Time Signatures
Understanding Musical Time
A guide to time signatures, bars, notes, and rhythmic values
Reading the Stave
Reading the Stave
A guide to staves, note placement, and musical intervals
Musical Symbols & Navigation
Musical Symbols & Navigation
A guide to repeat signs, navigation symbols, and musical terminology
Musical Keys
Understanding Musical Keys: Major and Minor
A musical key is the tonal center of a piece of music - the "home base" that gives the music its sense of resolution and character. Every key is built on a specific pattern of intervals and includes certain sharps or flats. Let's explore how this works!
What Are Intervals?
An interval is the distance between two notes. We measure intervals in tones (also called whole steps) and semitones (also called half steps):
The Science And History Of Brass Instruments
Introduction
Brass instruments produce their sound through a fascinating combination of physics and player technique. Unlike woodwind instruments that use reeds, or string instruments that vibrate strings, brass instruments rely on the player's lips vibrating against a mouthpiece. Understanding how pitch is controlled through the harmonic series, tube length manipulation, and valve mechanisms reveals the elegant engineering behind these powerful instruments.
Cornet Basics
Interactive Valve Simulator
Click the valves below to see which note you're playing. Open (no valves) = C4 (middle C).
Introducing The Trombone
Bb Tenor Trombone Slide Positions
Interactive guide to slide positions and available notes (concert pitch)
The tenor trombone in Bb has seven main slide positions, each producing a harmonic series of notes. This lesson covers two octaves of notes in concert pitch. Click on a position below to explore the available notes for each slide position.