Music Lessons at University of Texas at El Paso: Production, Mixing, Theory

The student and tutor worked on refining piano technique by practicing specific chords and inversions in the piece "Autumn Leaves." They discussed advanced concepts such as shell chords, avoiding note doubling, and the theory behind relative minor scales. The tutor assigned practice on a specific section of the music and encouraged the student to continue exploring the concepts discussed.

The Tutor guided the Student in learning chromatic scales, fingerboard navigation techniques (shifting, pivoting), and modes in relation to major/minor scales. The Student practiced applying these concepts to bass playing with an emphasis on proper fingering, scale memorization, and metronome practice. Homework includes practicing fingerboard techniques, scales, and arpeggios with a metronome.

The Student reviewed the Autumn Leaves piece, focusing on chord voicings, voice leading, and diatonic and non-diatonic chord progressions. Independence exercises were introduced to improve coordination between the hands. Homework includes practicing chord voicings, the melody, and independence exercises with a metronome.

The tutor and student focused on foundational music practice techniques, including the use of metronomes, structured goal-setting, and accurate rhythmic execution. They practiced interval etudes, chord building, and scale application, with an introduction to diatonic chords and the 2-5-1 progression in jazz. The tutor encouraged consistent practice with a metronome and assigned further practice on musical pieces.

The Tutor and Student explored chord construction, focusing on major and minor thirds, and then extended this to different chord qualities like major 7th, dominant, minor 7th, and diminished chords. They also covered major scale construction using the whole-half step pattern, the Circle of Fifths for key signatures, and the concept of chord voicings. The session included practice exercises for rhythmic response and a review of study habits.

The tutor and student reviewed rhythmic notation, chord construction (specifically dominant seventh chords like C7 and F7), and the application of these concepts to a 12-bar blues progression. The student practiced playing chord changes and was introduced to improvisational techniques, with homework assigned to further develop these skills using recordings.