Hi, do you have private piano or keyboard teachers in Baltimore? I see that you have lessons in DC but what about Baltimore?  We live in Baltimore City and have two children, 4 and 6 who want a piano teacher to come to our home.  We heard that B&B has great teachers.

Thanks,

Jeanne.

At B&B Music Lessons, we go to great lengths to find the best music instructors for your private music lessons.

Our music teachers come to your home in DC, VA or Maryland and provide you with the instruction you need to experience the joy of music. Whether you are looking for a guitar teacher, violin teacher, piano teacher or a teacher for the drums, we have the best teachers available.

All B&B Music Lessons teachers reflect our core values: reliability, patience and a commitment to sharing the gift of music. We only work with the best teachers. Each teacher is hand picked by us after completing our interview process.

We understand your busy schedule and have created value by bringing the music world directly to your door. Our teachers do the driving so that you don’t have to.

We currently serve the Washington DC metropolitan area, including Virginia (VA) and Maryland (MD). To contact us, simply click on this link:

http://bnbmusicworld.com/Education/ContactUs.php

Jazz Workshop Starting January 2012

B&B Music Lessons owner Bhagwan Khalsa will be collaborating with Paul Pieper starting in January of 2o12.  Paul is one of DC’s finest jazz guitarists and is the owner of The Jazz Workshop, based in Tysons Corner, VA. 

The Jazz Workshop provides an opportunity for jazz musicians to hone their chops with like minded musicians.  “Our relaxed, friendly sessions will help you become the musician you want to be, and give you the skills you need to succeed at any jam session or gig. And most importantly, you’ll be part of a group, and playing on a regular basis”.

Bhagwan Khalsa will be leading the Monday evening sessions, which are held at 6:15 and 8:30.   Each two hour session provides a comfortable learning opportunity for participants.  To learn more, contact Paul Pieper at thejazzworkshop@gmail.com.

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The purpose of B&B Music Lessons is to bring the joy of music into your life. We hope that you will enjoy our high standard of service and experience our dedication to musical education. Creating an environment that is beneficial to students and teachers results in the highest level of customer satisfaction.

B&B Music Lessons was created by musicians in the DC area who understand the importance of working with the best team possible. We’re only as good as the people we work with so we take great care in choosing the most qualified and reliable music teachers.  Our expert private music instructors service DC, MD and VA.

We have gone to great lengths to make sure that you have the best experience with our service. We guarantee your satisfaction.

Because Music Matters!

We are currently looking for a piano instructor for the NW DC area, including Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac.  If you’re interested, please contact B&B owner Bhagwan Khalsa at info@bnbmusicworld.com.

Reliability, friendly demeanor, evening scheduling all required in addition to teaching qualifications.   

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Litic’s Approach to Beginning Piano Lessons

Litic teaches piano in Leesburg, Ashburn, Reston, Herndon and Chantilly Virginia

For a beginning student, the main objective is to get the individual acquainted with the name of the keys and a general familiarity with the notes and the numbers to which the fingers correspond to. I work well particularly well with beginners because I encourage them to relax as much as they can. My approach consists of first setting goals, if they are too young, and then having them work diligently to achieve those goals. Every person is different but I have previously demonstrated that I can enable them to achieve practicable goals. I recognize that kids are honest in relating their progress, and often use that to assess their needs.

I have worked with kids in a professional capacity on countless occasions in the past, including my experiences working at KUMON and volunteering at a child care center. I am equally good with beginners of older age groups, but I would have to use a different methodology. I like to have a good demeanor around older students, as it will encourage them to pursue their piano studies further. I have had previous experience working with adults. While at my university, I assisted in facilitating the learning of business English by University’s facility’s management employees, many of whom came from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

http://bnbmusiclessons.com/teachers/litic-m/

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Take Rockabilly Guitar Lessons at B&B Music Lessons.  B&B Music Lessons provides rockabilly guitar teachers in the DC area and the teachers come to you!

Dagmar and The Seductones are pleased to announce the induction of one of our founding members, guitarist Bob “Newscaster” Swenson, into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Bob is honored to be recognized as part of the Second Generation of rockabilly performers, along with many of his friends and peers.

We encourage everyone to support the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and visit them at their website:

http://rockabillyhall.com/2nd.html

Here is some general info on guitar strings.  Care, use and descriptions are included.  If you are just getting started with your private guitar lessons, this is very helpful info!

Types of Guitar Strings

Stainless Steel:  Stainless steel strings have a bright sound and high resistance.  They are a hard alloy and can therefore lead to quicker fret wear. The alloy contains chromium and nickel.

Round Wound:  Most guitar string brands are round wound.  The core wire of these strings has a cross-section which is made of high carbon alloy steel.

Flat Wound:  Flat wound strings have been wound using a flat surfaced wrap wire instead of a wire with a cross-section.  These strings have a smooth surface and are frequently used by fretless bass guitars.

Nickel Wound:  This wire wrap is normally steel with an electroplating containing less than 10% nickel.  This steel alloy gives the strings magnetic properties which are necessary for magnetic pickups.  The nickel helps the string to resist oxidation and corrosion, as well as softening the string which reduces fret wear.

String Gauge

String gauge determines the tone of the guitar.  The higher the string gauge, the more tension in the string.  Higher tension means a fuller and louder tone.  So there is a trade off between lighter gauge strings which are easier to play, and heavier gauge strings which require greater strength but sound fuller.  Stevie Ray Vaughn was well known for his big tone, which was due in part to his heavy gauge strings.

The standard factory gauge for guitars is 12-54 gauge on acoustic guitars and 9-42 gauge on electric guitars.  If you are just getting started with guitar lessons, you will appreciate the lighter gauge strings.

Standard Guitar String Tuning

Six string guitars are tuned to E, A, D, G, B and E.  The thickest string is the E string next to the A string.  An easy way to remember the string order is the acronym “Elephants And Donkeys Grow Big Ears”.

String Life and Tone

You can prolong the life of your guitar strings by playing your guitar with clean hands.  Sweat and grease lead to premature corrosion of guitar strings.  Wipe down your strings after use to remove any sweat.

Strings tend to break as they get old but you can help reduce this by lubricating the parts that rub against the guitar strings.  Using lead from a pencil will work well for this purpose.  Simply apply the pencil lead on the nut slots and the saddle to minimize any friction.  If you have a recurring problem with a particular string snapping repeatedly, check for sharp edges on the guitar’s hardware.  Check the machine heads, the saddle and the nut of the guitar.

When the string sound has lots it’s clarity and brilliance, it may be time to change your strings.  If you have a broken string from an older set of strings, it is a good idea to replace the entire set so that the tone remains constant across the strings.  If the intonation of the guitar seems a bit off (and you have tuned it already), chances are that the strings are in need of replacement.

Changing Guitar Strings

The guitar neck is balanced by the tension created from the strings.  It is not a good idea to remove this tension from the neck of the guitar, so be sure to replace the strings one at a time.  If you remove them all, your guitar will need to stabilize again which will throw off the tuning for awhile.

New strings take time to adjust to the tension of being stretched across the fretboard.  You will need to retune your new strings frequently for the first few days after replacing them.  Heavy strings tend to hold their tuning longer than thinner gauge strings.  And remember the saying, “New guitar strings on a cheap guitar sound better than old strings on a nicer guitar”.

Adjusting to Different String Gauges

The most noticeable difference when you upgrade to a higher tension string will the be on your fingers.  Higher gauge strings can be uncomfortable till your fingertips are accustomed to the greater tension and thickness.  You will appreciate the fuller tone so it is worth the effort when you are ready!

A less obvious effect of changing string gauges is how it effects the guitar neck.   It is possible for buzzing to occur after a change in string gauges.  This is because the neck has adjusted to the new tension.  This problem is easily solved by adjusting the truss rod.   It is best to leave this to the experts or until you are familiar with how it works. It is simple enough but if you adjust the truss rod too far, it can cause permanent damage to your guitar.

Navigating Lesson Repertoire

In corresponding with parents of our students, I sometimes hear comments regarding how much focus should be made on one musical piece before adding additional material.  Here is a response to a recent email correspondence:

One point that I will say is that I believe that lessons should have enough fresh material to keep the student inspired by music.  I am currently working on a Bach Cello Suite and it is requiring the majority of my practice time.  However, it is nice to spend some time on something completely fresh at the end of the session.  I agree that it is important to focus on the primary songs or pieces but there is a certain freshness that new songs bring.  In other words, if you are working on a tune for a month straight, it can become more of a ‘task’ in the immediate term (especially for younger students).  In other words, finishing the final touches of a song can be the hardest part and thus can be frustrating at times. This is in due to the learning curve, which goes up quickly in the beginning and then there is often a ‘wall’ or ‘plateau’ which is tough to fight through.  For this reason, I support a certain amount of new material being introduced in any given lesson.  This keeps the student feeling fresh and helps to see the big picture.  It can lighten things up and help a student to see the big picture. 

There is a balanced approach that needs to be taken.  Bill Evans once said something to the effect that it is more important to work 10 hours on 1 song than 10 hours on 10 songs and I agree 100%. At the same time adding a bit of ‘zing’ to a lesson can be crucial to keeping a student excited about music. 

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Hi BB,

I have a young child who wants to learn to play the guitar chords.  But she is shy and wants a friendly teacher.  Do you have female guitar teachers in Ellicott City?  We are close to Baltimore and also Columbia so we can travel there or do you also send guitar teachers for in home lessons? Also, she is 6 and a half.  Is that to young?

Thank you,

Priscilla Jones