords mentioned above so when playing the C Section you would play C E G in the left hand using a blues rhythm.

To finish the song, you can play some notes around the C Blues scale - C Eb F G & Bb maybe, which will end it very nicely on the piano.

Why not have a go at learning some simple songs on piano that are perfect for beginners. You can also teach yourself a very easy song by watching these Beginner Piano Song Videos.

Don't just play piano - perform piano by learning a repertoire of 12 Easy Piano Sing Songs that are perfect for when they ask the question...'so what can you play?'

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Home Recording - A Basic Set Up Guide

In order to create music one requires talent, skill, the correct combination of software and hardware and sometimes even an adequate education. A good ear is also a necessity but takes time to develop. Though, setting up a quality recording studio itself takes up far less time than developing the earlier mentioned skills. Make informed decisions while selecting your equipment and software and you might very well be able to compose quality arrangements without years of training or education.

Everything in the home recording studio revolves around an up-to-date computer and a high-end digital audio workstation. Your computer should have at least 2GB of RAM and 2GHz processor speed in order to process audio in a smooth way. Processing audio takes a lot of resources so computers with higher specs are preferred. In addition, you will always want an up-to-date operating system to be sure your hardware and software is supported.

The digital audio workstation is software to record, mix, edit and master your audio files and should have multiple key features enabled which to look for while considering your purchase. These features include the compatibility of virtual instruments (VST's), maximum number of available tracks, mastering tools and compatibility with your audio hardware and computer. Expect to use a lot of tracks for a single piece of music since you also need to reserve some dedicated tracks for effects besides the tracks for the audio itself.

Recently there has been an uprising of workstations aimed specifically at making beats. Basically these should have the same key features of a full-fledged digital workstation but since they are developed to only make beats and work with sound samples, they are a lot more light weight. This kind of beat maker is generally an inexpensive tool and there is even such a thing as a free beat maker. If you are not planning to record any instruments, then this might be the tool to go with.

To be able to record any instruments, you will also need a suitable sound card, or audio interface. This piece of hardware is necessary to convert the instruments' audio signals in to digital signals that your computer is able to work with. Sadly enough, most on-board or readily installed sound cards are not up to the job so you'll need to buy one specifically designed for audio production.

Determine if you are going to record a band or will be working solo, recording each instrument one at a time by yourself. In order to make solo recordings, an audio interface with two inputs should be enough but I've found having eight inputs available to be less of a hassle. In this case you can leave your separate instruments plugged in at all times and not waste time switching plugs or instruments. The audio interfaces with more inputs are generally also more expensive. If you are on a tight budget, you can always install a mixing panel within the setup.

If you plan on recording vocals or acoustic instruments, you'll need a quality microphone. Basically all studio microphones produced for this task are condenser microphones and these can be quite expensive. However, these days you can find adequate condenser microphones for studio use for as little as $100.

To monitor your recordings, you can use studio monitors or studio headphones. You should always use monitor equipment made specifically for this job to get the best results. You'll discover that this equipment can be quite costly as well but creating a well balanced mix with the use of budget-priced equipment is very well possible.

Having quality equipment will leave you with a more user-friendly experience and ultimately high quality music. You shouldn't waste time tweaking and messing with inadequate hardware and software since recording, editing and mastering processes already takes a lot of time themselves.

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Discover Basic Scales for a Beginner to Master on the Piano

Scales that are great for beginners to learn are contrary motion scales. These are the best ones for a beginner, as your fingers are changing at the same time. With most major and minor scales with a few exceptions, there is a fingering pattern that they follow.

Below is an example of the fingering for a contrary motion scale: -

The fingering for your right hand is: -

Ascending: - 123/1234/123/12345

Descending: - 54321/321/4321/321

Left Hand

Descending: - 123/1234/123/12345

Ascending: - 54321/321/4321/321

Can you see the connection - So when doing a contrary motion scale your fingering changes are at the same time. A good way of memorizing this to help you learn it is to say the fingering as you are playing it.

This is how a 2 octave C Major Contrary Motion Scale looks: -

RIGHT HAND ASCENDING

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C/ B A G F E D C B A G F E D C

1 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 (Fingering)

LEFT HAND DESCENDING

C B A G F E D C B A G F E D C/ D E F G A B C D E F G A B C

1 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 (Fingering)

So as you can see this is a great scale to start off with, and it will really help improve your technique for your fingering and co-ordination. Once you are happy with this, try moving on to C Major Ascending Scale. Get yourself a scale book, and you will be able to see how this works. The notes are the same as the Contrary motion scale, but your hands start two octaves apart, so your right hand starts on Middle C, and your left hand on the C two octaves below middle C.

Once you have learnt C Major Contrary Motion, and C Major Ascending Scale, why not try out C Major Arpeggio, and C Major Broken Chord. These can all be found in the ABRSM Scales Arpeggios and Broken Chord books. Get yourself a system going, so you cover all the different types of scales. It is crucial for your development on piano to learn some kind of scales. They really do train you to use the correct technique, and get you into good habits. When you go to buy some piano books don't forget your scale books.

You can sometimes find scales on the internet to download for free so take a look and find some for yourself. Use them as your warm up exercise before playing your music.

There are some great free courses to teach anyone from complete beginners to advanced pianists to Learn How to Play Piano.
A great way for beginners to learn is to start off with some really Easy Piano Songs which will get you started and help build that all important confidence.

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The Basic Concepts of The All Famous Step Sequencer

Step sequencing comes from the authentic analog sequencers that applied a rigid grid to play patterns. These patterns may very well be combined together to produce longer sequences. This method of pattern creation is nevertheless in use at this time and is constructed into most beat machines, groove boxes, sequencers and beat maker software package. The way it truly is set up is straightforward. Originally, you had 8 steps and every single step was 1/8th of a measure. Now, we have much more advanced step sequencers that permit you to pick out from 8 measures, 16 measures, 32 steps, and even 64 measures. Of course, each and every step represents either 1/16th, 1/32, or 1/64th, of a measure.

Now, you also have the 1/8T and 1/16T and often 1/32T. The T only indicates triplets. So, in 1/8T each quarter note is divided into 3. In 1/16T, each and every 8th note is divided into 3. So in 1/8T, rather than counting to 4 like you'll inside a 1/4 time signature, you'll basically count to three. Like this... 1,2,3...1,2,three. That is frequently utilized in jazz and blues style music to make a "swing".

With 1/16T, as opposed to counting 1,2,3,4...2,two,3,4...,3,two,three,four, it'll go like 1-e-and-ah-2-e-and-ah-3-e-and-ah... and so on. this is typically applied in hip hop to create a swung really feel. Often they may switch from 1/16 to 1/16T and this produces a really cool impact. After you are step sequencing, it truly is a massive plus to know these essential ideas. You'll be able to consider about your music with extra understanding. On the other hand, Sometimes with step sequencing, you can just start off filling in blocks and come up with something incredibly interesting and exclusive.

Step sequencing is a simple solution to make fast patterns not having acquiring to worry about having the notes you played right on time. The quantization is not necessary considering that that you are operating using a straight grid. It also provides you with a nice visual of the patterns and as you carry on using the step sequencer, you will swiftly master the basics to drum counting. You learn the snare frequently goes on the two and 4, the bass drum commonly goes on the 1 and the three in a fundamental 4/4 count.

The only negative point about step sequencing is that it produces a mechanical feeling to your music. Because each of the notes will likely be quantized correct towards the grid, that leaves no area for groove. The groove could be the human swing or human touch to a rythm. Beat maker s just cant get it with step sequencing unless of course you apply groove settings and use strategic tactics to plan your pattern.

Hope this has been beneficial when you go back and make your own beats.

Myron D. Winston a dedicated music producer and educator sharing little known advice about how to produce better music. If you are a beat maker or music producer, or if you would like to learn how to make your own beats. I encourage you to visit http://blog.beatmakernow.com/ to get more free information on how to perfect your craft.

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