I've been toying with a goofy little data-mashing project. Here's the rub: I take some text, break it down into characters, give each character a musical note and then spawn an object in a 3D world with that note/letter attached. You then wander the landscape, playing sounds and 'reading' the world. Goofy. It sounds like a hot mess. More inside.
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posted by GilloD
on May 5, 2013 -
11 answers
I was listening to
this song by disasterpeace and I was struck by how it has a different "earfeel" than other music. I don't know how to describe it, other than that it feels
fatter. There's something in the way the notes harmonize that makes them resonate or something. Can someone please explain a bit of the theory behind why this sounds the way it does?
posted by rebent
on Jan 11, 2013 -
4 answers
How difficult is it to transcribe an orchestral piece (say, a digital recording) into an accurate paper score?
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posted by polymodus
on Dec 17, 2012 -
6 answers
I have a 24-button bass piano accordion, and I'm having trouble figuring out how to get all the chords I need out of it (maj7, dim, etc).
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posted by mckenney
on Dec 12, 2012 -
4 answers
I am looking for songs, or sections of songs, that use a twelve-bar blues structure without sounding bluesy.
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posted by danb
on Nov 17, 2012 -
7 answers
Which books did Jerry Garcia read that helped him learn to play? I'm not much of a deadhead, but I do have great respect for Jerry Garcia's playing, especially acoustically with David Grisman. In my own study of music generally and guitar specifically I've been venturing out of pentatonic scales into the major scale and associated modes, as well as trying to become a more knowledgable and lyrical improviser. I'm in a wormhole of reading tons of interviews with Jerry and he commonly refers to learning heaps about the guitar by "reading the books" that have come out since the last time he "read the books" about guitar/music. These interviews have been mid seventies to mid to late eighties. I'm wondering: What books was Jerry reading that were so valuable in helping him develop his playing? He never seems to reference them specifically. Anyone know what kind of literature was coming out and of good quality in that era? Thanks.
posted by idzyn
on Sep 28, 2012 -
4 answers
Show me blogs, books, and podcasts that analyze songs and break them down using music theory.
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posted by svolix
on Sep 24, 2012 -
7 answers
This is a kind of random question, but I was hoping someone with a background in music theory & composition could help me figure out what's going on musically with a couple songs I like. The two songs in question are Nobukazu Takemura's Icefall (
link to song) and Arthur Russell's Being It (
link to song). I really like what's going on in these two songs, but I don't have enough knowledge of music to understand exactly what it is. I'm aware that I'm not giving you much to go on, but I'm having a difficult time knowing how to be more specific. I know they both seem to make copious use of echo, but aside from that, I'd just like to know a bit more about what concepts they're working with from a musical and compositional standpoint. At any rate, If someone could shed a bit of light on these two songs I'd be very appreciative. Thanks!
posted by OccamsRazor
on Nov 17, 2011 -
5 answers
I am trying to learn intervals, by relation to songs, but need some more tips, particularly with Minor 6th, Minor 7th and Major 7th.
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posted by inbetweener
on Jul 24, 2011 -
13 answers
Someone please explain the chord structure/key change/whatever in Roy Orbison's 'You Got It'
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posted by jimmysmits
on Jun 23, 2011 -
13 answers
Are there any machine readable music "fake books" available, free or for sale?
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posted by waxboy
on Aug 12, 2010 -
6 answers
Music Theory/Guitar; Guitalele is small guitar strung like big guitar with capo on 5th. Does that mean i take regular guitar chords and transpose +5 semitones?
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posted by priorpark17
on Jun 18, 2010 -
4 answers
Working on this dark whimsical carnival-esque song for a local compilation. Can someone help me find the key? (Tried the usual Googling until my head exploded)... Link to streaming song included in extended description.
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posted by raintheory
on May 11, 2010 -
5 answers
How do I learn to think and speak intelligently and systematically about music?
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posted by PMdixon
on Apr 23, 2010 -
11 answers
I am working on a PhD in music theory and cognition. I hate wasting time, but sometimes my brain needs a break from reading/writing/listening/analyzing. Help me create a list of films and documentaries that relate in some way to my field so that I can stare at a screen sometimes and still feel like I'm feeding my unquenchable desire to learn about music and mind.
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posted by nosila
on Nov 1, 2009 -
15 answers
How can I learn relative pitch? I can hear minor/major 2nds pretty well but 3rds are just defeating me.
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posted by Post-it Goat
on Sep 25, 2009 -
18 answers
I am trying to locate the time signatures in the Opus or Helsinki font set (which come with Sibelius). Does anyone know where these are?
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posted by nosila
on Aug 25, 2009 -
11 answers
Music types: help me identify exactly what it is that I dislike about these particular types of jazz!
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posted by gallusgallus
on Jun 10, 2009 -
14 answers
Heard an NPR story 7(ish) years ago about a guy who measures the pitch of various sources of barely-audible workspace/home background noise
(eg. harddrive spinning, refrigerator compressor running, and the flyback transformer on your television) and seeing what chords they made. He contested that different chords would affect peoples' productivity, attitudes, etc. I have some questions about this.
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posted by cadastral
on Apr 9, 2009 -
14 answers
When I learned to touch type, I used software where the letters appeared and did not go until I had pressed the right key. I was wondering if there is any similar software for reading music but with a usb/midi keyboard. I know it wouldn't be much use for improving timing, but it would help with learning notes and possibly chords too.
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posted by jcwilliams
on Feb 26, 2009 -
3 answers
I listen to a lot of 'contemporary' music (not classical), but how do
I better understand music reviews
and explain what I hear to my friends and peers ?
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posted by fizzix
on Jan 23, 2009 -
11 answers
Looking for tons of fun and challenging activities/drills/games for high school music theory and ear-training.
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posted by Alabaster
on Dec 6, 2008 -
3 answers
My husband and I are working on a project together, and this part is much more his forte than mine. We're writing a song to represent each novel of the Dark Tower by Stephen King, one of my all-time favorite series. But we're quickly becoming frustrated with each other, because, simply put, I cannot wrap the creating music part of this around my head.
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posted by mitzyjalapeno
on Aug 17, 2008 -
11 answers
I was asked the other day why there are no semitones between e-f and b-c. My answer was that it had to do with the frequencies of the notes but i'd like to be able to give a more in-depth answer as this doesn't really cover it.
posted by chelegonian
on Aug 14, 2008 -
16 answers
I'd like to start introducing my almost 6-year-old to the piano. What are some good books or new techniques that are designed to teach young children how to play the piano, basics on music theory, etc.?
posted by adverb
on Jun 2, 2008 -
13 answers
Given that I have a somewhat substantial history playing the piano, how difficult would it be to take up lessons for the piano again after years out of practice AND start, for the first time, lessons on the Violin? How beneficial would such "cross training" be? How difficult would it be to find a teacher who could guide me on such a hybrid path? Other Thoughts?
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posted by DetonatedManiac
on Apr 8, 2008 -
5 answers
I'm looking for an open source MP3 (or OGG) player for creation of educational listening drills. Must be portable, and flexible for creation, editing, burning of playlists and queues -- details on its use in here...
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posted by Alabaster
on Jun 14, 2007 -
3 answers
What are the best books offering analysis of Beethoven's symphonies? Other classical works?
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posted by agropyron
on May 22, 2006 -
16 answers
I'd like to get music under-the-hood. I was listening to
this CD, on which Leonard Bernstein explains some of the inner workings of Beethoven's 3nd Symphony, and I really enjoyed the explanations. Now, I love music, but only as a lay-person. I can't play an instrument, and I can't read musical notation. But I'd like to be able to listen to a symphony and understand what the composer is doing with harmonics, tempo, overtones and the like. How do I learn this? Are there any good books? Or is the only way to learn it to go to an music school for ten years? I guess the perfect resource would be a book with a CD. In the book, a musical term would be described, and you'd be instructed to play a specific track on the CD to help you understand the concept.
posted by grumblebee
on Jul 11, 2004 -
6 answers
