Sheet Music, Books, CDs and DVDs

Books for learning musical instruments and music theory are a kind of textbooks for a certain instrument or a selected program for learning to play a certain instrument or a certain part of music theory.

Musical learning books usually contain scales and many different exercises, sometimes simple etudes, in different tonal modes, in ascending order according to difficulty (for gradual progression) or with an emphasis on individual aspects such as fluidity, rhythm, dynamics, articulation etc. Sometimes recitals are also included, possibly with accompaniment. Such textbooks differ from books with etudes in that they are intended as a linear course that the student must follow with consistent guidance, while the scope of the etudes is not as exhaustive.

Books for learning musical instruments are mostly intended as textbooks that complement the work of a musical instrument teacher (instead of facilitating independent learning) and usually do not deepen any basics or special techniques of playing a musical instrument. Detailed instructions in this regard can only be found in special didactic manuals intended for teachers.

Some books for learning to play musical instruments are specifically tailored to students at certain skill levels or stages of psychosocial development. In contrast, books with a “sophisticated method” textbooks (sometimes in multiple volumes) are supposed to accompany students until they achieve advanced knowledge in playing a musical instrument.

Music lessons are part of both amateur music learning and professional music training. In an amateur and recreational music environment, children and adults attend music courses to improve their singing skills or ability to play an instrument and to master the technique of basic to medium difficulty. In the context of vocational training, students deepen their knowledge with music professors for many years in order to learn advanced playing or singing techniques. Many instrumental performers and singers, including many well-known pop and rock performers, have learned music “by ear”, especially in traditional genres such as blues, country and various genres of rock music. Nevertheless, even in these genres, there are many performers who have a formal musical education or have at least attended private music lessons with a singing teacher or a teacher of one of the musical instruments.

Posture

In class, vocal teachers show students how to sit or stand and breathe, and what the posture of the head and mouth should be for a good vocal tone. In teaching instruments, teachers show students how to sit or stand with the instrument, how to hold the instrument, and how to manipulate fingers and other parts of the body to produce sound and determine tones on the instrument. In winds and brass, the teacher shows the student how to create sounds and get the right tones with his lips, tongue and blowing. For some instruments, teachers also train students to use their feet, such as a piano or other keyboard instrument that has a damper or sustain pedal, a church organ for playing bass, and a drum kit for using a bass drum pedal and hi-hat pedal. Apart from learning finger technique, teachers also carry out other types of teaching. The classical guitarist learns how to pick and twitch strings; wind instrument players learn about controlling breathing and controlling the oral and facial muscles, and singers learn how to make the most out of vocal cords without suffering injuries to the throat or vocal cords themselves.

Teachers also show students how to achieve the correct posture for the most effective results when playing an instrument. With all instruments, the best way to move your fingers and hands is to achieve the desired effect when playing with as little tension in your hands and body as possible. Using the correct technique also prevents the formation of habits that could cause skeletal and muscle damage. For example, when playing the piano, finger order (which fingers to place on which keys) is a skill that the learner slowly learns as he progresses. There are a large number of standard techniques that a teacher can pass on to a student.