Have a question about you instrument or how to care better for it? Looking for some tips with your technique? Found a music mind boggler that you just can't findthe answer to?
Mica Apodaca is here to answer any of your music related questions with Matters of Music.
Scroll down the page to see if your question has already been answered or send in your question and have it posted here!
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Question:
I haven't played clarinet in about 30 years, but I had my student Bb Clarinet totally and completely refurbished a month ago. I am using a 1.5 reed. I find, however, that playing very low notes (such as E and F, F# etc.), or B, C# and Eb in the higher register (using side keys) that I get squeaks, even when I seem to be holding the keys down hard. I just don't remember -- is this normal for beginners, or is this evidence of a leak in one of the pads or holes? I seem to recall that the low E and F, etc. were very easy to play without all the effort with my fingers. Can you advise?
Answer:
Dear Oldybutgoody, Since this is technical. I decided to answer you instead of Mica. An easy way for you to check for leaks would be to plug up all the holes of the upper section with your fingers. Place your middle finger of your right hand inside where the mid-joint fits, then use your left hand to plug the rest of the holes of the main line with your thumb on the octave. Suck on the opening of the upper joint that normally goes into the barrel. If truly sealed, you will create a vacuum and it will make a light pop sound when you release your mouth from the upper joint. (Suck till your tongue starts to go into the hole) If you can feel air sucking through, then you have a leak. Do the same with the lower joint. If you can't fit your finger in side the joint. Take an old wine cork and shave it to fit inside to plug the joint. Even though you just had it padded, you may have the tech recheck it in case a pad has pushed in a bit and there is a light leak. You shouldn't have to ever squeeze hard. If you have to do that, and it works, then you definitely have a leak. If all seems to be sealed. then try a stronger reed like a #2. It could be the hardness of the reed or try blowing a bit softer. Also check you mouthpiece for chips. Is your ligature on correctly? ~Rebecca
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Question:
Ok...how do you go on with your college education in music, when you have to take theory, musicianship, applied music, concert band, and three ensembles, and a little time to practice your instrument? How do you juggle it all?
Answer:
Dear Dr. Mad, Life is tough and your college years are some of the toughest. It can make a difference if you have a beautiful supportive mother who is paying for this, instead of having to try and work 20 hours and do all of this. You need to write out your schedule for each day and hour. Where ever you have a dead spot in between classes you need to practice or do homework during that time. Take advantage of every spare minute. During time of your commute try and use that time to listen to required pieces. Make tapes or CD's for things you need and utilize that time for learning also. It's only 6:37 in the morning and that is all I have in me at this hour~Mica
P.S. If you want the title of Dr. Mad, You better earn it!
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Question:
My daughter is 11 years old and wanting to join the band. She has never played a musical instrument before and concerned that she will fail and be made fun of. She was considering trying the Sax I'm not sure this would be the right instrument for her because of the difficulty what do you think? Should she scale back and try the trumpet instead? I really don't know.
Answer:
Dear Dad, It is great she wants to play. Has she clicked on our instrument icons on the front of our website? It shows and plays the sounds of that instrument. No instrument is easy, but if she is interested in the sax, GO FOR IT !!! Go to your local instrument dealer and have her see if her hand span is big enough for a sax, if so rent her one. IF she is not, then have her play a clarinet. It is in the "woodwind" family and if she had a year of clarinet it would be soooooooooo easy to move into a sax for next year. ~Mica
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Question:
How do you tune up a saxophone?
Answer:
Dear Twinnie, I am unsure of which way you want to "tune up" your sax. To put it "in tune" with other instruments you can adjust the pitch by pulling the mouthpiece up or down the neck and that will either lengthen the pipe, causing it to play a bit lower in pitch, or push it down the cork further and that will sharpen the instrument if you are playing a bit flat. Use an electronic tuner to gauge yourself. If you mean a "mechanical tune up”, that has to be done by a technician such as myself. Technicians “tune up” saxophones by adjusting or replace pads to seal better and to adjust or replace the corks in between the key to ease the playing smoothness of the instrument and gauge the intonation. I hope this helped. ~Rebecca
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Question:
Dear admusic, this is twinnie. Thank you for your response on how to tune a saxophone. I know how to play three octaves from bottom C. How do you play the other high octave from the third C up?
Answer:
The notes above high C are what's called the "Altissimo register". You can go above high C by using the palm keys. The only problem is that the palm or side keys will only take you up to F or F# above C. After that you have to go into the "Altissimo" range. There are no specific keys for these high notes but rather; you must play a combination of keys to get the desired note. In most cases there are a number of different combinations that will work to get the same note. This is very advanced and I would not recommend this for a beginner. David Sanborn is a master of the Altissimo range. Coltrane and Charlie Parker were some of the first to popularize it. There was a classical saxophonist around the turn of the century by the name of Sigurd Rascher who was the first to write a book on developing the technique. The name of that book is "Top Tones for the Saxophone". (Carl Fisher, Inc.) I believe it is still in print. There is another book on the subject by a more contemporary author. The name is "Saxophone Altissimo" by Robert A. Luckey, Ph.D. (Olympia Publishing). If the person asking these questions is persistent in finding out how to play these notes, I would suggest that they get one of these books and go through it with the aid of a competent sax teacher. hat was probably more than you ever wanted to know about the subject but there you are. Or as they say in Italia, "Prego." Mr. Robert Hart (our world traveled Saxophone expert)
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Question:
How much does the most expensive clarinet cost?
Answer:
Dear Physical Beauty, The most expensive Clarinet that we carry is an Artley Symphony Professional model made of granadilla wood, silver plated keys, metal tenon caps, with an adjustable Thumb rest. It's suggested Retail price is $1195.00. But if you are interested we can give you a good sale price. You can easily get in to $5,000 on a particular brand or a classic brand. Are you a Clarinet player? What kind do you have? I hope this helps you. ~Mica
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Question:
I am working on a project for band class. I was wondering if you could give me websites that. ` tell about flute care? Thank you very much
Answer:
Dear Soc girl, Look at our Care Instructions on our website and look at Gemeinhardt's website located at www.gemeinhardt.com . Musically yours, ~Mica
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Question:
How do I keep from breaking my reeds?
Answer:
Dear AndyyndA, Reed protectors. We will send you reed protectors for a small fee. They really help in keeping the tips from warping and cracking. o/'o/' Rebecca
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Question:
If I'm transposing a part originally written for the piano so that it can be played by a trumpet (B-flat) do I transpose down a major 2nd or up a minor 7th?
Answer:
Dear El Musico, It all depends on your notes. It must stay within the range of the trumpet, so both ways will be used to accommodate the range of the Trumpet. ~ MICA
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Question:
I've been playing the clarinet for about 3 years. I was wondering what difference would it make if I switch to a size 3 reed. I am currently using a 2˝ size reed. Would it be easier to stay in tune?
Answer:
Dear ClaraNET Man, As the muscles in your mouth develop with strength, you need to move up in reed strength. Why not try a stronger reed and see if that changes your approach. If the reed is not strong enough it will vibrate more, causing you to sound out of pitch. You also might want to try a different brand reed like a La Voz or a Vandoren.~Mica
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Question:
What does one do if (very hypothetically) one was visited by the ghost of Jimi Hendrix who told this hypothetical person that his A-pattern guitar barres are not correct, hypothetically speaking, and are buzzing on the top e string. Is there a special technique one may use to reduce buzz, hypothetically, still having the little finger free for hammer-ons, or must this hypothetical individual find a psychiatrist? (very hypothetical)
Answer:
Dear Mr. Fabulous, Since Mica is (hypothetically) not a guitar player and unless you have a psychiatrist that is a guitar slinger, I thought I would answer this one personally. You need to give more pressure (hypothetically) to the fleshy bottom part of your index finger. Grip it a little tighter with your thumb in the back of the neck and lean into it. This should give you enough pressure (hypothetically) to make a clean clear sound and still allow your little finger to wave at Jimi when you have your next vision or to do hammer-ons (which ever happens first).o/'o/' Rebecca
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Question:
Mikca, I think you are a big fake and there is no one who even works there that looks like your picture. Your probably not even a young beautiful teenager. Your probably some old bald man with a beer belly that has all this knowledge but nobody wanted to look at. So they got a picture from some year book, of a beautiful girl and you are really him. No one is a Vice-President of a corporation at 17 and has played with all those people. My friends and I know computers and realize all the pictures of you are a bunch of fakes .If you are really real, then why don't you invite me over to meet you? A Real Person
Answer:
Just for your information, I am not a bald, beer bellied, old man. Yes, it is possible to be a 17 year old vice president and have played with all those people. And you know why? Because when a person actually believes in who they are and where they are going, benefits will come to pass. If you have any other comments about my personal life, please don't e-mail me. If you have a question about music, feel free to e-mail me. As far as meeting, what if you're really some geeky, nerdy kid who just likes to torment people like me. ~Mica
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Question:
How come when I play the note G on my Saxophone at times I get another sound am I puting too little air in the horn when that happens or what? Thanks for the help.
Answer:
Dear Ee2, It sounds like you may have a leak or you may be slightly leaning on another key which is opening up a key that should normally be closed. Check your finger positions and see if it takes care of the problem. If not, stop by your local technician and see if they find a leak. ~Mica
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Question:
What do you do if your choir director is a control freak who has manic mood swings and beats the *&%!#?+ out of his piano? Should I be scared?
Answer:
Dear TF, You should not be worried about your teacher's confrontation with his piano. This is only a stage he is going through and is using the excuse that the piano is a percussion instrument. Also, depending on what song he is thrashing the piano on, would give reason to his bizarre nature. If he is playing something like, "The Girl from Ipanema" and hitting the piano, call the mental institution, but if he is playing something like the "Army Song" then he has an excuse. Musically yours o/ o/,~Mica, Queen of Swing
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Question:
Hello! About a year ago, I brought my flute in to you for an overhaul and you did a wonderful job! But now I am in a bind: I am playing music at my church this year with the piano player, and I cannot get my flute to tune to the piano. It is much too flat. I know that if my flute is too sharp, I can pull out the mouthpiece slightly, but I don't know how to adjust it if it is too flat. I cannot get the end piece to budge. Pardon my ignorance, but would you please tell me the best way to tune my flute to the piano? Thank you.
Answer:
Dear Rachel, First check the position of the head cork by placing the flute rod inside of head joint. You will see a small line on the rod in about the middle of the embouchure hole. By uncsrewing your crown a bit then pushing it down on a table top it will push the head cork within to a forward position which should sharpen your flute. Check it a secound time with the flute rod. The best way to be accurate is to purchase an electronic tuner that you check the tuning of the piano with and then adjust your flute to match the A 440. We have them for $19.95 if you would like to order one. o/'o/' Rebecca
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Question:
How do I choose which of my many talents to practice in my limited time? I play several instruments.
Answer:
Break your talents in to 15 minute practices and place them in different spots throughout the day like I do. I play flute in the morning before I go to school; bass usually at school during tutorial or lunch; piano or mallets after school before I go to work; flute or bass after dinner before homework; then piano again before I go to bed to relax. Keep practicing! ~Mica
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Question:
How many musicians stay with their careers after they learn how bad the pay is? I am trying to decide my major for college
Answer:
Dear Oddball, I believe your major would be determined on the basis of how dedicated you feel towards your music. You can make music a very decent living if you think of it as a business. As far as jobs in the field of music, there is the performance; teaching; technical; recording; and stage work. If you would like to find out more information about the major that you seek, try researching libraries, universities, or cruise the web.~Mica
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Question:
I am in the 8th grade and I have my eye on an Armstrong Student Model alto saxophone. The only thing is, I was wondering what the "student" model meant. I am going into high school next year and I want something I can play for a long time. Do you know what the "student model" means? Thank you for your help.
Answer:
A "student line " instrument means it will take you from elementary through the end of high school those are "$900 - $1300. A "intermediate line" means college level of playing and those are approx. $1500-$3000. A "professional line" means you usually make your living from playing or are a serious player. Those horns and they are $3000 - $10,000 instruments. Many high school students are playing on "intermediate" instruments. We have a line called Prestini that are more like a "pro" sax that is $1500. Please let us know if you are interested. Rebecca
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Question:
When I play my accordion, I seem to have problems staying in beat with the rhythm section. I've found out that headbanging to the music is not a good method. Could you please recommend some others.
Answer:
Dear Mr. Marley, Since I have so much respect for your music, who am I to criticize your ability to headbang your rhythms? But since it is giving you problems, you might think about tapping your foot. o/' o/' " I hope you like jammin' too."o/'o/'~Mica
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Question:
How come I squeak when I play my clarinet?
Answer:
Dear Baseball, Perhaps you have a dry reed or the reed could be cracked, broken or the wrong strength. Be sure the reed is placed at the edge of the mouthpiece and has been moistened in your mouth and has no chips or splits. If it still squeaks then take your instrument to a qualified instrument technician to have them look for a leak in a pad. Good luck and have fun in band
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Question:
What do I do when the kids on the bus tease me about playing violin?
Answer:
Be proud that you can do something as special as playing a musical instrument ! Usually the ones who tease, are jealous because of all the attention you get. Keep practicing and be sure and invite them to your next concert. Ask them what they like to do for fun and tell them you would like to see them show you sometime.
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Question:
How do I increase my range on trombone?
Answer:
Use firm air support and play long tones. Give the trombone faster air speed. Add a little bit of range each day, just like an athlete lifting weights. You are training muscles and it takes time.
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Question:
What do I do to make the band director give me better parts when he always gives them to the same student?
Answer:
Take it as a personal challenge to work harder. After class, ask the teacher if you can set up a time to try the part trading with the other student as a challenge. Ask if there can be 2 judges like the drum major or an assistant or other teacher and except the results. If you don't make it the first time try again later.
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