Question about piano advanced tips would be off-topic?

Question

I am new to the site and I am wondering which of the following could I ask without being off-topic(if any):

• piano advanced tutorials(video)
• piano book references

• piano playlists suggestions. For example, by listening to a lot of gospel music you start hearing a lot of harmony that maybe didn't passed through your mind before, and by hearing it you will start hearing all kind of places where you could use it where you didn't think about using anything but your standard harmony. I wanted this to be actually my first question on this site.

• Given a song, request harmony for it in a specific genre. For example: What kind of harmony would you use when playing Amazing Grace in Jazz/Gospel/Country style.

Hope this makes sense. Thanks.

Answer 1

If a question is asking for a specific answer to a definable problem you face, chances are it will be on-topic. Questions seeking lists or suggestions would best be relegated to chat. To touch upon the ones you listed:

• Asking for video tutorials would be off-topic. (It's a question about finding stuff on the internet, not a question about music.) Asking 'How should I approach [technique x] on piano?' is likely on-topic.
• Recommendation/list questions are off-topic. Asking 'Would working with [some specific music book] help me to develop [some specific technique]?' would likely be on-topic.
• Again, suggestion lists are off-topic. It sounds like you already understand how to learn about a style you want to emulate, you just need some content. Asking for some suggestions would be perfect for chat.
• Applied arranging (i.e. 'Arrange Amazing Grace for gospel choir') isn't on-topic, but questions about arranging are. One could potentially ask 'How far can I extend choral harmonies while still staying idiomatic to a gospel style?'

Of course, this all depends on the content of the question, but I hope this makes sense.