By Austin Hennen Vigil
The guitar is the world’s second most popular musical instrument, after the piano, and has evolved tremendously over centuries. 
The word “guitar” was adopted into English from the Spanish word “guitarra” in the 1600s. Guitars are used in many different genres of music such as: rock, metal, punk, pop, folk, country, traditional, regional, and the blues. Here are some facts about the guitar that you may not know:
Continue reading ‘Top 10 Facts About the Guitar’
By Ryan Jobes
Learning to play guitar can be quite the undertaking, but luckily here at Sheet Music Plus we have some books that can get you pointed in the right direction. Though many guitar players start by attempting self-taught method, beginners can get much faster and quality results by relying on the experience of others. Whether you want to play, rock, classical, or jazz there are a few essential things your going to need to get started.
First of all you are going to need a guitar:
Make sure that you choose a guitar that is appropriate for the style of music that you want to learn to play. Hendrix is not going to have the same punch on a nylon string classical guitar, as it will on an electric. Spend some time doing some research before making a purchase.
Make sure that Continue reading ‘Learning to Play Guitar’
By Brendan Lai-Tong
Since its introduction into symphony orchestras in the mid-19th century, the tuba has gone largely unheralded as a vital member of the brass section. Its large collection of brass tubes creates a deep rich tone.
Although it is the anchor of the orchestra’s brass section, most people know little about the instrument. Once you get to know a few facts about the history and use of the tuba you’ll find a new appreciation for the instrument, or at least you’ll be able to recite enough rare tuba facts to amaze a captive audience.
By Brendan Lai-Tong
Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra
In October we were the first to interview film director and cellist Ty Kim about his work with the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra (PACO) and their Kickstarter campaign. For those of you who don’t know, Kickstarter.com is a unique way for individuals with great ideas to raise funding for their projects. Kickstarter.com enables artists to reach a world-wide audience and many successful projects have gotten off of the ground through thisinnovative crowd-sourcing tool. The aim of Ty’s project was to raise seed funding to produce a short documentary film that showcases PACO and howchamber music teaches young people to play well with others in an orchestra and in life. You can read Continue reading ‘Kicking Kickstarter Up A Notch – Part 2’
By Carolyn Walter
While speaking with a friend several years ago, I mentioned that like so many other people, I wished I was never anxious while performing. Insecure about my ability to do well at high-pressure performances and auditions, I yearned for a magic bullet that would make me supremely confident and impervious to self-doubt. I will always remember my colleague’s response: A dancer and classical bassist by trade, she shrugged her elegant shoulders and replied, “Yes, but I am always a little bit glad when I am nervous at a performance, because it means that I actually care.”
In that moment, I began to Continue reading ‘Managing Musical Performance Anxiety’
By Brendan Lai-Tong
Do you compose music? If so, we’re sure that you have considered the idea of selling your compositions. Deborah Keily Hanson, a member of the Music Teachers Association of California, recently signed up for Sheet Music Plus Digital Print Publishing and found out how easy it is to get one of her pieces listed on our site!
Deborah Keily Hanson
Deborah has a diverse musical background as an accomplished musician, teacher, and performer. She has performed solo recitals, accompanied soloists from the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera, performed at the Ocho Rios International Jazz Festival in Jamaica, accompanied musical theater groups locally and with the Los Angeles Opera Musical Theater Company.
Her compositions Palawan and Sunrise at Yushan recently won 1st place in the 2012 MTAC composers competition. Palawan, along with some of Deborah’s other compositions, are available for purchase right now on our site.
We wanted to make it easy for composers to sell their compositions. All compositions are added directly into our searchable catalog online and composers earn 45% royalties right away. The best part is that it is absolutely FREE! Continue reading ‘Publish Your Compositions Easily With Digital Print Publishing’
By Brendan Lai-Tong
A Cappella Pop – Brody McDonald
Today we had the opportunity to interview Brody McDonald author of the wonderfully informative guide for choir: A Cappella Pop – A Contemporary Guide to A Cappella Singing. The book provides insightful information about forming your ensemble, music selection, rehearsal techniques, sound reinforcement, vocal percussion, and much more!
Brody received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and went on to complete his Master’s degree in choral conducting. While at BGSU, Brody was the president of the Men’s Chorus and Collegiate Chorale, had several roles in operas, played in the marching and pep bands, and went on two 6-week summer tours of the USA. He Continue reading ‘Artist Interview – Brody McDonald “A Cappella Pop”’
By Carolyn Walter
Memorizing music can be a daunting task for musicians of all stripes. Unfortunately for many of us, repetition alone is not enough. Simply playing a piece of music from a score over and over again only teaches you to play the piece extremely well. . .but with the aid of the written page. The key to “getting off of the page” is identifying what kind of musical learner you are, and which strategies will be most effective for you as an individual.
#1 Prepare the piece for memorization
For technically challenging works, memorization will be much more difficult if you don’t have a firm grasp of the most difficult sections beforehand. In a similar fashion, you should have a clear picture in mind of
Mario Guarneri
By Brendan Lai-Tong
We recently had the opportunity to interview Mario Guarneri, an active performer and teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mario has had an impressive variety of musical experiences throughout his career as a trumpet player and as a result he is familiar with many different circles of the music community.
Mario’s career has encompassed everything from playing with Louis Armstrong at the age of 13 to fifteen seasons with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has recorded solo albums on the Crystal and Nonesuch labels, played principal trumpet with the L.A. Chamber Orchestra for ten seasons, and appeared on over 300 T.V. and motion picture soundtracks, most notably as soloist on Godfather III. In addition, he has performed with a diverse list of creative musicians including Earl “Fatha” Hines, Frank Zappa, Sarah Vaughn, Cleo Lane, and Roger Kellaway.
Since his return to the Bay Area, where he was born and raised, he Continue reading ‘Mario Guarneri – Artist Interview’
By Carolyn Walter
As with any artistic discipline, regular practice is essential to any musician’s mastery of their craft and growth as an artist. While some may feel that practicing for hours and hours on end is the only route to improvement, the adage “quality over quantity” ought to be kept firmly in mind. The following
list of strategies contains tips which can help musicians of any instrument, style and skill level practice “smarter” without necessarily practicing harder.
1. Organize your time.
Begin your practice session with a clear outline in mind of what needs to be accomplished. Many choose to divide a practice session into sections, e.g. setting out to practice for one hour total and using Continue reading ‘How to Practice Efficiently’
Take Note 
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