Questions tagged [learning]

Learning is the act of acquiring or developing skills and knowledge.

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19 votes
13 answers
36k views

Are there alternatives to developing calluses when learning guitar?

As a musician, I come from a mostly vocal and piano background, but I was gifted a decent acoustic guitar many years ago and haven't really gotten into learning it due to practicing being rather ...
UtopiaLtd's user avatar
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19 votes
5 answers
11k views

How do I know what key to write in?

I've recently become obsessed with Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. The music has inspired me tenfold to compose, write similar music. I've posted on here before on how to compose, and I'm trying my ...
cmp's user avatar
  • 2,676
19 votes
6 answers
49k views

What are the ABRSM graded examinations, and why would one want to take them?

I have seen several questions here about the exams offered by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in the United Kingdom. Most questions are from the standpoint of people who are in the ...
user avatar
19 votes
11 answers
12k views

Guitar tutoring software that listens to your playing?

I'm looking into learning classical guitar. I know most people will suggest getting lessons, and I'm looking into that. But I was also wondering if there are any software tutors out there that can ...
19 votes
6 answers
2k views

Progression path from an apprentice to a guru in music theory?

I am a computer science major and have been practicing music (as a hobby) for the past 4 years now. I started digging into the basics of Music Theory a year ago and now wish to advance my knowledge so ...
Kasahs's user avatar
  • 301
18 votes
4 answers
5k views

Why was Brahms's music considered 'too academic'?

I posted on here before about learning to compose, after hearing some classical music that moved me enormously. I have been researching many of the famous composers from all over the world; Brahms ...
cmp's user avatar
  • 2,676
18 votes
2 answers
2k views

What exactly constitutes a PhD in music?

I was looking at some sites of music universities (mainly in the US) and I saw that you could do a PhD in Music. This made me wonder: What exactly does a PhD student in music do? If I'm not ...
Shevliaskovic's user avatar
18 votes
4 answers
59k views

How do I develop a bass voice?

I am an 'adult male human' and can sing from A2 to G4 comfortably. It would be great if I can sing up to a whole octave below this. I am in no hurry and am willing to expend time and effort. I just ...
gigahari's user avatar
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18 votes
4 answers
7k views

Are there References on Whistling Technique?

Are there any known references on professional whistling out there? I love to whistle, but I feel like it's not very pretty the way I do it and would like to learn from a professional the best way to ...
Nate Glenn's user avatar
18 votes
2 answers
2k views

Music education audio lessons

I am currently learning to play the guitar, and that has sparked an interest in learning more about music in general. I would like to learn about music theory, ear training, history, musical styles ...
Brian Campbell's user avatar
17 votes
7 answers
4k 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 ...
whostolemyhat's user avatar
17 votes
9 answers
3k views

Learning an instrument online

I took ballet and with ballet you gain something called muscle memory and if you learn incorrectly, it's almost impossible to become a great dancer. Because of this, you can't learn ballet out of a ...
Melanie Palen's user avatar
17 votes
8 answers
17k views

Want to learn composing and producing music with a DAW. Where do I start?

I am a computer engineer and a passionate music listener. I have been listening to movie scores and soundtracks for many years now and it has really inspired me to want to learn more about music and ...
Inder's user avatar
  • 179
17 votes
6 answers
3k views

What are the specific progressive steps to take in basic ear training?

This question: What are the most effective ear training methods has an excellent best answer. I'd like to zoom in on its conclusion: All of these skills, like playing an instrument, take time. Don'...
Tim H's user avatar
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17 votes
4 answers
3k views

Does one play a song better after "sleeping on it"?

Whenever I'm learning something new on the piano, I'll usually learn the basic notes and rhythm of a section of the song (several measures, maybe a full page depending on the complexity / tempo, etc)...
Josh Darnell's user avatar
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17 votes
10 answers
65k views

How to memorize seventh chords and inversions on piano?

These past few months I've been teaching myself how to play piano, using my background in guitar and a basic knowledge of music theory I've picked up from that. I am having difficulty "memorizing" ...
snackdefend's user avatar
16 votes
9 answers
5k views

What am I missing about learning French horn?

I started French horn lessons in April and since then I've already "fired" two teachers, both for the same reason. The reason is that they have frustrated me by refusing to explain how do to ...
Todd Wilcox's user avatar
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16 votes
10 answers
34k views

Why is the recorder a good instrument to start with?

I don't know if it's the same all over the world, but in central Europe it seems to be a tradition that every slightly music-interested child has to play the recorder to start. Parents seem to find ...
muffin's user avatar
  • 2,057
16 votes
6 answers
3k views

Primary school child writing music

My young (8 year old) child is starting to play around with writing music, and he's done a bit both on pencil and paper, and with a tablet app that is still writing on a staff, but takes some of the ...
Joe's user avatar
  • 346
16 votes
5 answers
3k views

Why would expectations of students vary largely between instruments?

I have been learning flute for about 3 years, and we (myself and fellow flutists) are basically expected to play whatever we are presented with at the band we play in. We would be expected to play ...
MC ΔT's user avatar
  • 363
16 votes
8 answers
5k views

I'm tonedeaf. If I sing to my baby, will I damage his/her musical ear?

I'm amusical - I cannot discriminate between higher and lower pitch even when there is a large difference between them. I want my child to develop musical abilities. I know that an out-of-tune piano ...
Niv's user avatar
  • 161
16 votes
7 answers
13k views

Why does taking an extended break sometimes help?

Sometimes as a musician, I find myself in a rut. My solution is to simply put my instrument down and walk away from it for a few weeks, sometimes even a month, and when I come back I'm better than ...
Dan Gayle's user avatar
  • 529
16 votes
6 answers
21k views

What is the best way to learn scales in order to improve improvisation/writing of lead guitar parts?

Where I'm at skill-wise Played guitar on-and-off for about 5 years Up until a year ago had only really learned by playing from tabs Have been undertaking bi-weekly guitar lessons for just over a year ...
Rich's user avatar
  • 163
15 votes
4 answers
5k views

How can I slow down a YouTube video I'm trying to analyze or transcribe?

Sometime I want to use a YouTube video to figure out what notes/chords are being played, figure out how (i.e., by what technique) the notes/chords are being played, or transcribe a (part of) a song. ...
Aaron's user avatar
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15 votes
7 answers
5k views

Why is music taught by reading sheet music? [closed]

Children learn language by listening to people speaking it and then trying to repeat what they heard and making up their own sentences. In classical music education the focus has been on repeating ...
user avatar
15 votes
13 answers
23k views

How can I learn to read bass clef score more naturally?

I hadn't read music for about 20 years, after doing a little classical guitar as a young child, and recently started learning piano. I was pleasantly surprised to find that reading music on the treble ...
Mr. Boy's user avatar
  • 9,802
15 votes
7 answers
2k views

What methods can I use to aid note accuracy when playing a Theremin

The main problem I have with the Theremin is identifying "anchors" to help train my muscle memory for note accuracy. My first violin, about 35 years ago, had tape added by my instructor for the first ...
Doktor Mayhem's user avatar
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15 votes
6 answers
4k views

Genetic limitations to learn certain instruments

This is something that has bothered me for quite a while. I frequently participate in instrument demonstrations for children. My focus is on wind instruments but I'm also curious about others. What I ...
Carpid's user avatar
  • 585
15 votes
3 answers
9k views

Expand Bass Guitar Playing Beyond Root Notes

I am fairly new to the bass guitar and I'm in a band. So far, I almost always just play the root note of the chord. I sometimes hold it until a new chord and sometimes repeatedly play this same note....
bill999's user avatar
  • 267
15 votes
5 answers
4k views

Teaching rhythm to a beginner

I'm teaching viola to a beginner high school student. His progress with technique and reading are pretty good, but one thing he has trouble with is rhythm and tempo. He tends to want to work on ...
Rei Miyasaka's user avatar
  • 1,776
15 votes
8 answers
24k views

How to learn piano improvisation

I am a self-taught piano player, played for about five years with shorter and longer breaks. I've never had any formal education, don't know chords or music theory. What should I do to learn piano ...
Maurycy's user avatar
  • 457
15 votes
7 answers
13k views

Rhythm/Drum exercises without drums

I am a 24 year old computer engineering student who just have started playing drums. I spend on avarage 1 hour on bus to school and 40-60 min on exercise like running, biking, etc every day. My point ...
user29163's user avatar
  • 361
15 votes
4 answers
876 views

What to play instead of chords with an informal group?

I typically play guitar with an informal group and we mostly play traditional and old-timey songs. When I am not soloing I usually just play the chord progression of the song. Recently however I ...
DQdlM's user avatar
  • 669
15 votes
3 answers
2k views

Can music theory help hobbyist instrumentalist get better at playing?

For hobbyists who don't plan to write songs, is it worth to invest their time to study music theory rather than get better at playing? I sometimes wonder how given piece is it structured, especially ...
Rumca's user avatar
  • 879
15 votes
5 answers
68k views

How to know which scale a song uses?

I have a song in my mind, and I want to play it on the guitar. I know how scales are made (full and half steps), and I can recognize whether the next note is higher or lower in a song (not perfectly)...
Charan Pai's user avatar
14 votes
17 answers
49k views

How to learn piano without owning a piano?

I'm getting married in a year and the venue has a piano that we can't move but we can play. I'd like to learn a song for my wedding day but I want to surprise my future wife. We don't already own a ...
Corey Ogburn's user avatar
14 votes
7 answers
6k views

Is it possible that some people can play one instrument but not another?

I took piano lessons for six-seven years, and became rather advanced despite having poor practice etiquette, even learning some of Bach's two-part inventions, but when I tried to learn guitar, I never ...
Jacob W.'s user avatar
  • 141
14 votes
5 answers
5k views

Can a 24-year-old learn to play violin/viola proficiently?

I've seen a few of these questions asked, but it seems like most of the students to be where just starting out in music. They didn't have limber fingers, couldn't read notes. That's not a bad thing ...
Cynthium Roses's user avatar
14 votes
4 answers
2k views

Learning an alternative moving-do solfege -- futile?

Here's a fairly specific but multi-faceted question. I can only solfege (moving-do) in my head up to about Allegro 16ths at best, and I've been thinking if maybe there are ways to speed up. I noticed ...
Rei Miyasaka's user avatar
  • 1,776
14 votes
13 answers
5k views

Is it possible to learn theory without sight reading?

I'm learning music theory by myself with online books and video lessons. I don't have much trouble understanding the basics of theory, such as intervals, basic scales and modes, but I have a huge ...
TonySniper's user avatar
14 votes
2 answers
7k views

How can I improve piano proprioception?

What exercises are effective at improving proprioception while playing piano? My immediate goal is to be able to play piano pieces without taking my eyes of the sheet music. (ie. avoid looking at my ...
Scott Smedley's user avatar
13 votes
13 answers
9k views

Is it hopeless in terms of becoming decent musicians, if they can't count beats?

My flesh-n-blood guitar teacher has tried to get me to count beats (verbally or at minimum in my mind), and I think that I've tried reasonably hard in doing so for few months now. However I've come to ...
bdutta74's user avatar
  • 759
13 votes
3 answers
5k views

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 ...
cmp's user avatar
  • 2,676
13 votes
8 answers
7k views

For some learning piano at a later stage in life e.g past late 20s, what must they be aware of to make the most of it?

As humans age, their ability to master new skills reduces, it may take longer to reach the same level or it might not even be possible anymore. For a person that starts learning piano at a later age ...
quantum231's user avatar
13 votes
8 answers
48k views

A total newbie wants to learn how to write songs. What does he need?

I am recently being interested in writing my own songs/my own music. However, I'm a newbie when it comes to music. I am not really musically talented nor inclined. I only know basic guitar chords and ...
Lance Gray's user avatar
13 votes
7 answers
984 views

Learn guitar chords?

I like to play guitar and I'm quite good playing tabs. However, I don't know the chords and I would like to learn them and to play them easily. Any tips on where to learn them on internet or tips to ...
user avatar
13 votes
7 answers
4k views

Can I learn an instrument just by practicing songs?

I am a working individual with tons of responsibility at work giving me little to no time to practice in the conventional way. I can't consistently keep practicing scales and stuff. I just picked up ...
Basist's user avatar
  • 131
13 votes
9 answers
2k views

Is there a technique to help you memorize the notes on the guitar?

The title says it all. Is there no escaping memorizing the neck note by note, or is there a nice technique for this?
EpsilonVector's user avatar
13 votes
8 answers
427 views

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 ...
user44261's user avatar
  • 131
13 votes
4 answers
13k views

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 ...
Dan McClain's user avatar

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