Calling All Musicians!

[dancer001]

I love the oboe...it's my non-orchestra instrument along with the bassoon.

I play violin, and maybe a tinee bit of piano xD. For vibrato, I would ay to practice just keeping a finger in one spot and wiggling your hand around, but to me it just came. I don't remember much about it xD
Last year in orchestra, I was a 2nd violin, and this year I'm in 1st. And honestly, in my school, there are too many violins. Over 50% I would say of my school's Advanced Orchestra (which I'm in).

Yeah, practice and me in the sentence...yeah. I'm not bad, considering that I never practice(I've made it up to the 6th Suzuki book), but it really sucks for skills like vibrato. I can do very little like on the C-string or something, but otherwise...

I always sit 1st chair in my orchestra because there are only two cellist, haha.

Well, our seventh grade orchestra only has 10 musicians in it. Two cellos and 8 violins. No viola, no bass. It's really kind of sad. I'm first stand though! We don't have chairs, we have stands.

My orchestra teacher told us that cello vibrato is easier than violin/viola vibrato. The orchestra sounds weird at the moment because our cellos vibrato on everything and the only violin who knows how to vibrato is my stand partner, and she can only do a first and low second finger in vibrato.

How long have you been playing cello asiandragon?

[Nyhne]

Yeah, we're lucky that we have a relativly well-balanced orchestra in my grade. ^ ^

And yes, cello vibrato is easier than the higher-stringed instruments, but it comes easily to some people, and to others it doesn't. Unfortunatly, it doesn't come easily to me, nor to I practice, haha. Hmmm, that doesn't sound fun. D: Even if they know vibrato, they should be sensitive to when it sounds stupid and when it fits in.

I have been playing cello since 5th grade, so....like 3 and half years or so, with private lessons. I've been playing piano for a year longer.

[Mellophone]

Hello all! I have created a musicians club for CS, here. Feel free to join!

[Kohaku]

brass players out there! I can't afford a private teacher, so I rely on other people for things like exercises that I you would learn in private lessons.
My Dilemma: I got into a huge fight with the kid that was supposed to be lead trombone in my band. He was being extremely disrespectful to me and the rest of the section (but especially me) and I didn't want to deal with him and his ego anymore. so, he challenged me to "just try and learn first part better than him." I'm not a bad player, but the range of his songs goes pretty high (like high crap and Cs) and I don't think I have the stamina for it on every song. Does anyone have any warmups or exercises that could help me improve my range and stamina? I always warm up with long tones and lip slurs. Thanks!

[Mellophone]

brass players out there! I can't afford a private teacher, so I rely on other people for things like exercises that I you would learn in private lessons.
My Dilemma: I got into a huge fight with the kid that was supposed to be lead trombone in my band. He was being extremely disrespectful to me and the rest of the section (but especially me) and I didn't want to deal with him and his ego anymore. so, he challenged me to "just try and learn first part better than him." I'm not a bad player, but the range of his songs goes pretty high (like high crap and Cs) and I don't think I have the stamina for it on every song. Does anyone have any warmups or exercises that could help me improve my range and stamina? I always warm up with long tones and lip slurs. Thanks!

ooh, annoying trombone player. i know the type. we have a trumpet just like that in my band.

try to play in the upper octave as much as possible. i do octave slurs, where you start on a low note, and then slur up to the next octave. i have found it works really well. keep doing the long tones, i have heard that helps. i think it's mostly just practicing. oh, and play on your mouthpiece. i went to a master class once and the person reccomended it. Hope this helps! good luck!

[EarthStar]

neat, everyone! BTW, i play F Horn & piano.

♪ ♫ ♬French Horn!? I've been wanting to learn it for a while now. I've fooled around on it and it's pretty fun. Yeah, i'm in multiple bands and in one of them (that happens to be way below my level of playing ((long story))) the alto saxophones really blast which of course means they go flat. *shudder* Thankfully since i moved to tenor i'm now between one of my friends who plays trombone and a guy who plays a mini tuba. It's fun to be the only instrument sometimes because you really get to learn your part well. I've learned that the tenor sax part usually doubles the alto sax, or trombone or clarinet parts. My oboe theory is that if your good then you sound really good playing the oboe, but if you aren't a good oboe player you have an almost nasal like sound. I'm not trying to rude, you guys probably sound really good on oboe. ♪ ♫ ♬

[MixMatch94]

I used to play Violin,but saldy had to give it up when I moved because I couldn't find a teacher. I though still play it sometimes,just for fun.

[Kohaku]

brass players out there! I can't afford a private teacher, so I rely on other people for things like exercises that I you would learn in private lessons.
My Dilemma: I got into a huge fight with the kid that was supposed to be lead trombone in my band. He was being extremely disrespectful to me and the rest of the section (but especially me) and I didn't want to deal with him and his ego anymore. so, he challenged me to "just try and learn first part better than him." I'm not a bad player, but the range of his songs goes pretty high (like high crap and Cs) and I don't think I have the stamina for it on every song. Does anyone have any warmups or exercises that could help me improve my range and stamina? I always warm up with long tones and lip slurs. Thanks!

ooh, annoying trombone player. i know the type. we have a trumpet just like that in my band.

try to play in the upper octave as much as possible. i do octave slurs, where you start on a low note, and then slur up to the next octave. i have found it works really well. keep doing the long tones, i have heard that helps. i think it's mostly just practicing. oh, and play on your mouthpiece. i went to a master class once and the person reccomended it. Hope this helps! good luck!

ok, that helps. thanks so much!

[Mellophone]

neat, everyone! BTW, i play F Horn & piano.

♪ ♫ ♬French Horn!? I've been wanting to learn it for a while now. I've fooled around on it and it's pretty fun. Yeah, i'm in multiple bands and in one of them (that happens to be way below my level of playing ((long story))) the alto saxophones really blast which of course means they go flat. *shudder* Thankfully since i moved to tenor i'm now between one of my friends who plays trombone and a guy who plays a mini tuba. It's fun to be the only instrument sometimes because you really get to learn your part well. I've learned that the tenor sax part usually doubles the alto sax, or trombone or clarinet parts. My oboe theory is that if your good then you sound really good playing the oboe, but if you aren't a good oboe player you have an almost nasal like sound. I'm not trying to rude, you guys probably sound really good on oboe. ♪ ♫ ♬

mini tuba? you mean baritone/euphonium? I know one, he's really good. I also know a really good oboe player. we three (omg i think i just rhymed sound funny) all play in this symphony outside of school and i'm last horn (out of 11, i'm trying, my band starts a year later, we start in 6th grade, other kids start in 5th), he's the only euphonium, and she's the first oboe (she has a big solo, and it sounds amazing!). now im rambling and I HAVE A CONCERT ON SATERDAY AND I'M FREAKING OUT! um, sorry about that. i'm very excited. we get to play at this HUGE hall and its really awesome and AHH! someone shut me up. but yeah. gah, i'm shaking now ☺♪♫ yea, it's annoying to be in a band below your playing level, everyone stinks and it's like OMG how can you not play that? (not to be rude). all of our altos are WAYY out of tune. it sounds horrible. *sigh* oh well.

[blue_dun]

neat, everyone! BTW, i play F Horn & piano.

♪ ♫ ♬French Horn!? I've been wanting to learn it for a while now. I've fooled around on it and it's pretty fun. Yeah, i'm in multiple bands and in one of them (that happens to be way below my level of playing ((long story))) the alto saxophones really blast which of course means they go flat. *shudder* Thankfully since i moved to tenor i'm now between one of my friends who plays trombone and a guy who plays a mini tuba. It's fun to be the only instrument sometimes because you really get to learn your part well. I've learned that the tenor sax part usually doubles the alto sax, or trombone or clarinet parts. My oboe theory is that if your good then you sound really good playing the oboe, but if you aren't a good oboe player you have an almost nasal like sound. I'm not trying to rude, you guys probably sound really good on
oboe. ♪ ♫ ♬

Hey-I'm a tenor sax too!!! You're right, us tenor saxes double as clarinet and even Low trumpet parts. We're all in the b flat key so it works out perfectly. Not sure about trombone though, they're in C. And alto sax, they're in E flat, but I've had my band teacher ask our best alto sax player to play tenor sax cues a few times. I'm excited because when I get to high school the tenor sax is CUTE. XD I'm also a proud pseudobrass.