Mele Kokua

This is a work in progress. Over the next few month we will be working on fleshing out the subjects in the navigation menu. Much of the content is already written, but it is being taken from books I wrote and needs to be converted into web content which takes time.

Mele in the Hawaiian language means Music or Song. Kokua in the Hawaiian language means to help. The purpose of this site is to provide a resource of music knowledge for those who seek to learn more about music.

  • Music Theory
    • Overview - A general overview of music theory.
    • Notes & Staff - How music is notated using the standard music staffs.
    • Scales & Keys - Common scales and music keys.
    • Chords - The construction and notation of chords.
    • Notation - How music is notated with sheet music.
    • Time Signature - What time signatures are and how they work.
    • Sheet Music - Sheet music symbols, notation and navigation.
  • Music Composition
    • Overview - An overview of the components of music composition.
    • Melody -
    • Harmony I - Basic harmony: the concept of chord progressions, chords in a key, the circle of fifths, 12 bar blues, common chord progressions
    • Harmony II - Intermediate harmony: chord substitution, secondary chords, functional chords, tonicization, modulation
    • Harmony III - Jazz harmony:
    • Harmony Beatles - An analysis of The Beatles harmony
    • Song Forms - 12 bar blues, 8 bar blues, 16 bar blues, 32 bar form, basic AABA song form, ballads, blues ballad, rock song structure
    • Lyrics - Object writing, metaphors, playing in keys, metaphor exercises and metaphor tool, lyric worksheets, rhyme types, verse development, story structures, point of view, rhythmic meter
    • Rhythm & Meter - Music meter, poetry meter, division, downbeat and upbeat, on beat and off beat, simple vs. compound meter, swing and shuffle, additive and divisive rhythm, African rhythms, Caribbean and South American rhythm, ska, rocksteady, and reggae, waltz, modern western rhythms
    • Orchestra - Basic information on writing music for an orchestra.
    • Genres - An overview of some common music genres.
  • Orchestra
    • Overview - An overview of the symphony orchestra.
    • Woodwinds - An overview of some of the more common woodwind instruments. Description of some common articulations and how they are notated.
    • Brass - An overview of some of the more common brass instruments. Description of some common articulations and how they are notated.
    • Percussion - An overview of some of the more common orchestral percussion instruments. Description of some common articulations and how they are notated.
    • Strings - An overview of some of the more common string instruments. Description of some common articulations and how they are notated.
  • Musical Instruments
    • Overview - A basic overview of instruments and instrument types.
    • Keyboard - Examples of the many different types of keyboard instruments. Includes piano types, electric piano types, celesta, harpsichord, organ types, synthesizers, and saamplers
    • Guitar - Examples of the many different guitar types.
    • Bass Guitar - Examples of different types of bass guitars
    • Ukulele - Examples of different types of ukuleles
    • Drums - An overview of the common items in a rock/jazz drum kit. Some information about other percussion instruments.
    • Learning Keyboard - Some simple methods to get started learning to play keyboard
    • Learning Guitar - Some simple methods to get started learning to play guitar
  • Gear
    • Overview - An overview of some of the more common types of gear used for live music and music recording.
    • Amps & PAs - A basic overview of different types of amplifiers and (PA) Public Address systems.
    • Signal Processing - An overview of different types of signal processing. This includes things like reverb, delay, flanger, distortion, overdrive, chorus and more.
    • Mixers - An overview of how a mixer is used for both live and recording settings. Descriptions of the different controls and how they work.
    • Cables and Connectors - An overview of common types of connectors and cables used with music gear.
  • Technology
    • Overview - A synopsis of the evolution of technology and music.
    • Hardware - Information about different types of hardware used in music production. This includes computer systems, dedicated purpose hardware, interface hardware, controller hardware and more.
    • Software - A basic overview of different types of software used in music production. This includes (DAW) Digital Audio Workstation software, virtual instrument software, virtual signal processing software, and more.
    • Music XML - An overview of what XML is and how it is used. Detailed information about the XML subset MusicXML and how it works. Some information of future developments of MusicXML.
    • Vexflow - An overview of what Vexflow is and how it is used. Some information regarding current and possible future development of the technology.
    • MIDI - An overview of what MIDI is, its history, its current use and how it might be used in the future.
    • Formats - An overview of the many different formats for storing music audio and music information data.
  • Recording
    • Overview - An overview of the history of recording and how it is commonly done in the present.
    • Recording Audio - Information about how to record audio. Includes vocals, electronic instruments and acoustic instruments. Some information about how to edit and modify recorded audio.
    • Recording MIDI - Information about recording MIDI. Some information about how to edit and modify recorded MIDI.
    • Automation - How to use automation in recording. Basic information of how to automate different aspects of a recording in real time or post recording.
    • Mixing - What mixing is and why it is necessary. Some information on how to mix recorded music in preparation for mastering.
    • Mastering - What mastering is and some basic information on how to master recorded music in preparation for distribution or use.