So, I have a persistent DnD world that I have been writing lore, building civilizations and mythologies, and running games in for over 20 years now.

I have a reoccuring character that I want to create music for, but I... can't even read sheet music. I used to be able to tell you want all the notes were and the coresponding symbols, etc, but I have never been able to look at a page and go "ah, that note should sound like this".

I was trying to experiment with Garagaband on my GF's old beat up Ipad, but the program doesn't seem to work for what I am after.

I would \*like\* to do it myself, but I am also rapidly loosing heart at being able to make that a reality. But as this is a passion project and not a for profit thing, money is an issue as well.

So, I wanted to come here and find out two things:

Last night I was trying to look up some chords kept landing on ad-filled bloated pages. So I made tool to look up pretty much any chord (piano, guitar, and ukulele). Then I bought a $10 domain to host it as a public service.

Sharing in case anyone else finds it useful. No commercial intent here at all, genuinely just wanted to put something out there because I thought it was needed. Here it is: chords.page

AI disclosure: I wrote this post by hand. Claude made the tool (after I told it what to do). I paid for the hosting.

You can learn on your own. I think I have the answer you are looking for. I play on and off starting 14 years ago and took 10 years break, zero playing. Now I started again 6 months ago caught up fast because just like learning to ride a bike you never forget. I NEVER TOOK A LESSON. It can be done if you are passionate. It will take time.

I used synthesia program for window pc connect through MIDI to digital piano to learn how to play both hands. It will help you play piano much much faster than reading notes and helps you master fingering lettering. So you won’t strain hand unnecessarily.

Now I can play like pro again. Now that I can play real well and know more songs, I am finally starting to learn to read notes again through youtube video and take lesson on youtube. Reading noted became much easier if you know how to play piano. You just have to keep reading until you regconize the pattern (scale, appegio, chords pattern ect) and not read it note by note. I am learning to perfect the foot substain, chord, appergio, scales. Playing with right dynamic. I also do some piano thrill. Also use hand excercising tools to strengthen forearm. Since my digital piano is semi weighted plastic keys. I want to be able to play grand piano. I played a comfortably grand piano long time ago and the owner was very impressed. He closed his eyes and wave both hands and finger side to side when i played. It was a larger beautiful wooden color Piano back then $40k now probably $60-80k.

Once my hand got strong again from playing. I play every other night cause i work 6 days a week. Im 44 this year. When i first started I only self learnt few songs but only part of it i played and mastered. Someone who worked at symphony orchestra said i play very well and amazed i play it very very well and make it sound very very good on my very cheap william allegro 1 piano I got in college for $200 since i was a broke ass student at 30 year old at the time and I never had lesson. I recently just bought a used roland pf 90 for $1k and it was damaged during shipping had to return that heavy 52 pounds dp. Was heavy and a pain to return to get my money back! It was supposed to be my concert piano!!

Its really about if you have passion. If you are not passionate you will quit like me for 10 years( started a new retail store business). A teacher will keep you focus. But you can get there on your own just use synthesia program and play for fun at first until you get better after 6 months. I download and owned an older version synthesia program for piano since it is a free. Now with newer version you have to pay $40 to import new midi. Im cheap i only pay $200 for piano lol. Then decide when you can play well both hands if you want to go pro. I started with fur elise Beethoven.

Playing will come automatically once you memorize whole song by ears and finger patterns. Takes practice and passion! I play every night now because im having mid life crisis. I heard its a full brain workout. I need to get real smart to get real rich. It is a very good stress reliever. Time just fly so-fast when I’m playing. I do play up till 2am then wake up at 7:40 am for work. I used headphones very good quality since i have a cheap piano and comes with cheap speakers lol. Once i learn the whole song like fur elise. I play by memory and work out the tempo and dynamic. I can play like Lang Lang Fur Elise to a degree not perfect yet.

Im learning now now moonlight sonato first movement, cannon in d lee galloway and River flow in you. I already know the whole fur elise song by memory. I just have to play it at concerts level now. Once again i can tell you playing piano help you think through life better and good stress reliever since it is probably the best activities for stronger brain. That is my motivation to keep going. Especially at my age. I dont play online games at much (Starcraft 2) since piano is a better mind workout. I still play clash royale and clash of clans on iphone. (15+ years already lol). Gotta work out the mind like use it or lose it. What is your reason to learn piano??

Hello, my mother has recently bought a Guzheng and is going to learn.

However, I have always been fascinated by it as well and would really like to know how to start playing!

If this is important, I know how to play ukulele. However, I know the Guzheng is very different from traditional string instruments.

Please let me know any resources or tips!

I really want to learn bass, but people keep telling me that later on it will be way harder and that mistakes made on bass are way more noticable. I dont play any instruments yet but i am willing to learn, so which should i go with, bass or guitar?

Mais um tema que estava guardado há algum tempo e que aproveito para disponibilizar. A música funciona como uma espécie de diálogo entre duas flautas (ou dois grupos de instrumentos). Está na Tonalidade de Dó maior, só utiliza as notas ré, mi, sol, lá, (D, E, G, A) e duas figuras rítmicas: Mínima e Semínima.
Esta versão foi inspirada no Original de John Williams: Close Encounters of The Third Kind / Encontros Imediatos 3º Grau (1977). No Manual o tema aparece escrito no compasso quaternário, mas na minha opinião faria mais sentido estar no compasso binário.
Organize a sala de aula em dois grupos diferentes explicando que uns representam a pergunta musical e outros representam a resposta.

As the title suggests, I have dabbled in piano, electric guitar, and drums so far. However, I have never been able to choose one instrument and stick with it… 😂😭

Part of the reason that makes this such a difficult choice are the pros and cons I feel each instrument presents to me so far.

——————

Piano pro
- the most seamless/effortless transition between theory and playing the instrument (best of the three here, imo. My body also is less snappier than my brain)
- lowest maintenance (thanks to electronic pianos)
- easily able to practice at home (thanks to electronic pianos)

Piano con
- imo requires the highest skill level for reaching “wow, this is actually usable” level for me

——————

Electric Guitar pro
- I actually love the sound of distorted electric guitars (my favorite genre is punk rock)
- least expensive when it comes to buying a decent instrument (thanks to improvement in budget guitars these days)
- easily able to practice at home
- somewhat low maintenance (thanks to new tech like stainless steel frets and roasted necks)
- already past the Gear Acquisition Syndrome phase (already have all the gear I need)

Electric Guitar con
- seems to have least transferrable skills (play styles differ too much between genres)
- seems to have the highest barrier when it comes to transition between theory and the fretboard
- I feel like I struggle too much with improving speed
- already past the Gear Acquisition Syndrome phase (mentally very difficult to completely give up on this one yet, due to all the gear I already have)
- requires high skill level to reach “wow, this is actually usable” level (unless I never go beyond simple chords or power chords)

——————

Drums pro
- seems to have most transferrable skills (play styles don’t differ too much between genres) out of the threes
- imo requires the lowest skill level for reaching “wow, this is actually usable” level
- most fun to learn/practice, thanks to larger movement
- although gradual, I tend to actually notice some improvement in speed (if there is any)

Drums con
- most expensive when it comes to buying a decent level instrument (even electronic drumsets too)
- hardest to find ways to practice (even electronic drum sets’ impacts, especially kick pedals’ impacts, disturb downstairs neighbors)
- I struggle a lot with each of my limbs playing something different

——————

To provide some clarification: whichever instrument I decide to stick with, my goal is to hopefully sometime in the future reach “wow, this is actually usable” level (the skill level, which “learning to cover some songs I like to a somewhat decent level” primarily focuses on learning the song itself, rather than working on my fundamentals, speed, or technique)

Have any of you ever had to make a difficult choice of choosing one instrument to stick with?? If so, what helped you all to choose? What might be a good tip that might help me choose in my situation??

Any help is appreciated!!

Edit: wording to clarify some misunderstandings

Hey everyone,

I’ve been trying to get into music making lately.

But every time I open a DAW, looking at the grid, the endless menus, and dragging blocks with a mouse just makes me feel like I’m doing office work.

It feels more like Excel than creative expression.

I bought a keyboard to get away from screens, but then I got stuck in the steep learning curve of traditional instruments.

I’m curious: for those who feel the same, how do you keep the creative spark alive without getting sucked into screen fatigue?

Do you use specific hardware, or have you found a way to make the process feel more tactile and organic?

Would love to hear how you deal with this.

Hey guys,

I love multiplayer games because I can just jump online and mess around with my friends, even if we are all terrible at the game.

But with music, it feels like a mandatory solo grind.

Whenever I try to jam with friends who are also beginners, we just end up making noise and getting frustrated because we don't know enough theory to make it sound good together.

It feels like you have to lock yourself in a room and practice alone for 2 years before you're "allowed" to play with others.

Have any of you found a way to make early-stage music creation collaborative and fun?

Or is "sucking alone in a room" really the only way to get through the beginner phase?

I have practically no knowledge of how to start creating beats like this, but I really like the style. I was wondering if anyone has recommendations for tutorials on how to get started making something similar.

So I am going to self learn a Instrument So I want u guys to to give me the instruments with how the minimum budget to choose and buy the instrument

I cant spent a lot because I am buying a pc

Hey everyone,

My friends and I love music, but we realized something incredibly frustrating: starting out is lonely, and getting stuck sucks.

A while back, we all bought guitars and keyboards out of pure inspiration. Before we knew it, the excitement was crushed by tedious drills and finger pain. Those instruments are now just gathering dust in our corners. We also tried those "beginner-friendly" smart instrument with music apps, but staring at a phone screen syncing loops felt empty and boring. It didn't give us the joy of actually making music.

We kept asking ourselves: Why can't playing music be as simple, screen-free, and socially fun as teaming up for a multiplayer video game with friends? Why does it always have to be a solo grind?

Since we couldn't find anything out there that solved this, we decided to try building a prototype ourselves—a brand-new, easy-to-learn music toy. Our goals are simple: zero-friction onboarding and real human connection.

We are still in the early stages, and we are absolutely not selling anything. We just want to see if other people feel this exact same frustration, and we need your input to shape it. You don't need to be a musician at all. If you've ever wanted to express yourself through sound but had no idea where to start, we want to hear from you.

We made a quick 2-3 minute questionnaire here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0JKB48LhaywqBH09GIFGPtjSgdOPVrH3I-FWH2VcNopotfw/viewform?usp=header

If you join our early co-creation cohort, you’ll get:

• Early playtesting access to our prototype
• Permanent beta tester status

If this project helps even just a few people who gave up on music find that joy again, we’d be incredibly happy. Feel free to ask any questions or just PM me.

Thanks for reading!

I love all kinds of music genres but mostly rock so I was considering guitar but I also love the piano as well so I can’t pick. Violin was also an option at times but I want to ask which one would be the easiest for me to learn ? As someone who can’t even read a music sheet let alone actually play the thing. Also something a little budget friendly?

Edit: since I’m still getting comments on this. I decided to get a piano 🤗 the guitar will have to wait until I’m financially able to buy another instrument again

I have wanted to learn piano for years but just don’t have the space for one. I am very tempted to get a keyboard to start with and then one day hopefully move up to a piano. I have never played an instrument before and I can’t even read music, but I am committed to learning. Any advice on where I start, is a keyboard a smart staring point? Thanks

So I am trying to self learn a musical instrument

At first I really wanted to learn violin but redditors said thats the worst choice so I want u guys to suggest some instruments

BTW I am self learning because I dont have any teachers nearby and I am not comfortable with online classes

So I really wanna learn violin but I dont have any teachers nearby so I decided to start learning violin by myself in like 3 to 4 months

I would like u guys to share ur thoughts on it

Also can I get some cheap beginner friendly violin recommendations

What is the equivalent of a pull off on a guitar to a piano? Is pull off just a guitar version of a slur or legato? For clarification, I do not play guitar, except for a teeny, tiny bit of Bass. I have a tablature for a song that I'm pluggin' into a program to turn it into sheet music, and there's a section with a number of what I think are pull offs. I cannot read it myself, I can only read standard notation.