Catalog Search Results
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Explore harmonic tension and resolution, and the dominant and tonic chords, through compelling examples in the music of Richard Wagner. Practice an important exercise for independent movement of the left hand fingers. Discover how three-note chords ("triads") can be constructed from the notes of the scale. Finally, play an original song using the material from this lesson.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Look first at the goals of this course, as it will explore the principal trends in 20th-century concert music, and the historical issues and events that shaped them. As background, delve into the history of musical notation as it gave rise to composed music, and take account of the upheavals, political and social catastrophes, and paradigm shifts that affected music in the 20th century.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2020.
Language
English
Description
Study core principles of vocal artistry in performance. Learn ways to connect imaginatively with your text and character, to believe in what you're communicating, and to share your unique perspective as a performer. Working with the song "Danny Boy," see how sight, sound, and touch feed your imaginative work, and how specificity in your artistic choices gives your work depth and authenticity.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Cover global ground in this lecture, which looks at important 20th-century composers outside of the European/American orbit. Hear the fusion of Asian and Western traditions in the music of Tōru Takemitsu (Japan), Isang Yun (Korea), Chinery Ung (Cambodia), and Tan Dun (China). Discover the musical riches of Latin American composers Heitor Villa-Lobos, Carlos Chávez, and Alberto Ginastera.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
We may be the only animal that uses words, but we are not the only animal that sings. Survey music-making among other species, from fruit flies to gibbons, whales, parrots, and songbirds. Analyze the sound structure of their song to learn how it differs from ours..
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
The composers under discussion here were nonconformists whose works stand virtually as separate genres of music. Begin with celebrated individualist Charles Ives, and his programmatic masterwork, Three Places in New England. Then contemplate the alternate tonal system of Harry Partch, the mega-polyphony of Elliott Carter, and the unique music scored for player pianos by Conlon Nancarrow.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Schoenberg was both substantially misunderstood as a composer, and one of the greatest influences on 20th-century music. Learn about the enormous enmity and dissent that greeted his compositions, as they challenged tradition and offended musical conservatism. Trace his early life and music, his vision as a composer, and the achievements of his most "popular" work, Transfigured Night.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
By now, you have learned enough music from the masters that you are participating in a musical tradition. Revisit the sonata form and consider the modified "mini sonatina" form. Practice with "Brahms's Lullaby", Gurlitt's Waltz in C, Liszt's Liebestraum, and a theme from Mozart's Sonata in C.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2020.
Language
English
Description
Take an overview of the anatomy and structure of the larynx: the cartilage, ligaments, and muscles that house and support the vocal cords. Then look at how phonation or sound production works, and how pitch is made. Explore phonation through a series of exercises, working to create a healthy vocal tone and a balanced, free laryngeal position, without extraneous tensions.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Hone the new musical skills you learned in Lesson 15. After reviewing scales and learning to harmonize a minor melody, you'll experiment with a new rhythm pattern. Dig into "A Turkish Tune" to isolate problem spots, and then try your hand at a theme from Beethoven's Minuet in G.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2020.
Language
English
Description
Freedom and release of the tongue are essential to healthy vocal technique. Learn about the anatomy of the tongue and its eight muscles and how excess tongue tension is common for singers. Do a series of exercises to work for freedom and to let go of any pushing, retracting, or pressure on the larynx. Over time, explore the effects of these tools and incorporate them into your practicing.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Learning to play the piano is a complex, challenging process, so don't worry if you feel like you're hitting a plateau. In addition to expanding your knowledge of theory - including secondary chords - use this lesson as a time to review what you know and assess what needs work.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Continue your exploration of piano technique as it developed in the Romantic era. After some warm-up work on scales and extended arpeggios, you will find out what makes Chopin's style so interesting, and what made Liszt such a virtuoso. Conclude with a lullaby from Brahms.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Hear classic road stories of some great guitar players, as they point to the collaborative roles of the guitar. Learn the B7, C7, and G7 chords ("dominant seventh" chords), and grasp their role in musical harmony. Play the scale of E major across all six strings; then use your legato technique, dominant sevenths, and E major scale in accompanying a singer.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
In the first of two lectures on this giant of 20th-century music, trace the early life of Stravinsky, the environment in which he grew to maturity, and his musical education and influences. Follow Stravinsky's relationship with the impresario Sergei Diaghilev, their legendary partnership in the ballets The Firebird and Petrushka, and grasp the striking musical originality of those works.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2020.
Language
English
Description
This episode breaks down breathing into four phases associated with singing: inhalation, suspension, exhalation, and recovery. Work with exercises to coordinate these phases to create habitual patterns for breath. Experiment with how to make decisions about where you will breathe and divide the phrases, then troubleshoot aspects of breathing and posture that may be challenging.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Uncover the legend and innovations of Doc Watson, the great bluegrass player who was brought out of obscurity by a chance meeting. Study the challenges of playing with a pick while moving across the strings. Then taste "barre" chords, a useful technique you'll explore further, learn the C major scale, and try a tune inspired by Johnny Cash.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
The guitar is one of the most accessible, versatile, and easy to learn instruments you can play. Get lessons and tips from expert, such as how a simple group of four guitar chords enables you to play hundreds of songs. Even if you already play the guitar, this course will broaden your knowledge by applying music theory, history, and expanding your repertoire of songs and styles.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Look into the remarkable guitar-playing of Eric Johnson, and his use of the pentatonic (five-tone) scale. Learn a left-hand exercise for "walking" across the fretboard; then study half-step intervals on the guitar and how to read them. Investigate syncopated strumming patterns, the two-octave pentatonic scale, and how to use them in improvising.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Enter the world of the blues, and learn about some pioneering pre-war blues players. For left hand technique, practice a "lateral stretching" exercise for flexibility. Add the A7 chord, along with syncopated blues strumming patterns and the A blues scale. Last, play "Blues for Art", incorporating your new strumming patterns and the blues scale.
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