Well, the title got your attention! But seriously, it's hard for you, and its hard for us, the piano players of the world. We know how hard you are working with your vocal coaches, and wonder why in the heck they don't teach you what you need to know to be musically independent.

By independent, MusicAndMagic.com means very specific skills that are generally not taught by voice coaches, and which perpetuate unhealthy amounts of dependency. It's important to always be working on your voice, but you can do a ton MORE work on your own if you know the following:

* How to read keys
* How to find your key
* How to count off a tune
* Where the back-beat is
* Basic forms (aaba, aba , ab, 12 bar blues, etc.)
* What's in a good lead sheet
* The computer is your friend, and can help your music studies

The fee is $30 for our first hour, during which we assess your musicianship and knowledge base. Thereafter, the fee is $50/hour (about 2/3rds what most voice teachers charge) for a set series of lessons - we don't and won't see you more than a few times!

During our brief time together, you'll get the tools you'll use for the rest of your life.

Kevin's qualifications for the task include the following:

* Professional piano player
* Master's degree in education
* Have worked with dozens of singers
* Patient guy
* Mostly hilarious
* Not interested in milking you for months
We look forward to hearing from you. Send us an email, and please tell us a little about yourself - your skills, singing experience, formal music training, and what you want out of this.

Helping Singers since 1992

As every working musician knows, a good chart is invisible, and let's you concentrate on making music instead of trying to read scribbles. A bad chart can take a tune that “everyone knows,” including your audience, and create a train wreck that will not soon be forgotten.

Copyists (for those of you who don't know the term, it's a person who writes out sheet music) are an extraordinary bunch of folks, dedicated to a difficult, precise art. With the advances in technology, MusicAndMagic.com is able to make this service available to musicians at unheard-of rates.

Write or call us, and tell us what you need. Our bid for turning your music into standardized notation will depend on the following factors:

* The Number of Songs/Tunes You Need
* Transposition Requirements
* Legibility of Original Writing (we'll contract for an agreed number of revisions to get it right for you)
* Number of Bars
* Lyrics or Just Notes
* Your Timeline. Anything from rush job (for a gig tonight, or when we get to it).
* Amount of Error Correction Needed on the Original Chart (Missing beats, incorrectly notated durations, etc.)

We look forward to hearing from you. Whether it's one tune, or redoing your entire book, we're happy to be of service.