The Learning Platform This Week!
- Myke Lewis
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Learning Bass
The foundation of every proper band in existence! The role of the the bassist is ever changing from providing good grounding in supporting all instruments and vocals, to taking the lead role in more complex musical arrangements. No other instrument can do it better than the Bass, no bass, no band.
Welcome to the learning platform! This week and for the next month or so, our concentration is on music events at the Bourne Hall in Epsom, where some of our students will be performing. Information of the summer concert is on the newsletter.
Learning Drums
The most rhythmical and percussive, the drumset provides time-lock foundation for all musical instruments and works closely along with the bass to keep every other musician in time with the tempo of the arrangement.
Expanded Learning. There are a good many websites where music students can purchase quality sheet music that are acceptable to most examining boards, Songsterr is but one of these, If there is a song that you like and find it difficult to obtain, try this site, https://www.songsterr.com/
Learning Guitar
If the Bass and Drums are the parents of the band, the Guitarist is the teenager. The guitar is the tune and rhythm maker of the band and is often associated with melodies.
Songs That Use The 12 Bar Blues
Nearly all artists past and current, have at some time in their lives, written, composed, arranged, and performed a 12-Bar Blues piece. As a musician and singer, all around the world, you would be expected to know the structure and perform it at the majority of venues. The following link will take you to such songs on YouTube, it’s a good watch; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt0mg8Z09SY&list=PL7BU5FuIl66Pg8MTIytGl0dpQBUC3nB9N&index=4
Learning Piano and Keys
Piano is the instrument that encompases all the qualities of producing and well rounded performance. It can stand out in its own right if played correctly by a competant musician. The piano is also known as the 'writing tool' for composers.
The following link will take you to Wired where you can find out more… https://www.wired.com/story/best-music-apps-and-services/
Learning to Sing
The Voice is known as the 'first instrument' as this is where all the above has come from. Vocalists are the melodic tune deliverers from the composer via the band, to the listener. However, a good knowledge of the piano is needed to become a good vocalist.
Teaching and learning the I-Play Music way includes studying, Style and Expression.
A compelling performance involves more than just playing notes; it requires emotional engagement. The ability to convey expression while performing is what is 'picked-up' by professionals within the music industry.
At exam level, candidates who perform without emotion or movement risk a minimum deduction of two marks for each performance. Additionally, marks are deducted if a performance lacks realism—this realism is best achieved through collaboration with others.
We work with real musician's recordings. The grade books we use feature pieces accompanied by recordings from professional musicians, complete with sheet music and instructional overviews. Students have the opportunity to "learn to perform" alongside these real musicians through full mix audio and backing tracks, simulating a live performance experience.
While this isn’t the same as performing with the musicians in person, it’s the next best thing. We encourage students to practice and refine their skills by playing alongside peers and tutors. That’s why we hold band rehearsals during the summer term, preparing each student to showcase their talents at the I-Play Music Concert and Presentation Awards [CAPA]. I-Play Music is best suited to those who want to build a solid foundation to become a top rated musical artist, within the music industry.
The summer term continues to be full-on for another week but with significant progress being made. We have addressed catch-up lessons, timetable changes, bands and members belonging to each one, etc.
This Week’s Learning Platform!
As of today, May 6, 2025, there are several music learning platforms available that you might find useful in your pursuit to understand music notation and how to read it.
Musical notation is a system used to visually represent music, allowing musicians to read and write music accurately. It includes various symbols that represent the pitch, rhythm, and expression of a piece. The stave, consisting of five horizontal lines and four spaces, is the foundation of musical notation and is used to place notes that indicate pitch.
To read music notation, you first need to understand the notes and their placement on the staff. Notes are represented by oval shapes called note-heads, which can be placed on the lines or spaces of the staff to indicate pitch. The higher the note-head on the staff, the higher the pitch of the note. Notes can also have stems and flags attached to them, which help indicate the duration or rhythm of the note.
Clefs are symbols placed at the beginning of the staff to indicate the pitch range of the notes on the staff. The most common clefs are the treble clef and the bass clef. The treble clef is used for higher-pitched instruments and the bass clef for lower-pitched instruments.
Key signatures are used to indicate which notes should be played sharp or flat throughout the piece.6 Time signatures, located after the key signature, indicate the meter of the music, showing how many beats are in each measure and which note value gets one beat.
Rests are symbols that indicate silence in the music, representing a pause in the sound. Dynamics, such as forte (loud) and piano (quiet), indicate the volume at which the music should be played. Learning to read music notation can improve your musicianship, enhance your ability to express yourself freely, and improve communication with other musicians. It is a valuable skill for any musician, regardless of their instrument or genre.
(More news in the next newsletter)