A couple of years ago I compiled a chart of the basic history of Western Classical music, complete with composer names, important works, and characteristics of each period, in a nutshell. (It’s quite a few pages of small print, even with a very limited representation of the composers and works --- this is a huge field to learn about, and it’s 27 centuries long!)

During the Renaissance and Elizabethan Periods in Europe, certain musical instruments were popular and widely used. Here is a sampling of a variety of them! These are grouped by their instrument family types.

I’ve found a Youtube video of each, so here you can click on the instrument’s name and watch and listen to it being played:

I love the diversity of people groups we have here in America: Each heritage has various special approaches to life that it can contribute to the society in general.

As I play Christmas carols, I find that some of the most beloved ones are constructed out of large segments of the diatonic scale, and perhaps that contributes to people’s love for them!

At any rate, if you play a musical instrument and want to practice your scales while making festive holiday melody, here are the ones I’ve noticed are like that:

When you need to choose a chord to play with a certain melody note, it doesn’t have to be guesswork! There is a very clear and simple structure to music that we can refer to when choosing chords.