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1500 questions
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What's the difference between arpeggio and broken chord?
I always thought of them as synonyms, but googling around found that some people see them as different, with the distinctions changing depending on who you ask.
Is there a formal distinction between them? If so, what's the difference?
TaylorSwiftFan5932
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16
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6 answers
Ritardando, Rallentando, and Allargando
Three common musical markings for gradual slowing down are ritardando, rallentando, and allargando. How do these differ from each other in interpretation and execution? For example, I was taught many moons ago that where ritardando meant to slow…
JAF
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1 answer
Chord symbols for diminished and half-diminished
An augmented sign can be '+', which signifies a larger interval in an augmented chord in comparison to , say, the major. But where did the 'o' sign originate for the opposite - diminished? Is there a relevance to it?
Tim
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16
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Do distortion pedals work well with tube amps? Or should I use a tube screamer?
I have a Blackstar HT5 tube amp and I like to use a Boss DS1 with the clean channel for the heavy stuff (Zeppelin to Nirvana, these are very different I know). Is this considered a good idea, or should I focus on getting my overdrive channel…
Andre Oporto
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5 answers
Why would expectations of students vary largely between instruments?
I have been learning flute for about 3 years, and we (myself and fellow flutists) are basically expected to play whatever we are presented with at the band we play in. We would be expected to play fairly complex rhythms, along with your standard…
MC ΔT
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Singing: How to pre-visualize harmonies
When singing, I have a good singing voice for harmony--once I've identified the note. However, finding the note is exactly my problem; I tend towards singing the note the lead singer is using if I'm not careful. (I'm told I have a bad habit of…
Goodbye Stack Exchange
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16
votes
8 answers
I'm tonedeaf. If I sing to my baby, will I damage his/her musical ear?
I'm amusical - I cannot discriminate between higher and lower pitch even when there is a large difference between them. I want my child to develop musical abilities. I know that an out-of-tune piano can affect the development of absolute pitch…
Niv
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16
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2 answers
Statistical Average range for a Male singer
I understand that there are different ranges of singers, ie Bass, Baritone, Tenor etc etc, but what is the average pitch range of a male's singing chest voice?
Barney Chambers
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votes
2 answers
For fingerstyle guitar, is anchoring your pinky on the guitar bad?
I'm only asking, because I believe I read somewhere that doing that is bad - I personally don't have a habit of doing it, I actually use my pinky a lot of the time when plucking away, but the reason I'm asking is:
You see there? Andy McKee is…
GloatenFree
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3 answers
How does The Talkbox work?
Beck started using this in the early 70's - they called it The Bag for a hot minute (as did Stevie Wonder) - Frampton's career came alive when he started using it - how does it work?
JustnBeaver
16
votes
6 answers
How to Write A Ragtime Piano Piece?
I tried writing a ragtime piece several months ago and wasn't successful.
What defines the ragtime style? Are there known go-to theoretical resources that discuss how to compose ragtime music?
My favorite ragtime artist is Scott Joplin. So that's…
Stan Shunpike
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16
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4 answers
Roman numeral notation for a suspended chord?
On the Wikipedia entry for Roman numeral analysis, it says that major chords use the upper case numerals (e.g. IV for the F major chord in the C major scale) and lowercase letters for minor chords (e.g. vi for the A minor chord in the C major…
xdl
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2 answers
What does "Open Vamp" mean?
Playing the trumbone in BRAZIL from S.K.Russel and Ary Barroso a few weeks ago i fell over the sign "Open Vamp" in the trombone 2 part (in bar 10).
Please help: what does this mean and how to play it?
WeSee
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3 answers
What does Grt. and Sw. mean in this organ score?
I've come across a piece of sheet music for an organ and I was just curious what the Grt. marking above measure 1 and 17 means and what the Sw. marking above measure 9 means. I've seen it before in a few other pieces for organ, but I'm not sure what…
Dom
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1 answer
How can I find the length in seconds of a quarter-note (crotchet) if I have a tempo marking?
Given a tempo marking in bpm (beats-per-minute), how can I work out the length of a crotchet (quarter-note) beat?
Bob Broadley
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