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1500 questions
13
votes
4 answers
A♭ major 9th chord in Bach is unexpectedly dissonant/jazzy
Measures 21-24 in Prelude VII from Bach's Well Tempered Clavier I
I was looking at the Prelude VII by Bach and noticed that on the measure 23 Bach ended that phrase with a A♭ maj9 chord. I was wondering how often do extended chords show up in…
Diego Alvarez
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votes
3 answers
Trumpet valves, lengths, and pitch
I would like to know a bit more about how the valves of trumpets (and other brass instruments) work than is here: Trumpet at Wikipedia.
I am ignoring issues such as it being a transposing instrument. I only interested in the relative pitches of the…
badjohn
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13
votes
5 answers
What can I do to learn violin before going to a teacher?
Well, I just got a violin today. Got it set up, tuned up (I think), aaaand... Most horrible sound ever heard in my life! :D
So, it is time to learn to play it. Apparently, it is highly advised to get a teacher (Do I need a teacher to learn violin?),…
Saturn
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13
votes
4 answers
Why does it sometimes sound good to play a grace note as a lead in to a note in a melody?
While playing around with some simple melodies on my piano i realized that tapping (like a single tone in a trill) the tone one half-tone below in a melody before playing the actual tone sometimes sounds a lot 'more right' than just playing the tone…
Richard
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13
votes
1 answer
How can I learn circular breathing?
I play clarinet and am interested in learning to circular breathe.
How is circular breathing done?
Once I learn to do it, is it something that I would want to use throughout my playing or only for certain passages?
David LeBauer
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13
votes
1 answer
Bartok - Syncopation (1): Meaning of notes in between Grand Staff
Bartok - Mikrokosmos Book 1 - 91)* Syncopation(1)
What's the meaning of the notes in between the Grand Staff?
xvan
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13
votes
1 answer
How accurate are 12TET approximations of Japanese scales?
Is it possible on normal European instruments to play Japanese scales like the Hirajōshi, Insen, In, Ryo, etc, without retuning? If I do have to retune, where can I find out which exact intervals are used?
You don't have to tell me exactly how many…
Hagel
- 129
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13
votes
1 answer
Effect of nickel cover on Telecaster bridge pickup?
Traditionally telecaster guitars have the neck pick-up covered in a nickel/chrome cover, and the bridge pickup left with exposed pole pieces.
What is the origin/logic of the nickel cover?
What effect would it have if the same pick-up was used with…
gingerbreadboy
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13
votes
4 answers
Why does American traditional music (e.g. old-time fiddle, folk, bluegrass, etc.) exclude drumming?
I'm a trained percussionist who for years has appreciated traditional American folk music. I've also been frustrated for years by the complete lack of any drums in this music. I've searched the web and found no good answers.
I recognize any answer…
Scott Wilkinson
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13
votes
4 answers
What does an arranger do?
When you see the "arranged by" attribution on a score, what did the arranger (typically) do?
Dave
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13
votes
8 answers
Power chord: Can the lower fifth be used?
Normally a C power chord is played by using C and the G in the same octave (that is, 3rd fret of 5th string and 5th fret of 4th string). But a friend says the C power chord can be played just by barring the 6th and 5th string at 3rd fret, that is C…
Ragesh Chakkadath
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13
votes
2 answers
How to improve the blend between male and female voices on the same part in a choir?
I sing in a small volunteer choir (12-15 people) in which we have women and men singing together on some parts. (Aside from the common tenor-shortage problem, sometimes we sing three-part songs, and lower altos and higher tenors end up together.) …
Monica Cellio
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13
votes
7 answers
How was the D chord constructed?
I'm a beginner trying to teach myself guitar, and I thought I understood how chords work but the D major chord just confuses the heck out of me.
From what I know, chords are built out of triads, and for D, that's D, F#, A.
So I can see that in the…
aroundthecoroner
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13
votes
6 answers
How can I help a piano student who doesn't slow down to read the notes
I have a student who, when he tries, can figure out what notes he's looking at on the score at a decent pace. He couldn't sit down and sight-read something fluidly, but the foundation is there.
The problem is that when he's trying to learn something…
JETM
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13
votes
1 answer
How do I use string gauge tables?
I have seen that string manufacturers publish tables of string gauges and tensions.
For example, this one.
How can I use these to choose a set of strings for my instrument?
slim
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