Get Free Music Lessons from halfStepup.com

In the comments to a recent Audiotuts+ article, a reader called Kristian introduced me to a music tuition site called halfStepup.com (which from now on we’ll call HSU). Kristian Habenicht is a performer, singer and songwiter from San Martin, California, and one of the founders of the site. He started HSU with two college friends who are also musicians.

Learning music can be expensive, and it’s great to know that HSU is completely free of charge. Most of the resources of the site are available without signing up. But to get the most out of the site – including the ability to make comments and participate in the forum – registering up is a must.

The registration procedure is simple, and the ladies will be pleased to know that “female” is the default answer for gender. Being an Aussie, I was asked to skip the “States” question, but there was no way to clear the field, so I left “Alabama” as my answer. I didn’t mind typing my date of birth in the US format, and a password was emailed to me within seconds. On first log in, I edited my profile and changed my password.

The website has a modern look and grungy graphics. There are a few ads, but they don’t overwhelm the site.

HSU’s goal is to create better musicians. And to do that, it gives you three resources.

1. “An online database of Video Music Lessons”

To help you learn music, HSU have provided a range of video tutorials in various categories. The available categories include:

• By instrument: Bass, Drums, Guitar, Keys, Vocals
• By genres: Blues, Jazz, Rock, Funk, Reggae, Hip-Hop, Country, Pop, R&B, Metal
• Other categories: Songwriting, Recording, Practicing, Improvising, Technique, Harmony, Rhythm, Melody, Scales, Chords, Electric, Acoustic

There are 19 videos available at present, and apparently more are on their way. There are plenty of Drum and Guitar videos, while some categories (for example, Recording) do not yet have videos, and others (for example, Keys) have very little to offer. Most of the videos were submitted half way through last year, which may give an indication of the age of the site. The videos were a bit jumpy, but that’s probably a comment on my Internet connection rather than the site.

When I started watching my first video (a lesson on Drum Rudiments), I was surprised by how large the black “media” section of the screen was in comparison with the video. But part way through the video, the area was used to display notation for what was being played. I was impressed and found it helpful.

The only video in the Keys section was quite limited (and admitted this). It covered how to play a single-octave C major scale with the right hand, which is actually reasonably useful for beginners. On the other hand, the videos in the Drums and Guitar sections cover a broad selection of very useful topics, including rudiments and how to play different music styles.

It seems that since the first set of video tutorials were created, no more have been added to the site. While many that are there now are quite helpful, I’d love to see the number of tutorials at least double before I would call the site comprehensive.

2. “An extensive library of articles and videos on topics that revolve around music, players, artists, the music industry, and life as a musician”

The larger collection of 42 articles on the site cover the same instruments and genres as the video tutorials, though there is a different selection of categories including (among others):

• Musicians’ health
• Technique
• Gear & equipment
• Music business

These cover a quite comprehensive range of topics including time signatures, improvisation, effects, drum tuning, guitar tone and songwriting. There is also a range of printable resources including neck diagrams, guitar tab and staff paper for notation.

Understandably, the articles seem to be updated more regularly than the video tutorials, and several were written in the last week.

The articles vary in length and content. Some are brief informal chats, while others are valuable reference, including notation, diagrams, and a clear explanation of music theory.

One of my favorite “chatty” articles is entitled “No One Will Ever Like You And I Mean It“. The first line of the article adds “Unless you do what I say in this article,” and goes on to talk about choosing songs, creating an image, and having stage presence.

There are some interesting interviews among the articles, including Pandora founder Tim Westergram, and Chris Michetti of RAQ.

3. “A community of musicians, all communicating, learning, and sharing ideas with each other on the internet”

The value of a forum is the input and interaction of its users. HSU’s forum feels a bit like a birthday party that has just started, but no one has arrived yet – a mixture of hope and uncertainty. “Is this going to be the best party in history, and everyone’s just a bit late? Or am I going to spend the night alone?” So far, there are no posts in the forum.

In some ways that sums up my feelings about halfStepup.com. The site shows a lot of potential, feels very new, and has an uncertain future.

The site is attractive and is functional enough, and the video tutorials are a real draw-card. I think that if the articles continue to come in, a new set or two of video tutorials are produced, and we musicians find it a valuable resource and participate in the forums, HSU could have a bright future.

What are your thoughts?