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1500 questions
161
votes
12 answers
Why is the guitar tuned like it is?
Why is there that funny tuning kink between the G and B string on a guitar in standard tuning? I.E. the gap (interval) between the rest of the adjoining strings is 5 frets (semitones) (or a perfect fourth), but the gap between the G and B string is…
David Kethel
159
votes
12 answers
Why do minor keys sound “sad”?
Oftentimes major keys are called "happy" and minor keys are "sad". Why is this? Is it universal across cultures that use these scales? Do similar connotations exist in other scale systems?
(If this isn't universal, then perhaps someone could explain…
Sophie Alpert
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135
votes
28 answers
What's the point of keys other than C and Am?
I'm VERY new to music theory, just learning. I'm reading about keys and scales right now.
From what I understand major keys are all the same except for being shifted by one or more semitones (e.g. C major is the same as D major, but shifted up by…
loneboat
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131
votes
12 answers
Why are there twelve notes in an octave?
I know that one scale consists of 12 half-tones. But my question is still: Why? Why not 13 or 11?
Agares
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111
votes
6 answers
Is there any real-world difference between time signatures such as 4/4 and 8/8?
These days I pretty much play everything by ear, but was originally trained in strathspey and reel violin so realise I should know the answer to this, but I can't remember what, if any, the practical differences were.
Is there any difference between…
Doktor Mayhem
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100
votes
18 answers
What is good software for learning how to sight-read?
I'd like to learn how to sight-read on my own, but practicing the same song over and over again just causes me to memorize it, and filling out worksheets is boring.
Is there any good software for learning how to sight-read? I'm envisioning…
BlueRaja - Danny Pflughoeft
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93
votes
5 answers
What are the most effective ear training methods?
Ear training is a very important ability for any musician to develop. From intonation when singing or playing an instrument to playing and transcribing by ear.
What is the best way to improve this? Is software like EarMaster or GNU Solfege any…
Lilitu88
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89
votes
12 answers
How can I significantly improve my hand independence on piano?
I started taking piano lessons about 7 years ago, and stopped about 2 years ago when my teacher (the one and only piano teacher I've had) quit.
In all honesty, my piano has been severely neglected without the obligation to practice during the past 2…
daltonf
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87
votes
13 answers
Purpose of double-sharps and double-flats?
In a few pieces of music I have read through, I have come across double-sharps and flats.
To my understanding, they are two semitones above/below the note indicated. What is, then, the point of these notations? Why don't you just write the…
Ian Cordle
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87
votes
14 answers
How do professional accompanying musicians (seem to) figure out songs instantly?
Sometimes, when I'm watching any TV show which has a live hired band for accompanying and they have a musician guest, the host will ask for them to sing something on spot (that wasn't really planned), and they'll say to the band "please give me C…
Rafael Almeida
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- 31
85
votes
13 answers
Is there a way to measure the consonance or dissonance of a chord?
I know that if I played C and B together they would be very dissonant compared to if I played a G or C one octave up. Is there a quantitative way to describe that sort dissonance?
Edit: I understand that smaller ratios between the frequencies of the…
Alex
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83
votes
8 answers
Ten Minute Practice Techniques For Guitar?
Unfortunately, I can't play every day.
However, I am trying to practice at least 5-10 minutes here and there. What are some good theory or scale techniques/practice methods I should have ready to pull out when I don't want to run through a specific…
Jason W
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82
votes
7 answers
How do you draw a quarter rest with a pen/pencil?
It seems to me that the quarter rest we see everywhere was drawn with a calligraphy pen. I don't have one of those — I have a sharpened/mechanical pencil or a ball-point pen. So usually when I try to imitate the shape of a quarter rest, it looks a…
Ricket
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78
votes
17 answers
Quickly flip a page of sheet music while playing
This seems like such a silly question, but! When playing the piano, I sometimes struggle to turn the pages of my music without noticeably sacrificing the sound of the piece or making the book / sheets fall. For a complicated piece where there…
Rebecca Chernoff
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78
votes
19 answers
How to play a song without making mistakes?
I have played keyboard quite a while and now I'm starting to practice some classical music like Fur Elise. When I see a live performance of any musical instrument, there seem to be no errors at all. Perhaps I just can't notice them due to my lack of…
Sufendy
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