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1500 questions
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Do the intervals in a chord determine its sound?
For example, in a C Major chord of (C, E, G), I have the intervals of:
A Major Third (C, E)
A Perfect Fifth (C, G)
A Minor Third (E, G)
In a C Minor chord (C, Eb, G), I have intervals of:
A Minor Third (C, Eb)
A Perfect Fifth (C, G)
A Major Third…
OctopuSS7
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Does the starting note for a song have to be the starting note of its scale?
Does a scale always have to start off with the note it is named after? For example, the Dm scale is defgab♭cd`. If I wanted to sing a song in D minor, would I have to start with the note D? Or could it be any note as long as it's within the scale?…
skyfox009
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14
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Just how specific is the term "hemiola"?
In Name and structure of staggering beat in Ramones' “Merry Christmas,” the rhythm in the second measure of the following example is described as a hemiola:
But to me, these are just triplets and not an example of a hemiola. Hemiolas, in my…
Richard
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14
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10 answers
For the chord C7 (specifically!), why do you write Bb and not A#?
For the chord C7 (specifically!), why do you write B♭ and not A♯?
Sofie
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14
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2 answers
How bluesy is Ravel's Blues actually?
The second movement of Maurice Ravel's second Violin Sonata (1922-1927) is titled Blues (example performance). Wikipedia claims it is inspired by jazz and blues music, and that Ravel had first-hand knowledge of these styles e.g. from going to night…
guest
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14
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3 answers
How seriously did romantic composers take key characterizations?
I just came across this list of key characterizations by Christian Schubart in 1806. I was aware of this phenomenon, and also know that it predated Schubart, e.g. influencing some choices in Handel's "Messiah" (according to concert programs).
My…
Luke Sawczak
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14
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3 answers
Why are the accidentals here written in a rather complex way, when there exists simpler notation?
(Score taken from Tchaikovsky Symphony No.1, Op13, Bassoon part. PDF file from IMSLP.)
I'm referring to the second line, starting from the mf. The melody goes on temporarily on another key but the composer didn't explicitly make a key change. So we…
Wu Tianming
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14
votes
2 answers
What do the different tubes in an amplifier do?
Preamp vs Phase Inverter vs Reverb vs Power vs Rectifier.
Many people get really, really confused when they try to understand anything about tubes. I spent a very long time myself trying to understand it enough to be able to perform basic…
Jduv
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14
votes
5 answers
How can some USB 2.0 audio interfaces support phantom power through USB alone?
I'm planning to buy an audio interface and it being exclusively bus powered is a requirement. However I also use condenser mics which require phantom power. Now I'm a bit confused about why some bus-powered interfaces require additional PSU for…
Andrei Sch.
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10 answers
Is it too late for me to become good at piano?
I am 13 and starting to learn piano. I have been asking many people online, who claim to know piano, how long have they been playing. Most, if not all, say that they started between 5-9. I have a dream of becoming a concert pianist one day, decades…
Fly- Googly Eyes
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14
votes
5 answers
Identifying bass notes on piano with strange clef
I'm not musician, I'm old man and I would like to hear again some specific music.
I have the sheet music and I bought a piano. I was reading this Wikipedia article and would like to identify the notes on the piano:
The above clef is 'Treble', and…
joseluisbz
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14
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6 answers
Sound spectrum to notes software
I'm looking for software that can graphically assist in translating a sound frequency to notes.
Closest example of what I had in mind is FL Studio's Wave Candy plugin:
Hovering cursor above a certain position displays the closest note to that…
user1306322
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14
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9 answers
Transcribing a Standard MIDI File to sheet music
I have a couple of nice guitar midi files that I would like the scores for; is there any software out there that can do this sort of conversion, and output it as a PDF file?
Thanks
Isaac Verbenski
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14
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2 answers
What does the chord notation X/Y ("slash chord") mean?
Questions about slash chords are frequent enough that this question was created to answer the general concerns as well as link to related or more specific questions on the topic.
Chords notated like X/Y: What do they mean, and how does one play…
Aaron
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14
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1 answer
Wind instruments: why is the left hand on top?
Every wind instrument which require the two hands to press keys (saxophone, clarinet, oboe…) have the left hand of the player being the top one. This consistency makes it easier to switch from one instrument to another but is there a particular…
Tom
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