55
votes
Accepted
To get to jazz, do I just add a seventh?
Jazz is an unbelievably expansive genre with over 100 years of musical tradition; a big part of this tradition is an ever-increasing list of sub-genres that fall under the larger umbrella term of "...
- 84k
25
votes
Accepted
What does this sign before the notes mean and how does its placement affect the notes?
That symbol is a "one sixteenth musical rest".
In the notation you supplied, there is a sixteenth rest followed by three sixteenth notes. The four events all fit inside one quarter note.
The ...
- 11.4k
24
votes
What is this metal thing on my guitar?
It's called a tailpiece. It's there to keep the strings' ends in their right places. Instead of the strings stopping directly behind the bridge, their ends are trapped in slots, and the tension they ...
- 190k
24
votes
Accepted
Would you recommend a keyboard for beginners with or without lights in keys for learning?
Without. Point blank.
Lights look fun to start with, but a beginner will end up watching them rather than learning to read.
Note, you can usually switch them off, so you don't have to choose a ...
- 27.7k
23
votes
Accepted
Is it too late for me to become good at piano?
How good you will become and how soon will depend on three things -
How much time you practice per day. If you practice for an hour a day you will improve almost twice as fast as if you practice for ...
- 5,620
22
votes
Can learning music theory from "Music Theory for Guitarists Volume 1" by Bruce Arnold teach me enough to start composing?
Music theory is primarily an analytic tool rather than a synthetic one. It helps you understand better what is happening and recognize patterns and structures.
But your question is akin to asking ...
- 221
21
votes
Would it benefit a beginner pianist to start by learning Bach's Prelude in C?
From a pedagogical standpoint, consider all of the things an "absolute beginner" would have to learn in order to perform this piece:
Note names in treble clef
Note names in bass clas
Note values of ...
- 84k
21
votes
Retuning violin numerous times daily
Alas, string instruments notoriously lose tuning for seemingly trivial reasons, especially classical guitars and wooden bowed strings. Temperature, humidity, looking at it... so, better get used to ...
- 35.3k
20
votes
Accepted
Left/right hand coordination on guitar, fretting wrong strings, while playing melodies
You can absolutely look at the strings and frets until you build up the muscle memory and then learn to play without looking. I can't imagine trying to learn guitar without looking ever.
Professional ...
- 56.3k
19
votes
To get to jazz, do I just add a seventh?
Ninths are good too! Even thirteenths.
Yes, there's more to jazz than extended chords, though you'll certainly need more than triads to play it, so start learning m7, maj7, 9, b9 etc. chords so they'...
- 90.6k
18
votes
Piano: Left handed Gmaj7 chord
Try shifting your hand toward the fall board (i.e., away from your body). That will bring your thumb closer to the F#, allowing additional relaxation in the rest of your hand.
So this:
Rather than ...
- 82.8k
17
votes
Accepted
Learning an instrument with visual impairment
The type of music you intend to play and whether single or in ensemble/band has an influence, but in general sight is important for (in increasing order):
Monitoring, what your hands do. This is a ...
- 10.9k
17
votes
Accepted
Am I too old? Is it too late? Starting, Resuming, or Mastering an instrument
The consensus here on SE MP&T is...
Go for it!
Among the various questions and answers linked here, you'll find a wide variety of viewpoints: encouragement, pitfalls, concerns, and so forth, but ...
- 82.8k
15
votes
Accepted
Why does this version of Für Elise have d# then e both with treble clefs?
The notation reflects the voicing (if you are having two staves anyway, why write the voicing in a single staff?). But actually executing the voicing with both hands is not the worst idea: it makes ...
- 166
15
votes
Would you recommend a keyboard for beginners with or without lights in keys for learning?
Don't bother with lights. The player will be forever chasing them. In fact, for a few weeks I recommend not trying to read dots either. Just get used to the instrument, what it can do, and have fun.
...
- 190k
14
votes
Accepted
What purpose do chords serve in music?
Basically what you're asking is "what is tonality." And the first disclaimer is that hasn't always been "a thing" in Western music, and isn't always in other music-cultures. Just ...
- 15.9k
13
votes
Accepted
Time signature 3/4 seems to have more than 3 quarter notes in a measure
You need to think of that measure as if it were two instruments playing.
The higher of the two is playing a dotted "Β" which lasts for 3 beats, while the lower voice is playing an "Ε" for 2 beats ...
- 2,673
13
votes
Accepted
How to do Jumps while sight reading
Apart from years of practice, which will bring this sort of ability out naturally (eventually), there are a few things you can do in order to help the process along:
One is learning to play scales ...
- 2,673
13
votes
Accepted
Piano scales and bpm
I agree with other answers that the speed to practice scales at is the speed where you can play them accurately, evenly, smoothly, and cleanly.
Beyond that, when you ask what the goal should be in ...
- 12.4k
13
votes
Accepted
How to identify all sharp notes in sheet
This F# is what one would call an accidental: it is a sharp (or a flat, or a natural) which is not part of the key signature.
The rule is: when an accidental is printed, it applies until the end of ...
- 4,862
13
votes
Do I handicap my guitar learning by deemphasizing learning to use a pick?
Let me answer another question:
« Is it ok to play everything with the thumb, except parts that absolutely need a plectrum? »
Now, we could start with the usual platitude that everything is “ok” in ...
- 35.3k
13
votes
Accepted
Does the key a piece is written in affect playability for piano?
Certainly! Fingering is one of the most important factors involved in playing piano, so where the black/white keys get pressed is paramount. Particularly in the faster passages.
One might assume that ...
- 190k
12
votes
What is the difference between Fender and Squier guitars?
The main difference is in the price and the quality. The fender guitars are more expensive and tend to be of higher quality, whereas Squier guitars are made more cheaply and have lower quality. By ...
- 31.3k
12
votes
Tips on buying an electric guitar for a beginner
First, I completely disagree that beginners should start with acoustics. I'm not sure where that idea came from, it makes no sense to me. I learned on electrics and to this day I rarely play acoustic, ...
- 56.3k
12
votes
Accepted
Is there a duration or rest error in the last bar here?
Yes, the last bar shown contains only three beats in the treble clef, and no, this is not okay, especially since the bass clef contains four beats.
Since there's a repeat sign, sometimes you might see ...
- 15.9k
12
votes
Teach beginner staff notation
Intervallic approach
The closest method I've seen, and which I've used successfully both for myself and for students, is Keyboard Musician for the Adult Beginner by Frances Clark.
The approach teaches ...
- 82.8k
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