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Original poster

December Music Thread

673 replies

Wafflenose · 01/12/2017 09:11

Have a new thread for December!

This is an ongoing chat group for musicians, parents of musicians and anyone interested in music. We talk about practice, scales, theory, instrument hire and purchase, concerts, exams, auditions and loads more. Newcomers and beginners are extra specially welcome - yes, a lot of us now have children who are getting quite advanced, but we all had beginners once. I started the conversation when my eldest was 6 and working towards Grade 1, and we now have learners of all ages and standards on here.

I am a teacher of woodwind, and have two daughters. Goo is 12 and in Year 7. She loves her new school, and has grown up fast since she started. The first few weeks were overwhelming and confusing. She loved the challenge of new subjects, new faces, lots of different sports, etc. Unfortunately, she is a poster child for complacency, is now finding it all very easy, and doing the bare minimum again, sigh. She extends this approach to music too, putting in a bit of effort at the last minute, and often making an eleventh hour bid to change piece for important performances. She is gregarious, intense and obsessed with her phone. Oops, I forgot to say, she plays the flute and piano. Grade 8 flute is pencilled in for some time next year (teacher is campaigning to wait until train tracks come off) and she hasn't performed on the piano or taken any exams yet.

Rara is 9, and a completely different kettle of fish. She likes music, but she likes reading, art and making things even more. She's talkative, eccentric and highly creative. I have no idea how her mind works. She is in Year 5 at the village primary, and couldn't really care less about academics. She plays the cello (working at an early Grade 4 level) and clarinet. Some of her clarinet pieces are Grade 4, but she is having some technical problems at the moment, mainly due to her size and incorrect placement of her fingers. So the next exam she does will probably be Grade 3.

Both girls are members of South West Music School (Rara starting next month) and both auditioned for the NCO. Goo was very pleased with herself, but Rara had an absolute disaster. She bounced back within a day though.

OP posts:
drummersmum · 10/12/2017 21:20

I got in. Go to creator studio. I loved ministring's playing!! Beautiful sound.

horseymum · 11/12/2017 08:16

We were able to buy an oboe from her teacher, it had only been lightly played ie previous kid had never practised! So was in good condition. Also try any local adult amateur orchestra, I nearly got one from an oboist upgrading. I play in it and the two oboes have been very encouraging of my DD, giving her some old reeds and even a reed case, they like to hear of new young players.

Doubleup · 11/12/2017 08:23

That sounds a good way to aquire one horsey. How is it going so far? My DD's first student one, combined with her early stage of learning used to make my ears bleed! Well not literally, but it would hit that pitch where your ears start to ring. Now it sings.

CoffeeTeaChocholate · 11/12/2017 09:37

Horsey, that's 2 another good ideas, I will look into those as well. Thank you! I guess there is so much to learn about oboes still. For our violin, our teacher helped us buy an antique violin from a luthier outside London (who also take them back for almost the same price when we change size) so we were able to get one with a lovely sound (and still not completely breaking the bank) for DD. I feel like I JUST managed to get my head around violins and now we are entering into a new unknown world of reeds and oboes... I am so happy I found this thread Smile

WindMum · 11/12/2017 13:56

Dud clarinet reeds can sometimes be sorted out reed rush - often they are uneven and a light scrape with reed rush evens them out.

I salvage my own this way otherwise a box of 10 is sometimes a box of 5, sometimes it only takes 1 scrape to make a dud into a great reed!

There is also a device by Tom Ridenour which does the same things but it's pricey, but can stop the end of the reed getting trashed inadvertently!

Kutik73 · 11/12/2017 14:02

Just watched the channel. What's a beautiful sound, ministring. I could listen all day.

stringchild · 11/12/2017 14:28

Windmum - thanks thats really interesting (and good news!); reed knife on the xmas list me thinks!

WindMum · 11/12/2017 14:42

String - I would go with reedrush - much safer than a knife (I wouldn't trust myself with one!)! It's about £5 on amazon or reeds direct www.reeds-direct.co.uk/reed-rush.html

It's really satisfying to be able to sort your own reeds out to your own specification!

hapsburg · 11/12/2017 14:49

DD loves 'fiddling' with reeds, although with the price of bassoon reeds I try to encourage very fine sand paper and caution rather than the wielding of the reed knife!!

stringchild · 11/12/2017 15:17

ah thank you all! Windmum - reed rush now ordered for xmas

horseymum · 11/12/2017 18:26

The oboe is sounding quite good so far, she is more in tune when she plays with her teacher though. I think doing recorder first really helped. Got a 'play day' at the local high school coming up which s is looking forward to. Her teacher doesn't even bother making his oboe reeds, just bassoon ones I think. I am guessing one makes lots of expensive mistakes initially till it becomes worth it. Howarths mail order is really quick.

ealingwestmum · 12/12/2017 10:07

I must be doing something wrong on our channel - got into creator studio but all videos were unavailable. I will try and work it out, want to see the new uploads!

TaggieOHara · 12/12/2017 10:49

Ealing - click on 'edit' then you should be able to play the videos. I loved your DD's Bach double by the way. DS2 and I are going to learn it as a Christmas treat (he's the little one playing the Vivaldi last movement!)

ealingwestmum · 12/12/2017 13:30

Perfect, thank you Taggie. Your boy is very cute btw, and sings beautifully and plays very maturely. Enjoy learning the BD Smile

Your DD creates a lovely tone String

Japanese · 12/12/2017 15:31

Hi everyone, all the talk of reeds takes me back! I learned the oboe from the age of 11 until I finished university and moved overseas. It was my first instrument as a music student at uni. Reeds were an ongoing battle I have to say, am not sure I ever really cracked it.

I learned to play initially on an oboe borrowed from school. And then, after I passed Grade 5 my parents bought me my own instrument. We travelled to Howarth's in Somerset I think it was. It cost 1,200 pounds. This would have been around 1989 and that was a considerable amount of money for my parents!

I remember having a go on my teacher's oboe a few times, his cost 3,500 even back then. It was beautiful, it just invited you to play it with a lovely tone, if you see what I mean. I think it would have been impossible to sound like a quacking duck on that oboe!

Doubleup · 12/12/2017 19:30

All a bit quiet on here today. I think everyone is camped out on the NCO thread and feverishly refreshing their e-mails......

woolleybear · 12/12/2017 19:49

There is good news in the woolley household today, dd got distinction in her grade 1 bassoon, her first ever distinction. Fingers tightly crossed for the clarinet result now but at least she has this if it goes badly.

I have done the unthinkable as far as dd is concerned and booked a holiday at Easter at the same time as our local music service course. Does anyone know of any residentials that run at Easter?

Doubleup · 12/12/2017 20:10

Great stuff MiniWoolley!

ealingwestmum · 12/12/2017 20:21

woolley; that's fantastic news, well done to your DD!

Japanese · 12/12/2017 20:24

Well done Woolley's DD!

I think am going to lurk on the NCO thread for a bit - it's quite nice to eavesdrop on other people's news! Blush

Kutik73 · 12/12/2017 20:37

Well done woolley!

I just peeped the NCO thread and found it near impossible to catch up as it moved so quickly! I was left far behind while figuring out who was who, which instrument and age band...

Seems like lots people received happy news today.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 12/12/2017 22:23

We are waiting for three NCO results, and so far have heard nothing.

My pupils got 2x pass, 4x merit and 4x distinction this term, so that's good!

OP posts:
Doubleup · 12/12/2017 23:18

Those are pretty impressive results Waffle. Fingers crossed for positive results for your DDs over the next couple of days. Can’t stand the suspense - aargh!

Trumpetboysmum · 13/12/2017 06:11

Well done mini Wolley and great news waffle . Hopefully those of us who are busy on the NCO thread will all hear today and then we can all pop back over here !! Ds has his usual " I can't play high notes it sounds all airy " practice tonight ahead of next weeks concert . Hopefully he got it out of his system . I think I'm just going to get him to play it to the end ( whatever happens to the high notes) and then move onto other practice. He has played it so well so many times ... so we all know he can . Fingers crossed the school rehearsals go well as that should make him feel more positive. I'm pretty sure his teacher would advise not playing it at all ...( which is totally the opposite of what I would do but then I'm hopeless at performing) I'll see what ds says

Minimusiciansmama · 13/12/2017 06:39

Happy news from NCO for my little monkey and today she has a big music service concert in our City Hall- her first concert in a venue like that. Plus she's doing school panto (she's the lead) and has choir & recorders rehearsals for a concert next week! She's loving life!!