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

Questions tagged [learning]

Learning is the act of acquiring or developing skills and knowledge.

Learning is the act of acquiring or developing skills and knowledge.

622 questions
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18 answers

What is good software for learning how to sight-read?

I'd like to learn how to sight-read on my own, but practicing the same song over and over again just causes me to memorize it, and filling out worksheets is boring. Is there any good software for learning how to sight-read? I'm envisioning…
BlueRaja - Danny Pflughoeft
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69
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24 answers

Best method to learn to play barre chords?

I've been trying to learn the F chord for a while now, and I am having a very hard time playing the barre chord. I've read that pulling back slightly with your finger and using the body of the guitar for leverage is a good way to play them. What…
Don
67
votes
9 answers

How can a classical pianist learn jazz piano?

I'm a classically trained pianist. Took lessons all through my childhood. I've continued to play and read classical literature all my life. But I never learned anything about jazz piano. I also know a lot about music theory, am a good sight reader…
mfamous
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62
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10 answers

Will learning to play another instrument help me to become a better guitarist?

I am a programmer and I do this for living. As a programmer, I've noticed how much difference it makes to learn another language - the quality of your work improves greatly, just because you know how things are done in different environments.…
Silver Light
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52
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8 answers

Guitar practice: more often but less time or once in a few days but for a few hours?

As many people, who have lots of every day responsibilities, like going to work, family and etc. I find myself struggling for the time to practice. Some days I just feel to tired to pick up a guitar and it just doesn't seem worth it, to play just…
Silver Light
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16 answers

How can I improve my piano sight reading?

I am 25 years old, and I started learning piano about 6 months ago. I really want to play the piano well, but it takes me so long to be able to play any piece of music. In the meantime, I'm using a pencil to write the note letter next to the note I…
iddober
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16 answers

What instruments are inexpensive, portable and not too loud?

I'm a college student, and I'd really like to start playing an instrument. But I want to find something that is: Inexpensive Small and portable enough to fit in a backpack Quiet enough to practice in my dorm room I'd like to find something that is…
cstack
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44
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5 answers

Is there any "research" in music theory?

A researcher in, say, mathematics, conducts research in the form of proving theorems, laying out foundations for new theories, etc. But what do, for example, PhD candidates do in music theory? Split into several questions: Is music theory complete,…
Daccache
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10 answers

As a guitarist, how can I learn to sight-read music?

I'm learning guitar right now, mostly from Justin Sandercoe's free online lessons, starting from the beginner's course. He has a lot of good tips for how to practice and drill chords, and scales, but he doesn't have much information on how to learn…
Brian Campbell
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17 answers

How to minimize the pain for a beginning guitar student so they won’t give up before they develop calluses?

This is a common problem and solving it will ultimately lead to a much higher success rate for beginning guitar students. So I wanted to share the information here on Music and Theory. Many of my beginning guitar students start out on their journey…
Rockin Cowboy
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40
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11 answers

What exactly does practising scales teach?

First off, I'm not claiming that practising scales isn't a good thing to do. I'm just curious what specifically it teaches you that doesn't come from playing music. I'm aiming it as a generic question since it seems common to students of all…
Mr. Boy
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3 answers

How can I train my ear for music?

I have noticed that some people are better at hearing music, e.g. they are better in distinguishing the notes or noticing mistakes when someone is play. Is it possible to train oneself to hear music better? If yes, how?
user107
37
votes
11 answers

How does your brain learn to play the piano two-handed?

As a new piano player I find the entire concept of doing two separate things at once massively challenging. Even when both parts are incredibly simple and I can sight-read both lines mentally easily, I start playing and my hands just "lock up". Even…
Mr. Boy
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37
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10 answers

Bored when playing instrument

Well, sometimes when I play my guitar, I got bored, it just like I'm too tired of playing the guitar (or any instrument, for this question). Is there any motivation or suggestion or something that could bring my mood back?
seseorang
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12 answers

How can I learn to compose?

I am aware that Stack Exchange questions should be on-point, and not too broad, but I really would appreciate a response from people who know what they are talking about: I recently saw Boublil and Schonberg's Les Miserables and Miss Saigon and was…
cmp
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