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Music
What the world is talking about, with sources. Every piece is prepared with artificial intelligence, and every claim links to where it came from.
Violin, Piano or Cello? How to Choose Your First Classical Instrument
Piano is generally the fastest instrument to start making music on, because pressing a key always produces the right pitch, while violin demands the most ear training and cello sits in between, according to music schools and retailers. The right pick depends on the learner's age, body size, budget and which sound keeps them practising daily.
Tom Zé Turns 90: Tropicália's Restless Outsider Marks a Landmark Birthday
Brazilian musician Tom Zé, born Antônio José Santana Martins in Irará, Bahia, turned 90 on October 11, 2026. A founding figure of the 1968 Tropicália movement who spent decades outside the commercial mainstream, he is being honored this month with concerts, an exhibition and a new biography in Brazil.
Melody, Harmony and Song Structure: The Core Tools of Music Composition
Music composition rests on three interacting elements: melody (a line of single notes), harmony (the chords that support it) and song structure (how sections like verse, chorus and bridge are arranged). This explainer breaks down how each element works and how composers combine them, based on conservatory course material and academic music-theory sources.
How Classical Music Still Shapes Today's Composers and Music Theory
Classical-era harmony, counterpoint and form are still the starting point of composition training, and several working composers say they directly rework material from Bach, Beethoven and other classical-era composers into new pieces. Juilliard's own course catalog describes counterpoint as a structural, controlling force in Western music syntax rather than a historical curiosity, while composers from John Adams to Hildur Guðnadóttir trace their current methods back to classical training.
Bologna Pays Tribute to Francesco Guccini and His 60-Year Bond With the Nomadi
Bologna is holding a five-day public tribute, from October 29 to November 2, 2026, to singer-songwriter Francesco Guccini, who died on August 6, 2026, at age 86. The programme includes a mass singalong of his songs in Piazza Maggiore and honours six decades of creative partnership with the band Nomadi, which began in 1966.
Peter Maffay sets German record with 22nd number-one album, "Nashville"
Peter Maffay's new duet album "Nashville," recorded with singer Johannes Oerding, entered the German charts at number one on 9 October 2026, giving the 77-year-old musician his 22nd chart-topping album — a record no other artist has reached in Germany. The milestone, confirmed by German chart data, caps a recording career that began in 1969.
How to Appreciate Classical Music: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide
Appreciating classical music starts with active, distraction-free listening to short, familiar pieces, repeated exposure to build recognition, and basic knowledge of how an orchestra is organized. Orchestras' own first-timer guides also cover what to expect at a live concert, from arrival time to when to applaud.
Aerosmith Announces Two Comeback Concerts at Hollywood Bowl After Three-Year Pause
Aerosmith will return to the stage on October 29 and November 1, 2026, with two shows at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles titled "California, Dream On: Aerosmith & Friends." The concerts mark the band's first live performances since frontman Steven Tyler's 2023 vocal cord injury forced the cancellation of their farewell tour and led to a 2024 retirement announcement.
How to Choose Your First Musical Instrument: Key Factors Explained
Choosing a first musical instrument mainly comes down to four factors: age and physical readiness, the music you actually want to play, budget and space at home, and how much daily practice you can commit to. Music schools and children's-music platforms recommend trying an instrument (in person or via rental) before buying, since comfort and personal interest predict whether a beginner keeps playing.
Music Theory Basics: How Notes, Scales, Chords and Rhythm Work Together
Music theory describes the building blocks musicians use to make and read music: pitched notes, scales built from fixed patterns of steps, chords stacked from scale tones, and rhythm organized by time signatures. Learning these four elements together helps beginners read notation, play by ear, and understand why chords and progressions sound the way they do.
How to Collect and Care for Vinyl Records: A Practical Guide
Vinyl records need upright storage, protective sleeves, dust-free handling and alcohol-light cleaning solutions to stay playable for decades. U.S. vinyl revenue held near $457 million in the first half of 2025, with vinyl outselling CDs in units for a fifth straight year, according to the RIAA. This guide walks through buying, handling, cleaning and storing a collection based on practices described by record retailers and industry data.
How to Learn a Musical Instrument as a Beginner, Step by Step
Music educators and practice researchers agree that short, goal-focused daily sessions beat occasional long ones, and that errors should be corrected immediately rather than ignored. Mental practice away from the instrument, tracking total practice hours over months and years, and understanding the documented benefits of playing all support steady progress for a beginner.
How to Write and Produce Your First Song: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide
Writing and producing a first song comes down to three phases: capturing an idea and giving it a structure, turning that structure into lyrics and a melody, then recording the parts with correct gain levels before mixing and mastering. Most beginner guides agree on the same verse-chorus-bridge framework and basic signal-level targets, which this guide lays out in order.
Reinhard Mey, 83, Tops German Album Charts With Solo Record "Schatzhauser"
German singer-songwriter Reinhard Mey has become the oldest national artist ever to reach number one on Germany's official album charts, with his new record "Schatzhauser" debuting at the top in week 40 of 2026. It is the 83-year-old's fifth chart-topping album and the first he recorded entirely alone, with only his voice and guitar.
How a Symphony Orchestra Is Organized: Sections, Seating and the Conductor's Role
A symphony orchestra is built from four instrument families — strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion — arranged on stage by section and led by a conductor who sets tempo and interpretation. The concertmaster, the principal first violinist, acts as the orchestra's second-in-command, relaying the conductor's intentions to the rest of the ensemble.
William Shatner, 95, covers Metallica's "Enter Sandman" at Riot Fest debut
William Shatner, 95, performed a spoken-word cover of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" with his new band The *uckers at Riot Fest in Chicago on September 20, 2026. The Star Trek actor said he reinterpreted the lyrics as coming from a manipulative, sinister narrator rather than mimicking Metallica's original delivery, as part of a forthcoming heavy-metal album due in 2027.
Eminem Joins Kid Rock on New Song "7 Sins" From Christian Album "Halfway to Jesus"
Eminem is featured on "7 Sins," a track from Kid Rock's upcoming Christian music album "Halfway to Jesus," due October 17, 2026. It is the Detroit-area rappers' first joint recording since 1998, and Kid Rock says the pairing shows friendship can survive political disagreement.
How to Start Listening to Classical Music: A Beginner's Guide
Classical music is easiest to approach through short, familiar pieces, full works rather than single movements, and a little background on each composer. This guide lays out concrete first steps, the main historical periods to know, and the basic etiquette for attending a live concert.
How to Choose and Learn a Musical Instrument: A Beginner's Guide
Picking an instrument works best when it starts with the sound that attracts the learner, not with physical "fit" or trends, according to music-education guidance. Progress afterward depends less on total hours played and more on focused, goal-driven practice sessions, research on expert musicians shows. This guide lays out the sourced steps for choosing an instrument and building a practice routine at any age.