Drum Lessons FAQ

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We’ve been teaching drum lessons in Southlake, TX for 20 years!

Here are some FAQ about drum lessons

FAQ:

Do I need a drumset for drum lessons?

Not to start, but eventually yes.  You will want to have the instrument you are learning at home to practice on!  It is our opinion that everyone should own a drumset.

What do I need to bring to my first drum lesson?

Drumsticks & an 8.5″ X 11″ notebook.

Do I have to read music?

Yes.  We will teach you how to read Rhythms on paper.

Lesson Subjects

Warmup Exercises

Rudiments

Stick Control

Syncopation

Snare Drum Reading

Drum Set Reading

Beats & Fills

Song Form

Learning Songs

Learning how to function in an Ensemble

Interested in trying a drum lesson in Southlake? We’re right in the center off of Byron Nelson & 1709!

give us a call or txt 817.703.3205 to setup a trial!

Learn more about Music Lessons in Southlake at

Guitar Lessons FAQ

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We’ve been teaching guitar lessons in Southlake, TX for 20 years. Here are the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions!

FAQ:

Do I need a guitar for guitar lessons?

Yes you do. For a young beginning student I’d suggest a Baby Taylor for an acoustic or a Fender starter pack for electric. Both are well made and will last until the student is a teenager.

Acoustic or electric?

Either. Just please purchase a good instrument. Having a cheap instrument that doesn’t stay in tune or just sounds bad can be very discouraging and frustrating to a beginner.

How long a guitar lesson should I take?

As long as you like. For the younger beginning student’s a weekly 30-minute guitar lesson is appropriate. For the more serious student a weekly one-hour guitar lesson or longer. The more you put into guitar lessons the more you will get out of it.

Do you make guitar lessons fun for the student?

Yes. We make it fun by having fun with the student on music that they enjoy!

What method do you teach?

Music for the guitar is taught typically by Rote. What that means is taught by demonstration, listening & repetition. Eventually we cover all subjects of music but at the start the guitar is taught by Rote.

How much should I practice?

As much as the student wants to. Inspiration is what is most valuable to the student. Introducing them to exciting music that will motivate them to practice, performing at a recital, showing the instructor how well they did that week or being prepared for a band recital are all great motivating factors. 15-minutes of inspired practice is much more effective than an hour of uninspired practice.

Guitar Lesson Subjects

Tuning The Guitar

Technique
Finger Exercises
Open Chords
Bar Chords
Power Chords
Scales – Major, Harmonic minor, Melodic Minor, Pentatonic
Chords & Arpeggios – Major, Minor, Sus2, Sus4, Diminished, Augmented, 7th chords, 9th, 13th, Polychords
Patterns
at various speeds using specific fingerings.

Sight Reading
Reading Tablature
Reading Treble & Bass Clef
Reading hands individually and together
with and without a metronome

Ear Training(Aural Skills)
Solfege
Sight Singing
Aural Recall
Transcription
Copycat

Music Theory
Intervals
Building Scales, Chords & Arpeggios
Modes
Harmonic Analysis

Repertoire
Learning songs you enjoy
Simple Melodies
Play & Sing
Classical Etudes & Pieces
Popular Songs
Reading Lead Sheets (Chord Charts)

Music History

Ensemble
Playing with the instructor
Playing in Bands

Composition
Basic Songwriting
Analysis

Recording

Performance Skills
Stage presence
Simple movement while playing
Emoting

Rhythm Skills
Playing in time
Accents
Coordination

Interested in trying a guitar lesson in Southlake? We’re right in the center off of Byron Nelson & 1709!

give us a call or txt 817.703.3205 to setup a trial!

Learn more about Guitar Lessons in Southlake at

Violin Lessons & Woodwinds Lessons FAQ

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Here are some answers we get about our Violin Lessons and Woodwind Lessons in Southlake, TX.

FAQ:

What Woodwinds do you teach?

Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Piccolo, Flute, Oboe & Clarinet

What Strings do you teach?

Violin, Viola, Cello, Double-Bass & Fiddle

Do I need my own instrument?

Yes!

Woodwind Lesson Subjects

Tone

Intonation(Playing in tune)

Technique

Memorization

Music Theory

Transcribing (Listening to music and writing it out)

Learning Songs

Triads

Playing in Time

Ear Training

String Subjects

Technique

Bowing Technique

Scales, Triads

Playing in Tune

Reading/Writing Music

Theory

Playing in Time

Classical Etudes

Learning Songs

Interested in trying a violin lesson in Southlake? Maybe a woodwind lesson or Cello lesson? We’re right in the center off of Byron Nelson & 1709!

give us a call or txt 817.703.3205 to setup a trial!

Learn more about Music Lessons in Southlake at

Voice Lessons FAQ

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Here are some of the FAQ we get about Voice Lessons here in Southlake, TX.

FAQ:

What is a good age to start voice lessons?

As soon as they’re interested in singing. Young children can learn nursery rhymes or songs they’ve heard on the radio. Memorizing words, working on Rhythm and pitch are wonderful activities at a young age.

Can you help me sing higher?

Yes we have a number of singing exercises to help develop your voice. Over time as you discover how your voice works your range will extend.

I don’t think I can learn to sing, can I?

Yes you can. “Singing is just like talking only louder and longer and you make your voice go up and down.” -Buddy The Elf (Elf)

What styles do you teach in singing lessons?

We teach whatever you are interested in. Pop, Country, Jazz, Classical, Metal, R&B, Choir we’ll even teach you to rap. We encourage students to

branch out and expand their musical horizons by learning things you wouldn’t have necessarily chosen yourself.

How long should a singing lesson be?

The most productive voice lessons are one-hour singing lessons spent with sometime on voice and some time on an accompaniment instrument(guitar, piano). Learning an instrument is important because it will help you practice at home, give you a deeper understanding of music and fun to play and sing.

Can you teach me the ‘right’ way to sing? I don’t want to hurt my voice.

Your voice is a muscle and we will teach you how to use it. Oversinging, singing to loud, hard, for an extended period of time can cause you to lose your voice. It’s important to exercise and stretch your vocal muscle to prevent injury.

Vocal Subjects

Technique

Singing in Tune

Warm-up exercises

Scales

Arpeggios

Breathing

Range

Tone

Emoting

Ear Training(Aural Skills)

Solfege

Sight Singing

Aural Recall

Copycat (emulation)

Listening to other singers.

Repertoire

Learning songs you enjoy

Applying techniques

Correct Diction

Playing and singing

Performance techniques

Interested in trying a voice lesson in Southlake? We’re right in the center off of Byron Nelson & 1709!

give us a call or txt 817.703.3205 to setup a trial!

Learn more about Voice Lessons in Southlake at

Piano Lessons FAQ

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Having taught Piano Lessons in Southlake for over 20 years we’ve had some questions that come up. Here are some of the answers and a rough guide of what subjects we can cover in a piano lesson!

Piano Lessons FAQ:

When should my child begin his/her piano lessons?
As soon as they are interested in music. Earlier than age 5 is a great time to introduce them to the different instruments, playing copycat, singing and playing the drums.

Do I need a piano or a keyboard for piano lessons?
Yes either is fine. However having an acoustic piano at the home is a wonderful experience and is also a fine piece of furniture. Your student may enjoy playing on the big piano instead of a small toy keyboard. It is difficult to find a good acoustic piano for less than $3000 these days and a used Steinway will cost you around $12,000 (however they will last forever, the Steinway at our studio is 127 years old). An inexpensive keyboard will cost around $200-$500.

How long of a  piano lesson should I take?
The more you put into it the more you get out of it. For young children 30-minutes is fine. Older students should have an hour lesson. Some serious students take up to four hours a week with us. There is a lot that we have to teach you, have a look at our syllabus to see what topics we can cover.

Do you make piano lessons fun for the student?
Absolutely. All of our instructors in addition to being some of the best in their field have friendly, fun personalities. Equipped with an exceptional talent at disarming the shyest of students and reeling in the rowdiest rascals.

What method do you teach?
Every student is unique and has a different style of learning. Therefore it is in the student’s best interest that we as guide’s through the world of music, adapt to their interest and style. The main principles that we teach all of our student’s are Listening, Rhythm, Repertoire, Theory & Reading. We have compiled songs for our student’s convenience that most student’s want to learn in music lessons, you can find it in our resource section of the website.

How much should I practice?
As much as the student wants to. The more time the student spends on an activity the further they will progress. In our resource section you will find a long list of practice tips. If you want to get into a routine you first need to figure out how much time the student could ‘realistically’ practice. Then speak with the instructor on ‘What’ to practice and go from there.

Piano Lesson Plan Subjects


Technique
Scales – Major, Harmonic minor, Melodic Minor, Pentatonic
Chords & Arpeggios – Major, Minor, Sus2, Sus4, Diminished, Augmented, 7th chords, 9th, 13th, Polychords
Patterns
Accents – loud, soft
All at various speeds using specific fingerings.

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Thank You!

Posted by & filed under Thank You.

Thank you for the tip!

I run a music school in Southlake, we teach piano, guitar, voice, drums and more!

Should anyone in your family like to try out lessons some time, the first month is on me!

David Hall
817.899.7499
david@hallmusicproductions.com