Middetown Thrall Library's reference and circulating and collections contain a variety of books, electronic resources, audio CDs, and educational materials covering all aspects of music and dance.

At Thrall, music is classified according to the numerical "Dewey Decimal System" and can be found in the "780s" section of our nonfiction collections. To find them, just browse the nonfiction aisles until you reach the number 780.

• 780 Music - Main entry point in the Dewey Decimal System
• 781 General Principles and Musical Forms
• 782 Vocal Music
• 783 Music for Single Voices; The Voice
• 784 Instruments and Instrumental Ensembles
• 785 Ensembles with One Instrument Per Part
• 786 Keyboard and Other Instruments
• 787 Stringed Instruments
• 788 Wind Instruments
• 789 Percussion

A Brief Introduction to ANSCR

In addition to items in these categories, other musical items in our collections, such as our Classical and Jazz audio collections, are filed according to the ANSCR Classification System for Sound Recordings.

The ANSCR (Alpha-Numeric System for Classification of Recordings) system consists of nearly 50 categories covering all types of music. Each category starts with a letter.

For example, the leter A in the ANSCR system represents "Music Appreciation: History and Commentary," while the letter B represents "Opera" and the letter "C" stands for "Choral Music."

Here is a partial list of ANSCR letters and what they represent:

• A - Music Appreciation, History and Commentary
• B - Opera
• C - Choral Music
• D - Vocal Music
• E - Orchestral Music
• F - Chamber Music
• G - Solo Instrumental Music
• K - Musical Shows and Operettas
• MA - Popular Music
• MC - Country / Western Music
• MJ - Jazz
• MR - Rock
• Z - Children's Recordings

An unabridged list of ANSCR letters is available from California State University.

Please feel free to ask a librarian for assistance.

African American musicians Arrangement (Music) Avant-garde (Music) Ballads Ballet Ballroom dancing Bands (Music) Bells Big band music Big bands Blues musicians Cajun music Cantatas Celtic music Chamber music Children's songs Choral music Choreography Choruses Christmas music Church music Classical music Classicism in music Composers Composers -- Biography Composers -- Fiction Composition (Music) Computer music Concerts Conducting Contemporary Christian music Copyright -- Music Country musicians Dance Dance -- Drama Dance -- Fiction Dance -- History Dance -- Religious aspects Dance -- Social aspects Dance -- Study and teaching Dance -- Technique Dance for children Dance music Dance therapy Dancers Dancers -- Biography Dancers -- Fiction Digital music players Disco music Drum Ear training Easter music Electronic music Ethnomusicology Fiddle tunes Flamenco Flute Folk dance music Folk music Folk songs Fugue Funeral music Games with music Gospel music Gospel musicians Guitar Guitar -- Chord diagrams Guitar -- Instruction and study Guitar music Guitarists Harmonica Harmony Harpsichord Humorous songs Improvisation (Music) Incidental music Instrumental music Instrumentation and orchestration Jazz Jazz dance Jazz musicians Jazz vocals Jigs Keyboard harmony Keyboard instruments

Librettos Line dancing Love songs Lullabies Lyrics (Opera) Lyrics (Popular Music) Mambo Marches Marches (Orchestra) Meditation -- Songs and music Merengues MIDI (Standard) Military music Modern dance Motion picture music MP3 players Music-halls Music -- 500-1400 Music -- 15th century Music -- 16th century Music -- 17th century Music -- 18th century Music -- 19th century Music -- 20th century Music -- Acoustics and physics Music -- Africa Music -- Bio-bibliography Music -- China Music -- Chronology Music -- Computer programs Music -- Dictionaries Music -- Discography Music -- Economic aspects Music -- England Music -- Europe Music -- Fake books Music -- Fiction Music -- France Music -- Germany Music -- History and criticism Music -- India Music -- Instruction and study Music -- Israel Music -- Italy Music -- Japan Music -- Latin America Music -- Performance Music -- Periodicals Music -- Philosophy and aesthetics Music -- Physiological effect Music -- Poetry Music -- Psychological aspects Music -- Religious aspects Music -- Russia Music -- Scotland Music -- Social aspects Music -- South Africa Music -- Spain Music -- United States Music and literature Music and technology Music appreciation Music festivals Music for meditation Music for relaxation Music for yoga Music in art -- Interactive multimedia Music teachers Music theory Music therapy Music trade Music trade -- Vocational guidance Music videos Music, Influence of Musical analysis Musical books Musical criticism Musical fiction Musical form Musical instruments Musical instruments -- History Musical instruments, Electronic Musical intervals and scales Musical notation Musicals Musicals -- Librettos Musicians -- Biography

Musicians. -- Fiction Musicology National music New Age music Opera Opera -- Fiction Operas -- Librettos Operas -- Stories, plots, etc Orchestra Organ music Passover music Patriotic music Percussion Percussion instruments Percussion music Piano Piano -- Instruction and study Piano -- Methods -- Self-instruction Piano music Piano music -- Simplified editions Piano music (Jazz) Piano. -- Fiction Political ballads and songs Polkas Popular music Popular music -- Texts (Lyrics) Popular music -- Writing and publishing Practicing (Music) Protest songs Rap musicians Reggae music Remixes Rhythm and blues music Rock films Rock groups Rock musicians Romanticism in music Sacred music Sacred songs Samba Satirical songs Sea songs Sight-reading (Music) Singers Singers -- Biography Singers -- Drama Singers -- Fiction Singing Singing -- Instruction and study Singing games Ska (Music) Sonata Song cycles Songbooks Sound Sound recordings Square dancing State songs Stringed instruments Symbolism in music Symphonic poems Symphonies Symphonies -- Excerpts Symphony Symphony orchestras Synagogue music Synthesizer music Tap dancing Television music Underground dance music Violin Violin -- Fiction Violin music Violinists Virtuosity in music Vocal music Vocalises Voice Waltzes War songs Wedding music Wind instruments Wit and humor, Musical Women musicians Women singers World music

These are some of the many databases available to you as a member of Middletown Thrall Library:

African American Song

This online music collection includes genres such as jazz, blues, gospel, ragtime, folk songs, sacred music, and more. There are approximately 16,000 tracks of historical recordings.

American Song

A music database said to contain 50,000 tracks from throughout American history.

Classical.com Classical Music Library

The Classical.com Classical Music Library is described as "the world's largest multi-label database of Classical music recordings for listening and learning in libraries."

Contemporary World Music

The Contemporary World Music database contains tens of thousands of tracks from around the world. Flamenco, gospel, reggae, worldbeat, fusion, jazz, African, Bollywood, other many other genres await your exploration

Jazz Music Library

Jazz Music Library aims to be "the largest and most comprehensive collection of jazz available online - with thousands of jazz artists, ensembles, albums, and genres."

Music Online

Music Online enables you to search all Alexander Street music databases Thrall subscribes to.

Smithsonian Global Sound

This database is described as "a virtual encyclopedia of the world's musical and aural traditions."

Also be sure to explore our general research databases and complete encyclopedias for more information on music history, musicians, composers, and other related topics.

If at any point you would like some assistance, please call our librarians at 341-5461 or use our Ask a Librarian service

In addition to music books located in the 780s, Middletown Thrall Library maintains a display of music instruction kits.

Located between our microfilm cabinets and our audio CD collection, these music instruction kits contain books which contain a variety of theory and practice material for instruments such as piano and guitar.

Some kits also contain audio CDs, which you can use to follow along with different lessons each kit contains.

There are kits for beginners as well as advanced students of music.

We encourage you to make use of these freely available resources!

For even more music education materials, please click here to browse music topics the library system catalog.

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Below you will find a select list of music reference titles available to you at Middletown Thrall Library. Since these books cannot be borrowed, they are always available to researchers at the library.

Call numbers after each title indicate where you can find these items in our collections.

Please scroll down this page to browse specific titles or click here to explore major music topics in the library system catalog.

Billboard Music Charts

Current and historically popular music arranged by genre

Country Music Awards (CMA)

Current and past winners and nominees.

The Grammy Awards

Current and past winners and nominees.

The Gramophone Awards

"The Gramophone Awards - often called the Oscars of the classical music world - are the most significant honours bestowed on the classical record industry." Current and past winners back to 1977 (select year at right side of page using the "drop-down" menu).

Independent Music Awards (IMA)

"The IMAs represent the diversity of today's vibrant indie scene and supports artists with previous major label releases as well as artists that have only self-released or appeared on indie labels."

Juno Awards

Current and past winners and nominees.

MTV Video Music Awards

Current and past nominees and winners.

NPR 100

"The 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century" according to National Public Radio (NPR). This list draws upon NPR's Master List of Top 300 Songs. NPR 100 includes streaming audio (requires Real Player).

The Tony Awards

"The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards"

Pulitzer Prizes in Music (back to 1943)

World Music Awards

Current and past winners and nominees.

The All Music Blog

News covering all major music genres. From AllMusic.com.

ArtsBeat: Culture News and Views

From the New York Times. Topics include: Music, Art and Design, Books, Dance, Movies, Music, Television, Theater.

Jazz Blogs

From AllAboutJazz.com.

Heavy Metal Blog

From About.com.

MTV Buzzworthy Music Blog

National Public Radio (NPR) Music Blogs

Open Directory Project: Music Blogs (Weblogs)

Rock and Roll Daily

From Rolling Stone.

USA Today: Listen Up

"Music views, news, and reviews"

Yahoo Music Blog

See also these music blogs hosted at Yahoo.

Featured Resource

Classical Music Library

The Classical.com Classical Music Library is described as "the world's largest multi-label database of Classical music recordings for listening and learning in libraries."

Other Resources

About.com: Classical Music - for Beginners and Experts Alike

News and numerous articles on classical music. Examples of topics include: Intro to Classical Music, 10 Symphonies You Should Own, Top 10 Known-but-Unknown Classical Works

Classical.net

Includes extensive biographical information on music composers and details concerning classical musical works. Includes a Composer Index, Reviews, Articles, a Buying Guide, News, and more.

Classical Music 101

Also from About.com, this concise and friendly introduction can help you learn about classical music, find answers to frequently asked questions, and discover some interesting facts about classical composers and their music.

Classical Music Introduction

A comprehensive introduction to the world of classical music. Provided by NAXOS Audio.

Classical Music News

From National Public Radio (NPR).

Classical Music News

From The New York Times.

Classics for Kids

Podcasts, games, educational activities, and historical information on classical music and composers. To play games (such as "Compose Your Own Music" or "Name Notes"), follow the Games link at the top of the page. Games require the Adobe Flash plugin. Provided by Cincinnati Public Radio and sponsored by GE, Naxos Audio, Time Warner Cable, and others. Note: A few "sponsored links" direct you to Amazon.com.

Classics Today

News and reviews of classical music, CDs, performances, concerts, and more.

Fanfare Magazine

News and reviews of classical music. Some articles require subscription. Please also note: our library subscribes to Fanfare and retains four months of issues plus the current month.

Great Performances

Excerpts and full-length videos of classic music and operatic performances. From PBS.

New York Philharmonic Kid Zone

A fun and interactive website designed to introduce young people to the orchestra. Sections include: Orchestra Station, Game Room, Musicians' Lounge, Composers' Gallery, Instrument Storage Room, Instrument Laboratory, Conductor/Soloist Dressing Rooms, Newsstand, and Composition Workshop. Requires the Adobe Flash plugin.

Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Listening Library

Described as a "library of full-length performances for free online streaming. The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1959, is widely regarded as one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world. In this free Listening Library, enjoy performances of more than 250 compositions written from 1691 to 2011."

WQXR: New York Times Classical Music Radio Station

Click the "Play" link at the top of their page. The website also features classical music news, playlists, program schedules, and more.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)

Described by ASCAP as an "association of more than 330,000 U.S. composers, songwriters, lyricists, and music publishers of every kind of music." Includes information for aspiring composers and songwriters.

Asian American Artists and Musicians

Composers Biography Online

Select by letters A-Z at top of their website. Click "more" links for more information on each composer (wherever available). Most "more" links lead to other websites about the composer, and some of those links lead to Wikipedia (note Wikipedia's disclaimers).

Notable Women Musicians and Dancers

Notable African-American Musicians

Notable Hispanic-American Musicians and Visual Artists

U.S. Symphony Orchestras and Their Music Directors

All Music Guide

American Idol

Current and past contestants and winners, news

BET

Pop, soul, blues, R&B, rap, hip-hop, and more.

CMT

Country music videos

MTV

Music videos, entertainment news

MTV2

Music videos, emerging recording artists

VH1

An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals, ca. 1490-1920

Historic documents digitized and viewable online. "An American Ballroom Companion presents a collection of over two hundred social dance manuals at the Library of Congress." Search by keyword or browse by subject, author, or title. Provided by the U.S. Library of Congress, Music Division.

About.com: Dance

Articles, news, and sections including: Dance for Beginners, Dance Styles, Dance Steps, Find a Dance Class.

Ballet Dictionary

Provided by the American Ballet Theatre.

Ballet Encyclopedia

Ballets, dancers, and choreographers

Dance Music / Electronic

From About.com. See also their Dance Artists History website for information on recording artists producing dance music / electronica.

Dance Resources

Categories include: Accompaniment, Ballet, Ballroom, Breakdancing, Butoh, Capoeira, Cheerleading, Chinese, Classical Indian, Country and Western, Dance in Christianity, Dance Technology, Dancewear, Directories, Disabled, Disco, Drill Teams, Education, Festivals, Flamenco, Folk, Health, Historical, Ice Dance, Jazz, Latin, Magazines and E-zines, Meditation, Middle Eastern, Modern, Morris, Music, Organizations, People, Regional, Sacred and Circle Dance, Services, Swing, Tango, Tap, Tribal and Tribal Fusion. From Open Directory Project.

Dance/USA

News and resources for dancers. See also Dance/NYC.

Dancer Directories

Categories include: Books, Videos, Music, College and University Degree Programs, Competitions and Conventions, Dance Costumes, Dancewear and Accessories Brands, Dance Companies, Festivals, Fitness Equipment, Foundations and Government Arts Agencies, Health Resources, Libraries and Museums, Organizations, Performing Arts High Schools, Performing Arts Presenters, Production Companies, Shoes, Ecommerce Sites, Stage Supplies and Services, Studio Supplies and Services, Summer Study for Students, Teacher Seminars and Workshops.

Dancing with the Stars

Current and past contestants, celebrities, and winners

How to Dance

Instructions for different dancing styles. Provided by Mahalo.

New York Times: Dance

News and reviews on contemporary dancers and performances

New York University: Dance and Dance Education

Topics include: Annuals, Ballets, Bibliographies, Career Development Directories, Dance Literature Indexes, Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, Filmographies, Guides, Internet Links, Research Guides.

Society of Dance History Scholars

Click on "Resources" on the top of their page to access information in such categories as: Dance Organizations, Related Organizations, Finding Sources, Libraries and Research Institutions, Booksellers and Publishers, Periodicals, Dance Link Libraries, Discussion Groups, Medieval and Renaissance Dance, Baroque Dance, Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Social Dance, European and American Folk Dance, Ballroom Dance and DanceSport, Swing Dance, Tango, and Southeast Asian Dance Traditions.

AllMusic.com

Database of recording artists, bands, complete with biographies, discographies, and album summaries in all major music genres. You can also browse by

AOL Music

Contemporary music videos, audio, and downloads. Browse or search.

eMusic Downloads

Available to library cardholders of Middletown Thrall Library and other libraries within the Ramapo Catskill Library System.

Gracenote.com

Locate information about musical performers, bands, vocalists, lyrics, as well as biographies, lyrics, and discographies. When results appear, click on albums for track titles or on performer/band names for biographies and discographies. Also available is a Music Search Tools page, where you can locate currently popular music by geographical region. This site also links to commercial providers (e.g. Amazon and iTunes), where CDs and MP3s can be purchased.

iTunes

Apple's online premium archive of music and other audio downloads.

Melodyhound Search Engine

Locate similar music/songs by playing a virtual on-screen keyboard, or singing/whistling into your computer (microphone required).

Musipedia: The Open Music Encyclopedia

Description from the website: "Inspired by, but not affiliated with Wikipedia, we are building a searchable, editable, and expandable collection of tunes, melodies, and musical themes." Integrated with the Melodyhound Search Engine (see website above).

MTV.com

Contemporary music videos, audio, and downloads. Browse or search.

National Jukebox Historical Recordings from the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress presents the National Jukebox, which makes historical sound recordings available to the public free of charge. The Jukebox includes recordings from the extraordinary collections of the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation and other contributing libraries and archives.

RCLS eFiles: Music

Thrall/RCLS members can explore and freely download music electronically available in the library system.

SongFacts.com

"Song meanings, lyrics and trivia." Browse or search by recording artist or music track / album title. "Random Songfacts" and quizzes are also available.

Thrall Music Databases

These music databases featuring information and music are freely available to Middletown Thrall Library members: African American Song, American Song, Classical.com Classical Music Library, Contemporary World Music, Jazz Music Library, Music Online, and Smithsonian Global Sound.

Yahoo! Music

Contemporary music videos, audio, and downloads. Browse or search.

Carnegie Hall: Online Resource Center

"Access free digital resources for teaching and learning from Carnegie Halls Weill Music Institute, including: teacher lesson plans and classroom materials, professional development resources for musicians and teaching artists, videos of concerts and artist interviews, fun educational games for kids, and more!" Free registration required.

8notes.com

"Free Sheet Music, Riffs, Lessons and Tools for musicians." Includes practice materials for most major music instruments.

How Music Works

Topics include: Sound and Music, The Major Scale, Chords and Harmony, Scales and Melody, Meter and Rhythm, Chord/Scale Relations, Playing with Chords, Playing with Scales, Writing Songs

How Stuff Works: Humanities - Music Channel

Biographies, Forms of Music, Instrumental Music, Kinds of Music, Musical Theater, Opera, Organizations, Songs, and more.

How Stuff Works: Music & Musical Technology Channel

Sections include: Musicians & Bands, Music Industry, Musical Instruments, Music Genres.

Music Theory & History Online

Extensive information is offered at this website. Scroll down their page to browse introductory to advanced musical topics.

Music Theory Scales and Modes: An Introduction

Includes: Major and Minor Scales, Ancient Modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian), and more.

Music Theory Online (MTO): A Journal of Criticism, Commentary, Research, and Scholarship

Current issue and past articles. Includes links to other music theory and musicology journals on the web. Provided by The Society for Music Theory.

Music Theory.net

Divided into three sections (Lessons, Trainers, Utilities), this website provides educational information of interest to music learners of all ages. After selecting a lesson, click the right arrow at the bottom of the screen to advance through that lesson. This website requires the free Adobe Flash plugin.

Naxos History of Music

Performing Arts Encyclopedia

"The Performing Arts Encyclopedia (PAE) is a guide to performing arts resources at the Library of Congress. The PAE provides information about the Library's unsurpassed collections of scores, sheet music, audio recordings, films, photographs, and other materials. Users can find digitized items from the collections; special Web presentations on topics and collections; articles and biographical essays; finding aids to collections; databases for performing arts resources; information on concerts at the Library; and a special Performing Arts Resource Guide which contains entries for hundreds of Library collections, Web sites, databases and exhibits."

Scale Generator

"Scale Generator is a free online music theory tool for all musicians no matter the skill level. This generator doesn't merely display scales and chords which are known to be true. It actually creates them on the fly every time you select a key by using the correct intervals for that scale type. Use this tool alongside your music theory lessons, guitar lessons, violin lessons etc. to better your understanding and memorization of scale structures and chords. This free online music theory tool can display major, natural minor, or harmonic minor scale types in any key along with the pentatonic scale, diatonic triad notes and names, and relative key."

American Music Timeline (back to 1814)

American Popular Music

"American popular music is a kaleidoscopic mélange of styles and dreams. Its vibrancy reflects the mating of cultural diversity to artistic and creative freedom. The stories in this book illustrate how Americans, borrowing from diverse musical traditions, have contributed to humanity’s universal language." Adobe PDF format. From the U.S. Department of State.

Essentials of Music: Musical Eras

"Overviews of the six main periods in music history: Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Twentieth Century."

Music and History

A chronological view of western music history in the context of world events. Documents are provided in PDF format: view them with the Adobe Reader.

The Music and History of Our Times

From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Music Timeline (back to 325 A.D.)

On This Day in Rock History

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Information about the museum as well as current/past performers/bands inducted into the Hall of Fame.

This Day in Music

"An everyday record of musical facts." You can also browse specific dates or search by artist/band name or keyword.

Jump to a subsection:

• General Information about Instruments
• Drums
• Guitar
• Piano / Keyboards / Synthesizers

Music Instruments in General

8notes.com

"Free Sheet Music, Riffs, Lessons and Tools for musicians." Includes practice materials for most major music instruments.

American Musical Instrument Society

Topics include: Appraisal Services, Band History, Music, Book Dealers, Collections of Musical Instruments, Conservation, Early Music, Educational programs, Festivals, Contests, Folk and World Music, General Research Resources, Histories of Musical Instrument Makers, Instrument Making, Instrument Sites, Museum Sites, Musical Instrument Dealers & Makers, Musical Link Lists, Organizations, Other Interesting Sites, Patent Numbers & Dates, Performance Practice, Serial Numbers for Musical Instruments.

Enchanted Learning: Musical Instruments

Diagrams and other information.

Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Music and Musical Instruments

Topics include: Aeolian harp, American Folk Instruments Reading List, Bells, Caring for Musical Instruments (Reference List), Hammered Dulcimer, Harpsichord, Clavichord, Organ Design and History, Reed Organs, Pianos, Violins and Violin Makers (Stradivarius, et al).

Folk Music Instruments List

Provided by Wikipedia (note their disclaimers)

A Guide to the Orchestra

From BBC.

Harmony Central

Information, news, and product reviews for various instruments. Sections include: Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Effects (pedals, rack mount, software-based), Keys & Synth, Drums & Perc, Software, Computer, Recording/Live Sound, MIDI. Also includes user forums and a series of "how to" articles.

How Stuff Works: Musical Instruments

Topics include: How Acoustic Guitars Work, How Electric Guitars Work, How MIDI Works, How Band Equipment Works, and more.

Instrument Encyclopedia

"Beginning with more than 140 artifacts from the Stearns Collection at the University of Michigan, this resource features musical instruments from around the world. This is not an exhaustive collection. The purpose of this site is to allow you to explore the diversity and creativity of musical traditions as you browse our gallery or search for a favorite instrument." Browse by instrument or geographical region. From the Cultural Heritage Initiative for Community Outreach (CHICO) at the University of Michigan School of Information. Please note: This is an "archived site" (no longer updated, but still functional and informative).

Metropolitan Museum of Art: Musical Instruments

Images and information from the Met's collection of musical instruments from around the world.

Musical Instruments

Odd Music

"Oddmusic is home to unique, odd, ethnic, experimental and unusual musical instruments and resources."

Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary

An illustrated dictionary of musical instruments and terminology from the Virginia Tech Department of Music.

Virtual Instrument Museum

Featuring images and information from the World Musical Instrument Collection of Wesleyan University's Music Department. There is also an A-Z index of instruments you can browse.

Specific Instruments: Drums / Percussion

Berkelee Shares: Drum and Percussion Lessons

Videos and articles provided by Berklee College of Music.

DrumBum.com: Free Drum Lessons

Instructional videos and other information of interest to drum players and percussion instrumentalists.

Free Drum Lessons.com

Video lessons for basic and advanced percussion techniques. From FreeDrumLessons.com.

Harmony Central: Drum Lessons

Directory of online drum playing tutorials and other information for drummers.

Percussion Instruments

Categories include: Tuned Percussion, Untuned Percussion, Auxiliary Percussion, Latin Percussion, Drum Kit.

Specific Instruments: Guitars (Electric, Acoustic, and Bass)

Acoustic Guitar: Lessons

Articles and video lessons for acoustic guitar players.

Berkelee Shares: Guitar Lessons

Videos and articles on guitar playing. Provided by Berklee College of Music.

Guitar.com: Lessons

Video lessons for guitar players.

Guitar Player: Lessons

Video lessons on various guitar techniques (electric and acoustic).

Guitar World: Lessons

Articles and video lessons for electric guitar players.

Harmony Central: Guitar Instruction

Information, news, and product reviews for various instruments. Sections include: Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Effects (pedals, rack mount, software-based), Keys & Synth, Drums & Perc, Software, Computer, Recording/Live Sound, MIDI. Also includes user forums and a series of "how to" articles.

Harmony Central: Acoustic Guitars

Lessons, reviews, news, acoustic / classical guitar manufacturers, a forum, articles, and more.

Harmony Central: Bass Guitars

Bass Forum, Bass Instruction, Product Review Databases, Effects, Bass FAQs, Bass Related Software, Newsgroups, Classified Ads, Magazines, Bass and Amp Manufacturers, Retailers, Other Bass Sites.

Harmony Central: Electric Guitars

Articles, Frequently Asked Questions, news, classifieds, reviews, and more. Includes information on pickups, amplifiers, guitar wiring / electronics, a directory of guitar product manufacturers. See also HC's Effects section for information on guitar pedal / rack mount effects or their Recording / Live Sound and amplifiers subsections for more information.

How Acoustic Guitars Work

Topics include: Guitar Parts, Sound, Tones, Notes, Tempered Scale, Strings and Frets, and more. From How Stuff Works.

How Electric Guitars Work

Topics include: Guitar Pickups, Amplifiers and Distortion, Electric Guitar History, and more. From How Stuff Works.

How to Play Guitar

Topics include: Basic Guitar Chords, Chord Transitions and Fills, How to Play the 12-bar Blues, How to Play 4 Guitar Licks, How Electric Guitars Work, How Acoustic Guitars Work. From How Stuff Works.

Specific Instruments: Pianos

Dummies.com: Piano

Tips, techniques, how-to videos, and a little history on pianos and pianists.

LearnPiano.TV

Over twenty lessons. Includes a glossary (scroll down their glossary page to see terms).

Piano Chord Visualizer

Click a key on the virtual piano then choose a chord to see and hear the notes played. Click the "Pick a Different Root" button (lower right side of page) to explore other notes and chords.

Piano Lessons Online

Video lessons arranged in three categories: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced. Videos are available in a variety of formats (Windows Media, YouTube, etc.).

Piano Nanny: Free Piano Lessons

From basic musical concepts to advanced playing techniques.

Piano World

In addition to directories of information on pianos, piano playing, and pianists, this website provides a forum, a Frequently Asked Questions page, and assorted trivia.

Piano Technicians Guild

Offers a wealth of information for piano players and owners:

• Buying a Piano
• Piano Care - Topics include: How Often Should my Piano be Serviced?, The Special Care and Maintenance of the Teaching Piano, How Should I Take Care of my Piano?, Basic Rules of Piano Care.
• Piano Learning Center - Topics include: Just For Fun, Online Games, Piano Art, Worksheets & Activities, Lesson Plans, See How a Piano Works, Benefits of Learning to Play, Find A Registered Technician, Find A Piano Teacher, Become A Piano Technician
• The History of Pianos
• Piano Manufacturers
• Resources for Teachers - Lesson Plans and Activities. Includes "fact sheets" (some in PDF format: view with Adobe Reader)

Specific Instruments: Keyboards & Synthesizers

Berkelee Shares: Keyboard Lessons

Videos and articles on keyboard/piano playing. Provided by Berklee College of Music.

Harmony Central: Keyboards and Synthesizers

Information, news, reviews, "how to" articles, and a public forum.

How MIDI Works

Topics include: MIDI Instruments and Controllers, Multi-Track Recording Software, MIDI and Virtual Instruments, and more. From How Stuff Works.

Synthtopia

"Synthesizer and electronic music news, synth and music software reviews, and more."

See also:

• Software / MIDI / Digital Audio / Software Synthesizers

AllAboutJazz.com

Jazz music reviews, videos, news,

Blues Foundation

Self-described as "world-renown as THE organization dedicated to preserving our blues music history, celebrating recording and performance excellence, supporting blues education and ensuring the future of this uniquely American art form."

Blues Music: News, Reviews, and History

Provided by About.com.

Delta Blues Museum

Includes news and podcasts on Blues music.

How Jazz Works

Overview of concepts, styles, performers, and history. From How Stuff Works.

JazzTimes

Articles, news, featured jazz artists/singers/musicians, and more.

Jazz Music Library

This database is available to members of Thrall. Jazz Music Library aims to be "the largest and most comprehensive collection of jazz available online - with thousands of jazz artists, ensembles, albums, and genres."

Jazz Teaching and Learning Resources

Provided by the U.S. Department of Education

JazzTimes Reviews

Jazz album reviews.

Ken Burns Jazz

Hosted at PBS.org, this website contains portions of Ken Burns' Jazz documentary.

New York Times: Jazz News and Reviews

News, reviews, and more.

NPR: Jazz and Blues Music

News, reviews, and more from National Public Radio (NPR)

Photographs from the Golden Age of Jazz

"The William P. Gottlieb Collection, comprising over sixteen hundred photographs of celebrated jazz artists, documents the jazz scene from 1938 to 1948." Provided by the U.S. Library of Congress

Smithsonian Jazz

"A Jazz portal intended to preserve and promote one of America's greatest art forms - Jazz." Provided by the Smithsonian Institution.

SwingMusic.net

News, images, a forum, and a History of Jazz (in two parts). Other sections include: The Big Band Era and the Rise in Popularity Of Big Band Music, , Jazz Vocalists, Mainstream Jazz Soloists, and Modern Swing Bands.

World Jazz Music

Featured music and jazz artists. From National Geographic.

1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die

Based on a book bearing the same title, this website takes you on a musical tour of "required listening" - music deemed by the author to be important and interesting enough that you should listen to it some time in your life. You can browse by title or genre. The main list of titles can be found here. There is also a blog.

Listening to Music

A Free course (OpenCourseWare/OCW) from Yale University.

A-Z Lyrics Universe

Provides the words to popular songs.

The Aria Database

Diverse collection of information on over 1000 operatic arias. Designed for singers and non-singers alike.

Lyreach.com

Type a phrase or part of a song, and this search engine will attempt to identify the song.

metrolyrics

Provides song lyrics to popular music performers. Provided through a partnership between Gracenote, AOL Music, Billboard, and NME music news.

Music Lyrics Search Engines

Browse by genre or alphabetically. From Open Directory Project.

The Music Notation Project

"The Music Notation Project explores alternative music notation systems that seek to improve upon traditional music notation in order to make reading, writing, and playing music more enjoyable and easier to learn."

"How to Read Sheet Music":

The following lessons are freely available:

• The Basics of Reading Music
• Basics of Counting Rhythms
• Reading Rhythms Exercises
• Dotted Notes - Reading Syncopation
• Accents and Markings

How Stuff Works: Musical Theater

"Learn about Musical Theater and get information on topics related to Musical Theater."

Musicals.net

News, forums, and other information about current and past musicals and their performers.

Musicals 101

Topics include: History of Musicals, Musical Film Index, Reviews & Essays, Making Broadway Musicals, How to Put on a Musical, Theatre in New York: A Brief History, Musicals Who's Who, among many others.

Broadway.com

See also: Opera, Singers & Vocalists

ArtsJournal: Music News

BBC - Music News

BET - Music News

R & B, soul, rap, hip hop, blues, and more.

Blues Foundation: Blues News

Broadway Buzz

News on Broadway musicals. Includes videos, photos, and reviews.

Classical Music News

Country Music News

JazzTimes: Jazz Music News

MSN Music News

Music News and Media Sources

From Open Directory Project.

Musicals.net

News about current and upcoming musicals.

MTV

National Public Radio: Music News & Programs

New York Times: Music

Opera News Online

Provided by the The Metropolitan Opera Guild

Pollstar

Music concerts, news, and reviews. You can browse or search for events / performers / performances.

Rolling Stone

Yahoo! Music News

Billboard.com: Music Reviews

Reviewing new releases in all music genres.

Classical Music Reviews

From allmusic.com.

Common Sense Media: Music Reviews

Information of interest to parents/families.

Fanfare

Thrall subscribes to the print edition of Fanfare.

Metacritic: Music Reviews

Collected reviews of recently released albums and contemporary music.

National Public Radio (NPR): Music Reviews

Rolling Stone: Music Reviews

Free Sheet Music Providers

8notes.com

"Free Sheet Music, Riffs, Lessons and Tools for musicians."

BlankSheetMusic.net

Design and print blank sheet music pages for free. Advanced functions require registration.

Easy Sheet Music

Categories include: Songs from around the World, Popular Classics, Boogie & Blues, Opera Classics, and Mission - Not That Difficult.

Free-Scores.com: Directory of Free Sheet Music

Browse by instrument (wind, string, keyboard, etc.).

Musical Scores

A directory of links to online sheet music and scores as well as images.

The Mutopia Project

"The Mutopia Project offers sheet music editions of classical music for free download. These are based on editions in the public domain, and include works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Handel, Mozart, and many others." Search or browse.

Online Music Scores

Only links to sites with scores that may be downloaded for free.

Sheet Music Collections on the Web

A directory of sheet music providers on the Internet. Provided by Duke University Libraries.

Historical Scores - Archives and Exhibits of Musical Manuscripts

African-American Sheet Music (1850-1920)

"This collection consists of 1,305 pieces of African-American sheet music dating from 1850 through 1920." Provided by the U.S. Library of Congress.

Archive of Popular American Music

"The UCLA Music Library's Archive of Popular American Music is a research collection covering the history of popular music in the United States from 1790 to the present." Sheet music is made available in PDF format (view with Adobe Reader).

Eastman School of Music: Sibley Music Library - Musical Scores

"Scores and books in the public domain. Many of these are unique to the Sibley Music Library collection." Search or browse. From the University of Rochester.

Inventions of Note Sheet Music Collection

Provided by the Lewis Music Library - MIT Libraries.

The Juilliard Manuscript Collection

"Considered to be one of the finest music collections to be donated to an institution in recent years, the collection includes materials of great interest to performers and scholars." Includes original sheet music from Bach, Beethoven, Bizet, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Dvorak, Liszt, Mahler, Mozart, Puccini, Rachmaninov, Ravel, Stravinsky, and others. [Please note: This is primarily an academic/historical resource. If you are simply looking for free sheet music, please check out the other sites in this category.]

The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music

Contains over 29,000 pieces of music and focuses on popular American music spanning the period 1780 to 1960. All pieces of the collection are indexed on this site and a search will retrieve a catalog description of the pieces. An image of the cover and each page of music will also be retrieved if the music was published before 1923 and is in the public domain.

The Loeb Music Library

"The Loeb Music Library is engaged in an ongoing program to digitize scores and libretti selected for their rare or unique natures and their popularity as objects of research and teaching. By providing online access to historical editions from its holdings, the Library seeks to make primary source materials available for classroom and research use at Harvard and to scholars all over the world. As items from the collection are digitized, they are made available in the library's Virtual Collection of Digital Scores and Libretti. The digital versions can be viewed online or downloaded as PDFs. The scores and libretti in this Virtual Collection include first and early editions and manuscript copies of music from the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries by J.S. Bach and Bach family members, Mozart, Schubert and other composers, as well as multiple versions of nineteenth century opera scores, seminal works of musical modernism, and music of the Second Viennese School. Many, such as variant editions of nineteenth century operas and related libretti, fall into intellectually related sets that are meant to be seen and used together. As a group, they give scholars a window into the study of historical performance practice." From Harvard College Library, Harvard University.

The Moldenhauer Archives

"The Moldenhauer Archives at the Library of Congress contain approximately 3,500 items documenting the history of Western music from the medieval period through the modern era and is the richest composite gift of musical documents ever received by the Library."

The Morgan Library and Museum: Music Manuscripts Online

"The goal of the Music Manuscripts Online project has been to create and to provide online access to high-quality images and descriptions of music manuscripts owned by The Morgan Library & Museum. Since the project began in 2007, more than 900 manuscripts containing approximately 42,000 pages have been digitized and described. These include works by J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Fauré, Haydn, Liszt, Mahler, Massenet, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Puccini, Schubert, and Schumann, among many others."

Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music

"Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music contains more than 62,500 pieces of historical sheet music registered for copyright: more than 15,000 registered during the years 1820-1860 and more than 47,000 registered during the years 1870-1885." Provided by the Library of Congress.

Music Library at University of South Carolina: Sheet Music Collection

"This searchable database provides access to the bibliographic records and, for those pieces in the public domain, access to images of the cover and each page of music. Currently, the collection contains over 10,000 pieces of classical, popular, and sacred music from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Music Treasures Consortium

"The Music Treasures Consortium provides online access to the world's most valued music manuscripts and print materials, held at the most renowned music archives, in order to further research and scholarship. Researchers can search or browse materials, access metadata about each item, and view digital images of the treasure via each custodial archive's Web site. The consortial collection will grow as members add more materials." Search or browse. From the Library of Congress.

The New York Philharmonic Digital Archives

"The New York Philharmonic Digital Archives houses multiple score and part collections, including those of Leonard Bernstein and Andre Kostelanetz as well as the oldest items of the Philharmonic's own music library which dates back to the founding of the Orchestra in 1842. The Bernstein and Kostelanetz collections are the complete libraries of those conductors donated to the New York Philharmonic after their deaths. They include not only orchestral scores and parts, but also chamber music, vocal, piano, and miniature study scores. All items from these collections that are significantly marked by the conductor are available online; unmarked parts are not included in the digitization project."

Petrucci Music Library: International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)

"The Petrucci Music Library is an Internet-based collaborative music score library, and is currently the main project. You will find tens of thousands of scores composed by thousands of composers here, all available for free download."

The Aria Database

Diverse collection of information on over 1000 operatic arias. Designed for singers and non-singers alike.

How Stuff Works: Opera

"Learn about Opera and get information on topics related to Opera."

Learn about Opera

"Arizona Opera's educational offerings address lifelong learning through programs including lectures, a film series and the company's cornerstone program a school tour that touches the lives of 25,000 students annually. Click on the resources to left to discover the world of opera." Sections include: Opera Synopses, Composer Biographies.

The Metropolitan Opera

NAXOS: A-Z of Opera

Includes an introduction to opera history, famous operas and their composers and singers, a Synopses of Opera, an Index of Operas by Composer, and Opera Libretti. Also check out their Classical Music Education resources also on that page.

New York Times: Opera News and Reviews

Scroll down their page for current headlines.

Operabase

Quoting the website's description: "Operabase has documented operatic activity worldwide since 1996, with over 215,000 performances on file. It records the work of artists in over 600 theatres, and publishes season information to opera-goers in 7 languages. The majority of Operabase's information is provided free of charge."

OperaGlass

Categories include: Libretti, Source Texts, Performance Histories, Synopses, Discographies, and Opera Composers (listing over 4,800 composers for more than 25,000 operas). Click "Operas" for the Opera Index.

Opera Today

"Opera news, commentary, and reviews from around the world."

Stories of the Operas

From Metropolitan Opera.

World of Opera

News, opera show reviews, and audio highlights. From National Public Radio (NPR).

American Federation of Musicians

American Musicological Society

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)

Conductors Guild

Film Music Society

MENC: The National Association for Music Education

Music Organizations

From Open Directory Project.

The Music Organizations Megalist

A vast web page of music organizations arranged alphabetically. The website provider states this list "is now being incorporated into the Entertainment Cyberscope. Please check that for further listings and updates."

NAMM: International Music Products Association

Songwriting Organizations

From the Muse's Muse directory.

The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time

This list from Rolling Stone contains brief information about each singer as well as audio samples.

Art Song Central

"Art Song Central is principally an archive and directory of free, printable sheet music for singers and voice teachers. An emphasis is placed on standard classical and traditional repertoire."

Berklee Shares: Voice and Singing Lessons

Learning materials for aspiring vocalists. Provided by Berklee College of Music.

"A Brief History of Singing"

From antiquity to modernism. By John Koopman, Conservatory of Music, Lawrence University.

How Stuff Works: Vocal Music

Topics include: Barbershop quartet singing, A cappella, Lieder, Eisteddfod, Recitative, Baritone, Spiritual, Tenor.

Open Directory Project: Singers

Sections include: A Cappella, Agents and Managers, Classical, Courses and Lessons, Jazz, Personal Pages, Singing Resources, Vocal Groups, Vocal Style Singers, Vocal Techniques, Vocalists, Voice Types.

Singing Lessons 4 U

Topics include: Singing and Breathing, How Breathing Affects Singing, Singing Practice, Breathing and Singing Tone, Vocal Training, Tongue Position For Singers, Lips, Singing in Key, Vocal Ranges, The Trill, How To Sing On Stage and Singing Tips.

Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder

An open-source audio recording tool available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, and Linux.

Audio Formats / Codecs

Websites for various audio formats and codecs (encoders/decoders). From Open Directory Project.

Cakewalk

Commercial provider of hobbyist and professional audio/music recording software. Also offers demonstrations and some other free downloads.

Finale Music: Composing and Notation Software

This premium software company also offers a free introductory program called "Finale Notepad."

Harmony Central: MIDI

MIDI documentation, related information, news, reviews, and more.

Harmony Central: Music Software

Information (browseable by computer operating system), news, reviews, and more.

Music and Audio Software

Directory of computer software for music creation / editing and sound recording / editing. From Open Directory Project.

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)

Topics include: Hardware, Software, Sound Files, Synthesizers. From Open Directory Project.

MIDI Manufacturers Association

Learn about MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and MIDI products. Includes a tutorial on "Making Music with MIDI."

Shareware Music Machine

This website features reviews and links to downloadable shareware, freeware, trials, and other resources.

Sibelius

Commercial music software provider. Also offers demonstrations and some other free downloads.

Synthesizers and Samplers

A directory of manufacturers of music keyboards, synthesizers, rack synths, sound modules, audio samplers. From Open Directory Project.

Synth Site

Information and reviews on drum machines, samplers, music keyboards, software, and more.

Copyright Registration of Music

From the U.S. Copyright Office. Be sure to check out the rest of the Copyright.gov website for more information on copyrights and related concepts and considerations.

Guitar Chord Library

Click on the chord to see how notes of chords are played on guitar. Provided by About.com.

The Muse's Muse

Includes information for beginners, professionals, singers, a Songwriting Message Board, Artist Spotlights, and more.

Songwriter and Composer Portal

Information for aspiring composers and songwriters. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)

Writing the Music

Online tutorials provided by About.com. Includes Writing Better Songs (Parts I, II, and III),

Writing Songs

Topics include: The Songwriting Process, Starting with Melody, Starting with Harmony, Using Related Chords, Songwriting Example, Harmonic Movement, Modulating Between Keys, Musical Dynamics, Writing Lyrics, Song Structure. From HowMusicWorks.org.

See also: Music Education & Theory, Music Notation, Software, Terminology

Essentials of Music - Online Glossary

Select term by clicking a letter (a-z) on the top of their page.

Music Dictionary Online

Select terms by clicking on letters A-Z at top of their website.

NAXOS Music Glossary

Musical terms with an emphasis on classical music.

Oddmusic.com: Glossary of Musical Instruments & Styles

Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary

An illustrated dictionary of musical terms and instruments from the Virginia Tech Department of Music.

See also: Music Education & Theory

From FunTrivia.com:

Classical Music Trivia

Fun Trivia: Music Quizzes & Trivia

Test your knowledge of music, from contemporary times to back in history.

Rock and Roll Trivia

Billboard: Music Trivia Games

Music Lists & Trivia

A variety of trivia and lists about music, musicians. Includes summaries of recent and past famous recordings by year and genre. Provided by infoplease.com.

SongFacts.com

"Song meanings, lyrics and trivia." Browse or search by recording artist or music track / album title. "Random Songfacts" and quizzes are also available.

About.com: Find, Listen, or Record Internet Radio Stations - or Create Your Own

Includes information on creating your own podcasts, finding/using Internet radio receivers, and where you can find stations online.

AOL Radio: Free Internet Radio Stations

This website requires the Adobe Flash Player.

BBC International Radio

The BBC World Service on the web. Multilingual news coverage with channels broadcasting in different languages.

Internet Radio Stations

Broadcasts, podcasts, news, and more. Listings from Open Directory Project.

JazzCast

"Jazz at Lincoln Center Radio with Wynton Marsalis." Streaming audio from the

Live365.com

"Thousands of Free Online Radio Stations." Search for stations or browse by genre.

Mike's Radio World

Over 5,000 stations on the Internet. Browse by region: United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand.

MTV: Online Radio Stations

Search or browse by musical genre.

National Public Radio (NPR)

News, music, radio programs, special features, and more.

Pandora Radio

Locate favorite music and discover new musical artists and albums. Registration required.

Podcasts & Podcasting Sources

List of major podcasts on the Web. Directory from the Thrall's Current Interests Center.

Radio Locator

A search engine. Formerly known as the "MIT List of Radio Stations on the Internet." From the site description: "We have links to over 10,000 radio station web pages and over 2500 audio streams from radio stations in the U.S. and around the world." Search by city, zip code, radio station call letters, musical genres, or state / country / geographical region.

Real Radio

Radio shows, music, talk shows, and more. Browse by genre or search. Requires the RealPlayer media player

WindowsMedia.com Radio Tuner

Search or browse by musical genre.

WQXR: New York Times Classical Music Radio Station

Click the "Play" link at the top of their page. The website also features classical music news, playlists, program schedules, and more.

See also: Databases & Online Music Searches

American Folk Music

Reviews, news, history, and other information from About.com. Also check out their Folk Music 101 website.

BBC: World Music

Featuring some of the latest recording artists from around the globe.

Contemporary World Music Database

Available to members of Middletown Thrall Library. The Contemporary World Music database contains tens of thousands of tracks from around the world. Flamenco, gospel, reggae, worldbeat, fusion, jazz, African, Bollywood, other many other genres await your exploration.

Folk Music Index to Recorded Resources

Search, or browse by keyword, publisher list, or index sources. Also contains links to other indexes.

List of Folk Music Traditions

Browse by geographical regions: North, Central, South American, the Caribbean, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, and Australia. Provided by Wikipedia (note their disclaimers)

NPR: World Music

Artist / band highlights, videos / audio, reviews, interviews, news, and more. From National Public Radio (NPR).

National Geographic World Music

Featured recording artists from around the world. Includes videos, audio, articles, and the ability to browse by region / country.

Smithsonian Global Sound

Available to members of Middletown Thrall Library. This database is described as "a virtual encyclopedia of the world's musical and aural traditions. The collection provides educators, students, and interested listeners with an unprecedented variety of online resources that support the creation, continuity, and preservation of diverse musical forms."

World Music / Ethnic Music / Global Music

Numerous topics exist, such as "What is World Music?" and "Calypso Music 101." Provided by About.com. See also "World Music Basics" below.

World Music Basics

Topics include: What is World Music?, Starting a World Music Collection, Finding World Music Based on Artists You Already Love, World Music for Special Occasions, World Music Festivals and Venues. From About.com.

World Music Wire

Focusing on current happenings in world music.