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1500 questions
19
votes
4 answers
What did bebop masters practice?
Players such as Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, etc., invented the jazz genre of bebop. Today, I am told to be good at playing bebop you must listen to the best jazz players and transcribe what they played in order to assimilate the…
Polydynamical
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19
votes
2 answers
Does the horse hair in a bow all go in the same direction?
As the title says, I want to know if the horse hairs in a bow all go in the same direction? I know that human hair has a direction which it is smooth and a direction which it is rough. I assume its the same with horse hair, which makes me wonder if…
Sam Holder
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19
votes
5 answers
What's an "add" chord?
The name implies that you are adding a note, but we already notate that explicitly in the chord name and quality.
We say Cm7, not Cm add 7. If we want a 9th, we can go Cm9, but is Cm add 9 correct too? Is there a difference?
So, what exactly is an…
TaylorSwiftFan5932
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19
votes
11 answers
What are modes in the real world?
For months, I have been trying to understand modes.
Even though I have memorized all the names, what notes they start from and so on, I do not understand their meaning in the real world of music making.
Let's say I have the C Major scale: C D E F G…
divHelper11
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19
votes
1 answer
What is this 4 sharp symbol and what does it mean?
I came across this symbol (unfortunately not in context — I was looking through some engraving font glyphs) that looks like a sharp with a 4 above it:
What is this symbol called and what does it mean? If it's not a standalone symbol and instead is…
Bailey Parker
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19
votes
4 answers
How can a perfect fourth interval be considered either consonant or dissonant?
I've been reading Ralph Denyer's book, The Guitar Handbook, and in the section on intervals he states that the perfect fourth can be either consonant or dissonant but it's not explained as how or why. Can someone shed some light on this topic for…
skinny peacock
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19
votes
1 answer
In Diabelli's "Duet in D" for piano, what are these brackets on chords that look like vertical slurs?
While working through 'Duet in D' for piano, by A. Diabelli, I came across this unfamiliar notation that looks like a slur between two notes of the same chord or some kind of bracket (see below). What is this notation called, and how do I read it?
user51819
19
votes
10 answers
Do hard rock singers use distortion effects on their vocals?
I've been wondering how hard rock/metal singers (e.g. Layne Staley, James Hetfield, Dave Grohl) manage to achieve such a 'gritty' sound with their vocals. Do professional rock singers ever use distortion effects to enhance the 'grit', either in…
Time4Tea
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19
votes
3 answers
Basic Punk Rhythm Guitar--Snare Feels Like Down Beat
I'm a pretty good guitarist, and I can play some tricky rhythms (weird time signatures, syncopation, some of the easier djent stuff) but I've always had trouble when my drummer starts to play anything that sounds punk. I like punk music a lot so…
Mason
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19
votes
7 answers
Why are accidentals not additive?
This question asks if the accidentals are not "additive" (i.e. placing a sharp on F where the key signature already contains an F sharp would result in an F double sharp, and placing a flat on F in the same key would mean F natural), but it does not…
trolley813
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19
votes
9 answers
How can I practice guitar when I don't have my instrument?
Brass players can practice using just their mouthpieces, and drummers can practice with just sticks. What can a guitar (or similar instrument) player do to practice when they can't bring along their instrument?
Richard
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19
votes
5 answers
Why do lower pitched string instruments have a larger body?
I know that increasing the length of the string will decrease the pitch, but that doesn't explain why the body of a cello is larger than a violin, only longer.
What would be the "problem" with having a violin with a really long neck so it's the…
nanotek
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19
votes
3 answers
Why is this 4th-note written as two 8th-notes tied together?
In the second measure of the first voice, the 8th notes are tied together in pairs. Why would it be notated this way instead of as fourth-notes?
Anna
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19
votes
6 answers
Is there a definitive notation for multiple repeats?
Is there a definitive notation for repeating a section more than twice? Say you want a section to be played four times. I have mostly seen this:
x4
....
meaning "play four times", but I have also seen this:
x3
....
meaning repeat…
Len
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19
votes
4 answers
Why don't violins have geared tuners?
Why is it that violins use simple pegs instead of geared tuners, like an upright bass?
zwiebelspaetzle
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