PhysMuse

Why I Care About Readable Music

April 2, 2026

Readable music isn’t just a matter of aesthetics, it’s a matter of respect. When a player opens a score, they’re trusting the page to guide them. Clear notation removes friction, reduces hesitation, and lets the music speak without distraction.

I’ve come to see readability as one of the most important parts of the creative process. A beautifully engraved page supports the performer, the teacher, and the learner all at once. It creates confidence. It creates flow. And it creates space for musical expression.

Good engraving isn’t about decoration, it’s about clarity.
It’s about giving the eye a path to follow, we all know what it is like reading jumbled text as opposed to text in nice straight, well separated lines..
It’s about helping musicians focus on sound, not on deciphering symbols.

Whether I’m preparing a simple beginner melody or a more detailed educational resource, the goal is always the same: make the page feel calm, balanced, and intuitive. When notation gets out of the way, the music comes forward.

Readable music empowers people.

That’s why I care about it, and why it sits at the heart of everything I create.
Secondary Dominants for Guitarists (Non-members)

April 1, 2026
Secondary dominants are one of the most powerful tools a guitarist can learn. They add color, momentum, and direction to chord progressions — without requiring advanced theory or complex shapes. Once you understand them, you’ll start hearing them everywhere: pop, jazz, worship, country, blues, film music, and even rock.

This tutorial explains what secondary dominants are, how to build them, why they work, and how guitarists can use them creatively.

What Is a Secondary Dominant?

In any key, the V chord (the dominant) naturally wants to resolve to I (the tonic).

Example in C major:
- G7 – C
A secondary dominant is simply a V chord that temporarily tonicizes another chord in the key.

For example:
- D7 – G
Here, D7 is not diatonic to C major — but it acts like the V of G.

We label it:

V/V

(“Five of Five”)

Because G is the V chord in C major, and D7 is the V of G.

How to Build a Secondary Dominant

Take any diatonic chord

Then find the V chord of that chord as if that was the tonic

This is most common using the dominant V, of the original key, but can apply to any diatonic chord.

Examples in C major:

These chords add tension and pull strongly toward their targets.

Please sign up to silver membership if you would like to learn more, such as
- Why Guitarists Love Secondary Dominants
- How Secondary Dominants Sound (Guitar Examples)
- Secondary Dominants in Real Progressions
- How Guitarists Can Use Secondary Dominants Creatively
Silver members get access to downloadable pdfs of this tutorial and all other full tutorials, alongside handy composition reference sheets.

Build your own composers toolkit with PhysMuse resources with silver membership.
Three Engraving Tweaks That Make Any Lead Sheet More Readable

March 31, 2026
I have been pondering what gives a lead sheet value. What does it need in order to fulfill its purpose to the best advantage.

When you’re teaching or performing from a lead sheet, clarity isn’t a luxury, it’s the whole point. A clean page keeps the focus on the music, not the layout. I have found that a few small engraving decisions make a surprisingly big difference in how easily a player can read and interpret a score.

Here are three simple tweaks that instantly improve readability.

1. Give the melody room to breathe

Crowded melodies are one of the quickest ways to make a lead sheet feel stressful. Increasing the vertical space between the staff and the lyrics (or between the staff and chord symbols) creates a calmer, more inviting page.

A little extra breathing room helps players track the line without feeling visually compressed, especially beginners.

2. Keep chord symbols consistently spaced

Chord symbols tend to drift if you’re not careful. One symbol sits close to the notehead, the next floats too high, and suddenly the page feels uneven.

A consistent baseline for chord symbols does two things:
- It creates a stable visual rhythm
- It helps players anticipate where to look next
Even small adjustments here make the entire page feel more professional.

3. Avoid unnecessary slurs and ties

Lead sheets thrive on simplicity. Too many slurs, ties, or phrasing marks can clutter the page and distract from the core information: melody and harmony.

If a slur doesn’t clarify something essential, it’s usually better left out. Clean lines help players sight‑read more confidently and keep the focus on the musical idea rather than the engraving.

Small tweaks, big impact

None of these changes take long to apply, but together they can transform a lead sheet from “functional” to “comfortable.” And when a page is comfortable to read, players relax, and consequently the music flows more naturally.

If you create your own lead sheets, try these tweaks on your next project. You’ll feel the difference immediately.
Two Berklee Arranging Books I’m Adding to My Shelf

March 30, 2026

As you all know, I love buying books. I have always had a love affair with books, and it doesn’t matter what hobby or interest, or even professional pursuit I am following. I buy books about it. Lots of books.

I’ve been slowly building a small reference library to support the work I’m doing on PhysMuse, not just the engraving and the educational scores, but the longer‑term projects like the book and the tutorials, and ultimately a lot more composition and arrangement. Most of the time I buy books because I know exactly what I need from them. Occasionally, though, I buy books because I can see they’ll become useful as my work expands.

Two recent additions are the Berklee Press titles Arranging for Strings and Arranging for Brass. I haven’t worked through them yet, so this isn’t a review. It’s more a note about why I picked them up and where they’re likely to fit into the broader ecosystem I’m building.

(paid link) Arranging for Strings (Berklee Press)

This one appealed to me because it focuses on practical, idiomatic writing rather than encyclopedic detail. Even though I’m not currently producing string arrangements, the principles — register, spacing, clarity of line — are the same ones I rely on when engraving simple educational materials.

My expectation is that this book will become a quiet reference point: something to dip into when I need to check a range, confirm a bowing convention, or think about how a line might sit on a real instrument.

(paid link) Arranging for Horns (Berklee Press)

The horns volume looks like it has the same strengths: clear examples, practical advice, and a focus on writing that respects the instrument. Again, I’m not writing brass arrangements at the moment, but the underlying ideas — articulation, blend, voicing — are transferable.

I bought them with the long view in mind. As the PhysMuse catalogue grows, I want to be able to branch into slightly larger textures without guessing. This book feels like a sensible foundation for that.

Why These Books Matter to Me Now

Part of building PhysMuse is building the infrastructure behind it, the habits, the references, the tools. These two books feel like the kind of resources that will quietly support the work without demanding attention. They’re not flashy, but they’re solid, and they align with the values I’m trying to keep at the centre of the project: clarity, usefulness, and respect for the material.

Once I’ve actually used them, I’ll write something more detailed. For now, they’re simply two good additions to the shelf, ready for when the work expands.
Scores – The Value of Additional Verses

March 29, 2026

As you may know I have been producing some short lead sheets, piano reductions, and guitar versions (with TAB included) to upload to arrangeMe as a catalogue of small, simple scores with a view to providing score for educational purposes that combine clarity, completeness, and professional engraving standards.

I have recently been looking at one of those under served areas, that of children’s songs and nursery rhymes.

Most modern editions of children’s songs and folk tunes only print the first verse. It’s convenient, but it also flattens the piece into something smaller than it really is. I’ve started including all the traditional verses in my editions, not out of nostalgia, but because the full text changes how the music is understood and used.

For teachers, having every verse in one place means they can choose what fits the moment without hunting through half‑remembered versions online. For players, it gives a sense of the song’s shape beyond the familiar opening lines. And for me, it’s a small act of respect for the history of these tunes. They survived because people kept singing them, verse after verse, long before they were ever written down.

It doesn’t take much extra time to include them, but it adds a certain completeness that feels right. One page for the music, one page for the words, and the whole song is there.
Secondary Dominants for Guitarists (Silver Members)

March 28, 2026

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Building the PhysMuse Ecosystem

March 27, 2026
Over the past few months, PhysMuse has been quietly expanding into something larger, more connected, and more intentional than I originally imagined. What began as a place to share ideas about clarity, craft, and musicianship is gradually becoming a full creative ecosystem — one that supports learners, musicians, and fellow creators across multiple platforms.

Today felt like a good moment to pause and take stock of what’s taking shape.

The Blog — The Heart of the Project

This blog remains the centre of the PhysMuse world. It’s where I explore ideas, share process notes, build diagrams, and write about the craft of music with honesty and clarity. It’s the place where everything else connects back, the anchor that keeps the whole ecosystem grounded in purpose rather than noise.

ArrangeMe — A Growing Catalogue of Accessible Music

Alongside the writing, I’ve been steadily building a catalogue on ArrangeMe. My daily 90‑minute workflow has become a kind of creative ritual: one piece at a time, engraved cleanly, published consistently, and added to a growing library of accessible, beautifully presented music.

It’s slow, steady work and I enjoy it.

Buy Me a Coffee — Supporting the Journey

The Buy Me a Coffee page has become a simple way for people to support the project and access resources. It’s not about donations; it’s about building a small, sustainable foundation that helps me keep creating, teaching, and publishing without interruption.

It’s also where some of the more structured educational materials will live as the ecosystem grows.

Fiverr — The Professional Arm of PhysMuse

Today I began building the first PhysMuse gigs on Fiverr — a natural extension of the engraving and educational work I already do. These gigs will offer:
- professional music engraving
- lead sheets and chord charts
- educational materials and clean, branded notation
It’s another way to bring clarity and craft to musicians who need it, and it fits neatly into the larger structure I’m building.

What’s Coming Next

There’s more on the horizon:
- a book
- a YouTube channel
- more tutorials
- more educational diagrams
- more music in the catalogue
Each piece supports the others. Each platform reinforces the same values: clarity, craft, and a love of music that’s meant to be shared.

Thank You for Being Here

PhysMuse is still growing, still taking shape, still finding its voice — but it’s becoming something I’m proud of. Thank you for reading, supporting, and being part of this journey as it unfolds.

There’s much more to come.
I Finally Shared My Music – And the Feedback Surprised Me

March 26, 2026

I have shied away from posting things on the ThinkSpace Education Discord server but a while back I decided to bite the bullet and shared an uplifting composition exercise from the Mastering Orchestral Composition with Spitfire Audio course.

The assignment was to continue a piece of music to create an uplifting mood.

I didn’t expect any comments — but the positive feedback I received boosted my confidence, motivation, and sense of creative direction. Here are the comments that meant the most.

Here is the assignment audio that I posted first

And here are some of the positive comments:

Good stuff !! Melody certainly is uplifting.

I like how you emphasize the transitions between melodies, it’s very good, I’m learning from you.

Very nice, the choice to use the woodwinds for the melody definitely feels light and uplifting. I can imagine this in a period drama in a scene setting section!

I really liked that, very uplifting. It would not be out of place for TV theme like the Antiques Roadshow, or something like that.

Great job! It feels like a strong continuation of the piece — good flow, creative variation, proper mood, and solid sound choices.

I have just finished doing the same challenge! You have taken the braver course of going for a more noticeable change, but you have indeed maintained the uplifting mood. Well done!

They were some very nice comments. What a nice bunch of people.

I was pleased to get such positive feedback. Maybe I should not be so reserved about sharing things anymore.
Pentatonic Scales (Non-members)

March 25, 2026
Pentatonic scales are one of the most essential tools in a guitarist’s vocabulary. They appear in nearly every style—rock, blues, folk, pop, jazz, metal, country, film scoring—and they form the backbone of countless riffs, solos, and melodies. Their simplicity, versatility, and guitar‑friendly shapes make them the perfect entry point for improvisation and fretboard fluency.

What Is a Pentatonic Scale?

The word pentatonic simply means five tones, and a pentatonic scale is any scale built from five distinct notes per octave.

Why five notes we may ask. These five notes give us
- A clean, open sound
- No half‑steps (in the common forms), which removes dissonance
- A scale that’s easy to play and hard to make sound wrong”
Why Pentatonic Scales Are Important for Guitarists

Pentatonic scales are foundational because:
- The shapes are ergonomic, repeatable, and easy to visualize across the neck.
- No half‑steps means fewer “clashing” notes. This makes them ideal for improvisation.
- They capture the emotional essence of major (bright) and minor (dark) with minimal notes, by outlining the core sound of the major and minor keys.
- Learning pentatonics helps us see patterns, intervals, and positions across the neck.
- They are a gateway to more complex scales and modes. Add one or two notes and you unlock Dorian, Mixolydian, blues scale, bebop colors, etc.
The Two Essential Pentatonic Scales

There are many pentatonic variants, but guitarists rely primarily on two
- Major Pentatonic
- Minor Pentatonic
These two scales use the same notes but start on different degrees.

The Major Pentatonic Scale

Formula (scale degrees): 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 – 6

Interval pattern: Whole – Whole – Minor third – Whole – Minor third

Example: C Major Pentatonic

C – D – E – G – A

Sound & Uses

This scale provides a bright, open, and melodic sound.
They are common in:
- Country
- Folk
- Pop
- Classic rock
- Singer‑songwriter styles
The major pentatonic outlines:
- Major triad (1–3–5)
- Major 6 sound (1–3–5–6)
- Major 9 sound (1–2–3–5–6)
It’s perfect for melodic hooks and lyrical solos.

If you would like to see the construction and use of the minor pentatonic scale, along with specific guitar fingerings, and more, then please sign up for silver membership.

With silver membership you get access to the full tutorials and downloadable reference sheets to build your own composers toolkit.

As a final note it is worth bearing in mind that there are many very fine (and famous) guitarists that have virtually built their careers upon the use of pentatonic scales. Players such as B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Angus Young, to name a few.
On Returning to the Book

March 24, 2026

Today I found myself back inside the book — oh, yeah, I guess I have not mentioned here before that I have been working on a book.

The basic idea I am looking at is a music theory book that leans towards guitarists. So much music theory is taught from the standpoint of the piano, and for good reason. It is clear how the notes are laid out, they do not repeat in the same pitch, etc.

For the guitarist though, we have a different viewpoint. We have six strings, we can play the same note in the same register in multiple places, albeit with a different timbre, chord shapes and fingerings, shapes and patterns, these all influence what we do and how we see things.

So back to the original thought. I was working on the first draft today and am nearing a point where most of the content will soon be in place.

Writing a book feels different from composing or score engraving. With music, I can hear when something locks into place. With engraving, clarity is visible the moment it arrives. But with writing, the progress is quieter. You only notice it when you step away and return to find the page makes a little more sense than it did when you left it.

Most of the work right now is slow refinement, tightening explanations, smoothing transitions, making sure each idea earns its place. It’s not dramatic, but it’s the kind of steady, cumulative effort that eventually becomes a spine for everything else I’m building with PhysMuse, providing educational resources and scores alongside my personal journey composing..

The book is taking shape, even on the days when the progress is measured in paragraphs instead of chapters. Creating diagrams, adding manuscript, chord diagrams, fretboard fingerings all take a lot of time to create. The visuals are the hardest part, I think, although the words are pretty difficult too.

I am close enough now that I will soon be able to step away for a time before coming back and revising and editing.

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