Teaching / Music Musings
As a Teacher
Suz shares an expansive approach to playing with the language of music by integrating diverse learning styles—students explore how to speak and understand music by ear (oral tradition), how to read and write it (written tradition), and how to use chord theory to understand how songs are made. For example, is Fur Elise hundreds of notes—or a few simple chords? See her Music Musings Factsheets to learn more.
Suz teaches: Piano, voice, guitar, ukulele, mandolin, and bass — as well as practical songwriting skills, recording and CD production, orchestrating and arranging, rock band coaching, and music technology (notation and recording software and other digital doo-dads). She delights in inviting students to explore their unique musical journeys.
Learn more about Suz’s workshops here. Check out Suz’s YouTube videos below.
Suz factsheets are now available at Scribd.com; you can also find her free instructional videos on her YouTube channel — and a fun presentation of the below information in Piano Dreams: the Movie.
Download Suz’s free factsheets for more music fun
Suz’s Music Musings factsheets can be downloaded right here (in .PDF format).
Learn how to:
• play a melody by ear, using just 7 simple piano notes
• instantly make up songs using just 3 chords
• understand how songs are made
• play 1950s songs using just 4 chords
• easily create a song’s feel & style with bass lines (made out of chords!)
• improvise (make up melodies) using a simple - but really groovy — blues scale!
• have oodles of fun with music RIGHT AWAY!
“Suz invites people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to find the music uniquely in them. She believes that music belongs to everyone, not just “the professionals.”
Suz’s How-To Videos at YouTube
Suz now has free educational videos on her YouTube channel. Check out the titles below, and click on ones you’d like to learn about. Contact Suz if you have suggestions for topics you’d be interested in learning more about.
GUITAR HOW-TO VIDEOS:
1. How To Play a C Scale on the Guitar
2. How to Play a Blues Scale on the Guitar
3. How to Play a 1, 4, 5 chord Blues on Guitar
4. How to Play “Mission Impossible” on Guitar
5. How to Play “Another One Bites The Dust” on Guitar
6. How to Play “Crazy Train” on Guitar
7. How to Play “Funky Town” on Guitar
8. How to Play “Money” by Pink Floyd on Guitar
9. How to Play “Secret Agent Man” on Guitar
PIANO HOW-TO VIDEOS:
1. How to play a C Blues Scale on Piano
2. How to play an F Blues Scale on Piano
3. How to play the G Blues Scale on Piano
4. Why a blues scale sounds “Bluesy”
5. How to Scat Sing (Improvise) Using the Blues Scale
6. Understanding 7, 9, 11 and 13 Chords
7. Understanding Chords & Melodies on Piano
8. How to Simplify a Song on Piano
9. How to Play 1950s Chords on Piano
10. Easy Piano Improv Using Neighborhood Notes
11. NEW! How to Stylize a Piano Song, Part 1: Thinking in chords
12. NEW! How to Stylize a Piano Song, Part 2: Cool Bass Lines
13. NEW! How to Stylize a Piano Song, Part 3: Arpeggios
Educational Articles by Suz on eHow
I closed my account at eHow, as they were adding video ads at the beginning of my instructional videos. I prefer sharing info in an advertising free environment. Sorry for the inconvenience. See above for free instructional videos at my You Tube channel.