The Kodaly or Curwen hand signs are visual and physical cues that are often used to accompany the teaching of sight-singing. These signs each relate to a solfege syllable, do, re, mi and so on. They can be very useful, especially for more visual and kinesthetic learners. For more information, check out:
http://www.classicsforkids.com/teachers/training/handsigns.asp
For a chart that you can download and print for your reference, go to: http://www.kodaly.org.au/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=21&Itemid=65.
Look for "Hand signs diagram". Very nicely done.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Free Sheet Music and Midi Files
The complete Mozart Neue Ausgabe is now online. This means that critical edition scores of everything that Mozart wrote are available as pdf files to anyone, for free. These were the scores that my colleagues and I had to spend hours in the library studying. Call me geeky, but I think this is a fantastic resource. Here is the link: http://www.mozarteum.at/03_Wissenschaft/03_Wissenschaft_NMAOnline.asp?SID=90
Midi files are abundant on the web, and many of them can provide useful information for learning songs. Some even provide full accompaniments. Here are some of the sources out there:
Kunst der Fuge has a very large collection of classical repertoire in midi format.
http://kunstderfuge.com/
Hamienet has a wide variety of midi files, but their strong point is music from Broadway musicals. This is especially helpful for learning Broadway showtunes, or preparing for an audition, because many of these midi files are full orchestrations of the song. In other words, an accompaniment to practice with. http://www.hamienet.com
Free classical sheet music and midi files: http://www.mutopiaproject.org/
Midi files are abundant on the web, and many of them can provide useful information for learning songs. Some even provide full accompaniments. Here are some of the sources out there:
Kunst der Fuge has a very large collection of classical repertoire in midi format.
http://kunstderfuge.com/
Hamienet has a wide variety of midi files, but their strong point is music from Broadway musicals. This is especially helpful for learning Broadway showtunes, or preparing for an audition, because many of these midi files are full orchestrations of the song. In other words, an accompaniment to practice with. http://www.hamienet.com
Free classical sheet music and midi files: http://www.mutopiaproject.org/
Monday, September 10, 2007
Software for Midi Files
There are several elegant and free solutions for playing midi files.
My current favorite is Sibelius 5 Demo (Mac and PC).
Sibelius has many excellent features, but there are three in particular which make it stand out. First of all, it can open and play midi files. (Many free notation software programs do not have this feature). Second, tempo is easily adjustable. Third, it has a mixer, so that individual parts can be boosted, and other parts can be softened. Since Sibelius is notation software, it also shows notes on the screen. The demo version has most of the functionality of the full version, except for the ability to save and print.
Download Sibelius 5 Demo at http://www.sibelius.com/cgi-bin/download/get.pl?com=sh&prod=sibdemo. Install the program per directions.
To play a midi file, go to File/Open and locate the file you want to work with. To change the tempo of a piece, look for the floating playback window. If it is not on your screen, you can find it by going to Window/Playback. You will find a fader toward the right hand side of the screen, with a number to its left. This is where you can change the tempo. Just move the fader back and forth to get the tempo you would like to work with.
To boost an individual part you will need to view the mixer. Go to Window/Mixer to bring up this window. The mixer has faders to control each individual part.
Anvil Studio (PC Only)
Anvil is studio software and its graphic interface looks somewhat like a mixing board. It will open and play midi files, tempo is relatively easy to control, and individual parts can be boosted.
Download Anvil Studio at http://www.anvilstudio.com/. Install the program per directions.
To play a midi file, go to File/Open Song/ and locate the file you want to work with. To change the tempo of a piece, look for the tempo tool toward the top of the screen. To speed things up, type in a higher number than the number that is there. To slow things down, type in a lower number than the number that is there. For example, if 120 is too fast, try 100 or 90. Press “enter”, and the new tempo will be set.
If you hear nothing play, you may have the internal synth volume set too low. You can find the fader controller for that toward the top of the screen. Just slide the fader to the right to make it louder, to the left to make it softer.
You can adjust the volume of individual parts by moving the faders back and forth.
More options are available at http://home.minneapolis.edu/~paulyel/shared_files/software/studio.htm.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Free Digital Music
Free Music!!!!
The iTunes Music Store sends out a weekly email called New Music Tuesdays that gets sent on, you guessed it, Tuesdays. While the main purpose of this email is to advertise new music that the iTunes Music Store has added to its catalog, a free song is offered every week, no strings attached. This is a great way to sample music that you might not normally listen to. These are full-length recordings, fine quality, and interesting choices. Here is the link to sign up for the mailing list: http://mynews.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Subscriptions.woa?locale=en_US&pagename=subscribe&subcode=all
More Free Music!!!
Alexander Street Press is a publisher of scholarly databases for the arts and humanities. Yes, I know, yawn.
But here is the cool part. If you subscribe to their email alerts, they will send you a link for a free music download once every two weeks or so. I’ve been doing it, and the quality of the music is terrific. Here is the link:
http://www.alexanderstreet.com/musicdownloademailregistration.htm
National Geographic World Music
National Geographic devotes a portion of its website to World Music. This site has editors' picks, videos, full length clips and samples of music (primarily pop music) from all over the world. It also has a free download of the week. This is very much worth checking out. http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/worldmusic/view/page.basic/home.
The iTunes Music Store sends out a weekly email called New Music Tuesdays that gets sent on, you guessed it, Tuesdays. While the main purpose of this email is to advertise new music that the iTunes Music Store has added to its catalog, a free song is offered every week, no strings attached. This is a great way to sample music that you might not normally listen to. These are full-length recordings, fine quality, and interesting choices. Here is the link to sign up for the mailing list: http://mynews.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Subscriptions.woa?locale=en_US&pagename=subscribe&subcode=all
More Free Music!!!
Alexander Street Press is a publisher of scholarly databases for the arts and humanities. Yes, I know, yawn.
But here is the cool part. If you subscribe to their email alerts, they will send you a link for a free music download once every two weeks or so. I’ve been doing it, and the quality of the music is terrific. Here is the link:
http://www.alexanderstreet.com/musicdownloademailregistration.htm
National Geographic World Music
National Geographic devotes a portion of its website to World Music. This site has editors' picks, videos, full length clips and samples of music (primarily pop music) from all over the world. It also has a free download of the week. This is very much worth checking out. http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/worldmusic/view/page.basic/home.
Software to Check Out
My current favorite low-cost software is called TubeSock. TubeSock is available for both Macs and PCs. It converts videos from YouTube into formats you can view on your iPod and in iTunes. It works great. Cost is $15, available at http://stinkbot.com/Tubesock/.
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