Local and Online Resources and Tools

Local and Online Resources

I truly believe that it is vital to support and keep local shops open. To that end I've added this page to promote local music and musical instrument shops and individuals. The listing below does not imply any preferences and is by no means a complete list. They are local to me shops in the Northern Virginia area.

NOVA Guitar Setups - NOVA Guitar Setups - for repairs, custom builds, maintenance and modifications. Eric is super responsive and his weekly newsletter is entertaining.

Foxes Music Company - Foxes Music for sheet music, instrument rental and musical instrument purchase. Locally owned since 1953.

Wolf Instruments - Thomas Andres Wolf is a local luthier. He did some great work on my double bass to lower the action and plained the fingerboard. He does phenomenal work.

Action Music is right around the corner with a great array of instruments and a helpful staff. If you're looking for a guitar, bass or accessories stop in from Tuesday to Saturday.

Online Resources and Tools

Guitar Scientist is a super nifty tool for creating finger and chord diagrams. There is a library of diagrams if you're looking to learn, a music theory lab in beta, and the diagram editor for creating your own. Check out Guitar Scientist - https://www.editor.guitarscientist.com/
Here's an example from Guitar Scientist - https://www.editor.guitarscientist.com/diagrams/zu2jqsl

Reverb.com has become my solution to doom scrolling; it's much more fun to look at all the cool instruments, amps and accessories. I've gotten some killer deals on pedals and gear too. You can too at Reverb.com

https://chordpic.com/ is a Guitar Chord Diagram Creator. It's pretty nifty for generating chords diagrams to add to my transcribed music.
https://www.chordsheet.com/ is a chord chart generation tool. It makes good clean copies.

Preludio Music Lessons

Greetings and welcome to Preludio Music Lessons! I am a dedicated music teacher with a passion for helping individuals of all ages begin their musical journey. Specializing in acoustic guitar, electric bass, double bass, and ukulele, I provide personalized beginner music lessons to nurture your musical abilities. My teaching style focuses on simplifying music theory and techniques to make learning seamless and enjoyable. Join me in discovering the joy of mastering your favorite songs and unraveling the mysteries of music with the support of a caring mentor. If you are ready to dive into the world of music and unlock your full potential, let's embark on this rewarding musical adventure together. Let me help you make beautiful music! Contact Info: Chris Dugmore Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justbassbeat Email: justbassbeat@gmail.com Text or VM: 703-996-9290 About Teaching Teaching music is not just about notes and rhythms; it's about creating a joyful experience that res...

The Metronome

Most students initially react to the metronome the way Captain Hook reacts to tick-tock crocodile. First, they look around to see where the imminent attack is coming from, and then run in fear of the constant ticking. Working with the metronome is really a requirement if you want to take your playing to the next level. And, when you make it big, recording in a studio, you’ll have a click track to keep everyone playing together. So it’s better to start working with the metronome when you start playing an instrument. Just make it part of your routine. I ask my students to get a metronome (I use TE Tuner -It really is much more than a tuner and metronome) to help them make chord changes in sync with time. I’d been saying, you don’t need to set the time fast, just set it to 40bpm and do four beats per chord. WHOOPS, this was a big mistake. At 40bpm, the space between the beats is, speaking figuratively, infinite and makes it really hard to learn and feel the rhythm. The 40 bpm s...

Chord Reaching

Chord Reaching Chords are a huge part of the tools you learn how to use when you start playing guitar. Because you going to spend so much time playing chords, you need to develop good practices for placing your fingers on the fretboard. Most players learn by watching where your fingers go on each string and start with the index finger, then the middle finger and finally the ring and pinky fingers last. THIS method is backwards and you should be doing the exact opposite. Try this - close your eyes. Now reach up to the lowest string with your ring finger. Feel each string and count them 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... now go in reverse with just your ring finger. Once you've got a sense of the strings, please your ring finger in the 3 fret and close (make a note) the string. Repeat this on each string from lowest to highest and back again. This is reaching. You may have noticed that each time you closed the string, your middle and index fingers curled in behind the ring finger. Reaching makes ...

Preludio Music Lessons

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