All Questions
10
votes
5answers
564 views
Selling my guitar
I want to sell a guitar, but I would like to know:
Where are good places to sell a guitar? Online? Guitar stores?
What is a good way to work out the value of the guitar?
9
votes
2answers
163 views
How can I easily manage different tunings?
This is probably appropriate for a range of instruments, and I have seen mentioned in other questions that professional musicians can cope easily with transpositions, different instruments that play ...
9
votes
1answer
231 views
What are good techniques to bend notes on brass instruments
I play Eb tuba, and sometimes I come across bending down in my notes - either as an effect at the end of a note, or sometimes as a slide between two notes. I find this difficult to achieve with a good ...
8
votes
3answers
187 views
What guitar tunings allow many chords without fretting between “live” strings
When playing the guitar, I find it difficult to fret a string without touching the string on either side and ruining the sound. Open tunings make it very easy to play one type of chord by barring ...
8
votes
5answers
379 views
The same note on two staves
On rare occasions, I encounter the same note on two staves with overlapping durations. Attached is an example from an arragement of "The Long and Winding Road" by The Beatles (The note in question is ...
8
votes
6answers
3k views
Useful tuning for 7 or 8 string guitars
So, I'm looking to add an Ibanez 7 or 8 string to my guitar zoo, but although I have looked into various standard tunings I am trying to figure out practical tunings so I can rapidly add the new ...
8
votes
6answers
4k views
What kind of guitar for big hands?
For someone with big hands, what kind of guitar is suitable?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of big hands for playing guitar?
8
votes
7answers
104 views
Are there some classical pieces that lend themselves well to guitar?
I would like to practice reading music on something other than notation written for guitar. Are there other pieces written for violin, for instance-or other instruments, that can be transposed easily ...
8
votes
6answers
152 views
How do you care for your guitar?
A guitar that is used regularly will sooner or later show signs of wear and tear. How do you best care for your guitar and make sure it stays as good as it is for as long as possible?
8
votes
2answers
3k views
Guitar produces hum due to poor soldering
Is it possible that a guitar could produce a low hum after replacing a pickup? I own a guitar that I (poorly) replaced a pickup on when I first started playing, and I was wondering if there was some ...
8
votes
3answers
810 views
What can I do to minimize damage to my picking hand wrist as I practice guitar?
My right hand (picking hand) is showing signs of carpal tunnel syndrome, and is slowly, but surely, degrading. I continue to practice guitar, but it's beginning to be difficult to do so.
What can I ...
7
votes
4answers
968 views
String buzz on bass guitar
The A string on my Peavey T-40 bass buzzes quite loudly. I've found that duct tape on the string above the nut will quiet this, but only if it's pulled taut against a neighboring string. It doesn't ...
7
votes
4answers
474 views
How do you prevent injuries from bad posture while playing classical guitar?
I'm tagging this as specific to classical guitar since that's what I am familiar with. The correct posture is very important which playing classical, including the footstool, the position of your ...
7
votes
5answers
6k views
How can I prevent the noise my guitar pick makes?
When I play the guitar (electric with steel strings), I can hear the noise of the pick clashing against the steel strings.
When I play a chord, after my pick triggers one string it then falls against ...
5
votes
2answers
222 views
Four dots over tremolo minim (half note with slash)
I'm working on National Emblem by E. E. Bagley. In the second strain, there is a minim with the tremolo mark. Above it are four dots. What do they mean?
Here is a picture. The mark in question is ...
5
votes
2answers
480 views
Learning 4/5 trills on the piano?
This has got to be one of the hardest technical things to teach your hands. I'm looking for advice from someone who's already surmounted this particular obstacle.
To be clear, I'm talking about ...
5
votes
5answers
1k views
How do you compose using the chromatic scale?
Writting a piece of music using the chromatic scale would be interesting, but I can't think of a way to start it? What kind of structure would a piece have? Is it all subjective and up to the composer ...
5
votes
3answers
133 views
How do I assess the value of a guitar when I'm preparing to sell it?
How do I go about researching the value of my instrument before I put it up for sale? I'd like to feel like I've done a proper amount of due diligence before I put it on the used market so I can both ...
4
votes
3answers
449 views
When decreasing string gauge on a bass guitar, will I need to adjust the truss rod?
I'm planning to make some changes to my bass guitar. I'd like to:
Moving from heavy to medium strings
From flatwound to roundwound strings
Lower the action
Obviously, the guitar will need a new ...
4
votes
3answers
213 views
How do you play a barre chord (or a chord with 4+ strings)
I need to play a chord that goes:
$1.5.$2.7.$3.7.$4.7.$5.5
I can play a barre chord with my index finger and hold down all the strings on the fifth fret, but I cant hold down the three sevens. Any ...
4
votes
5answers
1k views
Why does my guitar go out of tune after I play it a while?
This might be an obvious question, but it would be good to know what factors cause guitars to go out of tune.
4
votes
3answers
100 views
Effective learning from videos
I've taken lessons and taught myself songs from books and tablature. I have also listened to a song repeatedly and attempted to learn it by playing along. One method I have not tried is learning from ...
3
votes
3answers
76 views
What to look for in beginner etudes for a second instrument?
I've already learned the theory, technique and notation as it applies to my primary instrument (guitar). I'd like to pick up a second instrument (viola), but I need to find exercises and etudes that ...
2
votes
4answers
650 views
Recording electric guitar with pc - suggestions to get a great metal sound
I'm trying to connect my electric guitar to the pc and record some great distortion sound, what I have in mind is something that sounds really really good in fast metal solos
I've been struggling to ...
2
votes
4answers
504 views
Finding chords that sound like a single note
I cannot seem to find an algorithm to do this.
Say I play an E (not a chord)... it sounds a certain way. If I make it into a chord an play an E Major chord it sounds completely different. What would ...
2
votes
5answers
1k views
Effects of keeping a guitar in the car
I have a sales job, and am on the road most days. I often find myself with free time between appointments and would like to take advantage of that free time by practicing guitar. I have a 3/4 size ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
most effective guitar practice schedule?
I've Googled this question and there is a jumble of answers out there with long articles with complicated answers, so I thought I'd ask for more personal opinions.
I learned the guitar about 13 ...
1
vote
2answers
459 views
How do I play (and sing) a chord pattern song?
There are many questions I have regarding a chord progression so decided to use a simple song to start... Happy Birthday, since we all know it.
C G
Happy birthday to you
...
25
votes
4answers
3k views
What are some chord substitutions for a I-IV-V blues progression?
I was watching a video of SRV and one of the things that really stood out was the fact that he seemed to have a different iteration of the I-IV-V turnaround - and made it look/sound effortless. Any ...
56
votes
9answers
3k views
Why do minor keys sound “sad”?
Oftentimes major keys are called "happy" and minor keys are "sad". Why is this? Is it universal across cultures that use these scales? Do similar connotations exist in other scale systems?
(If this ...
19
votes
4answers
753 views
How can I be sure that I am singing effortlessly in my natural voice ?
By now , I have years of vocalization practice but I still start straining while singing—especially if I am not vigilant. It happens imperceptibly and is a hard habit to break.
Is there a reliable ...
12
votes
3answers
1k views
How can I generate nice-sounding random chord progressions?
I'm trying to write a computer program to generate simple random chord progressions. Is there a way of ranking chords based on how nice they will sound after the previous ones?
Any advice would be ...
11
votes
4answers
447 views
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 ...
41
votes
7answers
637 views
Ten Minute Practice Techniques?
Unfortunately I can't play everyday.
However, I am trying to grab at least 5-10 minutes here and there. What are some good theory or scale techniques/practice methods I should have ready to pull out ...
18
votes
7answers
12k views
How do I make piano chords sound interesting when playing along with popular songs?
I'm wanting to start playing along with popular songs and the easiest way to find lyrics and music only has guitar chords. I can play those chords on the piano but it just sounds boring. How should I ...
15
votes
8answers
361 views
Any advice for a novice composer?
I have been learning the acoustic guitar for about 3 years, but just recently started writing my own songs. I am currently learning music theory.
Given that starting point what advice would you give ...
14
votes
6answers
7k views
How to know what notes/chords go together while improvising?
This is 3 questions in one, so it might take a slightly involved answer, or some good links.
I'm a very good classical pianist, but I skipped theory entirely in my early days and learned to play well ...
14
votes
9answers
6k views
Why learn scales? What are they for?
I tried Googling but it seems there is no answer for this one. So the internet assumes everyone knows what scales are for? Why should I learn them? Are they important to be a good guitarist?
14
votes
7answers
415 views
Where should I go to learn about non-Western scales (particularly Turkish & Greek)
Apart from Turkey and Greece, I mean.
I'm looking for fairly abstract musicological and comparative descriptions, not "how to play"-style information. Particularly interested in departures from the ...
21
votes
9answers
447 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?
8
votes
2answers
3k views
How to turn any (pop) song into a jazz song?
Quite often there are pop songs wich get covered in a jazz style. These covers are seen from youtube to tv.
Now I tried doing something like this, with for example Bad Day by Daniel Powter. It's ...
14
votes
2answers
851 views
What is the relationship between the melody line and the rhythm chords?
Let's say I've written a song with the chord progression I-IV-V in the key of A (just as an example). So, the chords I'm playing are A-D-E. When playing a lead over this rhythm, what notes do I need ...
13
votes
2answers
517 views
How do I begin finally making music on the piano?
It's been almost 4 years since I had too much time on my hands while living in student dorms so I decided to learn to play the piano.
I always loved listening to classical and suddenly listening ...
12
votes
1answer
149 views
Are there any publicly available databases for automatic polyphonic music transcription?
I conduct research on automatic transcription of polyphonic music. Currently, I use MAPS dataset.
In particular, I need monophonic recordings to be used as training data and polyphonic ones to be ...
11
votes
4answers
5k views
How to extend and strengthen low end of vocal range? (I need about a whole tone extra.)
There are a bunch of songs that I'd like to sing that sit just under my vocal range (the low E of the guitar range, or the D under it). I can reach these notes with some effort, but it feels forced ...
32
votes
13answers
3k views
Quickly flip a page of sheet music while playing
This seems like such a silly question, but! When playing the piano, I sometimes struggle to turn the pages of my music without noticeably sacrificing the sound of the piece or making the book / ...
15
votes
3answers
483 views
How do you remember your music and how do I improve in this regard?
Okay, let me start with my own story. I jumped straight into playing classical pieces on the piano without much in the way of formal musical education. By now I know how chords are built (but it takes ...
13
votes
5answers
367 views
The major scale - why and how?
background: I am an amateur guitarist. I was trained in Indian classical music as a kid. Most of what I know in music theory is from books or Google. So please feel free to correct me or tell me if ...
13
votes
4answers
509 views
Is there a known point in history where dissonance became acceptable?
So, I'm not a scholar of music history, but I have a basic timeline. The evolution of Western music theory had several times in which certain chords and intervals were considered too "jarring" or ...
10
votes
6answers
912 views
How to dramatically change the feeling of a song while keeping the melody largely the same?
How to dramatically change the feeling of a song while keeping the melody largely the same? Let's say we have a happy, upbeat pop song and we want to turn it into a sad song (or vice versa). Is it ...
