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1500 questions
29
votes
9 answers
What are the ergonomic / playing differences between the guitar and the piano?
The guitar and the piano are two of the most popular instruments which allow multiple notes to be played simultaneously.
The acoustic quality of the two instruments are, of course, different, but that is not the focus of this question.
The design of…
netvope
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29
votes
4 answers
Has music notation become more prescriptive?
Another question asks about the Meaning of 1/1 and 1/2 beneath pedaling marking near some sustain pedal markings. It looks like they are used to specify a particular amount of pedal to use while playing the piece. Is there a trend in music…
Ben Jackson
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29
votes
6 answers
Do guitar strings wear when not used?
Do strings wear because of the pressure applied to them or any other factor, or do they stay in quite the same shape as long as you don't use them?
Alexandre Nizoux
29
votes
7 answers
Which fingering to use when playing the same piano key twice in a row?
I just started to learn piano, and I notice that practice sheet music for beginners sometimes specifies for all or some keys which fingers should hit them. It seems that some authors consistently teach to change the finger if the same key is played…
Ivan Kapitonov
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29
votes
7 answers
What is the difference between equivalent Flat and Sharp keys as far as musical notation? Are there any reasons to prefer one over the other?
I wrote a song in Db Major, but I could also notated that it would be equivalent to say C# Major as well. I am not well versed in musical theory and I think both are equivalent to each other and wonder if there are situations which there are…
tony.stack
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29
votes
11 answers
How to do "metal" harmonics (pinch etc)
I've always struggled with this, tried watching Youtube tutorials, but can't get it to work.
Should you hold the pick in any particular way? I've always held my picks with three fingers, for stability, but have a feeling that won't work here.
Does…
Znarkus
29
votes
9 answers
Why do tube-based guitar amplifiers sound so good?
Is it just a cultural thing ("they've always sounded that way") or is there some basis in music theory for this?
fitzbog
29
votes
11 answers
"one finger per fret" - is it worth following this rule?
When I first got into guitar, I was given advice to follow a "one finger per fret" rule with the left hand.
Basically, to fret notes with all four fingers, and to follow a pattern such that in any position on the fretboard, each finger has…
asgeo1
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29
votes
5 answers
How do I know when the next note starts in sheet music?
I can't understand the note duration notation very well.
In the image below, the highlighted A in the second measure seems to start half a beat between the first and the second beat. But shouldn't we wait for the bass A two beat duration to finish,…
George
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29
votes
1 answer
How do I connect my musical instrument to a computer?
There are many variations on this question, so I thought it was worth writing (and answering) one for the general case.
I want to record my instrument using a computer, or use my computer to apply effects to my instrument. How do I achieve this?
slim
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29
votes
14 answers
My child's violin practice is making us tired, what can we do?
My daughter began taking violin lessons 2 years ago, she's now 7.
She became interested because she saw an older cousin play the violin.
At the beginning, we were told that in order to progress, one should practice everyday.
We've followed the…
l0r3nz4cc10
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28
votes
12 answers
What does play with feeling mean?
When I used to take music exams I'd pass them but it often says "could have played with more feeling".
Now, I played all the notes in the right order. Made them louder when it says ff. And quieter when it says pp. Faster when it says fast and slow…
zooby
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28
votes
6 answers
Tapping 3 times on one leg and 4 times on another leg in 4 beats. What is it called and how to do it?
I'm new to the "music scene". Well, at least the more technical parts of it.
In ninth grade, our music teacher taught us how to do a tapping/drumming thing where we tap 3 times on one leg and 4 times on the other in 4 beats.
What is this called? How…
Karlee
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28
votes
3 answers
Why does a 97 / 92 key piano exist by Bösendorfer?
Pianos normally have 88 keys, ranging from A0 to C8. One of Bösendorfer's pianos go down to F below the low A. The other model goes down to C. How did this happen?
user53472
28
votes
7 answers
Algorithms for music composition
I'm a beginner in music but I also like to fool around with simple computer programs . So I found a little python library to generate MIDI files . So what I do now is that I have a few rhythm signatures or time delays which I've fed in along with a…
coderboy
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