The study of how music works, seeking to identify structures and patterns in music.
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4answers
1k views
What is a good guitar solo to learn in the minor scale?
I am starting to play and improvise in the minor scale, and I would like to learn some guitar solos that are good examples of this scale so that I see how other people use it. What are some famous ...
0
votes
0answers
49 views
Are there any consecutive 5th/octave/unison in my harmony? [closed]
I'm doing harmony exercises with a book and I was wondering if anyone could double check if I have any consecutive 5th, octave or unison in there. Also any other pointers to improve the harmony would ...
0
votes
1answer
236 views
A good source to learn the theory of chords in an accordion
I have been learning to play accordion for a few months and I can play 15-20 songs with their chords now. I know the physics behind the musical notes (such as I can understand what one implies by ...
7
votes
1answer
98 views
Finding the “Starting point” when creating a composition or score
This is a fairly simple one, and hopefully not too wide-open to be permitted here: what approaches are available when sitting at a fresh screen or sheet of paper, or at your instrument, to create the ...
6
votes
3answers
232 views
On a piano scale what is considered “middle C”?
I'm learning to play the piano and I'm slightly confused after reading this:
http://pianoscale.org/scales/root/c/major/
Is the 1st note in the treble clef the same as the 8th notes in the bass ...
1
vote
3answers
238 views
What is the difference between a collection of sounds and music?
From my reading I've gathered that the difference between music and noise is that music is an organized collection of sounds. In that definition, noise would then be an unorganized collection of ...
0
votes
1answer
88 views
Difference between dissonance and clashing notes
Wikipedia describes dissonance as the quality of sounds that seems "unstable" and has an aural "need" to "resolve" to a "stable" consonance
Which basically means it hurts your ears and you want it to ...
2
votes
3answers
84 views
The origin of “Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father” [closed]
The order of the flats is given by the mnemonic "*B*attle *E*nds *A*nd *D*own *G*oes *C*harles' *F*ather". What is the history behind this strange phrase?
-2
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1answer
94 views
2 guitar progression [closed]
These are progression from a song that I was playing with a friend but we don't understand it at all. Can somebody please explain conceptually why they sound good when played together i.e first ...
8
votes
2answers
164 views
Was the pitch A given that letter because the minor key was originally the “basic” mode?
It's something that's puzzled me; The key that has no sharps and no flats, in essence the "basic" key, is C Major. Well, fine, but why C? Why not label that key and note A, if it's the foundation of ...
8
votes
2answers
309 views
The differences between natural, harmonic and melodic minors
I'm studying scales and came across the natural, harmonic, and melodic minors. I understand the patterns for each scale but what other important differences exist between the three?
-1
votes
2answers
102 views
Looking for advice on my self-taught music education
Until a year ago, I had absolutely no music education, and I decided to change that around this period, well more exactly I picked up on (acoustic) guitar as a hobby and from there gained interest in ...
0
votes
2answers
61 views
Can the “music of the spheres” be applied (or projected) to instrumental music?
I've read lots of books on Pythagoras and the philosophy of the Music of the Spheres, but it all seems to stop at labeling planets with scale degrees. And then what? If they're all there, filling up ...
10
votes
5answers
466 views
When playing in a minor key, will the chords be minor as well?
I've been jumping into music theory myself and I've been stumbling on creating certain melodies and such. I've played guitar all my teenage life and not once have I ever sat down and said I'm going to ...
11
votes
3answers
297 views
How can I move beyond learning songs?
I can competently learn and play chord progressions and simple runs on the guitar but I do not feel like I understand the instrument. My playing progresses by memorizing songs.
However, I know that ...
9
votes
6answers
281 views
What are good resources for learning music theory?
What is a good resource for learning music theory, especially as it relates to the guitar, coming from a completely beginner's perspective? I had a musician friend try to teach me about modes such as ...
-4
votes
1answer
158 views
What are the best books to learn music theory? [closed]
I haven't been able to find anything that particularly relates to this, and I'm sorry if this is a duplicate, but what are the best books to learn about music theory? I honestly have no idea about ...
3
votes
2answers
398 views
Harmony analysis program
Is there any computer program that automatically analyzes harmony given the score?
By harmony, I of course mean, 'I', 'III, 'IV' etc.. and their connection.
6
votes
3answers
149 views
Dominant functioning as a Subdominant!
The D9 chord voices appropriate seems to be able to function as a subdominant chord. This is very intriguing and I've always thought and read that dominant chords function as dominant chords(except in ...
8
votes
3answers
510 views
What are the practical reasons for still having transposing instruments?
I understand that historically there was a need for transposing instruments. e.g. Brass instruments would use lead pipes to change their key and players in brass bands would like to stick to the same ...
6
votes
4answers
224 views
Does the bass note in a “slash” chord really have an associated interval?
I have a question about "slash" chords.
Look at the chord E/G:
E G♯ B G
1 3 5 ?
G is the minor 3rd interval (♭3) in the key of E.
However, I would have thought by definition chords cannot ...
2
votes
2answers
123 views
What should I be trying my hand at to practice composing?
I don't really know how to play any instrument, but I do have some USB keys that I have plinked with in Garageband.
I'm not interested so much in learning to perform my works. I enjoy and am inspired ...
9
votes
4answers
225 views
Music Cognition
I am learning to play the harmonica. As with so many people around the world, the approach I use is to take a song and its notes somewhere from the internet and practice it until I can play it well.
...
10
votes
4answers
421 views
What online resources should I use to learn harmony and musical analysis?
I had some harmony courses and I want to learn some more about it.
Ideally, I am looking for is a KhanAcademy-like website about harmony and musical analysis. If that doesn't exist, where else should ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
What makes a happy song happy? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What gives a piece of music its personality and feeling?
What makes a happy song a happy one? What are the elements that give this particular property to a music piece? ...
2
votes
4answers
142 views
4
votes
2answers
392 views
What is a key signature?
I'm trying to learn the flute and I bought a book that is supposed to help me learn. In one of the first chapters it describes something about key signatures and the circle of fifths and I'm ...
12
votes
2answers
1k views
What scale is this? [closed]
This is a very minor question, but I'm trying to learn a piece (a Bach Concerto in D minor) that has the following sequence of notes played in order:
A B C# D E F G A
My piano teacher said it was a ...
1
vote
4answers
256 views
How Can I Replicate The Sound Of An Instrument?
I have experience of basic music theory, guitar and piano. My current project involves creating a computer program that can replicate the sounds of any given instrument (starting with piano).
I can ...
5
votes
1answer
204 views
“Andalusian cadences”: How are they commonly heard?
The "Andalusian cadence" I-bVII-bVI-V is commonly heard as a repeated figure in Flamenco music as well as many pop songs, e.g. "Hit the Road, Jack":
...
4
votes
2answers
107 views
Name for music that imitates speech
I have searched and asked others for the answer to this but have come up dry: what is the name or technique in music where musical notes approximate/imitate speech? Note that I am not talking about ...
9
votes
3answers
556 views
Why Is Just Intonation Impractical?
I've read about the debate of "just intonation" vs 12-tone equal temperament. And nowhere it was clearly stated why just intonation is impractical. Here are my assumptions. Please let me know if I am ...
3
votes
2answers
93 views
What is A flat to C minor?
I know that Cm is the relative minor of Eb.
I noticed the Eb chord is made up of two of the same notes of Cm (beginning on the third degree). Ab is also made up of two of the same notes, but on the ...
6
votes
2answers
149 views
What does it mean when progression is resolved?
I saw this text inside a very basic piano workbook in which I'm not sure what the author means by using "resolve".
Progression #1: C-F-G-F-C
NOTE: This 4 bar progression resolves back to C ...
6
votes
2answers
197 views
Why do we use thirds to construct chords?
I am (slowly) learning music theory on the guitar. I've begun learning about scales and chords, and it seems that all chords are built using some combination of thirds.
For example, a minor triad is ...
9
votes
7answers
296 views
Is it necessary to learn the names of fret notes?
I know the names of the notes up to about the fifth fret on each string. I play from sheet music occasionally, but mostly from tabs - so is it necessary to learn the names of the notes for each fret ...
0
votes
0answers
44 views
What should I do next to improve and expand my musical knowledge? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Where can I get started with my improvisation?
How to develop soloing vocabulary
What are good resources for learning music theory?
How does one start learning music ...
11
votes
3answers
292 views
Why is a note sometimes a 4th and sometimes an 11th?
If I play the chord: GBDA, then this is considered a Gadd9. But if I play the 3rd above the 5th (GDB), it is not called a 10th.
Why don't we refer to all notes by 1-7, and is there a system to ...
3
votes
4answers
252 views
What are some interesting ways notes and chords are spelled in cultures outside of the U.S.?
I've heard that German musicians spell the seventh note of the C major scale with an "H" where an American musician would use a "B". And, for the fourth note of the F major scale, where an American ...
3
votes
2answers
96 views
Musical construction in rock - what does this mean?
Andrew Chester writes (emphasis mine):
Western classical music is the apodigm of the extensional form of musical construction. Theme and variations, counterpoint, tonality (as used in classical ...
24
votes
8answers
496 views
What exactly should I have to learn to understand why certain combination of chords are harmonic when played in a sequence?
I am an intuitive music composer trying to move to a technical music composer. As a dummy, I see music as a composition of 'pieces' (my word). Each piece is a set of notes that are melodical when ...
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votes
2answers
87 views
How To Derive Note Frequencies From The Harmonic Series? [closed]
The harmonic series give us the (natural or just) frequencies of the notes in an octave. To achieve that we need to transpose the higher-order harmonics to the same octave as the fundamental tone. But ...
22
votes
9answers
468 views
What is the best way of learning the notes on the fretboard.
What is the best way to learn the notes on the fretboard. Are there any good tips on how to do this?
9
votes
9answers
265 views
Musical Aids to Memorize Intervals
As the tutor for my school's music department, I spend a lot of time helping students drill intervals. However, I only have a handful of songs to recommend recognition.
P8 - Somewhere Over the ...
3
votes
2answers
138 views
Arpeggio vs. Acciaccatura
(When writing notation for piano)
Scenario: I would like the player to play the chord G (G3, B3, D4, G4), in a "spreaded" way. That is, not hit all keys at once, but start with the bottom G and end ...
20
votes
5answers
1k views
Does it really make difference to play a song in a different key?
I hear sometimes players and composers say that this song won't sound good in F Major for example, and you should play it or write it in G Major (this was just an example). In other words, it seems ...
15
votes
3answers
3k views
How do harmonics work?
The guitar has harmonic notes at some places. I can play it, but I don't understand the logical reason why/how this is can played. Can you tell me how exactly this works?
What other musical ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
What is a good solo to learn in the Dorian mode?
I understand that Dorian is a commonly used mode in rock. I am starting to play / improvise in the mode and would like to learn some guitar solos that are good examples of this scale so that I see how ...
4
votes
2answers
154 views
How to compose an acoustic guitar chorus?
I've been playing guitar off and on for years, and every once in a while I come up with some lyrics and chords that seem to be really great for a few verses. The problem is that I can never seem to ...
15
votes
5answers
628 views
What notes are optional in jazz chords?
I have a question on jazz chords, and what notes can be removed from the chord. My understanding is fairly superficial - mostly from what I've read in books. This is what I understand:
In some ...
