Visit the Downloads page for free practice aids. Also see the Music Practice Articles on The Musician's Way Blog.
Digital recorders | Scores & sheet music| General references & resources | Listening | Warm-ups | Sight-reading | Interpretation | Memorization | Collaboration | Technology | Blog |
Portable Digital Recorders for Musicians
Audio recorders
Zoom H4n. Superior sound quality & features. Temporary price cut at Amazon: save nearly 60% and receive free shipping.
Zoom H2n. Outstanding for self-study recording.
Mikey 2 (new generation). For iPod Touch 4th Gen, iPhone 4/4S, iPad & iPad 2. Transform your Apple device into a portable recorder. Excellent!
"Self-Recording in Practice." An article on The Musician's Way Blog.
Also see pages 16-18 of The Musician's Way.
Video recorders
Visit Amazon.com for a wide selection of HD camcorders.
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Scores and Sheet Music
Also see Instrument-Specific Resources and For Singers.
Internet Music Score Library Project. A vast repository of free scores.
Sheet Music Plus. Huge selection; low prices.
The 4 Types of Music Editions by Gerald Klickstein
Bavarian State Library Digital Collections. Free downloads of the complete works of Schumann, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Liszt, Handel, and more.
Free downloadable scores from the Sibley Music Library at the Eastman School.
Free online scores & Special collections from the Indiana Univ. Music Library.
Index of Digital Collections. Links compiled by the Virtual Library of Musicology.
Beethoven Haus - Digital Archive.
Brahms Digital. Autograph manuscripts, early editions, and more.
Neue Mozart Ausgabe free digital version. The complete Mozart by Bärenreiter.
Schubert Autographs. Free online viewing of Schubert's manuscripts.
Juilliard Manuscript Collection. 140 documents for online viewing.
Werner Icking Music Archive. Free scores to download.
Mutopia Project. Free public-domain classical music typeset by volunteers.
Kreusch-Sheet-Music.net. Free sheet music.
Sheet music collections. Links compiled by the Duke University Music Library.
American Sheet Music, 1820-1885. From the Library of Congress. 110,000 scores. African-American Sheet Music, 1850-1920. Approximately 1,300 titles.
WorldCat.org. Find scores, books, and recordings in libraries worldwide.
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Music Practice References and Resources
Articles about deep practice on The Musician's Way Blog.
Theta Music Trainer. Outstanding free ear training & music theory games.
MusicTheory.net. Teoría.com. Practice music theory and ear training.
Theory worksheets. Print out and practice intervals, triads, and more.
MusicCards.net. Music theory flash cards.
Good-ear.com. Free online ear trainer. Dictation exercises from davesmey.com.
BestMetronome.com. Free online metronome. Customizable beat rates.
Metronome Apps. A selected list from BulletproofMusician.com.
Boss DB-60 metronome. Diverse features - a musician favorite.
"Rythmic Precision." How to use metronomes effectively, by Gerald Klickstein.
Multimedia Music Dictionary from Virginia Tech.
Stylistic Timeline of Music History, by Steven Estrella.
SoundReasoning.org. Free music appreciation course by Anthony Brandt, Ph.D.
Internet Resources for Music from the Library of Congress.
Online Resources for Music Scholars compiled by Harvard librarians.
TheLessonRoom.com. Videos, tips, and techniques for students and educators.
Classical.net. Articles, reviews, and other resources for classical musicians.
Proceedings of the International Symposia on Performance Science.
Staffnotes: Free Printable Staff Paper. Simple online tool; flexible formatting.
“Practice,” by Nancy H. Barry and Susan Hallam, in The Science & Psychology of Music Performance, edited by Parncutt & McPherson, 151-166 (Oxford, 2002).
“Strategies for Individual Practice,” by Harald Jørgensen, 85-103; Mental Skills Training," by Connolly and Williamon, 221-246, in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, ed. Aaron Williamon, (Oxford, 2004).
For improvisation resources, see Jazz.
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Listening to Music
Deep Listening. An article on The Musician's Way Blog.
YouTube.com.
Search by performer, composer, title.
Medici.tv. Free and subscription access to HD classical music videos.
Pandora Internet Radio (U.S. only).
Spotify - free & subscription offerings.
Jango.com. Listen for free; sign up and get your music heard by millions.
Classical Archives. Over 600,000 audio tracks; free and subscription offerings.
ClassicalConnect.com. Free and growing.
ClassicFM.com. Music, news, and more.
PristineClassical.com. Historic recordings remastered by Andrew Rose.
Recordings from Naxos (classical and jazz).
Blue Note records. Jazz recordings and news.
National Geographic World Music.
Smithsonian Folkways.
Affiliated sites:
MOG. Unlimited CD-quality music for $5-10/month. 14-day free trial. Excellent!
iTunes. The megastore for music and more.
eMusic. "The iTunes music store's cooler, cheaper cousin." Free trial.
ArkivMusic.com. "The source for classical music."
Live365.com. "The largest radio network on the Internet." Free trial.
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Warm-Ups and Restorative Movements for Musicians
See p. 37-39 & 75-82 of The Musician's Way as well as the For Singers page.
The Total Warm-up. Crucial strategies via The Musician's Way Blog.
A Proper Warm-up Has Important Benefits, by physiologist Elizabeth Quinn.
Pre-playing warm-ups. Factsheet published by the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine. Please read the above article by Elizabeth Quinn and study the factsheet instructions before you try out these movements.
Relax and Renew, by Judith Lasater, Ph.D. Restorative poses (Rodmell, 1995).
The Breathing Book, by Donna Farhi. Restorative breathing exercises and healthful movements (MacMillan, 1996).
Guitarist David Russell speaks about warming up, practice, maintaining a repertoire of accessible pieces, and preserving the fun in music making. (Video)
“Qi Gong [Tai Chi] Exercises for Musicians.” Free video by Scott Lee.
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Sight-Reading
"Effortless Sight-Reading." A popular article on The Musician's Way Blog.
Also see p. 99-102 of The Musician's Way.
PracticeSightReading.com. Generate rhythm exercises; multiple levels.
Eye Movement in Music Reading. A well-referenced article on Wikipedia.
“Sight-Reading,” by Lehmann & McArthur, in The Science & Psychology of Music Performance, eds. Parncutt & McPherson, 135-150 (Oxford, 2002).
“Strategies for Sight-reading and Improvising Music,” in Musical Excellence, edited by Aaron Williamon, 143-159 (Oxford, 2004).
Sight-reading/sight singing methods for instrumentalists and singers:
Solfèges des Solfèges, by A. Dannhäuser (3 vols.). Free download.
A New Approach to Sight Singing, by Berkowitz, Frontrier, & Kraft.
Rhythmical Articulation, by Pasquale Bona.
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Musical Interpretation
See p. 23-34 of The Musician's Way.
7 Essentials of Artistic Interpretation, by Gerald Klickstein
Explore videos on YouTube of master musicians teaching interpretation. Search using keywords such as "Pavarotti masterclass" or "violin master class."
Books about Musical Interpretation
Note Grouping, by James Thurmond (Meredith, 1982).
Musical Interpretation, by Tobias Matthay (Schirmer, 1918). Free e-book.
The Rhythmic Structure of Music, by Cooper & Meyer (Chicago, 1960).
The Composer’s Advocate, by Erich Leinsdorf (Yale, 1982).
Baroque Music: Style & Performance Handbook, by R. Donington (Norton 1982).
Interpreting Bach at the Keyboard, by P. Badura-Skoda (Oxford, 1995).
The End of Early Music: A Period Performer's History of Music for the 21st Century, by Bruce Haynes (Oxford, 2007).
Singing in Style, by Martha Elliott (Yale, 2006).
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Memorization for Musicians
See p. 82-93 of The Musician's Way.
The Four Stages of Memorization. A must-read article by Gerald Klickstein.
Memorization: Psychological Data and Some Practical Tips, by Scott M. Smith.
“Memorising Music,” by Aaron Williamon, in Musical Performance: A Guide to Understanding, edited by John Rink, 113-126 (Cambridge, 2002).
“Memory,” by Aiello and Williamon, in The Science & Psychology of Music Performance, eds. Parncutt & McPherson, 167-181 (Oxford, 2002).
“Singing by Heart: Memorization Strategies for the Words and Music of Songs,” by Jane Ginsborg, in The Music Practitioner, ed. Jane Davidson, 149-160 (Ashgate, 2004).
Preview Practicing Perfection: Memory and Piano Performance, by Chaffin, Imreh, and Crawford (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2002). Purchase from Amazon.com.
“Strategies for Memorizing Music,” by Jane Ginsborg, in Musical Excellence,
ed. Aaron Williamon, 123-141 (Oxford, 2004).
“Performing from Memory,” by Chaffin, Logan, & Begosh, in The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology, eds. Hallam, Cross, & Thaut (2008, p. 352-363).
"Liszt: The Man Who Invented Stage Fright," by Steven Hough, The Guardian, (June 2011). Pros and cons of performing either from memory or from music.
“The Value of Performing from Memory,” by Aaron Williamon, Psychology of Music, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 84-95 (1999). Abstract of research article.
Read the Preface to Guide to Memorizing Music, by Alfred J. Goodrich (1906).
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Musical Collaboration
See p. 114-129 of The Musician's Way.
"Ten Tips for Collaborating Musicians" & "Collaborative Criticism"
Must-know info from The Musician's Way Blog.
"how to play in someone else's band," by Danny Barnes. Sage advice.
"The Secrets of Successful Collaboration," by Keppie Coutts. Insights into collective songwriting; broadly applicable.
Team or Group? Discover 10 key distinctions using this article by Daniel Nase.
11 Ways to Build Trust within Your Team. Via Mike Henry & Lead Change Group.
"Eleven steps to fixing the problem that occurs when you work harder than everyone else in the band," by Bruce Warila.
"A Musician's Guide to Middle Management, or Leading a Band," by Cameron Mizell. Broadly applicable strategies and techniques.
From MindTools.com: Resolving team conflict. Leadership and teamwork tools. How good are your communication skills?
"Two Is the Magic Number." Joshua Wolf Shenk looks at the creative power of collaboration (Slate, Sept. 14, 2010).
“The Role of Chamber Music in Learning to Perform: A Case Study,” an article by Burt-Perkins & Mills, in Music Performance Research, Vol. 2 (2008).
“Strategies for Ensemble Practice,” a chapter by Jane Davidson and Elaine King, in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, edited by Aaron Williamon, 105-122 (Oxford, 2004).
“Collaboration and the Study of Ensemble Rehearsal.” A paper by Elaine C. King published in Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition (2004).
The Chamber Music Network. Facilitates informal playing. 5000+ members.
The Art of Quartet Playing: The Guarneri Quartet in Conversation with David Blum (Cornell, 1987).
The Power of Positive Criticism, by H. Weisinger (Amacom, 2000).
Toxic Criticism, by Eric Maisel (McGraw Hill, 2006).
The Complete Collaborator: The Pianist as Partner, by M. Katz (Oxford, 2009).
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Technology Resources for Musicians
Also see Digital recorders and Career resources.
Dropbox.com. Backup, sync, and share files. Free!
Transcribe! software. Slow down recordings without changing pitch.
Windows. Mac. Linux. Free trial. Read reviews. Outstanding product; only $39!
AVS Audio/Video Converting/Editing Software. Low cost; easy to use.
Recording and sound reinforcement articles & guides from Shure. Free.
Recording on a Budget, by Brent Edstrom (Oxford, 2011). Companion website.
Mixonic.com. CD & DVD production made easy & inexpensive.
JourneyEd.com. Huge discounts on software for students and educators.
Adobe.com for students and educators. Deep discounts on software.
Build a website:
1)
Tech-challenged musicians: Bandzoogle; Wix.com; Weebly.com.
2) Tech-knowledgeable musicians: Wordpress.org , a free platform with diverse themes and plugins (differences between WP.org and .com are explained here).
3) Tech-savvy musicians: Buy a domain name & hosting plan: GoDaddy.com. Web design software: Adobe.com.
Free web-building tutorials: W3Schools.com. 4) Search engine optimization tips (free): The Beginner's Guide to Seo.
MusicTeachersHelper.com. Create a website, handle scheduling, accept online payments, and more.
AirTurn.com. Hands-free page turns.
Sibelius. Finale. Notation and composing software at academic discounts.
Acoustica.com. Home of Mixcraft, the highly regarded, low-cost, multi-track recording software for Windows. Read reviews.
Avid.com (manufacturer site). Home of Pro Tools, M-Audio, Sibelius, etc.
Buy Pro Tools 10 at a discount from JR.com and shop for other DAW software such as FL Studio and Cubase.
Pro audio, video, accessories: JR.com.
4AllMemory.com. Upgrade your computer memory and gain speed.
TigerDirect.com. Low prices on computers and hardware.
BestBuy.com. JR.com. Computers and consumer electronics.
Technology Institute for Music Education.
“Physiological Self-regulation: Biofeedback and Neurofeedback,” by Gruzelier and Egner, a chapter in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, edited by Aaron Williamon, p. 197-219 (Oxford, 2004).
PianoPerceptions.com. Dr. Kathleen Riley’s method that combines surface electromyography, video analysis, and sensory awareness training to optimize instrumentalists’ technical habits.
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