Most Popular
1500 questions
19
votes
8 answers
Manufacturer claims guitar's sound will improve the more I play it. Is that true?
I own a Simon & Patrick Woodland Cedar acoustic guitar, and the manufacturer claims that it will sound better the more I play it. I suppose it will sound better since the more I play it the more my skills will improve, but I'll assume that is not…
MdaG
- 573
- 2
- 5
- 11
19
votes
2 answers
If E-G-C is first inversion, what is E-C-G?
(in the piano this would be impossible to play but it's doable in a guitar)
anyways,
C4, E4, G4 -> E4, C5, G5
user28825
- 191
- 1
- 3
19
votes
4 answers
Is it harmful to use an electronic tuner to check intonation while practicing ?
Is it a bad habit to use an electronic tuner while practicing an instrument in which the notes are not fixed after tuning (e.g. violin, trombone)?
I'm asking because I've heard a lot of people say that it's a bad idea because you are using visual…
Lilitu88
- 2,706
- 3
- 25
- 23
19
votes
5 answers
Was Bach the first to use thumbs on a keyboard?
This question reminded me of a claim that I've heard before, namely, that J. S. Bach was the first keyboardist to utilize the thumbs in his playing technique. I'm not sure where I've heard this, but believe I've seen it in several places, always…
Caleb Hines
- 20,766
- 2
- 52
- 109
19
votes
3 answers
Triangle above note, with a dot in it
What does the symbol before the fermata mean?
I found this symbol in this publication of Ludovico Einaudi's Nuvole Bianche, bar 98 and bar 101.
minseong
- 1,086
- 1
- 9
- 27
19
votes
9 answers
What is the most effective, structured way for an adult beginner to learn drums without a teacher?
I've wanted to play the drums since I was kid. I tried to learn when I was 11 but I lacked the psychological confidence to keep myself on it - my teacher at the time had learnt by banging on his mother's cooking pots so he was full of enthusiasm and…
georgiosd
- 293
- 1
- 2
- 6
19
votes
7 answers
Standing up acoustic guitar playing position for women
It goes without saying that women typically have different body types than men and this fact often never gets addressed when guitarists are speaking on how to position a guitar when standing up. It seems that my breasts either make it near…
Jess
- 193
- 1
- 7
19
votes
5 answers
Why does the D string in a guitar breaks so often?
Well... that's about it. D strings (on acoustic nylon guitars at least) break way more often than the others.
I guess there's a physical explanation but I wasn't able to found anything on the Internet. Do you guys know why this happens?
Ignacio
- 290
- 1
- 2
- 10
19
votes
4 answers
When did the half-step/whole-step modulation in the middle of a song become popular?
Many pop songs in modern times will use a half step or a whole step modulation in the middle of a song in order to increase excitement. I would like to know when this strategy started, and if it is ever present in classical music, because I have…
michaeljan
- 794
- 3
- 9
- 16
19
votes
3 answers
How can I generate nice-sounding random chord progressions?
I'm trying to write a computer program to generate simple random chord progressions. Is there a way of ranking chords based on how nice they will sound after the previous ones?
Any advice would be amazing, thanks.
neutrino
- 191
- 1
- 3
19
votes
2 answers
What is double about the double bass?
One of the most common (English) names for the contrabass, is 'Double Bass'. I can understand the other names for it, like 'Upright bass', 'Acoustic String Bass' etc, but what is double about it and is known as 'Double Bass' ?
Shevliaskovic
- 31,385
- 20
- 121
- 229
19
votes
5 answers
Why is a note sometimes a 4th and sometimes an 11th?
If I play the chord: GBDA, then this is considered a Gadd9. But if I play the 3rd above the 5th (GDB), it is not called a 10th.
Why don't we refer to all notes by 1-7, and is there a system to picking higher numbers (11) vs lower ones (4)?
user393
- 707
- 1
- 7
- 12
19
votes
5 answers
How do you successfully share another drummer's kit at a show?
The typical indie band showcase has 2 or 3 bands on a bill, and it usually makes logistic sense to share a backline (drums, bass amp, and maybe guitar amps). Some stage managers, or entire festivals, will even insist upon it.
As a drummer, this…
lukecyca
- 293
- 2
- 5
19
votes
13 answers
Are there alternatives to developing calluses when learning guitar?
As a musician, I come from a mostly vocal and piano background, but I was gifted a decent acoustic guitar many years ago and haven't really gotten into learning it due to practicing being rather unpleasant on the fingertips. While I could just suck…
UtopiaLtd
- 582
- 1
- 4
- 15
19
votes
4 answers
What tempo is Agitato?
I'm looking at Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C# minor and notice that the tempo changes from Lento to Agitato. I'm familiar with the former tempo marking, but not the latter. At what tempo should Agitato be played? I suspect there is more meaning than…
gilly3
- 458
- 1
- 5
- 11