Music Education: HALP

[Freeky]

Back in the 2nd grade, up through the 6th grade, I used to play trombone.  I wanted to get back into playing music again, for fun and to help with maff learning.  I have lost a lot of what I used to know, but I don't think it'll be too hard to pick it back up, unless I'm vastly underestimating what I don't know about music.

So, in essence, this thread is basically me asking "Um.  What?" 

If you music spags wouldn't mind letting me know what is important, that would be totally sweet.

[LMNO]

For trombone?

Embouchure.

Also, brush up on the bass clef.

[Freeky]

Ooh, that site looks perfect!  Thanks.

[rong]

i am interested in this topic and would like to answer any questions you may have.  i confess my knowledge is more stringed instrument based, so i might not be able to help with trombone specific questions - however, i would like to share a nugget of wisdom from my music theory professor:  the ear is the final arbiter.  i.e. if it sounds good, it sounds good.  corollary: if it sounds like shit, it sounds like shit.

i will also warn you against studying too much theory - it's a good way to get trapped into obeying rules instead of following your instinct.

[Freeky]

Well, I'm actually just taking an Aural Perception class - mostly rythms, knowing a note by earish that sort of thing.

LMNO, your link is simultaneously teaching me treble clef and reminding me of bass clef.  I suspect it will take about a week before I really remember which notes go on what lines, though.

Rong, if I have any specific questions, I'll direct them here.  It's been so long, I don't even know what to ask about, because I don't know that I don't know about it yet.  If that makes sense. 

[Nephew Twiddleton]

No that makes sense. Ill try and be of help too but like rong im mostly limited to stringed instruments. Also i cant read music to save my life.

[Freeky]

A question just occurred to me:

What's a music theory?

One that's more relevant to what I need to know:

What's the difference between a major and a minor?  Other than they sound different?

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Theory is just the rules used to explain how music works.

The difference between a major and a minor scale- major is do re mi fa so la ti do. Minor is la ti do re mi fa so la. Chord wise the major chords would be constructed from do mi so and minor would be constructed from la do mi. Well theyd be constructed from the other ones too but that will give you a quick comparison.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

As far as keys go every major key is also a minor key. C major is identical to a minor. F major is d minor and so on. Generally its called one or the other based on what the feel is.

[Freeky]

Oh.  Now I know. Excellent.

[AFK]

For trombone?

Embouchure.

Also, brush up on the bass clef.

Yep, speaking as a former brass player, trumpet.  If you don't play regularly you lose your lip and it takes a while to get it back.  Not to mention the stamina to get the high notes.  It may be a bit different for trombone but I think there are probably some similar issues. 

[Xooxe]

I got really hung up on trying to learn theory because none of it seems to stick. I get it and then it's gone again the next day. Then, when I'm back on a roll, I come across something that makes me question how much of it is even necessary. For instance, I was playing around with and learning old tuning systems from around the world and discovered that none of the music even from a hundred years ago sounds the same when played now because the frequency ratios between notes weren't the same, so keys actually had a sound that can't be transposed. I don't know what the point is of having keys anymore, unless there's something else to them.

And the black keys on a piano: Do we keep sharps and flats just because of the piano layout? They don't make sense to me anymore either.

I might be unnecessarily confusing myself, and forgive me if these are silly questions.

[Freeky]

For instance, I was playing around with and learning old tuning systems from around the world and discovered that none of the music even from a hundred years ago sounds the same when played now because the frequency ratios between notes weren't the same, so keys actually had a sound that can't be transposed. I don't know what the point is of having keys anymore, unless there's something else to them.

My instructor said in the last fifty years, music has been tuned up to sound brighter, and her mother, who had been an opera singer with perfect pitch, had a really hard time not sounding flat.  So that's why things don't sound the same is because the tuning is different.

Or at least that's what I understand.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Separating the sharps on a piano makes sense since it helps you see which note is which. If it were all white keys it would be easy to get lost. As far as theory goes its good to know some of it because it helps you figure out what you can do with an idea and what would sound good with it.

[Freeky]

For trombone?

Embouchure.

Also, brush up on the bass clef.

Yep, speaking as a former brass player, trumpet.  If you don't play regularly you lose your lip and it takes a while to get it back.  Not to mention the stamina to get the high notes.  It may be a bit different for trombone but I think there are probably some similar issues.

For trombone, from what I remember, the lower notes took more breath power than high ones, which was just a matter of lip and breath control.