April Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Happy Easter! The sun is shining here (at the moment) so I'm hoping spring has finally arrived.

Here's a new thread for anyone who wants to talk about music lessons, exams, practice, concerts, aural, scales, theory, ensembles or anything else music related. Everyone is welcome, from beginners to advanced and also adult learners. I started these threads 6.5 years ago when I had a beginner myself. Her nickname is Goo, she is 12 and taking Grade 8 Flute next term. I think she's finally going to do her Grade 5 Piano in the autumn. When those are out of the way, she's thinking of taking up the recorder again and doing Grade 8 on that, because flute sort of took over and she never got around to it. Her sister Rara is 9, and is currently around Grade 4 on both Cello and Clarinet. She doesn't want to do any more exams for ages, so will probably do her grade 5s in a couple of years or so. Rara is a lapsed recorder player who will be performing on it next month, and she dabbles with piano, glock and accordion. Both girls do South West Music School, although I regularly go back on forth over whether this is still the best setting for Goo. We are pretty rural and hours away from any big cities.

Please can we all be extra careful to make sure that everyone is acknowledged and assisted where appropriate... I include myself in needing to make an effort, but I'm not around all day, every day. This is a lovely, calm, supportive corner of Mumsnet but I do receive a handful of messages from people who don't feel welcome because they or their children are less advanced, or they're not in a position to consider JD/ private school/ expensive instruments and feel left out, or they wonder if it's OK to post about certain instruments/ families. I did say I would try. Thank you all so much!

I have played bass with some of my ensembles on occasion. I don't like it though... treble fingering AND bass clef. I can handle on or the other - not both!

*one

Yes Waffle, it wasn't easy from that point of view. Especially as treble got neglected a lot in recent months. But as a piano player it was easier for her than for some of the others players
I think I read that some tenors are easier than others, stretchy wise. I can't remember which one we went for in the end ( I mean I know which one I bought but I can't remember whether that one is the one that was more stretchy or less stretchy than the other one).

I will look into the sopranino, even though she has never tried that one....

I can't keep up with the pace this thread is moving at!

Waffle DD2 went back to school on Monday and DD1 went back today straight into a week and a half of exams

DD1 got her Grade 7 oboe result - Merit. Considering that the accompanist forgot to turn up and her teacher ended up accompanying at the last minute, I think that was the best she could have done. Onwards and upwards! Likely to do Grade 7 sax in December, but she is not in any rush to do Grade 8.

Regarding listening to pieces on YouTube, DD2's teacher encourages it, mainly to work out how it sounds with piano accompaniment, particularly with pieces with tricky entries. We don't have much chance for DD to play with the piano, so this can be invaluable.

Still trying to make the decision on which bassoon to buy. They are both with her teacher at the moment. They sound very similar when DD plays them, but there is a difference when the teacher plays them. Why did we let her take up such an expensive instrument? Madness!

Very well done to your DD1 Double. A very stressful sitting for her but she showed real guts to get through it so well!

Finally caught up again !!
Waffle as we were driving through Somerset yesterday I did wonder why a staff car park was full - i thought they were all a bit keen working in the holidays - now I know why !!

Polly glad it's not just ds's teacher who has this approach. Ds is enjoying nco though had a wobble midweek ( v tired I think and has had to learn how to play a piccolo trumpet just for the concert !!!) . Some of the music is v high ( way beyond anything even these 12 and 13 year olds will encounter often) but Ds does like a challenge !! The composition has gone down very well , though they haven't all done it Ds is doing this instead of playing one of the pieces - I did wonder how they were going to fit it all in

Ilove good luck with the exam next week

Double congratulations to dd 1 that's a great result - especially given the circumstances
Double is it definitely between these 2 bassoons then? I only ask because ds's teacher for a long time said that there was no point in ds upgrading because he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between different trumpets yet. in fact Ds couldn't tell a lot of difference between his and his teachers Yamaha when he'd tried . Then his teacher found " the trumpet" Ds has fallen in love with it - he has it on loan this week for nco - and could instantly tell the difference between this and his Yamaha one. This wasn't a new trumpet though and I think that also can make a massive difference - someone else had already played it in . I guess you should be guided by the teacher on this one - I wouldn't even know where to start buying trumpets and I imagine Ds will also want a piccolo one now !!

Trumpet we spent 5 hours with dd’s teacher trying out well over a dozen bassoons, both new and used. There were definite differences between them all that we could all hear. A long process of elimination followed due to a combination of sound and how that sound was produced. Some you could see required so much more effort to play and these two were a combination of a great sound and less effort/more comfort. She is very slight and the teacher had thought this make might suit her right from the start of the process. One of the two was the first one she tried!

double isn’t that always the way when you’re buying anything from shoes to a car or bassoon!

waffle we went back on Tuesday but it’s just our part of the county. Everyone back home is still off. There’s people who’ve got one kid at school and one off!

We have that here too crazy as we have some of the secondary schools off this week when the primary schools have gone back.

Double it's never simple is it - I bet it ends up being the first one she tried - exciting though ( although I also find this sort of stuff overwhelming as it always costs such a lot of money and our dcs are still so young to be making these decisions !!)

Trumpet, the difficultly is that she’s Grade 7+ at the age of 11 and the instruments are all so expensive that there is no sense in getting a student model and changing later. She gets a great sound out of both, but one has more scope as she grows and develops.

We've just trombone shopped for 'the' trombone. Our school also doesn't start until next week, so it can't be ordered until then, we are buying through AIPS. Very frustrating, finance is in but only doing essential work in the holidays!

DS is switching from small to large bore with it though so am fingers crossed it will be ok.

crazy I thought your Mini was back, but how weird about being the only part of the county!

We had to choose Goo an expensive flute at 11. It was daunting, and then the staff at Packer's told me that if she plans to go all the way, it won't even end up being her forever flute, and that she'll be upgrading again at music college, aargh! This one cost about £1000. She won't go to music college, but might well upgrade anyway. She can buy it!

No it's difficult double . Ds got an intermediate trumpet at your dds age - he hadn't been playing long and was less advanced than your dd . It makes a great sound and his teacher didn't want us to spend full whack on a custom made as he's still growing and if he does lots of big band/ jazz playing he will need a very different instrument to one played in an orchestra. He had ageeed in the sense of waiting and then this trumpet turned up . It makes a lovely sound but because it's not new it was a good price which leaves us scope to upgrade or get a very different type of instrument later on. As they are so expensive I guess it might be sensible to buy the one which will offer more scope - good luck . Hope your Ds enjoys his new trombone raspberry

Waffle I'm definitely hoping that this trumpet will last him till at least music college if he goes . The trumpet player who bought it originally bought it to play at college ( and beyond) not sure what he plays now - though apparently he's the guy to go to for piccolo trumpet lessons so maybe we will have the chance to find out !!

This will be a ‘forever’ instrument Waffle - unless she goes down the professional route and decides that she has to have a Heckel - in which case she’ll have to buy it herself and will never be able to afford a house!

This one was meant to be... until they cheerfully informed me that it might not be! Aargh!

Ds wind band teacher says you can tell a professional muscician by the rubbish car filled with expensive instruments that cost more than the car itself

Funny you should say that, Trumpet.

lol! reminded me of this....

will never be able to afford a house
Bassoon must be seriously seriously expensive!!

I totally agree going for something that offers more scope would be a lot more sensible for some DCs even though it may look too much to spend for someone so young. We are looking for a full sized violin for DS and it could be his forever violin unless he decides to go for something fancier (but then he's got to buy it himself) or decides to take violin even more seriously so a better one is required (in which case we will prob help him to top up the capital).

Rubbish car & expensive instruments!

waffke

Not waffke , waffle !!

Ladies tonight you will see how awesome percussion can be! I hope your children don't ask for huge noisy instruments afterwards! #BBCYM