Of all the instruments laid out on display, only one caught my attention. I was thirteen at the time, and naturally, my eye was drawn to the shiniest of the group. I had never heard the sound of a flute before, aside from the cheap imitation of one on my family’s electronic keyboard. Nevertheless, I picked the pretty, gleaming, easy-to-carry flute on that first day of band class. Three years later, I can’t imagine playing anything else. What started off as blind luck and an attraction to shiny objects is now a part of my life. Playing an instrument is always a worthwhile investment; you develop a skill that many people only wish they had, you have opportunities to meet other musicians, and you may even get to travel in a band setting. But in order to reap the benefits, you first have to learn how to play.
Whether you pick the flute as your instrument of choice because it produces your favorite sound, looks easier to transport than a tuba, or simply because it’s shiny, you will have to decide how to buy. There are a variety of reputable brands to choose from, but not all make durable, high-quality flutes. It will be tempting to go for a cheaper model, but in many cases, you will be sacrificing quality. There is a surprising amount of engineering that goes into the making of one instrument. Each hole must be placed precisely, otherwise the tone is distorted. Often, cheaper flutes skip steps in engineering, or are made with shoddy materials that either bend or break too easily (Duncan). While you should not compromise a good brand name for cost, beginning flutists can get away with buying a student flute. Student flutes differ from professional flutes in that professional flutes are open-holed. Rather than having so...
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... pitch, and embouchure. It’s merely the mastery of these three principles that requires practice and patience. The reward is understanding how to play what is, in my opinion, the most beautiful of band instruments. The enemy is discouragement. Yet as Amy Duncan, my unintentionally-inspirational band teacher director, would say, “Every wrong note you play is behind you. Music is in time, and time never stops. It always moves forward.”
Works Cited
Duncan, Amy. Personal interview. 15 Sept. 2011.
Estrella, Espie. “Parts of the Flute.” About.com. About.com, 2011. Web. 8 Sep. 2011.
Fingering and Acoustic Schematic. n.d. Diagram. University of New South Wales, Faculty of Science. Academic Press, 2001. Web. 13 Sept. 2011.
Garner, Bradley. “The Flute Embouchure.” Texas Bandmasters Association. Texas Bandmasters Association, 2007. Web. 8 Sep. 2011.
The head joint of the Western concert flute contains the mouthpiece, lip-plate and the blow hole. There are no keys on the joint of the flute. The mouthpiece consists of the lip-plate and an oval hole in the center of the plate. Lip-plates are also commonly referred to as embouchure plates. Larger blow holes will produce deeper, richer tones, while small blow holes produce sharper,
...se on both the tenor and alto flute, one an octave higher than the other. While the return of the verse and the flute’s soothing sound give this ending a vague happy feeling, the contrast between the flutes’ pitches and timbres cannot help but leave the listener with a feeling of tension and apprehension over what will ensue.
Wolfe, Joe. "How Do Woodwind Instruments Work?." Music Acoustics. 1994. 2014. Web. April 13, 2014. .
Active music – Active music is the conception of live music by the patient, including instrument playing and music lessons. By doing this, the patient’s self-esteem i...
George Helmholtz, as the head of the music department at Lincoln High School, is very determined with his regular students and the gifted musicians of the band. Each semester and year at school he dreams of “leading as fine a band as there was on the face of the earth. And each year it came true”. His certainty that it was true was because he believed there was no greater dream than his. His students were just as confident and in response, they played their hearts out for them. Even the students with “no talent played on guts alone” for Helmholtz.
I have chosen to write this essay on the drum kit, which is an instrument that I play myself. The drum is one of the oldest instruments known to man and has been used by many cultures around the world. Primitive tribal societies used drums to celebrate victory in battle as well as in ritual dance and worship to the deities. The drum kit (also known as the drum set or trap set), however, is an American invention whose rise was seen in the late 19th century. This is an instrument that has taken the work of several percussionists and turned it into something that can be mastered by one; a phenomenal contraption that has only gotten better with time and continues to develop over the years.
The history of the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble will be reflected through a timeline of events, including an analysis of significant events, groups, composers, and advancements. When society envisions a Wind Ensemble, talented musicians, grand music halls, and difficult arrangements typically come to mind. However, a modern-day Wind Ensemble includes a variety of musicians, each with positive and negative aspects. In society today, music is greatly appreciated and accepted. It is considered an honor and a privilege to expose our ears to the music.
What can appear to gleam and reflect such beauty and craftsmanship yet can be handled by a three year old. It’s sound so pure by a touch of a finger has been in existence for well over a hundred years and is the foundation for creating music. It’s black and white keys produce sounds when played correctly that can bring tears to one’s eyes, touch your heart and soul, bring hope, or even joy and laughter to an event. All of this power… lies in the piano. The piano from its creation to this very second had transformed the world of music no matter what class, talent, and ability.
The new era in plectral instruments began in Iberia, Spain in the mid 15th century with the creation of the vihuela (Bellow). The vihuela was practically a flat backed lute with six paired strings, which were most commonly plucked at the same time. Since there was no machined production at the time, many vihuelas were unique to whoever built them, the number of sound ports, shape, or neck varied. However, a majority of them had the same build and concept of a modern guitar. These were the one of the first instrument to feature...
The clarinet is a woodwind instrament consisting of a cylindrical wood, metal, or ebonite pipe with a bell-shaped opening at one end and a mouthpiece at the other end, to which a thin reed is attached. The clarinet has five different sections, the mouthpiece, the barrel, the upper section, the lower section, and the bell. The length of the entire instrument is 60 cm long. The mouthpiece section consists of a slotted cylinder, to which a reed is attached by a metal clamp called a ligature. The mouthpiece plugs into the next section which is a barrel. The barrel is simply a connecting cylinder to which the mouthpiece and the upper section plugs into. The upper section is a cylindrical pipe consisting of 4 holes and 9 keys placed in different locations along the pipe. On the back of the pipe there is a hole and a key that is used by the thumb. The lower section plugs into the upper section and is also connected via a special bridge key. This piece consists of 3 holes and 8 keys. On the inward facing side of the pipe, there is a protruding piece of metal called a thumb rest, which supports the entire clarinet. The bell plugs into the lower section. It consists of a cylinder that flares out into a bell shape and ends the clarinet.
In 1927, Edgar Istel wrote an article on Mozart 's opera The Magic Flute that stated "The Magic Flute represented his [Mozart 's] highest achievement in the realm of German opera." (Istel, 1927). This statement deemed The Magic Flute more powerful than his earlier works Don Giovanni, Cosi Fan Tutte, and Tito which were all set in an Italian opera style. Istel also states, "(…) he succeeded, in truly Shakespearian fashion, in combining into a complete picture of most unique sort the elements of comedy with those deeper emotions whose impress the chastening influence of time had left on his own nature" (Istel, 1927); subsequently, telling us that the Shakespearian influence seen in Mozart 's work was one that has gone appreciated for
A clarinet is a woodwind instrument. Most clarinets are made of wood. The instrument consists of a tube with a mouthpiece at one end and a bell-shaped opening at the other end. A clarinet has open tone holes and other holes covered by small metal levers called keys. The musician places his or her fingertips on the holes and keys and blows on a flat cane reed attached to the mouthpiece. The reed vibrates, producing a full, rich tone. The musician plays different notes by covering or uncovering various holes. Clarinets are manufactured in five pitches. The B-flat soprano clarinet is the most popular.
Richard W. Payne, M.D. "The Plains Flute",The Flutists Quarterly, 1988, Vol. 13, no.4, The National Flute Association, Ind. Ann Arbor MI.
In Medieval (1100 to 1450), the size of Pipe Organ’s keys is very big and people was only be able to play diatonic notes which is known as the white notes on current keyboard today. Until the mid of 15th century, the Organs were developed and allowed people to play both diatonic notes and chromatic notes (the notes is similar to the black keys of current keyboard nowadays). In the Renaissance (1450 to 1600), around in the year of 1500, It is easy for people to play these organs because the size of keys were also decreased. Moreover, at this time, in the north of Germany, Pipe Organ is stepped into a new stage because it was developed to have all the basic characteristics similar to the current ones. Until the Baroque period (1600 to 1750), it is known as a golden age of building organs, the Builders such as Jasper Johannsen, Zacharias Hildebrandt and Gottfried Silbermann are famous constructer who created beautiful sound for people. In the early in Romantic period, when the orchestra Music is in common in human lives, Pipe organs were out of having deep affection to the people, because of an appearance of reed organs which is smaller, more convenient, especially, the price of this Organs also less
However I did not have a big problem being in that class, the only issue was there were no instrument like a keyboard piano. The instrument that I picked was the brass flute since it looked easy to learn. As I continued to practice playing the flute in my Beginning Band class and rehearse after school, I mastered to which keys to press and how to blow properly in the riser. To be able to play at a slow tempo, regular tempo, and swift tempo. As matter of fact, I also learned to work well and play all together with my classmates and my flute partner, Robbie Lee. From being in this class, My Beginning Band has taught me skills of playing an instrument besides a keyboard piano and gave me more knowledge about music. Somehow being in that class, it inspired me to teach myself to sing well and show people that I do not just draw, but that I know how to sing and