Questions tagged [beginner]
For questions about the beginner level of a topic. Note: this tag should always be accompanied by another tag since beginner alone does not give enough information about the question.
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For a 10 year old learning piano what does music pedagogy says about using metronome?
I am teaching piano to a 10 year old using the Suzuki 1 book. This child has no problem maintaining tempo when singing. Is it better for the child to use metronome to keep the tempo during ...
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I'm a returning piano player, after 30 years [duplicate]
I am 74 years old, and learned piano as a child. I got quite far, my crowning glory was being able to play Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C# Minor. I practiced for about a year and managed to get through ...
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Am I too old? Is it too late? Starting, Resuming, or Mastering an instrument [duplicate]
Age is a commonly expressed concern in studying music, and there are many questions on this site addressing "late starts" from a variety of perspectives. This post is intended as Link ...
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Are there some simple fingering rules that a piano beginner can start with?
I realize that fingering is a complex topic. But are there any simple rules that a beginner can start with?
EDIT: This question was originally marked as a duplicate of this question I realize now that ...
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Fingerpicking right hand beginner problems [duplicate]
I just started to try self-learn fingerpicking. I know absolutely nothing about it, but can play some beginner tunes with flat picking.
When I try to position the right hand as told in the YouTube ...
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Is there a duration or rest error in the last bar here?
In this example - my understanding is that every bar has four quarter notes, in the third bar, we can see only two eighth notes connected to a half note - does that not make a total of 3 quarter notes?...
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Are Cello straps and stops necessary to rent for beginner?
My daughter is starting cello at her elementary school in the fall, she is 8 years old, renting a 1/2 scale cello.
In the process of renting the cello I need to decide if I should rent these two ...
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Saxophone for beginner -- which one (small hands)?
I would like to learn to play saxophone. Can I play it from sitting down (wheelchair)? Which is the best beginner size of saxophone? I have small hands and can reach an octave on piano.
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What tips would you give to a beginner violinist to execute these pieces well? [closed]
I am practicing these two pieces to enter orchestra, but I am having difficulty practicing it. Specifically, as I am quite a beginner, I am not sure about many things technique wise. For example, how ...
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Writing music for tenor sax from piano [duplicate]
I have a famous song written for piano that I want to transpose for tenor sax. Is that the correct term? It will be put on a piece of art as a gift so its very important I do this correctly. I am very ...
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How do I start learning to play ragtime on the guitar?
I would really like to learn how to play ragtime on the guitar. As a teenager I took guitar lessons. I learned to sight-read and basic chords, but not much beyond that. Years later, I am learning ...
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How can I learn to solo on guitar?
I have always been fascinated with guitar solos and am committed to learning. However, I can't really afford a tutor and want to dig in all by myself. I have been practicing for the last 2 months now ...
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Where Should I start in regards to making music? [closed]
I have been studying music theory on and off for 2 years. I am 21 now and I have always had a love for music and was involved in school activities for music up until 6th grade. I unfortunately had to ...
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Can I play triads with fingers 1-2-4, leaving my pinky free to enhance the chord or play melodic riffs?
From playing the guitar (for fun), I would always try to make a chord leaving my pinky free to either add flavor to the chord or play other melodic "riff" notes.
Question - Would I be doing ...
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Guitar effect in Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb [closed]
In the second guitar solo of Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd, Gilmour has some nice effects at 4:31 (the beginning of the second solo), also at 5:21.
It is kind of a hollow sound. Can someone tell me ...
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Does the key a piece is written in affect playability for piano?
Key signatures and reading sheet music aside, does the key a piece is written in affect the ease with which it can be played on piano?
For example, are any keys known for more difficult or awkward ...
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To get to jazz, do I just add a seventh? [closed]
Up until now, I've just been practicing triads on all major/minor keys. If I wanted to play jazz, do I just add sevenths (ie dominant7, major7, minor7) to chords in my chord progressions or is it a ...
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Fingering first measure Funeral March
Is the 5 5 fingering for the left hand, first measure, correct?
I ask it because it is for me as a beginner difficult to reposition my left pink quickly on the right place. Is there a good alternative?...
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Can sargam be used interchangeably with Do and note-name systems for a beginning pianist?
A young piano student has been learning the letter-based note names: A B C, etc. He also has been exposed to fixed Do: Do Re Mi, etc.
Meanwhile, a family member taught him the sargam syllables for the ...
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Is it ok just to play the Melody instead of the main grand Staff?
As A total novice I'm attempting to play the look of love by Bacharach. I have the music in front of me and I notice a Treble Clef above the Grand Staff.
I quickly Google this and find it is the ...
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What it's the key and chord progression of this four part harmony music [closed]
I'm trying to write a four-part harmony song with some suspended chords and stuff. I'm having some problems identifying the chords, I'm also not sure if the key is in F. Can anyone help me? I'm also ...
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Piano: grand staff with two treble clefs. Where to place hands?
I'm very new at playing the piano and would love to play an easy version of Clair de lune. Please see the sheet below.
I get stuck right at the very beginning.
I think I have figured out that '...
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Techniques for improving how I learn a piece
I'm a grade 2-3, and last week my piano teacher gave me "To a Wild Rose" (Edward MacDowell) to learn - page 1 for now anyway. At first glance it seems quite straightforward, but 5 days on ...
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Can I start playing on this clarinet?
Me: no money at all and no experience with wind instruments.
Goal: learn how to play clarinet and to read music.
Found this "French-styled clarinet from URSS" for 40 dollars.
Is it ...
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If The Beatles didn't know music theory, how did they construct whole songs flawlessly? [duplicate]
It is said that the 4 beatle never learned music theory, and is proven by many interviews from them. They are known for writing rock hits that had always hit the charts and the songs they had written ...
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Is there a better UI for musical typing for drums in Garageband?
I'm new to Garageband and when I'm trying to make drum tracks it's frustrating being unable to tell which sound is mapped to which key without playing the key (especially for instrument packs that don'...
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How should I choose a piece for a beginners choral audition?
I am having a difficult time choosing a piece for a choral audition. The chorus I am aiming for admits new singers with no previous experience in singing, and I was told the audition is not much of a ...
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How long would it take for a beginning piano player to learn to play Bach Badinerie [closed]
Would it be possible for a beginning piano player (in their late twenties) to learn to play the song (see video) exactly as it's played there, within a year of practice (practicing 30 minutes to an ...
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Is it normal to have memorized a piece by the time you can play it?
I've been playing piano for 5 months and have been having tremendous success (it helps that I've played clarinet for years and can read music).
By the time I can play a Level 4 piece from start to ...
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How to tell whether the soundpost of a violin needs adjustment?
I am aware that soundpost should be adjusted by a professional luthier when the violinist desires e.g. brighter sound. But as a beginner, I don't think it is relevant for me for now.
Does the fact ...
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Do nickel-free bassoons exist?
I am allergic to nickel. I come up in itchy bumps after contact.
I would like to try playing bassoon but all the ones I have looked at have nickel silver keys, which isn't silver at all but is nickel.
...
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Should a beginner use simplified (easy) version?
My kid (6 years old) is learning the piano. Should she use the easy (simplified) version of a slightly hard piece, or an easy original piece?
I am afraid she will have problems with the original ...
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Question about held notes in piano musical notation [duplicate]
My knowledge of musical notation is extremely limited, so I'm sorry if this is a dumb question...
Could anyone tell me how the the below bar would look if the 3 triplet notes marked in red in the bass ...
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Rests with triplets across the Grand Staff
Let's say this is the 4th of 4 quaver triplets in a 4/4 measure:
Unlike the other quaver triplets in the measure, this one crosses the staves, with one note in the bass clef and two in the treble ...
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How can I build my finger strength when I am not practicing?
I am a beginner for guitar. And I am having a hard time playing the F barre chord. It is said that only through practice can one make a difference. But I have limited time playing guitar. Are there ...
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How to know in which scale i am from the notes of a melody? [duplicate]
Is there a way to know in which scale a melody is? I have no musical lessons and i learned the minimum that i know from the internet but i think i have some basis (or i want to think it at least). My ...
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What Notes does Trumpet play?
I am a total novice. I'm thinking about getting a trumpet so I can practise at home for fun and I want to find out how to play.
I am curious to know what notes you can play on the trumpet. I am not ...
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Plateau while learning piano sight-reading
As a 12 year old I had piano lessons for several months until the teacher retired due to ill health and I never kept going with lessons (which I've regretted ever since). On the plus side I've always ...
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What does this sign before the notes mean and how does its placement affect the notes? [duplicate]
This is from Kiss The Rain by Yiruma but the sign before the notes keep bugging me as its position on staff keeps changing and likewise the octave keeps changing and I can't understand how to play it....
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How to highlight top note while playing triads / intervals
I am trying to learn funeral march op 35 by Chopin and the initial motive is played using some intervals in which the top note should be the melody thus should be louder then the other notes you are ...
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How to achieve the correct posture if you're short, get a shorter stand or higher chair?
I bought a digital piano with a fixed height stand and the top of the key are 28.75 inches from the ground. I need to get my elbow to be parallel with the key height, is what I got from online videos. ...
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Can I become a good guitarist by just playing other's arrangements?
It's been a whole year since I bought my first acoustic guitar and I've only learned a couple of chords, how to read a simple tab and some easy fingerstyle songs. So I'm just wondering whether it's a ...
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My brand new acoustic guitar's bridge has crack?
Alright So today I received my Kadence Frontier Series which I had ordered online.
The guitar's sound is really cool and everything else was good until I found a thin crack at the bridge.
What should ...
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How to think about SATB when analysing piece on piano? [closed]
I'm beginner, so I read music theory and didn't find straight clear answer about applying SATB in pieces (in modern particularly). What information could I get from dividing voices, seeing all this up ...
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Problem with choosing the right string gauge - switch from medium to extra light?
I am beginner acoustic guitar player ..
My current guitar' strings are "medium" ,, but I found them hard to play, they make buzzing sound, that's why I hate my guitar now -_- and i'm thinking of ...
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What purpose do chords serve in music?
I'm a complete beginner to music theory and have recently been learning a few basics.
One thing I can't wrap my mind around are chords, and to a certain extent, chord progressions. I know how they are ...
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How is it possible to compose music with chromatic scale when it uses notes other than that of the key of the song?
I'm a beginner in the music world. So my question may seem stupid and confusing. So I'm gonna elaborate a bit.
Say, I want to write a track in the key of D. So I have the notes D,E,F#,G,A,B & C#. ...
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What makes the same note sound different on different strings?
When comparing the same note (e.g. E4) from 2 (adjacent) strings, the tuner says: the same, but I hear them somehow differently. I cannot tune without a tuner because of this problem.
What make them ...
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How do I hold/use a pick
Seriously. Most people say between the thumb and index coming out the side of your thumb, but I keep messing up, hitting wrong strings, bad rhythm/timing, etc. Any other ways of holding a pick or ...
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In Sibelius ManuScript language example, why will the Run method not run?
I am learning to write Sibelius plug-ins by working my way through the ManuScript Language Reference (see File > Plug-ins > ManuScript Language Reference). Unlike other scripting languages I use ...
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