Typically, soprano clarinets include six pieces: a ligature, the mouthpiece, the barrel, two body pieces with the keys on them, and the bell at the end. A reed is attached to the mouthpiece by the ligature and forms the basis of the sound making apparatus.
Studies have shown that the strings of the first violins were actually made of sheep gut, which is commonly referred to as catgut. The gut was stretched, properly dried and then twisted before being attached to the violin.
Famous drummer for Def Leppard, Rick Allen, had a tragic loss of his arm in a car crash during the eighties, but this did not deter him at all. In an inspiring feat he kept drumming, learning to fill with his feet and programmed drum lines, which can be heard in the album “Pyromania”.
When you are practicing the drums, you should spend half of your time on the full drum set, and the other half on a practice pad. The benefit of this is that you are forced to develop your stick control when using the pad.
Did you know that, by taking music lessons and learning an instrument, you are making it possible for you to later learn another one? Much like with language learning, mastering one instrument makes it much easier to pick up another one.
Beginners may start to form the bad habit of leaving their reeds inside their mouthpieces after practice. This is not only a surefire way to ruin the reed, it also means you haven’t cleaned your mouthpiece and you’re leaving millions of filthy germs to grow in time for your next rehearsal.
If your child is taking music lessons, they likely have been assigned a certain amount of practice time to do at home. You can help make their weekly practice fun by creating a reward chart, where practicing regularly earns them something they want, like a toy or a trip to get ice cream.
Have you reached a plateau in your ability to play your woodwind instrument? Fortunately, you don’t have to live with it. An experienced teacher will be able to give you the techniques to help get your ability to the next level.
A study by the University of Wisconsin showed that kids in preschool who were taking piano lessons scored 34 percent higher on various standardized tests, particularly in the area of math, science, and engineering.
Try to set aside at least 30 minutes a day for a complete practice session with your musical instrument. The first 5 minutes is for warm-ups and the last 5 minutes is for cool downs. Playing a musical instrument, especially if you are part of an orchestra, is a lot like playing a team sport!
Playing any musical instrument requires the use of your hands. Finger exercises and other forms of warm-ups are important to be a good player. More than that, it will make your hands and fingers more flexible and reduce the risk of injury.
Many people don’t realize it, but playing the drums is actually great exercise. With drumming, you are required to move all of your body parts as you play, enabling the building of muscle and cardiovascular conditioning as well.
Learning to play a musical instrument is much the same as learning to type correctly. While you can type words without using the correct hand and finger positions, it will ultimately hinder your development and limit your speed.
The smallest replica guitar was carved from a block of silicon and measured ten micrometers long or 1/20 the thickness of a human hair! It was made in 1997 by scientists at the Cornell University, New York.
Fretz Music Center has mandolins and banjos !
It is important for new students studying the piano to remember that the keys of a piano are not the notes. In fact, as students soon come to realize this, any key on a piano can play a number of notes.
Made by renowned violin maker Guiseppe Guarneri del Jesu in 1741, the “Vieuxtemps Guarneri” holds the record for being the world’s most expensive violin. Purchased anonymously for $16 million in 2012, the instrument was donated to Anne Akiko Meyers.
Whether you’re part of a jazz ensemble in the park or you’re playing on the street corner, sometimes you want everybody to hear you. With a crystal mouthpiece, one of the softest mouthpieces, your instrument’s projection will be increased greatly and more people will get to hear your wonderful music.
Did you know the violin has remained pretty much the same since its creation in the 1500s? However, while the violin has seen very little visual change, it has had some slight structural changes for sound enhancement and broader range capacity.
Does your child have trouble staying focused for more than a few minutes? Piano lessons require intense focus and concentration throughout the lesson - something a child can then apply to school settings.
Cuba gives us the conga, or tumbadora. The conga is a tall, narrow drum with a drumhead on one end. Influenced by African drums, congas are different in that they are made of staves, like a barrel.
When you learn to play the guitar or other instrument, you automatically join a new social group filled with guitar players and musicians in general. This can be beneficial, particularly for people who find that making new friends can sometimes be difficult.
