When many people think of country music, they think of sad songs about lost loves, broken down trucks and runaway dogs. In their minds, they are hearing all of these woes sung in the traditional twangy country accents of the south. However, these perceptions of country music are far from where this style of music has evolved. Today, country music is one of the most popular genres of music, normally outsold only by rock and pop genres.

The beginning of country music

Created in the late 19th century, country music has under gone many changes over the years. Now we have many sub-genres to this type of music, with some of the sub-genres being commonly played on top 40 radio stations.

The instruments used

To understand country music, it is helpful to know about the instruments commonly associated with it. In country music, one of the most common instruments used is the fiddle (or violin). Some of these instruments can be expensive, but most are relatively inexpensive and are very easily transports since they tare light in weight and not overly large. When country music first ‘hit the scene’, the fiddle was practically the only instrument used as accompaniment.

However, as the country music style became more popular, the addition of other accompanying instruments became normal. The banjo became popular in some country music pieces in the mid 1800s, while the guitar did not break into the country music scene until the early 1900s. Electric guitars did not become a regular instrument in country music until much later in the 50s. Country musicians also use the piano (introduced in the 1930s) and the drums (used since the 1960s). Rarely used, but distinctive sounding instruments are used in certain country songs: the accordion, the harmonica, and the washboards.

The Roots of country music

Country music has roots in several different styles of music. Its beginnings started with the settlers that came from Europe. Most people couldn’t read or write, so songs were created to pass history down from one generation to the next. Country ballads have changed a great deal. They went from the original songs about objective, though gruesome, events to more personal, subjective ballads without all the gore.

Today, the sound of country music can sometimes be very similar to other genres of pop and rock. Some country musicians, like Shania Twain, have many songs playing on stations that aren’t considered “country”. There are also musicians, like Sheryl Crow, who are considered pop/rock, but have songs popular on country stations.

If you look all over the internet you will find that many sites offer free piano sheet music for just about every instrument. When looking for sheet music especially piano sheet music there are many different genres to choose from and this makes finding the music much easier. There are even sites that offer free sheet music. At the turn of the century arrived piano sheet music became very popular among young adults, many people were playing the piano and parlor music became the new trend to sweep the country, this made sheet music very popular. So much so, that every home had a piano and often at least one member of the family could play it.

It takes practice to read sheet music

Sometimes it is hard to read sheet music, this is not because it is hard in general it just takes practice, the more you practice reading the sheet music the better you will become at it. When learning any instrument and you want to learn like a pro you need to learn the sheet music, understand it and process it.

Music directors and other musicians use sheet music for different songs and it covers many different vocal ranges and instruments. It will only teach you how to play songs and compositions by rote. Nonetheless, not everyone is blessed with the ability to play songs by ear. Musicians back then publish their songs in these unbound sheets of paper. Going back to the 19th century most of the songs in the USA became popular by sheet music. In the past not all songs were written down so most of the popular might have been lost.

Many resources

The Internet has brought forth many resources for musicians, from one-click access to research of songs, pieces, and bands, to easy access to catalogues full of thousands of instruments and other products that can be ordered and shipped directly to them with a few simple clicks. As pieces of music get complicated for the person playing it, the notation of the music becomes more complicated.

In you want to play the piano you should learn at least the basics of reading sheet music. This and much more you will learn at Piano for All. I have bought this course myself and have written a review of it.

The system of Indian classical music known as Raga Sangeet can be traced back nearly two thousand years to its origin in the Vedic hymns of the Hindu temples. Unlike Western classical music which has written scores, an Indian classical performance is based on improvisation, and anywhere from 10% to 90% of the performance could be improvised, depending on the creative imagination of the artist. The music is rendered orally to the disciple by his guru, popularly known as guru-shishya (teacher-student) parampara (tradition).

The Raga – The heart of Indian music

The very heart of Indian music is the raga, the melodic form upon which the artist improvises his performance. A raga is a scientific, precise, subtle, and aesthetic melodic form with its own ascending and descending movement consisting of either a full seven-note octave or a series of six or five notes.

Every raga is characterized by its own particular mood. The acknowledged order of these nine sentiments, or emotions, is as follows: romantic and erotic, humorous, pathetic, anger, heroic, fearful, disgust, amazement and peaceful. Each raga, in addition to being associated with a particular mood, is also closely connected to a particular time of day or a season of the year. Thus, through the rich melodies and rhythm of Indian music, every human emotion, every subtle feeling in man and nature, can be musically expressed and experienced.

In terms of aesthetics, a raga is the projection of the artist’s inner spirit: a manifestation of his most profound feelings and sensibilities. The musician breathes life into each raga as he unfolds and expands it. Each note shimmers and pulsates with life and the raga is revealed vibrant and incandescent with beauty.

The Tala or rhytmic cycle

The tala, or rhythmic cycle of a raga, plays an equally important role in expressing the mood. There is a unique relationship between melody and rhythm. The intricacies depict the complexities and sophistication with which they are woven together. The division in a taal and the stress on the first beat, called sum, are the most important feature. The most exciting moment for a seasoned listener is when both the musicians, after their individual improvisations, come back together on the sum.

A part of Western Culture

No article about Indian music would be complete without mentioning Ravi Shankar. Due to him Indian music was introduced in our part of the world. He was a great musician and even influenced the Beatles. Today, Indian classical music is a permanent part of Western culture. Many composers and musicians have been influenced by our music. The openness, will to learn, and sincere enthusiasm of Western audiences are a continuing source of inspiration and delight. Indian music is one of the highest forms of music existing and nourished through its rich cultural heritage.

This article covers some of the history and the class of the piano. The first company in Britain that manufactured pianos was the Broadwood. They made big and excellent sounding instruments. By 1820 however, the piano had moved to Paris through the brand Erard. Erard piano’s have also been manufactured in London and a famous one is queens Victoria’s Piano. They also invented the double action where the piano could be played even the key was fully up allowing for rapid playing.

All manufacturers used this technique as time went on.

The first piano’s

The first piano’s had 5 octaves but by 1810 they had become 6 and by 1890 7. In the 19th century, piano’s were tougher to play. They required muscle power to depress the keys to produce good quality music. However, as time went on, softer strings were made that reduced this tension. Today, Electronic keyboards are simple to play and give you the option of a piano with out its bulk and weight.

Today piano’s

Today, piano’s come in 2 versions: the grand piano and the upright piano. In the grand piano, the strings go away from the keys making them large. For these piano’s, big and spacious rooms with high roofs are required. Only then can they be enjoyed to the full.

Upright pianos are more compact and sleek. The strings extend up and down so they can be smaller. Yamaha produces some of the best products in this line.

A modern day piano has 88 keys and miner. This key set represents all 7 octaves and the miners as well.

All modern musicians face a problem

All modern musicians face a problem however. Due to the large evolution of the piano, the compositions of great composers like Mozart and Chopin are no longer meant for these instruments. The instruments that these composers used no longer exist. So a long and arduous task of interpretation is required before they can be played on the modern pianos.

Beautiful sense of music

But, pianos have still got that beautiful sense of music about them. Today musicians like Yanni control your emotions using this instrument. Some even believe that piano music can help cure health problems. Indian classical music has such measures in its music.

Pianos have always been attractive to people who like beauty and romance. They have been appealing to classical tastes as well. Producing cheerful, and beautiful music, the piano can never be forgotten. That is why so many people own them in their home and why even more wish they had one of their very own to sit at and play. There are not many things as relaxing as sitting down at your piano after a long hard day’s work.