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Tastes are different just as people are. Judging the taste for music of the people around us is useless because they all differ. Hearing has many perceptive values. We can hear a step, a kiss on the cheek, a piano note, etc.

To understand other people’s taste in music means understanding those people and it means devotion towards the music in general. What does music mean? Well, we could define it as a symmetrical arrangement of interdependent sounds. From here to determining to which gender a particular song belongs to, is not a long way.

Romanians like to listen to all kinds of music. There are many influences in Romanian music, as there are all over the world. Romanians produce music, and they listen to it. Like any other art, Romanian popular music has many fans.

There are all types of disputes for tastes, as in any art so it does not really matter who says what about the genders. Culturally speaking, Romania has built its values in time and nowadays, depending on the values of each individual, there are different types of music they listen to. However, there is one particular gender, which can be categorized as Romanian popular music and that is folk music.

As any country with a rich and traditions full past, folk Romanian music seems to be the most colourful and pleasant music to the ears all over the world. They have all kind of typical genders like the “hora”, and many others very “tasted” genders. People who have visited Romania or have had contact with the music that Romanians listen to, especially folk music, have a good opinion about it.

Popular Romanian music means in the first place, traditional music. There is nobody, who was born and lived there with the traditions, who do not appreciate a good “doina” and the love lyrics in it. This is how Romanians think, this is what Romanians feel and that is how they have been raised. No matter what other taste in music a Romanian person has, they all enjoy the traditional music.

Therefore, if there is a place, where more people gather and most of them are Romanians with different tastes in music, there is one particular gender, which will absolutely unite and make them feel good, and that is the folk Romanian music.

That is considered popular music, no matter where Romanians are found. Many of them work abroad, and they have adjusted to the environment they live in, and also they raise their children with the traditions of the place they adjusted to. Nevertheless, that is not a reason not to teach their young the values of the Romanian folk music.

So, no matter where Romanians are, popular music is considered to be the music that each individual or group likes. Americans have their country music, the jeans, the rock and roll, the hot dogs, etc. It is very easy to deduce the influences, which now help genders develop. People will always sing rock and roll and country music as well as listen to it in the United States, as the traditional Romanian folk music will be listened and sung in Romania.

By: Peter Finch

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Many people take a very long time to understand blues soloing on guitar. If you start with your basic I IV V blues chord progression using the blues scale, you are often caught trying to decide which note to play at what part of the song. As blues soloing is an activity which is governed more by instinct that the mind, indecision can be a career killer.

This kind of inability to get started on blues solos is often a symptom of not having a teacher. Having someone who knows about blues soloing could probably get you started in no time. But if you can’t or do not want to pay a teacher, you will need to find ways of getting out of the box you are confined in. One obvious barrier is the wish to be original. There are plenty of blues solos out there to copy but the new guitar player often feels that he wants to play his own music without relying on somebody else’s material. The truth is everybody starts out copying somebody else. It is the way we learn. You don’t have to sit down and copy complete solos wholesale but if you know the blues scale, you can easily add your own licks to some that you have copied from a CD by on of the blues masters, or even from listening to a friend play.

Blues soloing is a matter of collecting licks and riffs from other guitar players and using them to build guitar solos. As you accumulate more and more experience by putting in more hours practicing, you will find that your own personal style begins to be built up. Remember, you are working with the blues, now. There are no wrong notes.

Don’t be too ambitious technically either. If your comfort zone is the first position, then work within your limits. If you put in the practice, you will stretch your ability naturally without someone having to say, “hey, it’s time you stopped doing that and moved on.”

One way of starting yourself off is to use the method of playing random notes. Get your left hand in pentatonic scale position in whatever key you want to play in, and just play any note. Play them one after the other without thinking. Do some bends and slides, have fun. But once again, if you find yourself imitating other guitar players, just go with it. Trying not to copy others is a mistake when you are learning blues soloing.



By: Ricky Sharples

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Piano players and other musicians who desire to learn the foundations of purely American music should start with the blues. This music form began over a century ago. Today’s jazz, hip-hop, rock-and-roll and rhythm and blues owes a debt to it.

Certainly, the word “blues” evokes a sense of the mood of being blue. The music has those qualities, but in its own way it is also capable of being very uplifting. Many blues songs are cries of hope for better days to come.

The blues form developed out of the African-American experience. The music we call blues is a touchstone back to their struggles in America and their growth as a people to more freedom. Blues songs are rooted in work songs, field chants, singing and talk. They also have their basis in spiritual songs and country ballads.

The first blues emerged out of the Deep South, in Texas, Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta. The music sang of the struggles of the worker and the impoverished lives many of them lived. Their great toil and sacrifice had articulation in stories, with many of them presented in song form.

A big boost to the stature of the blues came in 1912, when William Christopher Handy transcribed and published the song “Memphis Blues.” He was an African-American dance orchestra conductor. He gave himself the name “Father of the Blues” because of his tireless efforts to write, transcribe and publish blues music to get it to the masses.

The blues progressed from the Deep South to the north and entrenched itself in cities such as Chicago and Detroit. The music changed as it moved northward. No longer all about the poor conditions in the south, the music began to speak of the urban environments African-Americans were now living in.

The blues changed even more in the ’40s and ’50s as radio continued to spread its songs all over America. New electronic innovations lent the blues a different sound, with electric guitar at the forefront. Musicians carried this fresh electric sound with blues elements into the rock and R & B genre, which developed.

Those who hear that blues sound in much of today’s music may not understand that the music is very basic in its construction. A piano player desiring to learn the blues can understand its elements quickly with a little bit of study.

The most common blues heard and played are the 12-bar blues. Blues musicians found they could express their thoughts fully in a mere 12 bars or measures of music. However, there is room in these 12 bars for much creativity, whether musical or lyrical.

Almost all of blues music is in 4/4 time. This means there are four beats in each bar. Within a bar, each quarter note receives one beat. Further, a 12-bar blues song is broken down into three sections of four bars each. Musicians usually build blues chords on the first, fourth and fifth notes of an eight-note music scale. These form the blues chord progression. The first chord is typically prominent in the first four bars. The second four bars normally highlight the fourth chord of a scale, and the last four bars highlight the fifth chord of a scale.

For the lyrics to a blues song, the AAB pattern is predominant. A singer will sing the first and second four-bar verses with the same lines sung in each. The third four-bar verse will have different lines. Therefore A and A refer to the verses with the same lines; the B refers to the verse with different lines.

There can be different 12-bar segments in a blues song. When one 12-bar section gets resolved with the last four bars answering the previous eight, a new motif can develop in the next 12-bar section. In addition, while the 12-bar blues are the most common form in the blues arena, there are exceptions to it for variety and experimentation.

In the 1950s and 1960s, there was a movement in Britain, which brought about the “British Blues.” They were followers of the American blues tradition and very strict in following this form to a tee. This ended in the middle 1960s as the musicians from this country began to develop their own blues concepts and styles, although still based on the pioneering American blues school of thought.

The blues lends itself to much of the piano music available for playing today. Its influence is apparent in Broadway show tunes, film music and much music of the love-ballad type. Blues music can be a welcome addition to any pianist’s repertoire.



By: Duane Shinn

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Bob Dylan once used to play acoustic guitar. It was quite extraordinary when many years ago he appeared on stage with an electric guitar in his hands. The comments came in right away and he made the front page of the big newspapers. Many of his admirers saw an electric guitar as an instrument to play loud rock music. Bob Dylan didn’t care and performed his magic on an electric guitar.

Blues music is a little different. The first blues notes were played on the acoustic blues guitar but even the old blues musicians got hold of the electric guitar. I think it’s a sad story because the acoustic blues guitar produced some great blues music.

Back in Chicago in the 1930’s or so there was a movement that was growing. People were enthusiastic when blues musicians from the Mississippi delta area brought their music to the streets and cafes from Chicago. Muddy Waters and Son House were huge stars in Chicago and they would play that acoustic blues guitar until people were just going wild.

The acoustic blues guitar became unpopular when people like Howling Wolf came along and replaced their acoustic guitar by an electric guitar. Wolf and other artists started recording classic acoustic blues guitar hits on electric guitars and that was the music that got out to the people. Soon Son House and the others were relics and Robert Johnson and that famous picture of him and his acoustic blues guitar became treasured pieces of the past.

Jimi Brought It Back For A Little While

For many years the electric guitar ruled the blues world and then Jimi Hendrix decided to record a short movie of himself playing an acoustic blues guitar and for just a little while we got to hear as close to the modern equivalent of those old classics that we will hear. As Jimi fired through Here My Train A Comin’ it was just like being on the delta near the turn of the century when Robert Johnson would travel from small bar to small bar just to make a living playing his guitar. It was a great time that is lost forever.

The acoustic guitar gets its due once in a while on blues and rock records but it will never be a main instrument like it used to be all of those years ago. The sound can never be mistaken and the music played on it was right from the heart and we will never hear music played like that ever again.



By: Kurt Naulaerts

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Just because you play classical guitar doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to hundred year old music! There are many modern pop songs that translate very well to the classical guitar.

One of the biggest challenges any classical guitarist faces is that of trying to assemble a repertoire of music that a wide audience will appreciate. After all, the majority of any musician’s audience will be fans of popular music. The classical guitar is capable of interpreting this popular music in a very distinct and pleasant way. Here is a selection of popular pieces that translate well, and sound well, on the classical guitar.

Stairway to Heaven – This is the anthem of a whole generation of rock music and the guitar arrangement by Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin is one of the best pieces of guitar music ever written. Don’t let the fact that this is a hard rock band scare you away from this piece of music. It is a stunningly beautiful piece of music.

Vincent – (Starry, Starry, Night) This is a beautiful song written by Don Mclean and it is a great piece for classical guitar. There are many interpretations of this song but I highly recommend you use the arrangement created by Chet Atkins. It is quite possibly the best piece of guitar music ever written.

Blackbird – by the Beatles – This is a perfect piece for a beginner to learn. It has some very unique sliding up and down the fretboard and some great interval playing.

Yesterday – Another piece by the Beatles and arguably one of the most beautiful melodies ever written.

If – by Bread – This is an old song written in the 70’s by a pop group. It has a haunting melody and a great arpeggio style of finger picking that sounds great on the classical guitar. This is a great intermediate level piece.

Your Body is A Wonderland – John Mayer borrows from the art of Flamenco the technique of tapping on the guitar for this song, which makes for some nice acoustic variety in your repertoire. It is a novelty but sounds great.

Unchained Melody – Alex North and Hy Zaret – This is a piece of music that has been performed for over 50 years now and for good reason. It is a beautiful and simple piece that can be quickly learned.

Hotel California – The Eagles – Originally written for the 12-string guitar this song plays extraordinary well on the classical guitar and really expresses that 70’s soft rock feeling.

Time In A Bottle – Jim Croce had a very unique style of playing folk guitar and this style translates well to the classical guitar. This piece is one of his best pieces in that it showcases some really beautiful, and unique, guitar phrasings.

Tears in Heaven – Eric Clapton is hailed as the king of rock and roll guitar and for good reason. He has the ability to play absolutely anything flawlessly. Tears in Heaven is the perfect slow pop piece to showcase how the classical guitar can cross genres into the world of pop music.

The Classical Guitar is an extraordinarily diverse instrument and it can sound good in almost any genre of music but learning a solid repertoire of popular music is something that can enable you to reach and connect with a very wide audience.

By: Will Kalif

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How many songs do you know on the piano? Would you like to have a larger repertoire at your command? How about entertaining friends and acquaintances at a party with a staggering knowledge of popular songs? From Chopin to Gershwin, from Thelonius Monk to Tori Amos, piano music in a variety of popular styles is increasingly available in music stores and online outlets.

For the beginning piano student, the variety of popular piano music is staggering. A simple search will place the sheet music for “Pomp and Circumstance” and Mahler’s funereal variations on Frere Jacques in his Symphony No. 1 in D Major directly on your computer monitor. Download the pieces, print them out and practice until you’ve mastered them. Soon you will be an expert at many diverse kinds of piano music.

Whether you invest time in learning every note and trill involved in a piece or you’re simply looking for a chord progression for accompaniment purposes, sheet music is likely available. Mesmerize onlookers with your knowledge of the entire Beatles catalog! Serenade sweethearts with a flawless take on Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies.” Why stick to practicing dull scales over and over when friends will be more impressed with a hot rendition of “My Heart Will Go On?”

Jokes aside, the ease of obtaining popular piano music is making an extensive knowledge of entire song catalogs a breeze. The fake arrangement, which is a piece of sheet music outlining the basic chord progressions and melodies in a song, is invaluable to those wanting to play piano with modern ensembles. This kind of arrangement enables the pianist to know what is coming at him. It gives him the basic melodic theme with which to improvise, play behind another instrument or just play straight from the paper.

Perhaps a more thoroughly written piece is what you’re after. Don’t want the fake arrangement of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata?” Piano music for popular pieces such as Claude Debussy’s “Clare de Lune” and Frederic Chopin’s Prelude in C Minor is a handy tool for the beginning pianist or the tutor to have on hand. The longevity and popularity of pieces such as these makes them fun to learn for any pianist, great or small.

So your skills on the instrument aren’t up to par with the virtuosos? Is that any reason to not enjoy a relaxing stay at the piano bench with the ivories at your fingertips? No, it’s not. Piano music doesn’t have to be difficult to be enjoyed. It shouldn’t always require a degree in music theory and performance. There are multitudes of pieces in the lexicon of popular piano music that are stunningly beautiful, yet don’t require years of rigorous practice. Elton John, one of the greatest pop composers in modern music, has songs that come in easy piano translations. Feel free to find a nice version of one of his songs, or perhaps a standard like “Singin’ in the Rain.” Plunk out the melody, find the bass line and play until your heart’s content.

Piano music is one of the most enduring forms of art and entertainment in the world. With the instrument’s multiple octaves and singular ability to produce melody, harmony and underlying chord progressions, the piano is a timeless wonder. So invite some friends over, find some great sheet music and have a sing along to some of your favorite songs.

By: Duane Shinn

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Memphis is a city that sits in the southwest corner of Tennessee and is the county seat of Shelby County. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the Chickasaw Bluff which is just south of the mouth of the Wolf River. The estimated population of Memphis is over 670, 000 which makes it the largest city in the state of Tennessee. It is also the second largest city in the entire southeastern region of the United States only behind Jacksonville, Florida. Memphis is the youngest of the four major cities in Tennessee which include Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville. It seems hard to believe that it is the youngest of these four cities because music from Memphis has been around for so long.

Music from Memphis first began in the early 1920s with the introduction of the blues sound. Some of the most popular musicians credited for the beginning of Memphis blues are Frank Stokes, Sleepy John Estes, Furry Lewis, and Memphis Minnie. The music from Memphis in the blues era was largely based around simple guitar sounds and jug bands. Jug bands were exactly what they sound like, a jug that is made into an instrument which when blown upon the opening, emits a lovely and musical sound. The pitches can be altered by increasing or decreasing the space between the mouth and the opening of the jug. Jugs that are made into musical instruments are typically made of glass or stoneware.

Some other unusual instruments that were used to produce music from Memphis during the blues era are harmonicas, violins, mandolins, banjos and kazoos.

In addition to the blues music from Memphis, there was also a large genre of music known as soul that originated from the area. Memphis soul music is a subset of the genre of soul music. Soul music emerged in the late 1950s in African American neighborhoods in Chicago, Memphis, Detroit and Philadelphia. It began when artists like Sam Cooke and Ray Charles started to merge traditional gospel with R&B music. Soul music revolved around two record labels; Stax Records and Hi Records. Stax Records produced all the songs from songwriters and musicians in the entire Memphis area. Hi Records used a nearby studio to record their songs and with Stax, brought soul music to a national level. Music from Memphis has had a large influence on the way we look at and feel about music today and without it, it is safe to assume that the sounds of music today would be completely different.



By: Phoenix Delray

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There’s a line from an old blues song that says, “the blues had a baby…and they called it rock n’ roll.”

Let me tell you, there is so much truth to that line! You can listen to all the first rock n’ roll songs and hear the blues guitar riffs, chord progressions and scales being played, just in a less bluesy
kinda way.

“Johnny B. Good” is a great example of a blues guitar progression being played with a rock drum beat and a vocal melody that is different from how a blues vocal melody would sound. It doesn’t end there though. The influence on modern music is still very prevalent. We hear it in hip-hop, rock, emo, indie, reggae, r & b, funk, etc.

The ever so popular 1 – 4 – 5 chord progression (3 chords) that is used in blues is also used in practically EVERY type of music that exists. Even Mozart uses this chord progression as well as many others from the classical period. Not only do blues guitar riffs and chord progressions get used in modern music, but most guitar solos also have blues overtones in rock music as well as the other styles that I mentioned. It has been a KEY factor in forming the shape sound of modern music no matter how you look at it.

Learning how to play blues guitar should be a top priority on any guitar players ‘to-do’ list. Once you learn the ins and outs of this style, you can manipulate it to create your own modern songs, riffs and/or solos. Many guitar players that I know improvise on the blues scale to create their main riffs and super impressive leads as well as use the chord progressions to write new, more modern music.

Don’t let anybody tell you that the blues is dead!

By: Zack Roberts

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Slide guitar playing in blues music had been popular for many years but not many people understand how this guitar playing style originated and the techniques used to produce this fascinating guitar sound. In the early twentieth century many American blues players began their careers playing music on a single string instrument called a diddley bow. This was a kid’s toy consisting of a wire stretched between two screws. It seems logical that without access to store bought instruments the emerging adult musicians would develop an instrument based on what they played music on as children. Of course the early blues players did use conventional guitars but a guitar played with a slide made from a knife or a bottle neck more readily complemented the vocal style and blues harp techniques the people used to express their lives in music.

Blues guitar players who took up slide guitar and influenced other musicians to do so were Muddy Waters and Elmore James. Both of these guitarists were driven by the music of Robert Johnson, built on his legacy and further influenced electric blues players like Johnny Winter and Duane Allman. Elmore actually started his musical career on the diddley bow when he was twelve years old. A confirmed individualist, he played a modified acoustic guitar to sound like a solid body electric.

Many students of blues slide guitar think that Earl Hooker is the greatest slide guitar player ever. He sometimes uses wah-wah with his slide playing and often amazed other musicians with his ability to make the slide guitar “sing”. But Earl Hooker did not need electronic effects to make his playing great as people who played music with him praise his technical skills. Elmore James’ song, “The Sky Is Crying” was covered by modern blues legends Albert King, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn and George Thorogood.

Arguably one of the most high profile slide guitar players is Ry Cooder. He is a skilled guitarist who enjoys injecting his own personality into traditional songs of many genres but he is remembered for his slide guitar on the soundtracks of “Paris Texas” and “Crossroads”. For these contributions alone he must be included in any list of blues slide guitar players.

Duane Allman was a great blues player of the late sixties to early seventies probably most widely known for being the “other” guitarist on the Eric Clapton song, “Layla”. His mastery of blues music is undisputed and there is a story of the joy he expressed the day he discovered how well a Coricidin bottle could be used as a guitar slide. The story goes he had never played slide guitar before but after that day his slide playing became an indispensable part of The Allman Brothers Band repertoire.

If you want to learn how to play blues slide guitar, you will probably need to learn to play using open tunings, maybe even get yourself a guitar with heavy gauge strings and a high action specifically for open tunings. But to learn slide guitar techniques you can begin with any steel string electric or acoustic guitar using standard tuning. You will need your index finger to damp strings that you do not want heard so experiment with your slide fitted to your middle, ring finger or pinky. You will also want to try out finger picking style playing combined with slide techniques.



By: Ricky Sharples

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Rock music is a well accepted form of music, which is a combination of drums, guitars and bass. This music uses keyboard instruments like piano, synthesisers, organ, etc. There is a band of musicians who focus only on rock music and they are called rock band. Rock music is becoming increasingly popular throughout the world. Hard rock is specially liked by the western youth.

Today, people are crazy about music. They want to listen their favourite music whenever they have leisure time. Music is created to give you pleasure. The fascinating world of music lets you enjoy music in one form or other. There are various types of music these days: pop music, folk music, jazz music and rock music. All these type of music are enjoyable to hear. The songs take you through different emotions. Rock music is loud and fast than anything you’ve heard before.

In 1960, British and American rock bands became popular. Bands like Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Queen, Black Sabbath, etc. are some of the famous bands. In 1980,the genre that was quite popular was glam metal. The various artists like Twisted Sister, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Queen, Kiss, Sweet and the New York Dolls were the artists of 1980’s.

This type of music became popular in the 1950s in America and Europe. This famous music is mainly based on older musical styles like the rhythm and blues music originated by African American performers such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard. The music has a heavy focus on guitar, drums and powerful vocals. The most popular artist of rock music in the early days was Elvis Presley. His dance and powerful music can surprise anyone. “The Beatles” became successful in the 1960’s. This group was inspired by Blues and rhythm.

Rock music is evolving itself and coming in a variety of styles. Other music forms like heavy metal are also a form of rock music. Some of the heavy metal bands include Metallic and Megadeth. Rock music comes in a wide range of forms like soft pop and heavy metal. This “Rock ‘N Roll” type of music became popular in 1950s and 1960s. This new sound came from many musical styles.

In the initial days, this music was admired only in small clubs and on radio. Afterwards, it became famous with the programs like American Bandstand. Then, people could view their favourite bands on the television. Many people criticised about this type of music as they did not like the loud and fast lyrics.

Rock music began with jazz music, blues tunes, etc. It also featured electrically amplified guitars, drummers and harmonicas. By the mid-1950, performers like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Joe Turner became famous with the white audiences. Radio disc jockeys named this music rock ‘n roll.

One of the best musical album, “Sticks and Stones” has everything from fun to catchy guitar riffs. It covers a range of emotions and depicts the depth of their talent. The album grabs attention with the song “Cathedral.”. The catchy rock beat combines with a variety of instrumentation. The title track “Sticks and Stones” is also worth listening. The hard to resist lyrics would make your day. The instrumental track “ZOZ” is a classic jam track with brilliant double guitar interface. Another noteworthy feature of this track is the striking beats. Another beautiful track is “All Roads Lead to Home”. This track shows the fast and catchy style of the band. Lastly, there is a song that most college students can appreciate. “Raise a Glass”, an old Irish folk song has people singing along in the background. The album is a mixture of a broad variety of the music in the history of rock. This rock album is definitely worth listening and deserves a space on your iPod.

You can find a variety of rock music videos online and find the top tracks in the rock music charts. Don’t wait, just browse the internet to get your favourite rock

By: Alden Jerry

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