Links

Music Tools: Useful & Fun Links for Band, Keyboard, and Advanced General Music Students

SOME OF OUR FAVORITE MUSIC TOOLS AND LINKS (MISCELLANEOUS):

Metronome Online    Keep the steady beat while practicing music with this free metronome, or the one below.  (Or find another metronome in your favorite app store or by internet search.)

TempoPerfect Metronome Software (FREE download) A great free metronome software program for PC, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android devices, Kindle, and other devices.  Once you download it and install it on your computer or other device, you do not need to be connected to the internet to use this metronome program.

Tuner Online   Because instruments sound better when they play together if they are tuned up first.

Musescore – music notation & composition software – FREE

Audacity – sound recording & editing software – FREE

Music Racer – speed games for reading music notes and identifying instrument fingerings, plus musical terms

Music Tech Teacher – music games and quizzes

8notes.com – Great FREE sheet music for all instruments (solos and various ensembles), along with links to many other great music tools and resources.  You can see, print, and hear the free sheet music here.

MUSIC READING REFERENCES:

• HOW TO READ MUSIC NOTES-QLCSs-pp1-9-Dunn
• Introduction to READING MUSIC—How to do it!  (Datadragon.com)— A good site for information on musical symbols, clefs, note reading, time signatures, note values, etc.
• How to Read Sheet Music (ReadSheetMusic.Info)—Good basic tutorial.
• Learning Music Theory (Music Reading and Writing)—(eMusicTheory)—Many good links here to help you to learn to read  and write music.  (Includes some of the sites listed above, plus others.)
• Music Reading Flashcards: Staff Note Letter Names—(PianoTools.com) —Learn the letter names of notes on the lines and spaces of the staff with these interactive flash cards.  Choose treble clef, bass clef, or both.  Choose no ledger lines OR with ledger lines.  Choose natural notes only, or mix in some accidentals.  Improve your music reading!
• Music Theory Flashcards:  Key Signatures—(PianoTools.com)—Learn the key name (and related major scale and home note name) for each key signature.
• Ricci Adams’ Musictheory.net—Learn how to read and write music, from a very basic (beginner) level to advanced (college or advanced high school) level.

Rhythm Flashcards and Slides:

• RHYTHM EXERCISE-Half,Quarter,8th,16th,Whole-NOTES
• RhythmSlides-Whole,Half,Quarter,8th,DottedQuarter-SE1
• Rhythm Slides-Quarter,Half,8th,DottedHalf&Quarter-EE2K.Final
• Rhythm Slides-Set 1-Quarter,8th,Half,Whole-METERS4,3,2
• Rhythm Slides-Set 2-DottedQuarter-8th,DottedHalf,Ties

FREE Printable Music Staff Paper:
Choose your favorite staff paper, below, and and then print out as many copies as you want in order to write and transcribe your own sheet music by hand.  (Note:  If want to “write out”, print, and play back sheet music on the computer, then use a music notation program, such as Musescore, link above.)
STAFF PAPER-12 Staves
STAFF PAPER-10 Staves
STAFF PAPER-6 LARGE Staves
STAFF PAPER-4 LARGE Staves

CHORDS and SCALES REFERENCE PAGES:

• Virtual Piano Chords (and Scales) — (Telacommunications.com)  Find the notes for any scale or chord, including those used in jazz music. This page lists the notes and shows where these notes are on a piano keyboard.  Although designed for piano and keyboard instruments, this tool is useful for all musical instruments, because you use the same notes to play scales and chords (or arpeggios) on all other instruments.  Interactive site:  turn your speakers on to hear the chords.
  
• Virtual Piano Chords (and Scales)-(PianoWorld.com)—Similar to the site link above.
• Guitar Chords Chart (8notes.com)   Interactive:  turn your speakers on.
• Guitar Chords Chart (ChordBook.com)  Interactive:  turn your speakers on.
• Guitar Chords Chart (InfiniteGuitar.com) Interactive:  turn your speakers on.

STANDARD REFERENCE SOURCES:

• Musical Dictionary—Alphabetical—Classics for Kids.
• Musical Dictionary—Categorical—Classics for Kids.  While at this site, also click the items on the menu on the left to: hear and learn about INSTRUMENTS, hear some great, famous CLASSICAL MUSIC, explore a MUSIC LISTENING GUIDE, etc. Great information for parents here, too.
  
• Musical Terms Dictionary (NAXOS)—Want to know what that funny sounding word in your music means? Here you’ll find a good list of Italian terms used in music for tempo (speed), dynamics (volume), and articulation (style, tonguing, string instrument bowing, etc.).  Organized alphabetically, click on the term and its definition opens in a window.
  
• Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclodepia—Use this FREE online encyclopedia to find information about instruments, composers, musicians, music history, the science of music, world music, or just about any other topic you can think of!  (It is also good for non-music research.)   Also available in Spanish and many other languages!
• Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary & Thesaurus—FREE quick definitions of words (including musical terms, instruments, etc.) and even hear them pronounced!  Also good for looking up brief composer and musician biographies.  Great also as a general, non-musical information reference source.
• Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases (for synonymns and antonymns)
• TRANSLATE:  Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Greek, and many other languages—Translate a word or phrase from or to several different languages with this page that features multiple translation engines.  Also translate entire web pages.
• Reference Maps:  World Maps and National Maps (CIA World Factbook)—World Maps & maps and information about all countries.  See where your favorite composer or folk song is from!
• Refrerence Maps:  USA Map, State Maps, & World Maps(World Atlas.com)—State maps show borders and major cities, including many that are mentioned in songs.