You think you got problems? Send your music-related quandries to mailto:dearjoel@phx.com

Dear Joel,
I have played in bands for a long time but never took the technical side of music very seriously until about two years ago. Now that I have and can do things like describe rhythms and name notes and refer to a “coda” or what-have-you, I'm finding the old-school rock band vocabulary (“OK then the thrash part there and then back to that other Slowdive thing”) frustratingly vague.

Does anyone ever write/play in keys where double sharps are actually necessary?

Yes, but, I mean, here's the thing:

When people say, “There’s no such thing as a stupid question,” they’re not saying what they mean. What they mean is that no matter how silly a question might sound, it’s almost always worth asking, which is true.

Dear Readers,

The Phoenix is pleased to introduce “Dear Joel,” our new advice column focused on the specific needs of the local music community -- that is: people in bands, people who listen to bands, people who have been kicked out of bands (or will soon be kicking someone out of a band), people thinking of joining/starting/sabotaging bands, or anyone with technical, social, economic, psychological or libidinous interests in music.