(Part 2) Best musical instrument accessories according to redditors

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to add on to what /u/Bass-Doubled said, the other strategy along with working on with a metronome is to have a fingering that works, and stick with it - don't futz around too much with different fingerings as you're trying to get up to speed.

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As for what makes a "good fingering", it's very much practicality mixed in with personal taste, and knowing your strengths and weaknesses. I, for example, would not play an open D in the second sextuplet because I wouldn't be happy with string crossing for just one note (nor do I think I would make a good sound doing it), so I would opt for playing the previous A# B C# and the D in question all on the A string, probably 1-2 / 2-4 (with "/" denoting a shift up), or, if I was feeling cheeky, 1-3 / 2-4.

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So my fingering for the first two bars as an example would be:

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(III)1-(IV)1-4 \ (III)1-2 / 2-4-2 \ 1-4 (II) 0-1| 2-4-2 \ 1-4-1 / (III) 1-4-1 \ 2-4-2 | \ 4 (IV)1 (etc...)

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with the roman numerals indicating strings, "/" indicating a shift up, "\" indicating a shift back, and "|" indicating a bar line. It's nothing fancy, but it does a few things different than some people do. For instance, I keep each triplet figure in the second bar as its own unit, whereas other people will shift in various other places on the last sextuplet especially. I also opt not to use 0-1-0 for the third triplet in that bar - just personal preference for this type of music and this type of playing. If I was in a period ensemble, I'd play it with that open string.

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So my advice is "Get a fingering and practice it." Think about how fast it has to be at the end, and adjust your fingering accordingly. for helping metronome practice, I also recommend using rhythmic "fractions," or "fractals". whatever you want to call them, they're just a way of exhaustively writing out every way in which to play N notes in rhythm, or every way how to bow N notes.

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I use a pull out from this book by Ivan Galamian (warning, amazon link. not affiliated), but Hal Robinson's "Strokin'" is much the same - though I like the way it's laid out in Galamian's book more. Just personal preference.

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Good luck, this is a tough chunk, but totally achievable.

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edit - Also, don't buy that book there. I don't know why they're charging like, a hundred bucks for it but it's not worth that, and I'm sure you can find it somewhere else much cheaper.

Tuning a piano, unlike tuning most string instruments, is quite complicated and takes years of practice to get right. It can be quite a valuable skill to have, both for personal use and for some extra money, but it requires a huge time commitment to begin.

There are some decent video courses that can begin to show you tuning techniques, but to really learn to set the proper temperaments and to set the pins, you need to work with an actual piano tuner who is willing to teach you.

That being said, I found learning to tune quite enjoyable. My father works as a piano rebuilder, so I was fortunate that I always had plenty of pianos around to practice on. Even so, it was months of work before I was able to get a tuning to hold for more than a day or two. The work was hard, but well worth it.

If it's definitely something you (or I guess she in this case) are interested in, you have to get the basic equipment- a hammer and mutes, which I found on amazon here. You'll also need an Accu-Tuner. I think there are other brands out there, but by far the most common is the Sanderson Accu-Tuner. The new models are great, but even the Accu-Tuner I or II are still perfectly good machines, and more than enough for a beginner. These are really useful because they allow you to preset a temperament and to store multiple different pianos so that you don't have to set up a new tuning each time you use them. Some tuners still choose to tune by ear using only a set of tuning forks, but I definitely wouldn't recommend that for a beginner.

If you have any other questions, this is a great place to ask. There are a bunch of very knowledgeable technicians that frequent this sub who I'm sure would be more than happy to help out a beginner.

Hey man,
Same thing happened to me a few years ago. I just started writing on paper with piano if I needed help with pitches. I'd write as many pages as possible and then put what I did on finale just to hear what I wrote. It seems like a good method because nothing really beats the formatting of a good notation program but as many of my Comp. Prof.'s have said, "Midi isn't real. It will trick you." I think that's the most important part of this whole process. Something you write on midi might be very impossible (or uselessly difficult). Also, feel free to bring some music to someone who actually play the instrument you are writing for and asking them to play through it. Most performers I know are always willing to do this if they aren't too busy already!

When I started composing microtonaly (year or so ago) this became an even bigger problem for me and I started having to rely on my ear and experimenting with different types of synthesizers to determine an approximate sound. It gets better as you write things out though. Just by working things out from your head to paper for a while you develop a stronger ability to compose without midi crutches.

Some benefits of doing this you might not have thought of:

1. When composing on paper you have the opportunity to see a line through without being controlled by bar lines or staff division (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FEF4CG/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I use these). Often times I'll just compose rhythms and melodies without bar lines and then add them in later. This really helps me focus more on readability of a part (I've almost eradicated using too many time signature changes and my rehearsals/performances have gotten much better)
   
   
2. You get to really step back and look at the overall image of what you have done. Just open up to a sheet and observe the aggregate image (much more difficult on a program).
   
   
3. I get headaches looking at a screen for too long so if you have this problem this is great!
   
   
4. It's easier to transport music you are working on.
   
   
5. Composing can move faster because you aren't inhibited by changing note type and then clicking it into a spot etc.
   
   
6. You focus much less on making your score look nice.
   
   
7. You can interrupt a system with notes/visual representations of what you think might happen next (I use different shapes often)/commentary.
   
   Hope this convinces you this is a good idea.
   
   Make sure you have a strong hold on proper notation/orchestration (A useful resource - http://www.amazon.com/The-Study-Orchestration-Third-Edition/dp/039397572X, bit pricey though) And also, this site has been a miracle for me - http://www.music.indiana.edu/department/composition/isfee/. This will save you a lot of time.
   
   Best of luck! Also, just trust yourself and your ear. This stuff takes time, patience, and practice (like all things music).
   
   Edit: Some Trivia - many composers of the past (those without the miracle/curse of notation software) would just sketch things out and short hand things ("repeat this here", "ostinato bass" etc.) and then hand it to a publisher to put together when it was done. For example, Beethoven. I mean look at this crap - https://www.google.com/search?q=beethoven+hand+written+music&client=firefox-a&hs=fUD&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=8kpKUqyCL4fi2AXV0YGQBA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1600&bih=701&dpr=1#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=MP65Ypeh4KL_nM%3A%3B-WsvncUQEMICJM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fclassicalmusicblog.com%252F2007%252F09%252Fimages%252Fmvt1-facsimile-s.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fclassicalmusicblog.com%252F2007%252F09%252Fbeethoven-sonata.html%3B580%3B463. Think of the notation software as your robotic publisher. That's what I do.

Sure is!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GTVF6VC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Q7I3Bb04S441D

I’ve got a KLIQ Uber tuner, fantastic little beast. Here’s a link KLIQ UberTuner - Clip-On Tuner... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O4L3F9E?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Could it be a book page holder? I've had one that looked similar in shape. Kind of like a cheap version of this. Hard to be sure really. https://www.amazon.com/Music-Book-Clip-Deluxe-Holder/dp/B008PIVRY2

This is the stand I bought for my EP-360 and it fits perfectly, the legs don't get in the way, and it puts the case at a nice angle to patch with while I have my beatstep pro in front.

Here's a photo of my setup so y'all can see if this would work for y'all!

We have a Phillips Hue lightbulb in the lamp on the side table, and set the light to red (which interferes with sleep the least) and turn it to the lowest possible setting. (E.g. it's at 1% brightness, and red light.) If we need to go in during the night, we can see, but it doesn't keep him up at all, and the light colour doesn't mess with circadian rhythms. I would highly recommend it! It's controlled by an app, and you can set a schedule for it to (e.g. turn on at 5PM, turn off at 8AM.) Then, in case of overnight diaper changes we have a set of small red lights over the change table. Same theory, red light interrupts sleep less but it's JUST enough for us to be able to see for night time diaper changes.

The way I see it my friend is you have three options.

1. Quickly tune down the top two strings (from B to A and E to D) and you've got your nice open D tuning. Capo at fret 2 and BOOM you're back in E.
   
   
2. Practice quickly retuning the guitar from this off-tuning back to standard. I can't see it taking more than 20 seconds (especially if you're using one of these bad boys) and that has to be enough time between songs. Ask the singer to bullshit to the crowd a bit while you do what you gotta do. This is probably the best solution because I can't imagine a situation where taking a few seconds to retune between one of your songs will be any kind of problem.
   
   
3. Do what /u/ChuckEye suggested and learn to transpose (this is probably the toughest solution).

KLIQ UberTuner - Clip-On Tuner for All Instruments - with Guitar, Bass, Violin, Ukulele & Chromatic Tuning Modes https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O4L3F9E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_lrHuDb82BFA9D you could also get him a really nice pretty notebook with the idea being he could write music/lyrics/ideas in it. Also if he doesn't have it already a Spotify subscription if he's a music lover. Good luck

Lead pipe lyre

There's also this kind.

This one has be perfect for my 7u Intellijel case.
It also folds up super small for traveling.

www.amazon.com/dp/B00IY0BLB0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vcBYCb67PHAYD

Just to throw this out there too, you can get a portable music stand and rig something up for super cheap if you want to get crafty. The top of the stand usually comes off leaving a somewhat flat and angled piece at the top that you could attached to.

You're too kind! In return, let me get you started :)

This was my first ukulele. I'd recommend a concert ukulele, with standard GCEA tuning. Spend $80-$120 on your first one; any cheaper than that will go out of tune every 10 minutes and will give you a poor impression of what the instrument is capable of. Whomever you buy it from should be able to tune it for you, and I'd recommend one of these little guys so that you can keep it in tune. I wouldn't worry about extra strings... I don't think I've ever broken a uke string, come to think of it.

I looked through your profile and saw that you frequent /r/trees, so here's a starter song for you: One Love by Bob Marley. Am, C, and F are literally the 3 easiest chords you can play on a uke, and the G shouldn't give you too much trouble. Just look them up- I use this website.

Take it slow, play at half speed if you need to. Practice the transitions between those chords until your hands can go to the next one automatically. A huge part of playing any instrument is muscle memory, so don't get frustrated if it takes a little while to get the rhythm down. Another big challenge will be figuring out how to sing and strum at the same time. At that point, your hands will need to know what they're doing on their own so that your head can focus on the lyrics and melody, so make sure you've got the first part down.

Good luck!

Haha glad you asked, I actually just used this music stand! -> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KMF11BA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I set the height so that the papers would be directly over the bottom papers. If you look closely, you can see the main pole of the stand directly beneath my right-most sheet on the bottom.

I'm an adult learner and I started with Suzuki. I actually like it. I also use Whistler's Introducing the Positions Vol. 1 and my preferred scale book is The Complete Scale Compendium for Violin by Larry Clark although I also have Galamian's Contemporary Violin Technique. I like Larry Clark's because it's good for beginners and very thorough. Galamian's and Carl Flesch's Scale System are good if you're really familiar with scales and need something more advanced.

YouTube has a lot of excellent videos. I prefer Eddy Chen if I'm stuck with something really particular. His advice helped me to really develop a practice routine that helped me stay focused and actually accomplish something. If you do Suzuki, there are some instructors who do play along videos (some even do slower tempo versions) of the etudes which I find helpful.

I just solved this same issue.

i bought this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QT1E3K2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

i put my scripts on google drive and just pull them from my tablet that's setup in there.

If you have a pedal with an MXR-style knob, I highly recommend you find some of the little boots and give it a whirl. (Those seem expensive for what they are, but there's a seller with free shipping for $5 in there I can't link directly to.)

Get a digital tuner. I use this http://www.amazon.com/Intellitouch-PT10-Mini-Clip-On-Tuner/dp/B002KDHBRU. Snarks are less money.

If you tune it and it still sounds bad, look up how to check intonation.

Just start looking up songs you like that have 3 or 4 chords in them. As you get bored and look up new songs pretty soon you'll know a ton of chords. Also look up some YouTube videos on strumming patterns.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KDHBRU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I'm also a beginning violinist, and I've been using the little clip-on tuner above. Very pleased with it. One advantage of a clip-on over, say, a smartphone app, is that it works in a noisy room.

Amazon has some pretty good stuff. This is my favorite brand of staff paper, I like the 12 x 16 size but there is also a smaller size.

Composers also tend to collect musical scores. There is a publisher called Dover that sells anthologies of scores for cheap, I own about a dozen myself. I really like the Beethoven Sonatas and the Ravel Masterpieces. Something like that might be cool.

Pretty neat idea I'd say. I have a recommendation or question though, why not use a knob like this or make it with the mxr rubber knob covers like this? Although granted the former would result in maybe needing a huge pedal as to not knock on the other settings while tweaking one.

Three suggestions to help you learn your target cadence:

1. Best would be with a watch/app with cadence sensor (Run+ strap or shoe sensor)
   
2. If you use a music player, load a 30-60second clip with the target BPM you want. 180bpm example w/ download. Then put it every 3 or 4 songs on your playlist. You'll still hear the beat in your head after the clips over and you start to learn without hearing it.
   
3. By a cheap pocket metronome and run with it from time to time. Turn it on when you want to check cadence and then turn it back off again so you learn without it.

yes

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Operated-Reading-Brightness-Bookworms/dp/B07D6ZVDT6/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=dual+led+clip&qid=1570410090&sr=8-8

https://www.amazon.com/Stage-LED202R-Clip-Stage-Light/dp/B0075DNRUA/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=dual+led+clip&qid=1570410116&sr=8-2

and many others

Nice!

Btw one product I do NOT recommend is https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003BVJ7Q8
Doesn’t stay in place, peels off and leaves residue

I concur with /u/TheZatchMan! I’ve used this holder for a couple years now, both in church and another one in a cover band I was in. It’s a very sturdy holder, and the price is fantastic.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QT1E3K2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_12z0DbADJ49M8

Looking for a studio subwoofer to go with my Yamaha HS5s. It also must have 1/4 input and either XLR or 1/4 outputs.

I am looking to spend around $300-400. Here are the few contenders I have come up with. Would love opinions and suggestions.

M-Audio BX 10 - On sale for $200:

https://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-BX-Subwoofer/dp/B00PFQ1ZJ4/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494270776&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=m-audio+bx+10

JBL LSR 310s: $400

https://www.amazon.com/JBL-LSR310S-Channel-Studio-Subwoofer/dp/B00I08RT3U/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1494270814&sr=1-1&keywords=jbl+lsr+310s

Yamaha HS8S: $450, outside of my price range, only an 8" sub, but gets fabulous reviews and matches my HS5s.

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-HS8S-HS8-Studio-Subwoofer/dp/B00DHSK8C2/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1494270849&sr=1-1&keywords=yamaha+hs8s

Mackie MR mk3 Series MR10Smk3: $300

https://www.amazon.com/Mackie-MR10Smk3-10-Inch-Powered-Subwoofer/dp/B00EA25G12/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1494270899&sr=1-1&keywords=mackie+subwoofer

I have a pair of JBL LSR305s. I recently bought a Klipsch R-110SW for $250 along with the Klipsch WA-2 wireless adapter, which I'm planning on selling. Typically they're in a 9'x10' room, but I haul them out to the medium sized living room occasionally.

Right now I'm using a Y splitter to feed the speakers and subwoofer separately. The Klipsch subwoofer has an adjustable lowpass filter, but would a highpass filter to the speakers be much of an improvement?

I can still return the Klipsch, and saw the M-Audio BX Subwoofer for $200 on sale, which has highpass filtering built in. Or should I just save up for a SVS or similarly priced higher-end subwoofer? The other idea would be getting a MiniDSP 2x4 or HD later, and doing the filtering through that.

I've always used this style of clamp-on lyre. They're awful.

This is a physical tuner and not an app, but I love mine:
https://www.amazon.com/DAddario-NS-Micro-Violin-Tuner/dp/B00L1LL7DQ

I like this one more:

https://www.amazon.com/DAddario-NS-Micro-Violin-Tuner/dp/B00L1LL7DQ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1485202368&sr=8-7&keywords=violin+tuner

Clipping out of those clip on tuners is so hard on the violin. This one puts the tuner right in your face. It was a lot cheaper when I bought it(~5$) so they are likely just low on stock right now or maybe they discontinued them.

I'd avoid the air-lift thrones unless you can sneakily ask if he likes them (people either love or hate the bounciness of air-lift thrones).

A tune-bot could be a cool gift too! Probably the best drum tuning tool there is.

A Zoom video recorder might be a very neat and useful gift. I use an older one, but I'm seriously coveting the newer Q2N. I find these type of recorders very useful, and the Zooms do a good job of capturing drum sound. Here's a demo with Weckl

No one wants to play with someone who is not in tune. Real talk, no one will care about your compression, except you. Which is great! But if you are just getting a board together, a tuner should be the first thing on it. Then we can move from there.

As far as tuners go, I highly recommend the Turbo Tuner, it is super accurate and extra durable. You can do setups with it, as it is a strobe tuner and Its as accurate as a Peterson.

You also can't go wrong with the classic Boss TU-2 or 3, literally indestructible. I had mine for 11 years, with probably 6 years of hard touring. The only reason I don't have it anymore is it was stolen! ha.

Would you recommend this to start with?

Piano Tuning Kit - Professional Piano Tuning Hammer Lever + Mute Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007OAFT2S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_t.zKBb3MG9G2X

Hi,
Does your dad have any music background? Helpful for reading music sheets

Does he know when a note is out of tune? Playing the violin pretty much requires you to listen to the notes that you are playing and identifying if it's in tune or not, especially in the later stages when you don't use any tapes or guides.

For left hand finger positions, you can either measure out the tapes for first, second, and third finger or use something similar to this:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GTVF6VC?psc=1

Do you plan to buy or rent a violin? Don't get anything "cheap". I would recommend to rent one.

Tunebot


Moongels


Cajon

Everyone talks about timing, but nobody does anything but count. You can get a wearable metronome for less than $10

For cables, I put green electrical tape around the male end. That's worked very well so far. The key is to get really really good electrical tape (Scotch), otherwise you're wasting your time. Some of my short patch XLR is made of green cable, too.

Last week I bought some Hosa Label-A-Cable labels (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003BVJ7Q8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_k5OCxbXZTTKZM) and printed labels to put inside of them instead of writing on them by hand. I put them on a couple XLRs and I'm waiting to see how they hold up before I label everything with them.

Tools in my workbox have the same green electrical tape. I've written on some with sharpie, and others have been engraved.

For gear and cases, I just printed some Avery labels and stuck them on. They're okay for now. It's mostly cables, tools, and mics I'm worried about, and generally at the gigs I'm doing its more about my stuff not getting mixed up with the house stuff rather than it getting stolen.

But of course! http://www.amazon.com/Turbo-Tuner-ST-200-Strobe-Stomp/dp/B003RPK4BK/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top