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Lark

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I wish I did, I think I'd like to play saxophone or some eastern string instrument.
 

ilikeitlikethat

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I wish I did, I think I'd like to play saxophone or some eastern string instrument.

My neighbour I've known my whole life is music teacher who specialises in Indian music, when I was 14 he overheard me playing my electric guitar and invited me around to play the sitar. Holding and playing a full sized sitar is a real learning experience (which involves a little yoga, and back then I was fat)... He also lent me another musical instrument from that sitar lesson, that I don't know/can't remember the name of which was like a wooden box, with strings/tuners, and keys... You'd strum/pick the strings to make a noise on this wooden box with strings and press down the keys for different notes (its metal keys); Like a keyboard/guitar instrument for Indian music.
I'm going to google that, actually, see if I can find out what that is, my neighbour lent that to me for a whole summer, it required a pick more like a guitar pick than the things you put on your fingertips to play a sitar, but it wasn't a guitar pick (it was like a bigger and thinner guitar pick) to play this strings with keys you press wooden box-thing.
(Okay - I'm going to google that now)!.

Got it!..
(In like no time with keys strings indian musical instrument - Google Search)
It's a bulbul tarang.

I like my neighbours.
I got to play a full sized sitar alongside my electric guitar at the time and then got lent a bulbul tarang for the summer, all when I was 14; was awesome. :)
 

neuskens

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The good Lord fulfilled one of my consistent, aching dreams and now I have an electric guitar *u* :frolic: I really like writing stuff since I was a kid, but I have confusion adding harmony and melody to it because I think all chords have already been used and my music is gonna sound the same and that frustrates me. Can any fellow artist give me a new perspective and/or tips? =D
 

ilikeitlikethat

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The good Lord fulfilled one of my consistent, aching dreams and now I have an electric guitar *u* :frolic: I really like writing stuff since I was a kid, but I have confusion adding harmony and melody to it because I think all chords have already been used and my music is gonna sound the same and that frustrates me. Can any fellow artist give me a new perspective and/or tips? =D

Buy an electronic guitar tuner if you don't already have one.
There are many on the market.
Eb registers as D# (E flat registers as D sharp), got it?
So...
Standard E from big to small, top to bottom; E, A, D, G, B, E
Eb; is Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb... but on an electronic guitar tuner will register as; D# G# C# F# A# D#, so when a song is recorded in E flat, and you're using your guitar tuner, you'd get E flat but it'll call it D sharp/ but it's the same thing.
E flat (Eb) is a semitone lower from Standard E.

Guns N' Roses recorded in Eb...

This is Guns N' Roses sped up (speed also alters frequency) to E standard, so if your guitar's tuned to E standard and you don't know Guns N' Roses were tuned in Eb and you try and play along, it's going to suck; it's always best to be in tune with what you want to play.

E standard tuning.

Original (Eb)
Listen to the differences between these two too.

Now depending on whose music you want to play and who you perform/jam with also should decide how you tune your guitar.
 

neuskens

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Buy an electronic guitar tuner if you don't already have one.
There are many on the market.
Eb registers as D# (E flat registers as D sharp), got it?
So...
Standard E from big to small, top to bottom; E, A, D, G, B, E
Eb; is Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb... but on an electronic guitar tuner will register as; D# G# C# F# A# D#, so when a song is recorded in E flat, and you're using your guitar tuner, you'd get E flat but it'll call it D sharp/ but it's the same thing.
E flat (Eb) is a semitone lower from Standard E.

Guns N' Roses recorded in Eb...

This is Guns N' Roses sped up (speed also alters frequency) to E standard, so if your guitar's tuned to E standard and you don't know Guns N' Roses were tuned in Eb and you try and play along, it's going to suck; it's always best to be in tune with what you want to play.

E standard tuning.

Original (Eb)
Listen to the differences between these two too.

Now depending on whose music you want to play and who you perform/jam with also should decide how you tune your guitar.

Hey, man, I did not understand your advice XD Do you mean I should change my tuner so I can have more original melodies?
 

ilikeitlikethat

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Hey, man, I did not understand your advice XD Do you mean I should change my tuner so I can have more original melodies?


It's like this...
I would use
ernie-ball-2221-nickel-regular-slinky-electric-guitar-strings-10-46-14.gif
GHS-Vintage-Bronze-VN-UL.jpg
800r1-351x356_1.jpg


An exisiting song can be recorded in a tuning.
There are a bunch without using a capo alone... So never mind what a band plays live in... Because I've heard bands like Metallica, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, record in E standard tuning but be tuned to E flat playing live..
Then there are bands like Guns N' Roses, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and System of a Down who recorded in E flat.
Then you've got bands who play in Dropped D.
Where E Standard is: E, A, D, G, B, E... (From big string to little string/top string to bottom string)... Dropped D is: D, A, D, G, B, E.
Bringing the lower E string to be a lower D string instead. - This is Rage Against the Machine, Velvet Revolver, Papa Roach, Marilyn Manson, The South Park Album...
Then you've got Dropped C#, which is to Dropped D as Eb is to E Standard being a semitone lower; So to tune to Dropped C# (a.k.a Db) it's:
Db, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb... but on an electronic guitar tuner will register as; C# G# C# F# A# D#... This is for Linkin Park...

Now...

Let's go beyond what I'd tune a guitar with using a regular gauged set of guitar strings.

I'd use
Power-Slinky.jpg
ghs-ghs-bright-bronze-12-string-bb80-80-20-copper-zinc-acoustic-guitar-strings-11-48-light-p9921-14107_medium.jpg
jazzflats_grande.jpg

to stop the strings from breaking for Dropped C and beyond; Dropped C you can play Toxicity album from System of a Down.

and beyond... I don't know what tuned Black Sabbath played in due to Tony Iommi's custom guitar due to him losing his finger tips... and I don't know what tuning Slipknot play in, I know it's lower than Dropped C for Slipknot, like 'Dropped G' IDK!.. (just guessing) but I know it's 'something like that, I know they're tuned lower...'
 

neuskens

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It's like this...
I would use
ernie-ball-2221-nickel-regular-slinky-electric-guitar-strings-10-46-14.gif
GHS-Vintage-Bronze-VN-UL.jpg
800r1-351x356_1.jpg


An exisiting song can be recorded in a tuning.
There are a bunch without using a capo alone... So never mind what a band plays live in... Because I've heard bands like Metallica, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, record in E standard tuning but be tuned to E flat playing live..
Then there are bands like Guns N' Roses, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and System of a Down who recorded in E flat.
Then you've got bands who play in Dropped D.
Where E Standard is: E, A, D, G, B, E... (From big string to little string/top string to bottom string)... Dropped D is: D, A, D, G, B, E.
Bringing the lower E string to be a lower D string instead. - This is Rage Against the Machine, Velvet Revolver, Papa Roach, Marilyn Manson, The South Park Album...
Then you've got Dropped C#, which is to Dropped D as Eb is to E Standard being a semitone lower; So to tune to Dropped C# (a.k.a Db) it's:
Db, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb... but on an electronic guitar tuner will register as; C# G# C# F# A# D#... This is for Linkin Park...

Now...

Let's go beyond what I'd tune a guitar with using a regular gauged set of guitar strings.

I'd use
Power-Slinky.jpg
ghs-ghs-bright-bronze-12-string-bb80-80-20-copper-zinc-acoustic-guitar-strings-11-48-light-p9921-14107_medium.jpg
jazzflats_grande.jpg

to stop the strings from breaking for Dropped C and beyond; Dropped C you can play Toxicity album from System of a Down.

and beyond... I don't know what tuned Black Sabbath played in due to Tony Iommi's custom guitar due to him losing his finger tips... and I don't know what tuning Slipknot play in, I know it's lower than Dropped C for Slipknot, like 'Dropped G' IDK!.. (just guessing) but I know it's 'something like that, I know they're tuned lower...'

Do the chord shapes remain when you change the tune? That's a whole new world for me
 

ilikeitlikethat

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Do the chord shapes remain when you change the tune? That's a whole new world for me

No, they do not; they get easier..

E and E flat the power chord shapes are the same. but not for Dropped down tuning, they can get a little easier.
This question also reminds me of Nickelback, I forgot, but they also recorded in Dropped D, and one of their power chords/octaves I had to learn when I learned to play How You Remind Me by Nickelback.
The shapes for Dropped D and Dropped C# (C sharp) a.k.a Dropped Db (D flat) are the same because; Eb is to E standard as Db is to Dropped D. I call them '1 finger power chords' but they're like open bar chords up and down the fret board of neck of the guitar..
Some octaves can only be found in specific guitar tunings.
 

Lexicon

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Necro-ing this thread so I can add my novice nonsense to it. And hopefully engage members (new & old) to contribute their own!

You can upload audio through vocaroo.com or use stuff like youtube.


I sing (posted that around the forum in the past), but now I'm trying to learn piano. Just for personal enrichment. I can't afford actual lessons, so I've just been putzing around for awhile on my own.


Below is a clip of my (very informal) 'practicing.' Just right handed stuff. Learned by ear, but I've picked up some materials to learn in a more structured way, eventually. If anyone knows of any free resources that would be of use (particularly to an old lady beginner), by all means, share.


Anyway, I'm just playing chunks of the opening theme to Game of Thrones. Tempo is off, dont mind that. Feel free to adjust the playback speed, ha. There are other errors- I usually do those parts over again. I do attempt to incorporate my left hand at one point in the middle, but it's super slow/awkward. All in good time, I guess.




My finger technique is probably wrong, I tend to spider my fingers across the keys. I imagine there are 'home' keys for specific finger, much like learning to type- which I never picked up, either, actually. Gotta start learning properly before I establish any more bad habits.


As it stands, I’m essentially music-illiterate. I can't read music/don't know music theory, but play something once for me & I can sing it back to you. I've had some formal voice lessons/done musical theater, but that too was all by ear. That's the extent of my music knowledge. For now. I'm hoping to fill in all those blanks in the future.


Hoping after I recover from the hip surgery I'm having in September, I'll be able to sit in one position for longer periods of time w/out pain distracting me/making me stop sooner than I'd like. I think creating more structure will be a bit easier, then.
 

Siúil a Rúin

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Necro-ing this thread so I can add my novice nonsense to it. And hopefully engage members (new & old) to contribute their own!

You can upload audio through vocaroo.com or use stuff like youtube.


I sing (posted that around the forum in the past), but now I'm trying to learn piano. Just for personal enrichment. I can't afford actual lessons, so I've just been putzing around for awhile on my own.


Below is a clip of my (very informal) 'practicing.' Just right handed stuff. Learned by ear, but I've picked up some materials to learn in a more structured way, eventually. If anyone knows of any free resources that would be of use (particularly to an old lady beginner), by all means, share.


Anyway, I'm just playing chunks of the opening theme to Game of Thrones. Tempo is off, dont mind that. Feel free to adjust the playback speed, ha. There are other errors- I usually do those parts over again. I do attempt to incorporate my left hand at one point in the middle, but it's super slow/awkward. All in good time, I guess.




My finger technique is probably wrong, I tend to spider my fingers across the keys. I imagine there are 'home' keys for specific finger, much like learning to type- which I never picked up, either, actually. Gotta start learning properly before I establish any more bad habits.


As it stands, I’m essentially music-illiterate. I can't read music/don't know music theory, but play something once for me & I can sing it back to you. I've had some formal voice lessons/done musical theater, but that too was all by ear. That's the extent of my music knowledge. For now. I'm hoping to fill in all those blanks in the future.


Hoping after I recover from the hip surgery I'm having in September, I'll be able to sit in one position for longer periods of time w/out pain distracting me/making me stop sooner than I'd like. I think creating more structure will be a bit easier, then.
In case it is useful for you, I have messaged you the links to my fifteen online theory lectures I use in my online college courses. Music theory is explained at the piano, so it isn't focused on piano technique, but will be useful for understanding music. The lectures cover: simple and compound meter, major and minor scales and key signatures, triads, basic types of chord progressions, harmonizing a melody, and musical form. I am happy to provide individual consultation to support this information and to move to the next levels.

For adult piano method books I recommend the Alfred Adult Piano course, although the Bastien and others are also good.
 

Lexicon

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In case it is useful for you, I have messaged you the links to my fifteen online theory lectures I use in my online college courses. Music theory is explained at the piano, so it isn't focused on piano technique, but will be useful for understanding music. The lectures cover: simple and compound meter, major and minor scales and key signatures, triads, basic types of chord progressions, harmonizing a melody, and musical form. I am happy to provide individual consultation to support this information and to move to the next levels.

For adult piano method books I recommend the Alfred Adult Piano course, although the Bastien and others are also good.

:holy: Thanks so much for all of this!!

I haven't gotten to check through a lot of it yet. I woke up to snowmelt leaking into the condo around our thru-the-wall AC unit. Roommate's at work so I've been hobbling around on crutches trying to do damage ctrl w/water.

I got Alfred's All-in-One book last year but haven't really looked at it much since I was so busy prepping for surgery.
Subscribing to this thread so I can refer back to it when things calm down.

Thank you so much. I love music. Been singing since childhood & would really love to accompany myself on an instrument someday. Just personal enrichment.

Thank you for giving me more to look forward to. :hug:
 

The Cat

Just a Magic Cat who hangs out at the Crossroads.
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I sometimes dabble with the harmonica, sometimes I sort of sing. Ive always wanted to larn more instruments, like the fiddle or the bag pipes. perhaps a lute. :unsure: I used to wrtie songs...
 
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