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

[CruCru]

Hi all

Here is the new music thread for January - I hope no one minds me starting it.

I am mum to a son (7) who is learning the piano and trumpet and a daughter (5) who is learning the piano and violin. I am having piano lessons and played the trumpet as a child.

Some of the people on these threads (and their children) are fantastic musicians. Some are more like me. All are welcome.

Thank you to Wafflenose for all the time she has spent managing these threads.

@luckyfab well, I thought it was amazing as a production. I can't say I loved the music with the exception of the main one that the folk ensemble performed (Roots). Definitely not my cup of tea! However, hats off to everyone for pulling together such a huge number of kids and making it all work so impressively. My boys had solos which was really cool - who gets to say they did that on the RAH stage?? I thought the youth orchestra was very impressive too.

We survived the clarinet exam! Three weeks till the next one... Good luck to woolley third and anyone else with exams coming up

I lurk on this thread. Dd is about to embark on a frankly bonkers couple of weeks. Woodwind exam (grade 1; only started 12 mo ago!), specialist school audition (eeeek), music festival, band concert, strings concert. None stop!

Good luck 4strings- hope the audition goes well!

Thanks - what will be will be!

Good luck to all those in the throws of exams and auditions.

Things are fairly quiet here, and practise happend this morning with only one meltdown. Dd2 has been given a piece to play which is basically the Grand old duke of York in 6/8 time, and being very familiar with the march time original dd2 went dramatically to pieces. Total crisis was averted with humour; this duke is clearly dancing his men to the top of the hill and in the mangled version she's been producing all week (while yelling that of course she's got it right ) the duke was clearly drunk

Cripes 4strings, can she at least re-use some pieces between different engagements?
mending, at the drunk duke dancing up the hill. The yelling sounds familiar somehow. ("WHAT?? There was nothing wrong with it!!!" - DS)

Good luck to all those preparing for exams and auditions.

I am in search of humidifier for DS's violin case. Initially I ordered Stretto but It didn't fit well in his compact Gewa Air. So I am thinking to get a tube thing instead. However, there seem to be quite a gap in price between Dampit and other brands - Dampit is around £20 but others are around £10 and some are considerably cheaper than £10. Is there any reason for this? Should I get Dampit assuming it's better in quality? Or it doesn't matter so I can go for any cheaper one?

The other thing bothering me is whether it's safe enough to put a thing inside the violin.... I picked Stretto at first because it wouldn't touch the instrument. I felt a lot safer this way. Is there anyone using a tube type? Any caution or advice to share...?

Any thought to share would be very much appreciated!

We’re treating the festival as essentially a warm up for the audition so are definitely going to be recycling repertoire!!

Not sure about humidifiers neleus but you've just reminded me dd1s teacher said she should have one last week.... i will start investigating now

Mending, so you are with me for this journey then. I've ordered Dampit already. Do you have a hygrometer? We have one. It's placed in the room where DS leaves his violin (in a case). It indicates the room isn't that dry so we don't need a humidifier usually. I am thinking to use it for travelling mostly.

Good luck to everyone with exams!
I have some one with lices and nits so the whole morning the whole family was on hygienic session including stupid thing as hovering the violin bow hair. Everything else was almost boiled and we were all sitting in the bathroom waiting for the 15-20mins cured with the special shampoo. Its rather disgusting!!!

Other than that then 11yrs old is on G7 violin and G8 piano exams this coming summer term, she has picked the pieces and for some reasons the scales dont look too scarily. The nearly 5yrs old could play “twinkle twinkle” after a week by reading the music herself, she is now learning to hold bow and starting on couple of scales. Our piano teacher mentioned that she could start now and he would just increase the current 1hr fee a little for an extra 30mins. I want to delay it till September once she is 5.5 though, I still think its too early.

Dd has just had a session with an accompanist who thought she was 15/16 due to the maturity of her sound. She’s 11!!!

Hi minisnowballs,

We got this bow at Grade 2 to replace a poor bow and his teacher was pleased with the quality of it:

Carbon Fibre 1/2 size cello bow from Amazon

For film themes, we've had good use of:
Classic Movie Instrumental Solos for Strings: Cello (Book & CD) (Pop Instrumental Solo) It has a good variety including some that are easy. It includes Hedwig's Theme which turns up as a grade 3 exam piece.

Greenleaves, don't worry about the age thing. Everyone develops differently and some are ready at 8 and some are at 2 (yes, really). I would get a cue for when to start from how she is rather than her age.

4strings, if she is aiming at specialist school, having mature tones is so positive. Often it's more important than how advanced her pieces are.

In my post above the cello book recommendation was for KittyOSullivanKrauss

Do you think so Neleus? My elder started at 5.5 and I think it was too young(she spent first 2 years rolling around during lessons). However to be honest, my second appears much more matured compare to her elder sister. She sings non-stop. She appears so much more musical compare to her elder sister, could be because hearing and seeing her sister playing since young age.

4strings, you must be a very proud mama! My 11 yrs old still needs nags to remember her practice.

Greenleave, once again everyone develops differently so just because the older one wasn't ready at 5, it doesn't mean the younger one would be the same. I understand if you want to delay for logistic reasons but if you are delaying because of her age then I would say forget about age but see how she is.

Re, g8 piano scales, interestingly DS was the same. He'd been playing grade 8 scales already when he took grade 7 that may have made grade 7 scales easier to handle. But actually, grade 5 scales were more overwhelming than grade 7 and 8 for DS. Maybe the sudden increase of the volume (he skipped grade 4). After grade 5, somehow scales got easier. Not sure about violin as he only took grade 8 for that one.

Mine hates piano scales with passions, she knows she has to do it though. The G7 piano scales wasnt too bad agreed however, and yes, we have the same issue with g5 scales. For some reasons, she has never complained about violin scales though or not nearly as much. I dont know if there is a difference. I really want my second to learn different instruments however the cost savings and logistics work so well for both of the current instruments so I might just stick to violin and piano for the second too.(both teachers come to our house and we do combined lesson: £50/hour or £65 for 1.5hour). I dont aim for music school or musical route, just hope they enjoy and play at high level for pleasure.

I am with you Greenleave. It got easier after grade 5 but I didn't say it got enjoyable. I have only one child but if I had another I would be tempted to introduce different instruments, celo or something. But I understand it only adds unwelcoming complication!

I dont aim for music school or musical route, just hope they enjoy and play at high level for pleasure
To be honest, aiming specialist education or professional career in music are a rare thing, even here on this music thread. Most people enjoy their musical journey for pure pleasure (or some sort of ticking a box as part of education). In some way it's better that way....

Violin scales are easier - less different fingerings!

I just want to come on here and report with glee that dd did cello practice today without tears!!
She’s been so wobbly about her cello for the last few weeks as she’s finding it rather tricky (a first for her - she normally picks things up very quickly!). I’ve had to do a lot of active parenting over it and I’m hoping we’re over the worst. For now....
She’s working towards her grade 2 (1/2 term in) and has now been having individual lessons for nearly a year so fingers crossed she starts feeling a bit more confident soon!
Well done for all those taking exams. DD has g3 piano at the end of this term and we’re pretty much there - she’s much more confident with that!

And thanks also to the pp who recommended the cello book to a different poster - I may order it for dd!

Yay to happy practice QueenMabby!
I was also going to agree greenleave, age is no reason not to play if they seem ready. I might give it a small gap from starting violin though - partly because 0 to 2 practices a day is a jump, partly because the finger numbering is different and I'd want to get violin numbering firmly established before mixing in piano numbering.