Questions tagged [musicology]
The scholarly study of music, particularly different musical cultures and traditions
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Celtic music uses todays acoustic guitar?
Can I use the traditional acoustic guitar to compose Celtic songs?
Were they actually used in Celtic music history?
If not, what's the name of the acoustic guitars they actually used?
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Music Score annotations
What should music score annotations look like? Should I show every chord or only the important ones? What other music techniques do I annotate?
I am annotating it as part of a musical analysis. The ...
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What is the preferred musicology term for "classical music"?
What is the preferred, more precise English-language musicology term for the genre of music which North Americans typically call “classical music”? I mean the broader meaning of "classical", ...
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Why is a minor chord or key considered to be "lesser?"
I am trying to understand why the terms major and minor, meaning greater and lesser, are applied to chords and keys. Why is a minor chord considered to be lesser and a major chord greater?
I ...
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What is the correct term for the "common" pentatonic scale?
So a "pentatonic" scale is just any scale with 5 scale degrees (pitches). Yet, in most music we always just seem to assume that it's the scale with the following number of semitones (half ...
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Does playing vocals, instruments and bass in different speakers at the same time give a better experience to the listener?
Does playing vocals, instruments and bass in different speakers at the same time give a better experience to the listener or does playing it whole as a song in multiple speakers??
I recently got ...
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Music Theory Terminology
What is the term for when one instrument (let's say trumpet 1) plays a high note, while another (trumpet 2) plays a note an octave or 5 semitones lower? I want to be specific and get this correct. ...
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How to optimally rank performances in a music competition? [closed]
I have often thought about this but I could never reach a concrete answer which satisfied my ever inquisitive brain cells. I understand that it is a tricky question and may vary from situation to ...
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Is there a list of Just Intonation chords as defined by Fétis, using ratios?
One way of ‘spelling’ chords in just intonation is using ratios - such as 10:12:14:17 (multiplications of the frequency of an implied ‘missing fundamental’). Fétis is quoted in Wikipedia (and here by ...
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Should I lift my hand from the frets?
I'm new, working on learning hey there delilah, I was wondering if it's bad to slide my finger down and up the string since it's fast or if I should pick it up? Possibly a silly question, but I'm new ...
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In music how much Research and Theories are Independent from Trends and Traditions? [closed]
What i belief that in music research and theories can't be certain unlike Mathematics, Science or somewhat Engineering discipline.
I think that first any composition with/without song came first ...
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Identify song name and artist [closed]
I think it was in 70s or 80s a young woman from U.S. went to work for awhile on an island, maybe Jamaica. When she was ready to return I believe there was a problem taking her earnings with her so she ...
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What are these overlapping notes with different rhythms called in Music Theory?
On piano, when playing a long note followed by an overlapping shorter note or vice versa, what is this called? I know this is an extremely common thing in piano music, but I don't know what it's ...
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what is a beat histogram and how is it different from spectrograms?
I am learning about audio signals for analytical purposes. I came across beat histograms and spectrograms. I understand that a spectrogram is all about frequency and time but I am confused about beat ...
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What are the trends that led to fizzling of ars antiqua and rising of ars nova?
What is the trends that led to the fizzling of ars antique and to the rising of ars nova?
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Questions about Renaissance music notation
I see that in Renaissance music printings, the noteheads are diamond and square shaped as opposed to circular, and the stem for each note comes up or down from the middle instead of from one side (I'...
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Chord or tabs sheet for Baden's time [closed]
Can anyone please tell me the chords or tabs for baden's song to play on Acoustic guitar ?
I wanna play it so badly pls help me .
song : Baden's time (https://open.spotify.com/track/...
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Chants in Renaissance vocal music
In notice that in some vocal works composed during the Renaissance, especially masses, long chunks of music (sometimes the whole piece) are preceded by a monophonic, often short chant which is ...
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Confusion about Zarlino and his assertions about the diatessaron (perfect fourth)
In Part Three of Gioseffo Zarlino's "Le Istitutioni Harmoniche", "The Art of Counterpoint", Zarlino argues that the diatessaron (or perfect fourth) is not a dissonance, as the ...
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Latin voice denotations in Renaissance vocal music
I see that in the original printings of renaissance vocal music, the voices are labeled with Latin words like cantus, triplex, medius, etc... Assuming that these words denote the ranges of their ...
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Do the instruments used in a piece of music play a role in determining its genre?
I am researching about music genres but I am confused if instruments played in music help in determining its genre?
What could be the differentiating features in genre recognition of music?
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Why is it easier to remember a melody as opposed to a simple interval? [duplicate]
There's already a question similar to this here, but most of the answers raise questions like, "If you can throw an object a certain distance but not tell precisely how far you threw it, how do ...
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Relevant literature on Mathematical and neurological theories for functional harmony?
I’m interested in finding out what are the current proposed theories surrounding the expectation + release behaviour of functional harmony.
From what I reckon, functional harmony seems to be a human ...
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What is it that makes music from different cultures/regions sound different?
I have always wondered what it is that makes music from different cultures/regions sound different from each other?
For example, if we compare Western music, Indian music, Chinese music they all sound ...
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How did Victorian Christmas carolers sing Christmas carols?
Do we have any idea of how Victorian Christmas carolers actually sang Christmas carols? What chords did they use, did they use ornaments etc, were there special ways that they ended the Christmas ...
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Did Nicolas Gombert compose a clean change of note or slides as endings in his motets?
A member of the Facebook group Barbershop Harmony said that in live performances of Gombert motets, the Bass will randomly drop an octave on the last chord, within one syllable, whilst the other ...
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Is this a Passacaglia?
This piece is in triple-meter and has a clear cadential-formula. Is it fair to call it a passacaglia despite no bass-ostinato?
Or is it a Chaconne? I am not clear on the difference except one is from ...
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Spatial perception of pitch and playing an instrument: Any studies about it?
A keyboardist plays left to right (lower to higher notes). A violinist, the higher the notes, the fingers go nearer the body. A Double-bassist, the higher the notes, the fingers go towards the floor. ...
user70304
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What makes this song sound so middle eastern?
What makes this song to feel so middle eastern? I mean harmonically and theoretical context. Because as I see live here all performed instruments are western but still it feels so oriental.
Also here ...
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Cuban Standards
I know that some of cuban songs are listed in Jazz standards but are there any list of cuban standars that one should follow to learn harmonics and theory about boleros and other genres affiliated to ...
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What is the word to describe the aspect of a chord being either minor or major?
I am looking for the noun that is the thing that is either major or minor in respect to a chord such as a triad. I suppose it could also be an adjective. It would be 'x' in the following question: "...
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How to add counts (by 8) to music [closed]
I am a salsa instructor and during this quarantine, I am teaching students to dance at their homes via sending them instruction videos, which I make on my own with counts and on music as well.
One ...
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Why is the numbering scheme of the Telemann-Werke-Verzeichnis (TWV) not adopted more universally?
Telemann's works are numbered first according to genre, then, where applicable, by key (with minor keys in lowercase and major keys in uppercase), and finally (if possible) chronologically or else at ...
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Why are western double-reed instruments smoother than double-reed instruments outside Europe?
When one thinks of the timbre of double reed instruments, we tend to divide them as two groups:
Oboe, English horn, bassoon. (Western instruments.) The sound is very smooth and pure.
Other double-...
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Associating modulations with emotions [closed]
I once read a book (pdf) from imslp or forgottenbooks that was about composition (or harmony), and it had a list of every possible modulation and its emotional association. For example, Up a perfect ...
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When to use different type of chords in composition?
I want to know when to use (i.e., situation and feel) different type of chords listed below. Could you please help me to know that?
Major - Bright - Happy Feeling,
Minor - Dull - Sad feeling,
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Was there a conscious decision of medieval composers to compose within a harmonic framework?
How much were medieval composers (such as Hildegard von Bingen) aware of modal approach when they composed and "engineered" their pieces?
Now, this question is almost stupid. They didn't compose ...
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"Contemporary Christian Music" but for other religions?
Contemporary Christian music (or CCM -- and occasionally "inspirational music") is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith.
Do ...
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Why is Eastern Music a Mode of Western Music? [closed]
Western music (to me at least) is best captured in the major scale. And Phrygian, which is the 3rd mode of the major scale can be used to get a more Eastern sound (for example Jefferson Airplane/White ...
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English translation of Brahms' essay: "Octaven und Quinten"?
I am now doing some research on Brahm's essay, Octaven u. Quinten. I cannot read German, so I cannot do anything with the original manuscript. I have read some secondary sources about this essay, but ...
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Stability of chords
I wish to understand the connection of music theory to the physics world, or to waves.
In this context, I quite understand notion of dominant chords as containing tritone, which is dissonant. What I ...
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Is it possible to transpose samples (in cents) from minor to major?
I'd like to transpose a sample (in cents) from G Minor to C Major.
How do I do that, or is it even possible?
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How is the human voice classified?
Considering the vocal cords can be a membranophone or considering the air column can be an aerophone.
or do we need another classification?
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Music for Piano, Frangis Ali-Sade
What should I know about the music tradition behind Music for Piano, I believe mugham? From what I gather, the notation is more of you'd call a guideline. I have the 1998 Musikverlag Hans Sikorski ...
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Can someone help me figure out this music theory KEY finding question
Messing around Sunday I came up with a song that has the following Chord Progression. I'm just learning music theory and am having trouble on identifying the key.
The chord progression is:
C7 D7 F7 ...
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Carnatic Vs Western 12 Note system
I was trying to learn the chromatic scale and associate it with carnatic equivalents (I know equal temperment is not the way with indian music, but it interest me to relate and learn it to certain ...
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Who particpated In formal musical grading education in England? [closed]
England has produced some very successful musicians in the popular music field in the past five decades. Elton John, The Beatles, The Stones, The Moody Blues, and countless others. But in the U.S. we ...
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What is the real meaning of "dominant" in music? [duplicate]
Please answer with a simple explanation and example.
Why is every 5th tone from tonic called "dominant"?
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Any studies on ear training, or musicality out there
Are there any established and scientifically backed-up facts about what is possible, and what time it takes for ear training? Any studies out there that look at these questions? Like letting people ...
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conterpoint and melodic learning or other ways?
If I want to learn about melodic for composition, I have to learn counterpoint, that 's right? Or it has other ways or great books for learning about, please anyone help me I lost a lot of time for ...
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