Past Blog Posts

May 29th, 2014 by first tutors

As music budgets are severely cut in schools and more students are seeking private tuition, recent figures released estimate that the live music sector makes a huge £3.5 billion economic contribution to the UK economy.

£1.66 billion of that comes from musicians, composers and songwriters.

There are more than 17,000 music performances a year in London alone, while London based artists like Adele have had some of the world's best selling records. The O2 arena in London is one of the worlds most popular music venues.

Music tuition is a great social asset at any age. Kids should definitely be heard as well as seen! Tutors, are you doing your bit for the economy and encouraging the young - and not so young for that matter - talent out there?

5 Acts that Defined Rock

August 1st, 2013 by Dexter Findley

Jimi Hendrix

When one learns the guitar, there are a few acts towards which one aspires. Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Angus Young... but one figure overshadows them all. Possibly the most dedicated guitarist ever, who could coax sounds out of his instrument the likes of which haven't been heard before or since, and who was at one point caught sleeping next to his guitar while in the US Army: Jimi Hendrix. The star by which practically all contemporary rock, blues and RnB guitarists steer by. His sound is truly amazing, his talent unmatched.

Will we ever 'run out' of new Music?

July 17th, 2013 by Dexter Findley

Music evolution, after centuries of being localized and linear, exploded in a bloom of diversity as globalization brought cultures, traditions and sounds smashing together. 150 or so years later, we're left with thousands and thousands of genres, sub-genres, categories and scenes. Fads rise and fall, new sounds are developed (for example when electronic music-making became possible), and music's evolution branches ever outwards.

Technically, the number of sounds (by pitch, tone etc) humans can hear is limited. Only an incredibly small proportion of sounds can be described as musical (even less as 'good' musical), so therefore the total number of 'good songs' is likewise limited. However, this limit may well be 'infinite' for all practical human purposes - on an 88 key piano... Read More »

Favourite alternative musical instruments

June 19th, 2013 by Dexter Findley

The world of music isn't all pianos, violins, guitars and clarinets. There are plenty of wonderful, wacky and obscure instruments, each with their own fascinating sounds. We've compiled a list of some of our favourites.

Djembe

Not the most radical of starting-off points, but one that illustrates music's depth and variety of forms. Most contemporary Western music is derived from a mix of European and African diaspora styles - specifically the marriage of the European classical tone structure with African rhythm and blues. It is this rhythm - the beat - that is the core of African music. In cosmology it represents the universal heartbeat, and can be played on drums, other percussion instruments, or with the human voice alone (the technique of which gave rise to rapping).