January to March 2019 music thread (Title edited by MNHQ)

Plenty patents on this thread can't play any instrument (including myself), CruCru. But I understand the time issue of multi-instrumentalists. I didn't let DS take up other instruments when he showed interest due to the logistic reasons. Still feel bad about it sometimes. But you don't need to be a child to learn something so he'll take up one day if he really wants.

Hi Cru
plus I've never played any woodwind instrument (apart from recorder, which I taught myself) so wouldn't know how to help with practise
Don't let this put you off - neither my DH nor I had any experience of percussion but it's not hindered DS (14, currently choosing his repertoire for his diploma). His teacher has been great in pointing out stuff that we can help with. Being musicians ourselves has definitely helped but I still don't know my paradiddles from my flams
Your post touched a nerve with me as I desperately wanted to play the bassoon but didn't have the opportunity. 40-odd years later I still look longingly at the bassoon section in orchestras! And it's an endangered instrument ... just sayin' ...

My stepdaughter learns the piano. She is currently working on ABRSM grade one material. I’m not sure if I want her to do any formal exam yet or not. For half a hour she sits there at the piano playing with her teacher once a week. She just finished her second book of pieces so that’s good. She’s a bright child. I always tell her so.

On the subject of playing loudly - DS takes persuasion to drop below forte on the piano, DD rarely plays above mp. Lovely dynamic range between the two of them but no wonder duets was a battle! Trumpet for little lungs must be hard work, sure he'll get more control soon :)

Oh and new DOM is a horn player too Sirius

For tiny ones, the best thing may be a trimmed down kitchen sponge (removing the scouring bit!). You can attach it with an elastic band. DS2 had this when he first started. I used to tailor the sponge to fit him, letting it get gradually thicker as he grew. Seemed to work well and was much more comfy than a full shoulder rest.

He now uses a kun, which suits him physically but pops off the violin at crucial moments.

I suppose you could find plenty of secondhand violin bits on eBay...? I once sold DS's old bow on eBay. Though you have to know which brand/model to look for, so it may be tricky if you don't know which to buy and can't try them out.

DS's ex teacher used to order loads of different sizes and thicknesses of sponge-typed rests from US, and his pupils were given whatever worked for them. They were easy to adjust as they grow too. Sometimes two sponges were put together to achieve the best fit. I think a normal shoulder rest could be quite rigid and uncomfortable for toddlers? Sponges are lighter as well.

Hi pushy (feels wrong calling you that!) - I think the right sized piece of foam combo can be very comfortable, i had a manufactured rest that was basically a piece of foam most of my life till they stopped selling the one I liked. So you could try experimenting with different thickness or positioning. But you could also try Fom brand rests - much cheaper and seemed quite robust when DD had one. (Also cuuuuute!) Or it may be just getting used to holding a violin, it is quite an odd position till you get used to it!

Hi all

Does anyone know if there are secondhand selling groups (eg faceb**k) for violin bits?

Specifically I'm looking for a good shoulder rest for a 1/8 violin - something shaped like a Wolf or a Kun one, so not flat but not massively shaped, and not too heavy. They cost considerably more when new than the (secondhand) 1/8 violin did, so I thought it could be worth seeing if I can find a secondhand one before i spend 30 quid and another 15 quid's postage on it. We're not in the UK and a good 400km from the nearest violin shop which is why it's so expensive and difficult to get anything. I know you can use a sponge and a few rubber bands but I find that massively uncomfortable and I think DS hates it too (hard to tell with a toddler - he likes my shoulder rest, hates his sponge one, and currently prefers his violin without a shoulder rest, which means he's not great at holding it).

i'm a slight impostor on this thread as DS is 26 months and we have only been "practising" on the 1/8 violin for the last couple of weeks. NB DS is huge so 1/8 is actually close to being the right size for him...

Thanks, that sounds positive

Not pressurised- apparently a lot better than it was a decade ago- in terms of pressure.
Boarding- I would say it depends on the child- but as a sixth former I imagine he would be fine. 1/2 the school is sixth formers.

Hi. My boy is 15 and is a horn player. He did NCO last year which he loved.
We went to the Chethams open day last weekend and he was blown away. He'd like to audition for 6th form. Does anyone have any experience of Chet's? Mostly how pressurised is it? Is boarding easy to settle in to? It's a long way off as there are 3 auditions before we'd even potentially have to consider an offer but I'd like to be prepared if it were to happen.

Year, agree, good sight-readers learn new music a lot quicker.

Sorry for not being very clear, what I meant is if they can have difficulties in learning new pieces and sight reading.

I think if a child has specific difficulties beyond "need more practice and it will catch up" there are ways to work around. For example with Suzuki method they depend much more on learning music by ear and can get away with little sight reading skill. I did a huge amount by ear when I first took up viola until my reading caught up again (mostly; I still do more by ear than on violin I think). Listening to the music before learning it also largely gets around any limitations in remembering articulation, key signatures, tempo markings etc too.

DS is not a good sight reader and it has slowed him down. But we don't think there's any particular reason beyond laziness so the answer at the moment is DON'T play music to him first and practice lots of sight reading. It does mean at the moment DD who is a good reader is catching up on him fast, she just learns new music much quicker.

Having good understanding in theory will make learning new pieces and sight reading easier in my opinion. But it really depends on where she is musically. Many can get away without studying theory properly.

Sorry for not being very clear, what I meant is if they can have difficulties in learning new pieces and sight reading.

I don't think it'll cause significant struggles - obviously it depends on where you are musically, but the theory side tend to be behind for many children anyway.

But I do think good theoretical understanding can contribute to more rapid and deeper progress. For instance, memorising pieces, recognising patterns and appropriate phrasing, etc, can be a lot easier if you have theoretical approaches.

I think learning theory is like learning language. It can be done without proper study - you can learn some from just playing many pieces anyway. But it cannot be mastered properly without deliberate study with good effort. And the solid understanding in theory is a great asset.

I’m not sure the theory has made that much difference to DDs practical learning. It definitely does help with the aural tests in the later grades though and also with her GCSE music work

luckyfab i think it depends what you mean with theory level. If they have enough 'theory' to understand the music (note value, key signatures, etc.) Then i dont think there is really a problem.

From the point of view of exams lucky do you mean? Just don't take exams, they're not important. (Or do different exams that don't require it.) Or from the point of view of learning to play new music? I guess it might slow things down slightly as they'd be less independent of the teacher but mostly people play the same pieces long enough it's not a major issue.

Theory lower than practical ability

I have a question, is it possible that some children struggle because their music theory is not at the same level of their practical ability?

Hanging around for a day is fine , but the literature made it sound like the courses lasted for a whole weekend so if that’s the case we would have to factor in overnight stays too
No I never hang around , don’t mind dropping him off for a day - everything is a long drive for us !!

Busy not sure what you mean. They are supervised all day so you don't have to hang around although but yes they need to be picked up at the end of the day (so yes unless you live fairly close either have a lot of driving or have a day to kill say in Cambridge)