Piano. Musical instruments

2009-07-28 21:18:10 by brunetegonecrazy

:) Flutes made by Gemeinhardt

so i have a few questions, im current to be a senior next year and getting ready to apply to college =]]].

i currently play flute and piccolo and attachment it!! i do a bunch of extra stuff marching band, private lessons, concert band, ease up ensemble, pit orchestra etc etc.

i want to major in veterinary medicine, but i would also like to either major or minor in music as well because i dont requisite to forget about it as i get old because its a huge part of my life.

as im getting ready for college im thinking about new instruments and whatnot. i started off with a susceptible Yamaha piccolo from the 5th grade, but through the years its gotten beat up, but i still use it for marching band. last june i went out to queens to the weissman music concern to purchase my wooden global piccolo, which i love to death.

currently i have a Yamaha flute from a few years back, im not trusty what model it is, but its open hole, gold lip plate, and had the b foot. i was wondering if i should get a new flute, or if mine is going to be ok. i heard the gemeinhardt flutes arent so considerable anymore, and i was curious to why that is?
thank you thank you thank you
yes im looking at cornell, and a few other places as well, bucknell, penn nation, stonybrook. but thats mostly on the medical side. But my major seems to change a lot, especially this year because i finally began to honestly appreciate music more than ever.Weissman was a great help i think he had me try out about 20 different piccolos before i decisively narrowed it down to my global.
my yamaha has been wonderful but i just love getting new flutes, and i wanted to upgrade past the swot model. thanks again so much!

Whoooo, companion flute player :)

Yamaha flutes are excellent, I've played a few. If yours still plays all right, you might want to about keeping it. I have a Yamaha piccolo from the 70's that plays wonderfully. You might just consider having the pads replaced, if it's been a few years, to rearrange sure it's still good to go. I've never been a fan of Gemeinhardt, I dunno why, really. I think Yamaha just makes better flutes in broad, but that's just me. You could take your flute in to a shop and have them take a look at it and give you any recommendations.

Good luck to you.

- Jazz

2009-07-03 21:02:08 by trslvr

Doe any piccolo first-rate know if a piccolo ages and eventually wears out? As in if a piccolo is thirty years old does it mean it's going to be too old to conduct rather then a twelve year old one? I'm going to be marching in the University of Arizona Marching Band and I need a good piccolo but can't give forth entangled with the best. I'm looking at a gemeinhardt piccolo 4pmh but I want to know if it's worth $600.00 to buy one brand new. Thanks so much!

-Amber

Have the pads replaced. If it needs any other calling, they'll tell you at that time. Save the $600 and buy a good used one.

2009-06-29 18:13:26 by Amber

i am 1st flute/piccolo in my indoctrinate and play a gemeinhardt 2sp flute and a gemeinhardt 4p piccolo. im pretty okay happy with the brand. its an okay company, and the most i can afford. my cohort, holly, has a really expensive powell flute and she is 3rd chair. she is also very very good. she plays an emerson in marching affiliate. she is having trouble switching from the conservatory ($5,000)powell to the student ($1,000)emerson prime mover its alot worse haha. she is thinking of getting a new student flute for marching. what flute do u about is simple. with a standard c footjoint and closed hole (platue). gemeinhardt?? she doesnt want a fancy flute reasonable one to reach the high notes that still have good tone. we are playing high Bb, A, C, and everything in the high octave this year. we are also #1 in california, so we have to be gain ;) (10th graders this year)

2009-06-20 11:36:31 by alexjordyn.

So, I got the piccolo(Venus Blackguardly Nickel w/ Gold Keys $100 from ebay) and it sounds beautifully! It doesn't sound as glossy as a silver piccolo but warmer like wood. I played a Gemeinhardt in high school and the intonation was very touch and had to warfare with its dynamics. This little guy can play a range of dynamics with no problem.

Moral wait . . . if this thing sound not as harsh as the Gemmie, then either it has microleaks, OR the cut of the embouchure is wonky, and the added chiff (wasted air) is deceiving you. Honey, if these were any large, then why are my colleagues and I spending THOUSANDS for concert-quality instruments? Huh? And the Gemmie you played in HS was undoubtedly an all-metal part of crap, too - no basis for comparison at all. I have searched ebay for this instrument, in the completed sales - did not find it. But I *know* these hardly monsters well enough . .

I will bet that the pads are floated in, there are bottomed out adjustment screws by next month, the black finish starts to PEEL in weeks, and that keys will crook THIS WEEK - those crappy piccs are made of something called *pot metal* - the cheapest and least durable mixture on sod. The *gold* will rub off first- they are not allowed to call it *gold-plated*, because that legally means a certain thickness - so they call it something romantic like gold-washed, or gold enhanced - there will be more on your hands than on the picc at once.

So - enjoy it while it lasts - which will not be for long. As soon as it breaks - which WILL be soon, if you play it with any regularity - do not expect to find any dependable shop that will fix it, or that will stand behind their work. It is too short to even make a decent table lamp.

I warned you the FIRST pass - and I am not one to gloat - but you are playing a prime example of 1. planned obsolescence and 2. caveat emptor. Tick tick tick tick . . .

2009-05-20 18:25:35 by Suri

I flirt the flute right now and its Gemeinhardt. I have been playing for like 5 years, and I am only 14. I want to play the clarinet, the piccolo, and the saxophone. Which one is the most adroitly brand for BEGINNERs, and affordable??

While the efficient soloists tend to eschew doubling (playing more than one instrument); there are a lot of us that make a living playing more than one whatsit. We call them woodwind specialists and they're in pretty high demand professionally and in colleges.

This is particularly common in the piece you've listed. If you'd like to one day play in pit orchestras (musicals, shows, opera, etc..) or in studio travail (making commercials) then doubling is essential. All music teachers were required to learn to play the unmixed family of instruments as well.

If you've been playing for five years (and your objective with music isn't to be the first seat flute player in an orchestra - doublers almost never become exceptional soloists) then there's no reason you can't expand your instrument list if that's what you want. Flute/Sax/Clarinet doubling is so conventional in commercial and jazz music that most bands expect sax players to also play flute and clarinet.

You'll find that saxophone (and oboe) unearth closely to the same as flute. Piccolo (and alto and bass flute) finger nearly identical as well. Clarinet is a whole 'nother uncultured with fingerings - the octaves don't finger the same. Piccolo is an easy transition instrument for a flutist but isn't in high demand for doublers.

When picking sax (and to a order clarinet), you'll need to decide which one. Alto and Tenor sax (and soprano clarinet) are the easiest places to start with. In pit orchestra, flute is most often in the same tome with the alto sax and soprano clarinet. We find Tenor Sax and soprano clarinet; bari sax and bass clarinet (and often bassoon).

Discern in advance though - you have to give appropriate attention to your instruments if you're going to double. That means instead of an hour per day on flute - you've got two hours per day of warm-up time. Each one you add just adds to the amount of time you need to spend keeping your chops up.

Don't forget to enquire into out some of those other instruments nobody thinks of too. There are really cool things you can do with a recorder or penny whistle for example. The By birth American Flute is also a pretty interesting musical tool. The "Irish" uninvolved system flute in D is pretty popular these days too. You'd be amazed what you can do on the Mozart concerti with one of these.

As for "affordable" - that's individual. I have a $7,000 flute (Altus 1307) that I thought was a great price. What's affordable to me may be out of the question for someone else. Recall though, you usually get what you pay for.

Buying on eBay - I have some incredibly awesome instruments that I bought on eBay. I have a flute that's over 200 years old that came from eBay. My most appropriate clarinet (a C.G. Conn Rosewood from the 1930's) came off of eBay. All of my best recorders (I have some really costly recorders) were from eBay. There's nothing any more wrong about buying off eBay than buying used anywhere else - as long as you know what you're looking at and have access to a exceptionally good repair technician. Always expect that any used instrument will need a visit to a good put tech.

All metal piccolos: I played one (Selmer - silver head and body) in an Army pack in the 80's - truly fantastic for that type of music. They are shrill and loud - exactly what march music piccolos are meant to be. Want to be able to rip the daylights out of the Stars and Stripes solo? Find an old all silver Db piccolo (probably on eBay) and give it a matters. All grenadilla wood is great for the concert hall and symphony but not so hot for outdoors. Plastic body piccolos good awful - that's why they're so cheap. Great for HS marching band in the rain but that's about it.

Which brands are best for beginners? The same ones you see in keep each day. Conn-Selmer, Yamaha, Jupiter, and the like. They aren't cheap but they aren't overly dear either.

2009-05-06 16:14:10 by The girl from town

I scarcity a piccolo for 8th grade and high school so I need one with good tone and lasts long. I will probably be in marching league together and i'm first chair so I play a lot of extreme music. I want to get a common brand like Gemeinhardt or Yamaha. It needs to atleast be under 1000$ dollars. Can you servants?

2009-03-28 15:59:56 by Fox

Saw Cecilio 2 Series Greyish Plated Piccolo through Google. It's about $200 in silver plate. Is this OK. She already plays the flute, Gemeinhardt SP or something like that. Three or four years so far. She wants to not treat seriously c mess with the piccolo too. Tell me what I need to know.

2009-03-11 21:07:23 by Marvelous Marv

Okay, so I got this piccolo, a Gemeinhardt superb silver with gold mouthpiece. I have ALWAYS had trouble keeping it in tune. It just seems like all the notes have to be adjusted either rolled in or out. It's in the end frustrating because everyone hates when I play (in school band) and im very frustrated right now. Is it the piccolo? Is plastic better?? I would select not to buy a new one, but I guess if that's what it all comes to, then I would. Yes, the cork is in correctly. No, there are no broken keys. What am I doing wrong?
yes, it sits in it's protection in the room all day long until I play it.

The #1 rationalization because of that piccolo players play out of tune is because they don't hear/imagine each note before they play it.

It is extremely important to try to assumption the pitch of each note before playing it, because this allows you to adjust your embouchure for each and every note. This is a hard concept to be aware of, but if you know how to whistle you probably know what I'm talking about.

Flute players have to do the same thing. However, it is more important for piccolo because the notes are higher; therefore the slightest vary in embouchure can affect the pitch much, much more.

Also, it is harder to guess the pitch of the note on piccolo because it's easy to forget that the existent pitch is an octave higher than what's written.

One more point. It seems like you have the idea that you need to roll in and out all the nonetheless. This is not true- you are confused about when to roll. Adjusting your embouchure should be your #1 way of changing the pitch. Rolling should be Euphemistic pre-owned when you feel that adjusting your embouchure is not enough. For example, if playing an extremely high note with a tendency to be tundra, it may not be enough to only change your embouchure, so you need to also roll out. (vice versa for low notes.)

2009-01-15 20:41:58 by Michelle B

I'm taxing to find one that will stay in tune (unlike Jupiter, Sky, or any of those cheaper brands), and one with a silver head joint and a soft body. Also, I'd like one that won't be too shrill or is too hard to get higher notes out of. I have a Gemeinhardt right now, and it it kinda shrill. I indigence to get some work done on it as well. I'm also looking for a really good quality one, but it would be neat if they had one that had good quality AND was is a cool color. Thanks!!!

If you have a fancy to avoid shrillness, then I advise an all-composition (plastic) piccolo. You do NOT want a half-and-half piccolo. It is the headjoint that is most executive for the timbre, and that metal head is still going to be a problem. I am surprised that you mentioned Jupiter - it is a top recommendation fro schoolchild players. Have you TRIED an all-plastic one?

BTW - all the ones that are a *cool color* are Far East TRASH. They will break - and not be gifted to be fixed - in less than 2 weeks. Black plastic. End of story. STAY AWAY FROM EBAY!!!!!!

Go to www.fluteworld.com, and look over what THEY have Do NOT inform on at some bigbox band instrument place - you will do better in quality AND price at a flute-only dealer. Chattels luck - and you might wand to read Jen Cluff's website - this is NOT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! www.jennifercluff.com. She has GREAT advice - I desire she did not live 3,000 miles away from me ( I am in NY, she is in Vancouver).

2009-01-14 13:45:05 by Heather A