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5 answers
Is this chord from Bach's C major Prelude G+ or Cm?
So I'm analyzing the harmony in Bach's C major Prelude from the Well Tempered Clavier, and it all goes smoothly until I reach this chord:
Now, most editions I see of this Prelude don't have this chord in it. I even have 2 piano books that both have…
Caters
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14
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4 answers
Bridge intonation patterns on stringed instruments
On stringed instruments, the scale length needs to be slightly adjusted (at the bridge) for each string so that the first octave happens at the 12th fret/position, the 2nd at the 24th, etc. My physical intuition tells me that larger strings need a…
Alexbib
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14
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10 answers
Why are "scales" mentioned less to singers and more to guitar players?
Scales are still confusing to me.
When I sing I don't know anything about scales. Nobody suggests to me that I should sing in mixolydian, phrygian or anything like that.
But, when I play guitar, it is very different. There is no little chance of…
zameb
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14
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5 answers
Melody improvisation over chords
My question deals with what scale to play over a given chord progression. For example, consider a progression containing I,II,IV,V in C. I.e., the rhythm guitar is playing C, Dmin, F, and G...
My intuition tells me that if I am going to improvise…
Joe
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14
votes
7 answers
How do I increase my speed on guitar?
Are there any exercises or some tips on how to improve speed? If yes then please tell me! I'm already fairly good at guitar. It's just that I'm struggling a bit with the speed of my fingers.
denisse
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14
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5 answers
What is the purpose of the mixolydian scale?
For example: the G-Mixolydian is G-A-B-C-D-E-F (rather than G-A-B-C-D-E-F#).
Why not just call it C?
thanks
Joe
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14
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3 answers
Do the intervals in a chord determine its sound?
For example, in a C Major chord of (C, E, G), I have the intervals of:
A Major Third (C, E)
A Perfect Fifth (C, G)
A Minor Third (E, G)
In a C Minor chord (C, Eb, G), I have intervals of:
A Minor Third (C, Eb)
A Perfect Fifth (C, G)
A Major Third…
OctopuSS7
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14
votes
1 answer
How can a snare's activation be made quieter?
I play the snare drum in an ensemble that plays a lot of classical music, and in order to avoid having the snare rattle during percussion rests, I make a habit of turning off the snare during long rests. However, when playing on the snare I most…
redyoshi49q
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14
votes
3 answers
Just how specific is the term "hemiola"?
In Name and structure of staggering beat in Ramones' “Merry Christmas,” the rhythm in the second measure of the following example is described as a hemiola:
But to me, these are just triplets and not an example of a hemiola. Hemiolas, in my…
Richard
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14
votes
10 answers
For the chord C7 (specifically!), why do you write Bb and not A#?
For the chord C7 (specifically!), why do you write B♭ and not A♯?
Sofie
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14
votes
2 answers
How bluesy is Ravel's Blues actually?
The second movement of Maurice Ravel's second Violin Sonata (1922-1927) is titled Blues (example performance). Wikipedia claims it is inspired by jazz and blues music, and that Ravel had first-hand knowledge of these styles e.g. from going to night…
guest
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14
votes
3 answers
How seriously did romantic composers take key characterizations?
I just came across this list of key characterizations by Christian Schubart in 1806. I was aware of this phenomenon, and also know that it predated Schubart, e.g. influencing some choices in Handel's "Messiah" (according to concert programs).
My…
Luke Sawczak
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14
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3 answers
Why are the accidentals here written in a rather complex way, when there exists simpler notation?
(Score taken from Tchaikovsky Symphony No.1, Op13, Bassoon part. PDF file from IMSLP.)
I'm referring to the second line, starting from the mf. The melody goes on temporarily on another key but the composer didn't explicitly make a key change. So we…
Wu Tianming
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14
votes
2 answers
What do the different tubes in an amplifier do?
Preamp vs Phase Inverter vs Reverb vs Power vs Rectifier.
Many people get really, really confused when they try to understand anything about tubes. I spent a very long time myself trying to understand it enough to be able to perform basic…
Jduv
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14
votes
5 answers
How can some USB 2.0 audio interfaces support phantom power through USB alone?
I'm planning to buy an audio interface and it being exclusively bus powered is a requirement. However I also use condenser mics which require phantom power. Now I'm a bit confused about why some bus-powered interfaces require additional PSU for…
Andrei Sch.
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