48
votes
I can learn guitar fast, but I haven't got the nerve to sit and practice for hours, how to practice for long sessions?
Don’t practice. Don’t force yourself to practice. Play. Have fun with it. Start learning to play your favorite songs. Or make up your own music. Every time you pick up your guitar, do some kind of ...
- 56.1k
48
votes
Why don’t piano teachers teach the chord method of playing to young children and adults?
Just like there's pop, rock, folk, jazz, metal, etc. guitar, there are many different disciplines of piano playing, each with a different set of required skills:
classical piano
pop piano
jazz piano
...
43
votes
What does /r mean in a score?
This is actually tr, the notation for "trill," an embellishment (or ornament) on a note where you rapidly alternate between the main pitch and an adjacent pitch.
There are many different types of ...
- 84k
34
votes
Can one be too old to learn an instrument?
Even if one can ever be too old to learn an instrument (I don't think so), then this is definitely not the case already at 22.
You may not be able to make as fast progress as if you had learned it at ...
- 35.3k
32
votes
Accepted
Can one be too old to learn an instrument?
Certainly children learn more quickly than adults, particularly when it comes to languages, and to skills. (That is, "proficiency, facility, or dexterity that is acquired or developed through ...
- 436
31
votes
How can I learn to compose?
Don't get hung up on 'learning theory' or 'not learning theory'. What you want to do is gain knowledge about music, so you can use that knowledge to produce music. In the field of music, some of that ...
- 45.9k
31
votes
Accepted
Primary school child writing music
Today any DAW can play notes as you type them, you can consider it as a late 20 century standard. Everyone uses it. I wouldn't be concerned about getting "dependent" on a single particular ...
- 15.9k
28
votes
Are very cheap cellos acceptable for a beginner?
I'm going to suggest an alternative route. Get him an electric cello.
The weak point in cheap instruments is the acoustics, and to meet the price point they have to be constructed in a more rough-...
- 4,752
28
votes
Accepted
"The intervals considered dissonant have changed since the 'Middle Ages'"; How so?
OK, so first a clarification of the contexts:
The quoted materials are mostly concerned with Western European music. The music of the Middle Ages almost certainly refers to the liturgical music of ...
- 18.2k
28
votes
What am I missing about learning French horn?
To paraphrase the familiar Duke Ellington quote, if you learn from them, they're good teachers for you; if you don't, they're the other kind. No, a sample size of two isn't too big for it simply to be ...
- 15.9k
27
votes
Accepted
Standing up acoustic guitar playing position for women
I'm going to post the dissenting answer here in that I feel like you don't want to look for a different kind of guitar or a perfect strap height. Most of my time in bands has been with at least one ...
- 56.1k
26
votes
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?
Just one thing. You will make rapid initial progress. Then you enter a consolidation phase. You must maintain regular practice but progress will not be so excitingly rapid. This is the point at ...
- 90.4k
25
votes
Accepted
What is the most effective, structured way for an adult beginner to learn drums without a teacher?
If you are serious about drumming I have good advice:
Background
I've been playing 13 years.I play in my college's jazz ensemble and play in a rock band outside of that. I take lessons with the ...
- 2,054
24
votes
Accepted
Understanding why notes are written on the other side of their stem
Very straightforward. There's no room for them in the normal place! When the writer wants notes that are on adjacent line/space positions, one will have to go on the opposite side of the stem, ...
- 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 ...
- 27.6k
24
votes
Accepted
How can I slow down a YouTube video I'm trying to analyze or transcribe?
There are at least two options:
Option 1: You can slow down the video by changing the Playback Speed setting
Below are browser instructions (mobile instructions are here)
Click on the Settings menu ...
- 82.4k
22
votes
Would it take less time to learn the guitar fretboard if it were tuned to all fourths?
If you learned to play a guitar tuned in all fourths you will not be learning the guitar fretboard. You will be learning how to play an instrument tuned in all fourths, or an alternate tuning of a ...
- 25k
21
votes
Is it possible to play instruments without being able to read music?
Yes, it's called "playing by ear." In fact, one of the pinnacles of musical performance is being able to play anything you hear or can imagine without thinking of notes at all, just playing.
This ...
- 12.2k
21
votes
Understanding why notes are written on the other side of their stem
Tim already provided the answer, but here's a quick mock up of what it'd look like if they weren't reversed:
It's hard to tell - are those notes in the second position D-E-F? It'd be hard to tell if ...
- 331
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
How can I slow down a YouTube video I'm trying to analyze or transcribe?
I'd probably recommend starting with the built-in YouTube controls. But for the sake of completeness here's another workflow that makes use of 3rd party software called a "phrase trainer" or ...
- 854
20
votes
Very little time to learn pretty complex songs. What should my strategy be?
I got 2 weeks to learn 7 finger-burning songs on bass. Any ideas on
what should my strategy be?
Tough challenge based on how you're framing it up: Their songs are way more complex than pretty much ...
- 6,823
19
votes
Accepted
Is it hopeless in terms of becoming decent musicians, if they can't count beats?
It's not hopeless, but may take more time than others would.
A couple of ideas. While listening to music, start tapping, singing, nodding, whatever, and turn down the sound, initially so it's still ...
- 190k
19
votes
How did students remember what to practise between lessons without any sheet music?
Besides the copyist mentioned in the other answer, students could simply write on their own! No need to have someone copy it for them. Also it was not uncommon for teachers to write stuff down for ...
- 31.3k
18
votes
Is it possible that some people can play one instrument but not another?
Depends on what you mean by "may be able". Different instruments and music styles and instruments and practice material pose different hurdles and motivation for different people. That's not ...
- 181
17
votes
Is the inversion of a third also a third?
The confusion lies here:
I also have heard that an inversion is simply in the opposite direction of the original interval. So a descending 3rd from F to D is the inversion of ascending third F to A....
- 84k
17
votes
Accepted
Very little time to learn pretty complex songs. What should my strategy be?
I'm going to assume the usual way I get given new material to learn, as I don't read... so I get some recordings & have to figure it out from that.
Edit
This method is definitely intended to ...
- 27.6k
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
Do pianists look at the chord letter or notes on the stave to tell what chord to play?
Do pianists look at the chord letter or notes on the stave to tell what chord to play?
Yes.
As a general rule, the more improvisatory the music, the greater the tendency toward chord symbols. So ...
- 82.4k
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