WANT TO PLAY THE CLARINET?
3/10/2020
 The clarinet is as versatile as it is fun. It is a great woodwind instrument to learn to play. If you're unsure on how to properly clean your instrument, our list of advice is designed to assist beginners. For more personalized, speak with your music instructor.
What Equipment Is Needed? There are a few essential pieces of equipment for every clarinetist: Reeds Ligatures Mouthpieces Did the clarinet come with a stock mouthpiece? If so, it is time to upgrade a better mouthpiece that provides the desired sound. All stock ligatures should be eliminated as well. Cloth ligatures offer more control than metal ones, so most educators recommend that their students transition into the usage of metal ligatures to open up their sound. The reed's strength should be determined by the mouthpiece. A “3” is usually the most common but it is not right for everyone. Be sure to speak with your music educator to find out about the strength that is right for you. How Is Embouchure Improved? This process doesn’t happen overnight. It’s an often overlooked performance aspect that involves the proper coordination between your upper lip, lower lip, chin and teeth. To begin, drop the jaw so that it is relaxed and not forced open. From there, move the jaw from side to side slightly, so that it can loosen up. Once full relaxation is achieved, roll your bottom lip ever so slightly over your lower teeth and firm up the mouths's corners. They should be brought forward and in, much like a smile. Place the index finger against the space between your top teeth and use the upper lip to press downward onto your finger. (The chin should automatically point downward once this step is taken.) Remove the finger, do not move a muscle, insert 1/4th of your mouthpiece and keep the upper teeth resting on top. Perfect embouchure has been achieved! What About Reeds? Finding the right clarinet reeds and maintaining them in the proper manner is crucial to your success. Choose the correct reeds for your mouthpiece and the level of pressure used. Do not moisten reeds with saliva, as these acids are highly detrimental to cane. When a new box of reeds is opened, do not test them all at the same time. The lip desensitizes and reed impressions are inaccurate. The break in process should be steady and slow. It does not take place in one day, they are played for a few minutes each day. When it comes to cleaning and maintenance, rinse your reeds in water after playing and use a soft cloth to dry them before they are stored on glass. Reed adjustment requires trial and error, so be sure to speak with your clarinet instructor for further advice. Any Practicing Advice? Most new clarinet players are misguided as far as practicing is concerned. The amount of time spent practicing is not as important as how that time is spent. An hour of efficient practicing is more effective than three hours of distracted practice. Practice time should consist of warm-ups, enjoyable sheet music and technique practice. Keeping up the technical side of things can be tough. Always practice technique, no matter what. Each practice should begin with a warm up, you can switch between sheet music and technique as necessary. What If I Have a Bad Day? Bad clarinet days are a very real thing. Practice can be frustrating at times. The trick is to remain calm. Don't force yourself to complete technique exercises or run through scales. At times like these, it is important to simply play through some of your favorite tunes. Spending time playing what you want to play lets you get into the flow of playing more rapidly. Becoming frustrated? There's nothing wrong with skipping your practice session for that day. Remember: this process is a challenge. There are going to be good days and there will be bad ones. Don't be discouraged. Your determination will pay off in the long run. If you would like to know more information on Saxophones, please contact me at www.losangelesmusicteachers.com
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 1) Flute Lessons are a Great Extracurricular Activity: Flute lessons are lots of fun, they teach you a creative skill, they challenge your mind and body, and they aren’t limited to seasons. Flute lessons are also far more affordable than many extracurricular activities.
2) Share Your Passion For Flute: No one goes into teaching a musical instrument without feeling passionate about it. If you’re passionate about flute, you and your flute teacher will share that passion and enjoy the adventure of making beautiful flute music. There’s no buzzkill like finding out that your friends don’t care about what you’re interested in, but if you have a flute teacher, you have someone who will share your love of flute. 3) Learn Flutey Things: Obviously, flute lessons will teach you flutey things! By “flutey things” I mean exercises, skills, tips, you name it, that are specific to the flute. Any band or orchestra teacher can offer valuable insight for improving your skills as a musician, but for flute-specific advice, you want private flute lessons. A flute teacher can help you improve your tone, fix fingerings, learn technique, and learn specific tools, exercises, and tricks to make you a better flute player. For example, did you know that it takes more air to play the flute than any other instrument except perhaps the tuba? A private flute teacher will teach you better breath control, which helps you develop stronger lungs so that you can hold notes for longer, play for longer without stopping to breathe, support your sound, and stay in tune. 4) They Know The Instrument: If you’re self-teaching and your flute stops working, or you have troubles with it, who do you go to? A flute teacher could test out your flute for you and determine whether it needs repair or replacement. If it’s broken and they can’t fix it themselves, they can get you to someone who can. 5) Get Valuable Flute Information: A professional flute teacher knows valuable information about the best flute brands, where to get a good flute, what to look for, how to get your flute repaired, how to care for it, where to get great flute music*, performance opportunities, etc. It’s definitely worth it to tap into this knowledge. For more information, please contact us at www.losangelesmusicteachers.com  For true music lovers, the piano is the most versitle of all instruments. It is suggested that the piano should be the first instrument taught. The piano gives such rich sounds with each key that is pressed, to not just the person playing, but also all who listen to it.
The piano is one of the best instrument all around due to many reasons. For one, it is the only instrument that can play all 88 notes on the musical scale. The notes played can be higher and lower than all other instruments. The piano is basically the base foundation for all other musical instruments. The piano is considered a string instrument, percussion instrument as well as the keyboard itself. As a person learns to play the piano, they are learning all four harmonic portions of music. The piano also is able to play both clef and treble, while the majority of other instruments only play one. After being taught to play the piano, nearly all people claim that all other instruments tend to be easier to learn. People who learn to play the piano, tend to have more coordination from head to hands and toes. When a key is pressed on a piano, there is instant sound. Many other instruments, you need to spend days or longer learning to make a musical note come out of the instrument. Pianos allow the person to play multiple notes at a time, which helps to make the piano the best instrument by far to learn and play. When teaching musical theory, teachers tend to use the piano keyboard to play chords and also explain many other theories in music. The keyboard allows the player to be able to ‘see’ the music he or she intends to play and analyze. Ultimately, keyboards are not only the easiest to learn, they are the most versatile instrument. They can play any type or class of music you desire. Learning to play a piano first, will enable you to master the concept of music on other instruments too. The piano also will impress a far larger crowd with the various types of music that can be played on it. Reggae to hip hop and rock and roll to jazz. The piano can create simple tunes and still play complex music. A piano will look phenomenal in a huge concert hall or sitting in the middle of a classroom; and it fits very nice into your home. The piano in a home makes for fun musical nights to be enjoyed with family and friends. Did you also know that many of the famous musical artists have also learned to play the piano, many before the current instruments they play? We believe that this makes the piano not only the best instrument, but also the one instrument anyone who wants to play another instrument, should learn first. At Los Angeles Music Teachers, we teach all ages ready to learn. Sign up here to get started on your lessons. Is it hard to Learn Cello?
3/3/2020
 Is it hard to Learn Cello?
When learning how to play the cello, very little is spoon-fed to you by the instrument. Keyboard and instruments with frets, such as the piano and guitar, are a little easier to learn the basics. Putting your finger on the right key/fret will allow you to produce the note you want to hear. With cello, you need to have a teacher guiding you to ensure you’re learning the right way. This will lead to a lifetime of enjoying the instrument. If you have the right teacher, anyone can learn the fundamentals of playing the cello. As with most instruments, the cello will come more easily to someone with experience reading notes and rhythms. Most of cello music is written down, rather than transferred aurally from teacher to student. Does My Age Matter? Young students make great beginner cellists. Often with youth comes unbridled enthusiasm for learning a cool new instrument that helps them absorb new information like a sponge. These advantages can carry a student a long way. The excitement encourages them to practice more on their own and their ability to retain information helps them progress quickly in their studies. One difficulty that young students face though, is the challenge of analyzing their playing. As a result, they need an outside observer to help them identify things that cause them trouble, whether it is posture, intonation, tone quality, etc. Young beginners are generally less coordinated than their adult counterparts and will remain that way until well after puberty. Adult beginners have their own set of advantages. Firstly, they’re better in control of their bodies which helps them make changes to technique and posture more quickly. They also have a strong ability to critically analyze their own actions, and better sense of how they want to sound. As a result of their ability to critically analyze their own playing, adult learners can sometimes go straight to the criticizing part. This can lead to discouragement when they don’t immediately sound the way they want. However, the student is probably playing at a level appropriate to how long they have been studying. Practice Helps perfect the sound Practicing in between lessons is another necessity that makes learning the cello much easier. Without daily practice times, you will find your teacher going over the same concepts week after week during your lessons. Make a commitment to find a small amount of time each day to practice playing the cello and you’ll set yourself up for success. (30 Min Rule) If you only have five minutes, play some open strings for tone quality. Have a little more time? Add in some scale practice. If you have even more time, pick apart the challenging sections of your newest solo piece. There is always something you can practice, but focus on the most important concepts with the time that you have. Start Learning Cello Today You no longer have to wonder if the cello is hard to learn. With a teacher guiding your technique, regular practice times, and a willingness to learn, you can become an excellent cellist. Overall, the cello is an incredible instrument with a wonderful depth of sound. To get started now, sign up for your first cello lesson right here at Los Angeles Music Teachers/ Burbank’s 5 star Music School with one of our best cello instructors Gvantsa. A Refresh On How To Tune Your Violin
2/28/2020
 A Refresh On How To Tune Your Violin
Tuning your violin with precision is not necessarily an easy task, especially for beginners. This is however essential to play, alone, in rehearsal, or within an orchestra to be in harmony with the other instruments, or simply to take advantage of the unique sound aesthetic offered by these instruments. Although it seems difficult to tune a violin, it is a task that is acquired over the course of learning with practice. Here are some tips and suggestions for tuning your violin or viola. Chromatic tuners The chromatic tuner is usually equipped with a clip that allows it to be firmly attached to the violin neck so that they can correctly pick up the vibrations of the instrument. It works thanks to a battery which allows feeding the screen where appears the frequency of the rope to be regulated. It is, therefore, possible with this type of tool, to tune its instrument very precisely in relation to the frequency of the desired note (we will detail the frequencies of each note a little further). The tuning fork The tuning fork is a small metal tool with two U-shaped branches. By striking it, it emits a vibration that can be amplified if it is placed on a sound box (on the violin table for example). It gives a virtually pure note, usually a La whose frequency is 440 Hz, used as a reference to tune its instrument. Unlike the chromatic tuner that does not require much effort, the tuning fork requires a minimum of training and a good ear. This is the method most used by violinists. Smartphone applications Many smartphones applications to tune guitar, violin or viola are available for download, some paid and some free. They work on the same principle as a conventional electronic tuner thanks to the microphone of the phone. They are very practical because we usually always have a smartphone in the pocket or in our bag. However, an electronic tuner like those mentioned above will still be more accurate and efficient than an application for smartphones. The tuning notes of a violin On the violin, there are four strings. Starting with the thickest string, they are called G, D, A, and E. An easy way to remember this is to use the mnemonic device below: • G = Good; D = Dogs; A = Always; E = Eat. Good dogs always eat! Finally, a tip that will be especially useful for you not to break your strings: turn the ankles gently and never stretch the strings more than a tone above the desired note. Otherwise, your set of strings may not hold you for a long time and you may also damage your instrument by putting too much strain on it. In this regard, it is best to change the strings one after the other to avoid too large differences on the handle. Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Play The Flute
12/19/2019
 Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Play The Flute
Are you looking for the best flute teachers? Do you want to learn how to play the flute? There is no doubt that musical activity is great for both the human body and mind. It is an excellent type of cognitive exercise. There are several instruments that can help you develop lifelong skills. The flute is one of the most beneficial and easy to learn instruments. If you want to have a fun and new hobby that promotes wellness, you should give flute a try. Here are the few of the reasons for playing the flute. Promotes Sense Of Achievement For a beginner flute player, the capability to have a clear tone or for holding a note for a few seconds call for celebration. This is because every improvement for the flute players is a huge achievement that both the teacher and student must be proud of. Moreover, as the time passes, players learn new things and become better. This means the achievements also becomes more challenging and bigger. Improves Your Math Skills One of the reasons for playing the flute is that it helps in giving your math skills a boost. This is because when you learn the rhythm of various songs, you will be using your math skills and pattern. According to a study, children who learn to play an instrument are good at math. Gives Body Coordination A Boost When you learn to play the flute you will be improving coordination. It is because learning flute requires hand-eye coordination. This is because the player will have to see the notes and convert it into finger patterns. The player must keep focusing on other tasks as well including dynamics and rhythm. Good Memory Capacity There is no doubt that music can help you learn complex and new concepts. According to experts, listening to music and learning to play an instrument helps in enhancing your memory. Playing an instrument will help you increase the capacity of your memory. It will help you easily remember and retain it for longer periods. You Can Learn New Skills For beginner flute players, it will be beneficial as it will help learn about time management and organization. In music, quality of practice is crucial rather than quantity. This is the reason why expert musicians plan, organize and prioritize the time. It is to ensure they get the best out of every session. Learn About Responsibility Playing an instrument is a huge responsibility. This is because you will have to take proper care of the instrument. You will have to clean it, polish it after practice. The same goes with a flute; after every practice, you must clean it. Additionally, the flute players will be able to become more responsible as they will have to take out time for practice. In the end, there are many music school teaching various instruments; however, not all of them are trustworthy. The best music school is (mention the name of your music school). We are always happy to teach students to play flute knowing we are helping them develop good qualities and skills. Hence, the flute is an extremely useful instrument that everyone should play.  Choosing A Private Music Teacher For Yourself Or Your Children
Of course, music has been food for the soul since day one. No one can contest that. Music inspires people. You must have observed that successful musicians are often objects of hero worship. Musical artistes are nothing but idols. It is because of the power in music. Although many artists have natural talents in music, they still have to develop it through music lessons. Right now, there are musical institutes and music is studied in several colleges and universities. One good benefit of musical schools is learning how to play musical instruments. While you can acquire musical knowledge from YouTube or other similar platforms, you can’t compare any of them to hiring a highly experienced music teacher. One reason for this is that a teacher will tailor your lessons towards your unique deficiencies but what you’ll learn on the internet is general knowledge. Apart from going to a music school, you could also enroll for private lessons. If hiring a private music teacher seems like the best option for you or your children, remember that music teachers have different levels of experience and expertise. Besides, having a particular skill is different from being able to transfer the skill to another person. So, don’t just hire any music teacher that you come across first. Here are some important factors to consider. Interview several prospects before hiring one Scrutinize several prospective teachers before choosing one. Find out about their qualifications, experience, and areas of expertise. Teaching children requires different skills from teaching adults. So, if you’re hiring a teacher for your children, you should hire the one that has experience in teaching children. Let your child select the teacher that he or she is comfortable with. Also, you may also try to find out about the music teacher’s teaching techniques too. The learner should take trial lessons A good way to assess a musical teacher is to take his trial lesson. This will help you determine if the teaching technique is suitable for you. A technique that worked for your friend may not work for you. This is why you need to take trial lessons. If the lesson is for your kid, let him/her take the lesson, but you need to be there too. Evaluate each trial lesson Since you may have to take trial lessons from several teachers before you select one. You need to evaluate the lessons from both the learner’s perspective and the teacher’s angle. If your kid is the learner, ask him if he enjoyed the lesson. If not, find out why he didn’t enjoy it. Also ask him for the teacher whose trial lesson is the best. You also need to seek the teacher’s assessment of the learner. Was (s)he attentive? Was (s)he eager to learn? This will help you to make a balanced judgment. Conclusively, you can start your search on Google. A simple Google search will bring up the contacts of several music teachers within your location. The benefit is worth the search.  How To Create Suitable Melodies For Your Chord Progression
No matter your level of proficiency, you can create great melodies along with your chord progression using any of the two approaches outlined below. First Approach It is a good idea to use different chord inversions while playing your chord progression. You can try each of the inversions one at a time as you move on with your progression. You may seek the guidance and supervision of an experienced keyboardist on this. The melodies will be obvious as you make connections with the chords. Bear in mind that you may not actually hear the whole of the melody at once, but you should be able to filter out the skeleton of the melody from what you hear. As you continue to practice, you’ll be improving on the melodies and more parts of it will be coming out. With time, you’ll be able to produce an interesting melody. At this point, you should not bother about whether you are getting the notes right. Rather, follow your ears. Listen to the melody and continue to make corrections as you deem necessary. Let the process flow naturally and organically. Getting the notes correct will come naturally. The more you practice with the chord progression, the more the notes will fall in the right place. If you don’t like this approach or it is difficult for you to follow, you can adopt the next one, discussed right below. Second Approach The approach involves attaching a particular rhythm to your chord progression. Lay it down on a recorder. You can then play it repeatedly. Listen as you play it. If you play the melodies so many times, you’ll be able to listen to them without recording. After playing the chord progression, close your eyes and try to hear the melody. Try to arrange the musical set pieces mentally. At this point, you should be able to come up with several melodies. You may also record the melodies as you align them with your chord progression. The more you memorize the progression, the easier it will be for you to hear organic melodies naturally. You’ll no longer need to fiddle with your musical instrument to come up with a nice melody. Instead of focusing on your musical instrument, unleash your creativity. Listen to your head and dig out the melodies in them. Letting your voice run at the same pace with your ears is one of the best ways to come up with nice music. Of course, there are several other ways to create melodies and music, but the two approaches above are easy to adopt and they are effective as well. Most importantly, regardless of what approach you choose, always let your imagination work. Don’t focus on only instruments. The musical instruments are distractions. They’ll sever the synchronization between your ears and voice. So, it is better to use your voice, record it, and transcribe it. When you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to create nice melodies more effortlessly. A Piano, The King Of All Instruments
12/12/2019
 A Piano, The King Of All Instruments
For true music lovers, the piano is the mother of all instruments. It is suggested that the piano should be the first instrument taught. The piano gives such rich sounds with each key that is pressed, to not just the person playing, but also all who listen to it. The piano is the best instrument all around due to many reasons. For one, it is the only instrument that can play all 88 notes on the musical scale. The notes played can be higher and lower than all other instruments. The piano is basically the base foundation for all other musical instruments. The piano is considered a string instrument, percussion instrument as well as the keyboard itself. As a person learns to play the piano, they are learning all four harmonic portions of music. The piano also is able to play both clef and treble, while the majority of other instruments only play one. After being taught to play the piano, all other instruments tend to be easier to learn. People who learn to play the piano, tend to have more coordination from head to hands and toes. When a key is pressed on a piano, there is instant sound. Many other instruments, you need to spend days or longer learning to make a musical note come out of the instrument. Pianos allow the person to play multiple notes at a time, which helps to make the piano the best instrument by far to learn and play. When teaching musical theory, teachers tend to use the piano keyboard to play chords and also explain many other theories in music. The keyboard allows the player to be able to ‘see’ the music he or she intends to play and analyze. Ultimately, keyboards are not only the easiest to learn, they are the most versatile instrument. They can play any type or class of music you desire. Learning to play a piano first, will enable you to master the concept of music on other instruments too. The piano also will impress a far larger crowd with the various types of music that can be played on it. Reggae to hip hop and rock and roll to jazz. The piano can create simple tunes and still play complex music. A piano will look phenomenal in a huge concert hall or sitting in the middle of a classroom; and it fits very nice into your home. The piano in a home makes for fun musical nights to be enjoyed with family and friends. Did you also know that many of the famous musical artists have also learned to play the piano, many before the current instruments they play? We believe that this makes the piano not only the best instrument, but also the one instrument anyone who wants to play another instrument, should learn first.  Practicing Your Musical Instrument Makes Perfect Sense – when done this way.
The dedicated and talented instructors at Music Teachers Collaborative believe it is better for a younger student to spend 10 to 15 minutes practicing their musical instrument several times a day than to sit and practice for an hour or longer. Fatigue will set in and lack of interest. If you miss a day, not to worry. Continue with your practice the following day and in the same manner. As difficult as it seems to the teachers (we just love to play our instruments) kids have other things to do besides practicing. They don’t prioritize (not yet, anyway) this activity and until they make the connection between practicing and making music fun, it will be a struggle. Not a lost battle, however. Just a longer one for some kids. The end result will be incredible rewards of self-esteem and an “I can play anything I want” attitude on the student’s chosen instrument because they spent the time to master the skills to do so. |
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