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Why is Debussy's remark brilliant (on going out and smoking, at the start of Beethoven's developments)?
From: Charles Rosen. Critical Entertainments. p. 117 Bottom - 118 Top.
In the same way, attacks on Beethoven could be profound and even persuasive, and would continue to be so after his death even to the present. Most musicians (outside of…
user26407
13
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6 answers
Impossibly long flute note
I sometimes compose for my own amusement but I have no delusions of creating anything that anyone else would like to hear.
In one of my ideas, I want a long sustained flute note to bridge two movements. The other instruments will stop on a chord…
badjohn
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Articulation between staccato and full note length?
I'm transcribing liturgical choir music. I want to know is there an articulation that's longer then staccato but shorter then a note without an articulation. I have half notes that needs to be sung shorter but not as short as staccato. How do I…
Nachmen
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What is a raga?
Wikipedia describes a raga thus:
A raga is sometimes explained as melodic rule set that a musician works with, but according to Dorottya Fabian and others, this is now generally accepted among music scholars to be an explanation that is too…
empty
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Why do we only build 7th chords on the supertonic and dominant of a major scale?
I am just cracking into a book on basic Harmony (Mark Sarnecki, 2nd edition), and the first section begins with a review of the triads built on each degree of a C major scale, as shown in this picture.
Then after introducing the various types of…
Kyle Schlitt
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9 answers
Which advanced chords can I use for a song composition in scale of G?
I am making a song composition in a scale of G.
I have already used major chords G, C and D and in some places I have used Am, Em and Bm.
I would like to make this composition richer with some advanced chords?
I am not a guitar expert. I know that…
Jeril Nadar
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Understanding why notes are written on the other side of their stem
Beginner warning :-)
In the following image, the outlined chords are not grouped like a majority of the other chords with four notes. There are four chords later on in the last several measures that are not grouped/notated as the outlined mark…
cmp
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4 answers
Is there such a thing as a silent drum set?
One can learn to play the piano on an electronic or midi keyboard with closed headphones without waking up the roommate. Is there anything equivalent for drumming? Some sort of nearly silent drum pad or percussion set with midi out?
hotpaw2
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What are the small ">" signs above the notes?
Take a look:
What are the > markings above the notes? I know of a decrescendo and a crescendo but can they be applied to specific notes?
cmp
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5 answers
What is forward momentum?
I've heard the words "forward momentum" in different context referred to music but I couldn't find any definition for it (and it might very well be that it is used with different meaning in different places..).
Here's three example:
I was asking to…
Three Diag
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4 answers
Learning to play bass guitar: Fretless vs Fretted
I took bass guitar lessons years ago, but decided I was going to start self-teaching again. I have 2 basses, a Squire P-Bass, and a Fender fretless J-Bass. I was thinking about teaching myself to play on the fretless, as it would be less forgiving,…
Dan McClain
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4 answers
What are some common hand signals for communicating within a small ensemble?
Playing in a small group, I already know and use the gesture of pointing to my head to indicate "play the head" or "go back to the beginning".
If the ensemble is playing songs containing intro, verse, chorus and bridge sections, is there any widely…
Brian THOMAS
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Do you ever feel like an "imposter", and how do you get over it?
I'm pretty sure a lot of people tend to feel like this sometimes.
Sometimes I go for a couple days or weeks without being able to muster up ANY inspiration, and everything I play just feels dead. I get burnt out sometimes, whether on life, work, or…
user44261
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6 answers
Why is a 2-5-1 progression so often associated with jazz?
Why is a 2-5-1 progression so often associated with jazz? Is there something inherent in this progression that makes it sound jazzy? Or rather, is it just that jazz people started to use it, experience and re-experience it, and lean on it until it…
Bob
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13
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2 answers
What is the device used to draw 5-line staff (empty) with a pencil/pen?
I remember seeing something like that long ago but can't remember what it was called. It is basically a metal gadget that holds 5 pencils or only pencil led and you can draw by hand your own empty staff.
Anybody know?
Sound Convincer
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