Questions tagged [exercises]
Activities designed to help develop a skill.
156 questions
4
votes
2
answers
482
views
How to play this rhythm exercise?
Following up on my previous question, I am stating to work on my two handed rhythm.
I found a bunch of exercises that look like this:
I assume the right way to practice is to count the meter out loud ...
- 279
0
votes
0
answers
28
views
An exercise to remember all 7th chords? [duplicate]
I'm a somewhere between beginner and intermediate piano/keyboard player with interest in RnB, Neo-Soul, Gospel and Jazz. I have learned off Youtube the basics of music theory, and I am comfortable ...
0
votes
1
answer
152
views
Setting practice aside, are there resistance exercise recommendations for increasing the speed of short, fast bursts of notes on the electric guitar?
I've been playing the electric guitar for 16 years. I think I've learned most of what there is to learn about technique cues to improve economy of movement and minimize energy expenditure. For this ...
- 117
6
votes
4
answers
1k
views
How do I know when I have sufficiently mastered a right hand speed drill for accordion?
I am self-teaching accordion, principally out of Palmer-Hughes accordion series. The books I am learning from contain selections from CL Hanon's exersises for the right hand. I understand that these ...
- 163
3
votes
4
answers
784
views
When given a wide passage such as the left-hand part in bars 20-21 - should my fingering seek to avoid the thumb on black keys?
Backstory
Self teaching myself the piano
No warmup routine as of yet
Asked if I could just use the pieces I am working on for warmup
Was told yes; just choose the most difficult passage and focus on ...
- 331
1
vote
2
answers
105
views
Do you have to completely master each Pumping Nylon exercises thoroughly?
Presently I am working on Pumping Nylon exercises, but I cannot play as fast as the exercise asks me to.
Do I have to completely master each piece or can I just move on after playing through it ...
- 1,701
2
votes
2
answers
255
views
Trumpet range inconsistent
Okay so I'm a high level saxophone player who recently picked up trumpet.
To natural air support and musical knowledge I've been fairly comfortable with range. One day I suddendly clicked and I was ...
2
votes
2
answers
336
views
Are Greg Irwin's finger fitness exercises really useful to increase guitar players' skills?
I'm wondering: does doing exercises of the book Finger Fitness - The Art of Finger Control by Lorraine C. and Gregory G. Irwin really help to increase finger dexterity and flexibility and is it useful ...
- 121
5
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Left hand finger exercise giving massive tension
This is a piano question.
I’ve identified a left hand exercise that is very hard for me and I wanted to ask:
Whether it’s healthy to try doing it
Whether it’s useful to spend time on
The exercise is ...
- 153
2
votes
2
answers
100
views
Improving singing without singing?
Weird question, I know, but I have inflammation in my tonsils that prevents me from singing and I’m wondering if there’s any exercises I can do in the meantime to progress my singing until the ...
- 191
1
vote
0
answers
60
views
What are some good resources for exercising on calculating intervals? [closed]
I'm asking for a textbook, website or whatever that is filled with "musical interval equations" to solve and that can check me.
By "musical interval equations" I mean something ...
- 193
3
votes
3
answers
249
views
Exercises for Faster Fretting
I am learning the bass guitar and was wondering if anybody had any good exercises for faster fretting? I can read bass clef well, but getting my hand to accurately move between neck positions fast ...
- 413
2
votes
1
answer
322
views
Walking bass, two bars per chord, on tritone substitution
This is a follow up to my earlier question about step-wise walking bass. But this is for a full scale for two bars per chord.
Part of the question is about when and where to add extra half steps if ...
- 59.5k
3
votes
1
answer
366
views
Learning to interact with an audience
Performing musicians practice our instruments away from the stage in order to make the best music we can. How can we practice audience interactions?
In many performances, interacting verbally and ...
- 95k
2
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Doing big stretch with pinky on guitar
I was wondering about how some guitarists can reach some pretty big stretch between their ring finger and their pinky finger.
We can clearly see they have a big gap between their ring and their pinky ...
- 21
9
votes
2
answers
807
views
Is the fingering the same for Hanon exercises when you play in a different key?
For example, the fingering for Hanon exercise #1 in C is 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2. Is the same fingering used for the other 11 keys? If so, does the rule hold for all Hanon exercises?
- 977
3
votes
2
answers
236
views
Exercises for 21st century piano sightreaders
There is already a large body of technical exercises for pianists based on common-practice music, such as major and minor scales and arpeggios or the books of Czerny, Hanon, etc. These exercises are ...
- 129
10
votes
5
answers
2k
views
How to break out of playing scales up and down when improvising
I play piano, and when I am playing a gospel or a blues song, I always improvise with my right hand. I have been practicing major scales and pentatonic scales for a while now, and when I play, i ...
- 367
0
votes
2
answers
112
views
How to find/hold vocal pitch within tone clusters
I sing in a choir that performs a lot of music containing very close, tone-cluster type harmonies. We stand mixed rather than in sections, so it's especially challenging to find my pitch and maintain ...
- 95k
2
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Advice for positioning my pinky on the fretboard, it is slightly twisted toward the ring finger
Hi I am a newbie here trying to learn guitar and I have been having issues with using my pinky. As you can see in the first picture, my pinky has the tendency to rotate toward my ring finger. The ...
- 23
6
votes
4
answers
664
views
Piano exercises to memorize "spacing"
I just started learning piano a few months ago and I'm getting along well, but the one issue I'm having is I can't seem to "find" certain notes. For example, on Für Elise, while looking up I ...
- 63
1
vote
2
answers
99
views
Exercises or stretches for keyboardists
I've heard stories of keyboardists ruining their hands with exercises, so I want to be cautious and not just follow my intuition about stretching my finger and hand muscles.
What are good, safe ...
- 361
2
votes
1
answer
34
views
Are there any practice regimens or recommendations related to recovery or rehabilitation of skills due to a cervical spine condition?
In 12/2019 I lost the feelings in my fingers and had significant pain in my shoulder and arm. The condition was treated successfully and I am having regular physical therapy from a sports and medicine ...
1
vote
2
answers
2k
views
How to do basic guitar spider exercise correctly?
I have just given the most basic spider exercise a go and realise I am not 100% clear what counts as a "doing it correctly". I'm playing A A# B C B A# A on string 1 by slowly holding down fingers 1 2 ...
- 596
8
votes
8
answers
1k
views
Exercises away from the piano
My piano is stuck in London waiting to be delivered but due to the current lockdown it is unlikely to arrive home soon. Can anyone suggest exercises that can be carried out to maintain suppleness, ...
- 81
9
votes
3
answers
529
views
What musical activities can locked down musicians do via video-conferencing?
The UK Brass Band I play with has already hosted one on-line meeting for our locked down brass players (via Zoom).
It was immediately apparent that timing latency makes it impossible for us all to ...
- 12k
0
votes
3
answers
210
views
How good am I supposed to be at my 3rd year of playing electric guitar? Also, suggestions for songs and exercises to improve faster [closed]
I was just curious how good am I supposed to be after playing 3yrs on the electric guitar. I am self taught and I almost did not play at all on my 2nd year. Most of the time I just do different ...
- 3
1
vote
1
answer
407
views
Exercises for getting a consistent tone on the flute
I am a tenor saxophone player who wants to branch out into playing a transverse flute to expand on their fingering techniques and embouchure.
For the past 2 weeks, I have been practising with a ...
- 1,510
1
vote
4
answers
238
views
What does fret-board on top of a note in music sheet mean? [duplicate]
I'm practice this guitar exercise, and it's meant to mix both notes and chords, I see fret-boards on top of notes, do I play the chord of the fret-board in place of the notes below? I see a C chord on ...
user64861
1
vote
2
answers
156
views
What kind of piano exercise books has notes and chords mixed together?
I have seen piano exercises with only notes, with their fingerings, like Hanon.
And I have seen piano exercises with only chords, and their fingerings.
I was wondering if there are any books ...
user64861
1
vote
1
answer
96
views
Hanon-like violin finger strength exercises [closed]
I'm looking for a book similar to Hanon for the violin, to develop finger strength, and playing ability for various violin techniques.
Is there anything around designed in such a way that you just ...
- 888
0
votes
2
answers
198
views
Classical Guitar Exercises for Proper Tab Fingering? [closed]
Related: Figuring the Classical Fingering from Sheet Music
Are there any classical guitar exercises, (for classical music), that also include the Tab as well as proper frettting-hand fingering ...
- 103
5
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Recommended Breathing Exercises to Play Woodwinds
Can you recommend good breathing exercises to play woodwinds such as Flute and Bansuri.
Other than continual practice of these beautiful instruments, what are some breathing exercises to improve lung ...
- 1,073
6
votes
2
answers
890
views
Exercise from second chapter of Harmony by Walter Piston
Exercise 7, j. : With G sharp as the soprano note, write in four parts a triad in first inversion, with the subdominant of G sharp minor in the bass.
It seemed to me that such a chord does not exist.
...
- 105
2
votes
2
answers
88
views
Vocal/ Humming troubles
I am recovering from a sinus issue. Much has improved except for whatever muscle it takes to hum. I do the puppy whining exercises and can't get it to work. Therefore I have no midrange. I've steamed ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
113
views
Learning to sing with scales and vowels
I've started learning how to sing this week and been wondering about few things:
Should you do triads, scales, huffing ( basically all exercises ) for all vowels?
When attempting to sing from ...
- 121
2
votes
2
answers
431
views
Piano exercise for sequencing right hand chords with fixed top-most note
Is there a diagram of all chords with the same melody note on top? with voice leading? with 7th?
Eb G C | E G C | E A C |
F A C | F A D | F# A D |
b3 5 1. 3 5 1. 3 6 1.
When one is ...
- 29
11
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Giant Steps - Coltrane and Slonimsky
I've read several times that John Coltrane practiced extensively from the Slonimsky
Thesaurus of scales and melodic patterns and that Coltrane's Giant Steps is strongly influenced by or is even a ...
- 12k
0
votes
2
answers
599
views
Arm pain and endurance when playing Revolution by Chopin on piano
I know this piece is mostly meant as a technical exercise for the left hand, but every time I practice it my arm gets too tired to continue after the first page. I've been practicing it regularly (30 ...
2
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Piano beginner, index finger raising when using ring and pinky
I am 49 year old and I started to learn piano five years ago, got for two years and half to a music school aimed mainly at childrens, they also have painting school and the like. Got two piano ...
1
vote
2
answers
687
views
Is it possible to learn advanced piano technique from the book alone? [duplicate]
My question is solely about learning piano techniques - learning scales (ranges), learning basic acords, different strength exercises, speed exercises, solely technique etudes. Can all this be learned,...
- 119
5
votes
1
answer
347
views
How do I get consistent sound during Bansuri practice
I am teaching myself Bansuri (23", A scale), using YouTUBE videos.
Just recently I understood the concept of octaves, i.e. blowing sound hard and soft with same closed holes will produce high and low ...
- 1,073
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
Pinky finger cracking while playing guitar
While exercising my pinky at playing the guitar I noticed a huge problem which I am not able to find on the internet. My pinky kind of cracks when trying to bend it from its flat state. I tested it on ...
- 111
3
votes
2
answers
152
views
Are there any historical facts about what specific piano exercises where taught by Fred Francois Chopin, Felix Mendelsohn and JS Bach?
Are there any historical facts about what specific piano exercises where taught by Fred Francois Chopin, Felix Mendelsohn and JS Bach (my favorite playing stars)? Have a book of good F Liszt exercises ...
- 355
1
vote
2
answers
256
views
Stretching and relaxing exercises before playing piano
Do you have any good exercises to relax before playing the piano.
I'm interested specifically in relaxing the arms, shoulders and back.
- 13
5
votes
2
answers
789
views
Hanon Exercise 1 - proceed chromatically?
I have Hanon's Virtuoso Pianist, (Hinrischen Edition, Edition Peters Ltd. 1987 ,©).
Towards the end of first exercise, it says "Important: proceed chromatically through all major keys!"
I couldn't ...
- 726
2
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What is the proper place of the Czerny and Hanon exercises in the Piano repertoire? [duplicate]
It seems that every piano teacher has a different view of just how much worth these exercises have.
Is there merit to having beginners start with these exercises and work through a sizeable chunk of ...
- 15k
18
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Piano exercises post-chemotherapy
Not a common question, not a common situation, and I am not using my primary Music.SE for obvious reasons. The question is simple but not so easy, and I hope you might help not only me, but many with ...
- 181
1
vote
1
answer
333
views
Any books similar to Mikrokosmos written by a famous composer?
I just discovered this gold nugget in piano teaching called Mikrokosmos by Bela Bartok.
Are there any other books that have progressively difficult sight-reading exercises written by a famous ...
- 477
4
votes
6
answers
7k
views
What method for learning the guitar fretboard is most effective?
I am wondering whether there is a method for memorizing the fretboard that works best for other guitarists. Drills that are disconnected from the act of making music are less effective for me - I can ...
- 53