Online Music Lessons Online Music Lessons Instrument Techniques and Practice 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When teaching guitar online, which camera angle best shows left-hand fingering on the fretboard?
- Straight-on face shot
- Over-the-shoulder fretboard view (Correct answer)
- Wide-room shot
- Ceiling-mounted angle
Correct answer: Over-the-shoulder fretboard view
An over-the-shoulder fretboard view lets the student clearly see finger placement on each fret.
Question 2: What is the primary challenge of teaching piano dynamics (forte/piano) over a video call?
- Students cannot hear the teacher
- Compressed audio codecs flatten dynamic range (Correct answer)
- Video lag prevents tempo sync
- MIDI files block dynamics
Correct answer: Compressed audio codecs flatten dynamic range
Most video-conferencing codecs apply dynamic compression, making soft and loud passages sound similar to the listener.
Question 3: For online violin lessons, a teacher asks the student to hold the bow at camera level. What is the purpose?
- Decorative positioning
- So the teacher can assess bow hold and arm angle visually (Correct answer)
- To reduce microphone noise
- To avoid glare on the strings
Correct answer: So the teacher can assess bow hold and arm angle visually
Holding the bow at camera level gives the instructor a clear visual reference to evaluate grip and arm technique remotely.
Question 4: A student learning drums online reports that their kick drum sounds like a click in the lesson. What should the teacher recommend first?
- Lower the monitor volume
- Use an external USB audio interface instead of the built-in mic (Correct answer)
- Switch to a different video platform
- Turn off the webcam to save bandwidth
Correct answer: Use an external USB audio interface instead of the built-in mic
A USB audio interface provides far better low-frequency response than a built-in laptop mic, capturing the kick drum accurately.
Question 5: Which practice technique is most effective for online wind instrument students who struggle with breath support?
- Playing louder each session
- Recording themselves and reviewing breath phrase lengths (Correct answer)
- Skipping long-tone exercises
- Practicing only in short 2-minute bursts
Correct answer: Recording themselves and reviewing breath phrase lengths
Self-recording allows students to objectively measure and extend their phrase lengths between lessons without real-time teacher presence.
Question 6: When demonstrating a complex piano fingering passage online, a teacher should use which supplementary method to ensure clarity?
- Play the passage at double speed
- Use slow-motion screen-share or a secondary camera on the keys (Correct answer)
- Only describe it verbally
- Ask the student to figure it out independently
Correct answer: Use slow-motion screen-share or a secondary camera on the keys
A secondary close-up camera on the keyboard combined with slow-motion playback removes ambiguity about exact finger assignments.
Online Music Lessons Online Music Lessons Instrument Techniques and Practice 1
When teaching guitar online, which camera angle best shows left-hand fingering on the fretboard?