(Mostly) August Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Here's a new thread for August, but we're starting it a few days early, because you lot have managed to be super chatty this month! I wonder if things will slow down in August due to people going away... maybe or maybe not?

I'm Waffle, a teacher of woodwind - mostly recorders and clarinet, but I have a couple of flutes currently, and teach saxophone, piano and theory when required. I am determined that the music threads should be open to ALL, including complete beginners and adult learners. It's a good place to discuss lessons, practice, concerts, exams and our generally hectic lives!

I have a DH who plays the guitar for pleasure (no lessons) and two girls. Goo is 11 and has her Grade 7 Flute (March 2017) and Grade 6 Recorder (December 2015 and now pretty much stopped ). She has been learning the piano for 15 months, is refusing to perform in any way, shape or form, but will probably take Grade 5 next year. Rara is 9 and has Grade 3 Cello (July 2017), Grade 3 Recorder (December 2016 and also ceased) and is working towards her Grade 3 Clarinet... probably next spring. Goo is off to NCO Under 12s on Sunday, and we need to pop out to get her some shoes and general supplies in a bit.

I have just realised that we will probably have Grade 8 Flute and Grade 3 Clarinet going on in the same session, Spring 2018. Oh dear! If Rara bothers with Grade 4 Cello, we'll probably have that at the same time as Grade 5 Piano, next summer. Double oh dear!

Alexandra you put into words what my mind is phrasing for the last few months. Stuff like "we'll buy dd a nice sax when she gets to grade 5 clarinet* and a clarinet in A and obviously now she's seen ministring playing the bass clarinet she wants one (I suspect because it is so big). And so many types of saxes also.

By the way any saxophone beginners instrument recommendation? And does one start on alto or tenor? It would be good to research it because she is getting a sax at one point.

Nco asked people to bring their Eflat if they had one....i hid that bit from dd 😀

Omg I want them all! Dd wants the piccolo, I already said no to that!

Yes learning sax (not giving up clarinet, just teaching herself a bit of it) will be after grade 5 clarinet and by then she'll hopefully grow a bit more.

one of my dc plays an "upgraded" recorder for the cheap £5 to expensive price of £16 ha ha. however she has seen and had a go at some other of the recorder family. Not asked for the very big ones....

not sure this will work. Anyway she saw one in "real life".

Fleur, we did music service rented sax at exactly the same point - literally picked it up after the G5 clarinet exam as the exams were held in the music service building.

Then bought a decent basic Yamaha alto once established that this was going to be a fixture (DS is primarily a jazz musician).

Music service locally rents sopranos, altos and tenors, though not, to DS's disappointment, baritones, though it turns out the latter are sometimes loaned out by the county wind orchestra. Definitely a low cost way in.

DS (and visiting friend) have just finished local orchestral week-long course. Both also managed to gatecrash the co-located jazz course final concert the previous night.

Sleeping today....

Hello everyone. Waffle - this is such a fun thread. I've really enjoyed reading about everyone's collections. alex I had no idea there were so many clarinets and piccolos. waffle What is a xaphoon please?

We have a piano, keyboard, banjo with just one string that the DC won't let me get rid off, hviolin has just gone to DD's flat, ukulele, assorted small percussion, electric guitar, two electric bass guitars and an electric jazz bass guitar and two double basses (double double bass) I'm very much looking forward to selling one of the double basses. It's so dire I'd happily let someone take it away but DH thinks we should ask for £200. Our house is quite small.....

Do you use Allianz as insurers? They seemed excellent when I phoned to get immediate insurance for the double bass that DS had on trial. Really really helpful.

Helen I really enjoyed your video. I admire singers - there's nothing between them and the audience and I often wonder if singers are the most likely musicians to have nerves affect their performance? I'm in awe of people who can breath!

DS 18 is starting a degree in jazz performance in September. I will miss him and his practising.

There are so many impressively achieving DC on this thread. My DD who is about to start her final year of degree in piano performance had 'only' done G5 when she was 11. She's not planning to make a living as a musician when she finishes, but the bits and bobs of teaching and accompanying she currently does will be very useful I'm sure.

foundout as we've established I barely know the difference between a violin and a big violin ( cello) are you telling me that instrument is part of the recorders family?

Thank you cantkeepaway I'll ask our music service when the time comes.

I have a problem, I can't stop buying music books. Just bought a clarinet Guest spot book as it looks so good. I said this to dd's piano teacher yesterday and she said I am one of her favourites as I always get intresting books and she never feels worried asking me to buy a new one. Not sure if that's a compliment as I am definitely not loaded.

I have also given 7 books to next door who's 7 yo just started piano and now I realise a couple of those I should have kept as I want to start properly learning once I get some space. Oh well...

In terms of instruments we only have a piano, a clarinet, a recorder, a classic guitar and an electric guitar. We need to work on it don't we?

Yes, Fleur you do. (Three euphs, two troms, cornet, pocket cornet, trumpet, bugle, flugel horn, violin, dulcimer, ocarina, flute, piano, penny whistle, multiple recorders and Kaiser baritone). DH has a growing collection of sticks, mallets and beaters but he has promised that the percussion kit is going to stay in the bandroom.

The file marked "random music" is due for a dust off this week. I'm sick of the fuss we have whenever DS is looking for a particular piece. I've bought a lever arch file and 50 plastic pockets and we are going to be organised with proper filing and an index. I should have done it years ago.

Omg what a coincidence, dd's clarinet teacher (we're at the lesson now) just took out a bass clarinet, and A clarinet and an E clarinet to play around with them as it is her last lesson with her. Dd loves it!

Hello! Haven't been here for ages...

But Oh Knowledgeable Ones In The Way Of The Flute! Can you recommend music for about Grade 6 level? DS has done his grade 5 but he's not going to do another flute exam for the near future. We could get the ABRSM grade 6 book to play but that seems a bit dull...

Pocket cornet!

Yes - to faffing about with sheets of music.

New thread! I can do my first intro!

DD (9) did G4 violin this month and G1 piano in December. She has a busy term ahead as we have planned G5 violin, G5 theory and G2 piano for this December. I think I might have overestimated the time needed for G2 piano as its all done already and now we will have to practice the same pieces for another 5 months... might skip to grade 4 next year.

Currently DD is spending 10 minutes a day supporting her violin on a wall to practice vibrato. The wall is definitely making it easier. Romance of the Gadfly is one of her g5 pieces, do you think they will expect much vibrato? It is a slow piece so there is more opportunity to use it, so now I'm worried it won't be strong enough. She is loving Intermezzo (C3).

DD (7 last week) chose the cello - had one lesson and quit. She was disappointed, I think, that it didn't sound like a violin, and she only wanted it because it was bigger instrument than her sister's. They are very close but very competitive.

About once a week they ask me who do I love the most. What can I say? Their brother (15). Particularly as he doesn't, as they did, get a large pack of outside pavement chalk, and use scissors to chop them into tiny bits all over the kitchen floor/bench, etc. Chalk marks on the fridge, inside the freezer...

I am trying to start younger DD on violin as well.

Love the singing!

NeverAnythingEver Faure Scilienne is my standby piece for any sudden requests to play a solo piece. I've a book "solos for flute 36 repertoire pieces" which has it in along with Debussy Reverie, dance of the blessed spirits by Gluck and a lot of them would be OK for grade 6 level. Depending what type of thing he likes could also use some of the play along with CD books as rock and pop rhythms can be surprisingly hard and keeping time with the CD is good training.

I don't teach flute just play it along with sax so there will be more knowledgeable people along soon I am sure.

Niggle I love the story about your dds

Just realised that if there is a good time to service a clarinet during the summer holidays would be it. Does anybody know how often should a clarinet (buffet B12) be serviced and what prices should I roughly expect?

DS is dedicating the day to composing. He's working on his first choral piece!
helen loved the video. Do all your children really sing like this? What did you feed them please?
paulweller yes indeed! A 3 oct is over 3K and a 4 oct over 5k. DS hot an awardnto buy the marimba so i may look for similar help. However even if he was lucky enough to get one, where the hell do I fit it?!!! I NEED LOOSE 'S POSH SHED AND A GARDEN BIG ENOUGH TO FIT IT.

DS got not hot

Blame the phone.

Aargh, the piccolo! I forgot about the piccolo! Goo has one, and that's not insured either - whoops.

Yes, I use Allianz... costs me over £200 per year.

Xaphoon = pocket sax. I got a Bb one, except it's not, it's in B, which makes it pretty useless when trying to play with other musicians.

I am a clarinet teacher, and only ever played the bass at school and clarinet choir as a teenager. Most people don't ever own bass or alto clarinets - they tend to belong to music services. I hadn't played an A clarinet until last year, when my little pupil got into NCO, snapped her fingers and got her parents to buy one (she could have borrowed one from school!), only to give up four months later.

Any vibrato in Grade 5 violin will be welcome. Plenty don't manage it too well by then.

Post Grade 5 flute... 'Let's Dance' by Richard Kershaw, 'Six Pastiches' by Cecilia MacDowell, Rutter's 'Suite Antique' (a couple of these of these are very hard, but most are grades 5-6), 'A Faure Flute Album' and 'Music Through Time - Book 4'.