Paul Howard’s Valley Music School is accepting new students this season. Our school services Farmington Valley and West Hartford and has a 30 year plus history of quality music lessons for ALL ages. Our instruction is individualized and presented in a patient and caring manner. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or professional looking […]
Listening Party! Train your ear to listen to all genres! There’s a lot of music out there to listen to. There is great stuff in every genre and style. It’s important to listen to as much variety as possible and absorb all the different approaches that you encounter. Of course, we all have our favorite […]
One of the most common adjustments that your guitar needs is a neck adjustment. A neck adjustment involves turning the adjusting nut on the end of the truss rod to set the neck relief properly. First, some definition of terms: 1. Truss rod – a metal torque rod that is set in the neck of […]
I hope you enjoy some of the music transcriptions below! ♫Sally Goodin Texas Backup ♫Emperor’s Hymn ♫Floating Crowbar ♫Glenroad To Carrick ♫Jerusalem Ridge ♫Gypsy D Minor tune ♫Lady’s Fancy ♫Leather Britches ♫Misty Morning ♫Queen of Hearts ♫St. Louis Blues
People ask me all the time what kind of guitar to get for a beginner. There are a lot of choices but some stand out. It is hard to go wrong with a Mexican Fender Stratocaster. These guitars are Fender’s “middle of the road” models. These can be found in the $300 price range and […]
The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook How to keep The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook open! Do you have music books that have a hard, straight binding that make them difficult to stay open on a music stand or table? Take them to Fed Ex or Staples and for 5 or 6 bucks they will cut them […]
How to Buy a New Instrument – How to Buy a New Guitar Looking for a New Guitar? Here is what you need to know! Are you in the market for a new guitar? It can be pretty daunting to walk into Guitar Center and look at the hundreds of guitars hanging on the wall. […]
Roadie Boot Camp for your gear! When you are a musician or musical hobbyist or collector you always have to deal with caring for your gear. What you sometimes need is Roadie Boot Camp or Guitar Tech 101! Some things that always come up and need to be dealt with are: Guitar strings: Always play […]
Musical Numbering Have you ever noticed how musicians talk about chords in songs by using numbers to describe them? Like “It starts on the I (one) chord and goes to the IV (four)” or “it stays for two bars on the V (five) chord.” When we do this we are making use of the musical […]
Rhythm, Ear Training, Technique and Theory By Paul Howard, Owner PHVMS Learning to play music takes motivation and dedication. It can also be frustrating and there is a lot of delayed gratification. But it is also one of the most joyful, satisfying and challenging endeavors one can engage in. People enjoy music at many different […]