Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [beginner]

For questions about the beginner level of a topic. Note: this tag should always be accompanied by another tag since beginner alone does not give enough information about the question.

275 questions
19
votes
6 answers

To get to jazz, do I just add a seventh?

Up until now, I've just been practicing triads on all major/minor keys. If I wanted to play jazz, do I just add sevenths (ie dominant7, major7, minor7) to chords in my chord progressions or is it a lot more involved than that? (I'm guessing it is.)
user34288
15
votes
4 answers

How deep should the fingers sit when pressing piano keys?

When pressing piano keys, how deep should the fingertips sit? Well between the black keys (if I'm playing the white ones), or closer to edge of the key? I have seen both practices on videos, inclusive recording where teachers perform. To me, it…
Michaël Le Barbier
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14
votes
7 answers

Does the key a piece is written in affect playability for piano?

Key signatures and reading sheet music aside, does the key a piece is written in affect the ease with which it can be played on piano? For example, are any keys known for more difficult or awkward fingering? Is there any concept among pianists of…
hb20007
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14
votes
10 answers

Is it too late for me to become good at piano?

I am 13 and starting to learn piano. I have been asking many people online, who claim to know piano, how long have they been playing. Most, if not all, say that they started between 5-9. I have a dream of becoming a concert pianist one day, decades…
Fly- Googly Eyes
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12
votes
8 answers

Retuning violin numerous times daily

I am very new to violin, like newborn baby new. My eldest son just bought me my first violin and I am having serious tuning issues. Firstly, the violin is a SV-75 Cremona premiere Novice 4/4. Secondly, I live in a very small town and have already…
user66171
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12
votes
6 answers

Would you recommend a keyboard for beginners with or without lights in keys for learning?

For my kid, we want to buy a first piano keyboard. There are nice options under 200 EUR. But now we have a dilemma: do we need helping lights in keys do we need to connect to Tablet (we don't have iPad, but Android)? In range around Yamaha…
Vladimir Vukanac
  • 223
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12
votes
6 answers

What is the difference between Fender and Squier guitars?

I'm totally new to learning how to play the electric guitar, but I am motivated to start practicing/learning. I've done a little research on the types of guitars out there and I think that my first guitar has to be a Fender Stratocaster. I'm…
Rafis_23
  • 121
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12
votes
5 answers

Understanding guitar music sheet

I am a beginner and I have some really basic questions regarding the notations of this guitar sheet music and how to read them. First, what is the purpose of the chord's names above the staff ? Also if you look at the first E note ( third note ),…
user1482030
  • 379
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11
votes
14 answers

How can I build my finger strength when I am not practicing?

I am a beginner for guitar. And I am having a hard time playing the F barre chord. It is said that only through practice can one make a difference. But I have limited time playing guitar. Are there other choice to build my finger strength for this…
lamwaiman1988
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11
votes
8 answers

Struggling to switch chords when fingerstyle / arpeggio

So for the life of me I am struggling to switch chords with my left hand while picking a fingerstyle pattern. have been playing a bit over 6 months :( When I'm playing chords with a flatpick I can switch just about any chord easily, but when I am…
rakoff
  • 111
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11
votes
4 answers

How do I teach a five-year-old violin?

I just got a request from a mom who would like me to start teaching her five-year-old violin, and I really need some help. I've been teaching piano and violin for three years now, but I've never actually started someone on the violin when they had…
Jane Waters
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10
votes
2 answers

Playing sweetly vs gently in violin

I am learning violin as a beginner (2.5 months), and one of the early practice pieces contain dolce and piano. The latter is more like playing quietly and gently, so it makes some intuitive sense and I think I know how to pull that off. However, I…
Everiana
  • 213
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10
votes
4 answers

Left/right hand coordination on guitar, fretting wrong strings, while playing melodies

I'm having trouble with my left/right hand coordination. I'll either fret the wrong string, or pick the wrong string. I'm trying not to look down at the guitar because I know it's a bad habit, but this is frustrating because I keep missing notes. Do…
ffxsam
  • 245
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9
votes
1 answer

What are the elementary skills of composition?

I'm interested in learning music composition, but in spite of music being as old as time itself the majority of resources I've come across so far seem to suggest that a beginner learn sections of music theory, which is a monumentally complex…
Tristan Shelton
  • 193
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9
votes
1 answer

What is this metal thing on my guitar?

I am trying to figure out what the metal piece is at the end of the soundboard. I am just learning to play. Can someone please explain what that piece is and what it is supposed to do?
cindy
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