Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
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3 answers

Learning 4/5 trills on the piano?

This has got to be one of the hardest technical things to teach your hands. I'm looking for advice from someone who's already surmounted this particular obstacle. To be clear, I'm talking about alternating two notes in VERY fast succession using…
temporary_user_name
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What are the pros and cons of doubling on two brass instruments?

I am a trombonist and have played in a band for almost 3 years now. I am hoping to continue on by also doubling with the trumpet, and at the same time also continue to play the trombone. The thing is: many have told me that there will be an…
Hydra
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Is singing a matter of talent or practice?

This is something I have always wondered. Is singing a matter of talent, that is, only people born with the 'proper instrument' can sing properly, or is it a matter of practice? I know that practice alone can only take you so far, but how far is…
Paulo Casaretto
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What components make military music especially rousing?

If someone were going to compose a piece of military music to especially rousing, what components would they be looking to emphasize? Like is there a certain key or time that military music is often played in that makes it especially rousing? What…
Uticensis
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Unconventional key signature: sharps on F & G only?

This is from Bartók's Mikrokosmos, piece number 44. I must have come across this a long time ago and didn't understand it, so I crossed it off. 4 years down the line and I still don't get it. What is this key signature? It doesn't correspond to…
user33232
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How to correctly position your larynx when singing?

I'm a beginner singer who wants to get it correctly. I've seen quite a lot of videos explaining how keeping the larynx neutral while singing is crucial, but not a lot of the techniques they teach work. I've so far tried the lips trills and making a…
user14412
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modulating from G major to G# major

I was asked to incorporate a modulation that goes one semitone up in a song initially written in G. So at some point it should go from G to G#. I am having a lot of trouble finding a relatively nice sounding chords to transition smoothly from G to…
Joulin Nicolas
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Why does the dominant lead to the tonic?

Going from a dominant to the chord to which it is a dominant always sounds good to the ear. It feels like the chord leads to the next one. And if the composition or movement is written in a specific key, then when the harmony reaches a dominant…
Max
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Do orchestral string instruments need a pause before con sordino?

I’m a self-taught wannabe composer who’s playing with strings in Sibelius and I’m trying to learn the intricacies of writing for different techniques, such as con sordino, sul pont., etc. My question is: In a passage where the strings change from…
Walter
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Is the IV chord a perfect fifth in disguise?

They say the root of the IV chord is a perfect fourth away from the key's tonic. But isn't it a perfect fifth from the tonic (if we go the other way)? let's for the sake of coolness, call it a perfect fifth shadow. So if we take the key of C: F F# G…
user34288
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Why is the perfect fifth the nicest interval?

I heard that after the sound of the octave the most pleasant interval to people is the perfect fifth. If we take a middle C (C4) with frequency of 261.63 Hz If we take one octave higher that'd be 2*261.63 Hz (C5) = 523.26 Hz Now looking at wikipedia…
user34288
15
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The vocabulary of directions in fretted instruments

In questions and answers on this site, I see a great deal of confusion about directions. I've seen "lower string" refer to strings that are lower in pitch, and to strings that are closer to the floor (therefore, opposites on a conventionally tuned…
slim
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Why one shouldn't play the 6th string of an A chord on guitar?

Well everything is in the title: Why one shouldn't play the 6th string of an A chord on guitar? As you may see on the diagram above we are supposed to strum the 1st string. But the 1st one is the same as the 6th one. So this is why I don't…
Denis Davydov
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Small notes on the staff

What are these and how do I play them on the piano?
supreme_tg
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5 answers

Teaching rhythm to a beginner

I'm teaching viola to a beginner high school student. His progress with technique and reading are pretty good, but one thing he has trouble with is rhythm and tempo. He tends to want to work on expression and tone quality a lot -- which is…
Rei Miyasaka
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