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

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1500 questions
14
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7 answers

What is bad about Roman Numeral Analysis?

I have studied Roman numeral analysis in my theory courses, and I think that it's a good way of describing and understanding classical music, especially that of the classical and early romantic periods. I have heard from my colleagues that some…
Jeffrey
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How common is perfect pitch?

It is said here that 1 in 10,000 people have absolute pitch. I wonder if there is any serious poll that could confirm this. Do you know any study that could tell how common/uncommon it is to have absolute pitch ?
Benjamin Crouzier
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6 answers

How to keep the mood of a song when you've practiced it a lot

A lot of times when I'm first practicing a song, I play it with the right 'feel' and it sounds good, but the more I repeatedly study it to get the technical parts right, it feels like it just becomes this monotonous exercise. Is it a better idea to…
confuzzled
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1 answer

Is there a name for the extra measure that they like to put into country songs?

The song that made me think of this is Amarillo by Morning, made popular by George Straight, but it's quite common in a lot of country and pop music. In the verse at the end of the second 4 measure phrase there is one extra measure where the song…
user1493652
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7 answers

Keeping both hands (and arms) strong for better stick control

Since there aren't many drumming or percussion related questions, I will start this out with one of my own. As a drummer of almost 20 years, I still have a weaker left hand (and arm), despite trying most tricks I have heard about. Anyone else have…
nicorellius
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4 answers

What are some interesting ways notes and chords are spelled in cultures outside of the U.S.?

I've heard that German musicians spell the seventh note of the C major scale with an "H" where an American musician would use a "B". And, for the fourth note of the F major scale, where an American musician would say "B flat," I've heard Germans say…
Pirripli
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2 answers

Notation for blind people?

Let's assume a person can no longer see, but he can play a musical instrument. He wants to read notes and learn new pieces. Is there any kind of notation system for such blind people?
SovereignSun
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5 answers

When practicing a song with frequently changing time signatures, what is the best way to count in?

My percussion ensemble is working on a song with different time signatures, i.e. it is constantly changing between 4/4, 7/8, 5/16 and so on. During the rehearsals, we sometimes want to start somewhere in the middle and then the problem arises, what…
groovingandi
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14
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5 answers

Is there a common left hand position in accordion?

I'm an amateur accordion player who is having difficulties with the bass side. There's no problem when I'm using close keys such as jumping from C to A. But when I need to jump to a further key such as from A to Bb, I usually press a wrong key. Is…
petrichor
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4 answers

Bass clef in piano scores, why?

I am a drummer, I do not play any melodic instrument, though I happen to read some piano scores, and I am wondering what was the idea behind using the bass clef for the left hand part. From what I understand, if the left hand part of a piano score…
user23227
14
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3 answers

Significance of pop songs with progressions that alternate one chord with one that's three semitones below it

I've noticed a couple of pop songs that use one chord progression that alternates between swapping one chord (either fifth or fourth) with one that's three semitones below it (to third or second): Bob Dylan - Knockin' on Heaven's Door alternates…
xdl
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4 answers

Why are some instruments listed 'in F' or 'in B'?

I am looking through scores of pieces that I particularly like. I can't understand (as this is the first time I have come across it) why here, in the manuscript, some instruments are named as follows: X in B or X in F (X representing an…
cmp
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3 answers

What are the small ">" signs above the notes?

Take a look: What are the > markings above the notes? I know of a decrescendo and a crescendo but can they be applied to specific notes?
cmp
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8 answers

Why is a 2-5-1 progression so often associated with jazz?

Why is a 2-5-1 progression so often associated with jazz? Is there something inherent in this progression that makes it sound jazzy? Or rather, is it just that jazz people started to use it, experience and re-experience it, and lean on it until it…
Bob
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The theory behind western pentatonic scales

I'm curious about a more in-depth explanation as to why the major and minor pentatonic scales are prevalent in the western music tradition (Yes, i make a claim here that some might consider debatable. Please hear me out). I did a brief googling and…
Erik
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