Articles on Musical Instruments | Topics: instruments, instrument
by Frankie Davenport
For those students who are beginning band for the first time, the instruments you will be accustomed with are flutes, clarinets, sax, saxophones, trumpets, and trombones and of course, percussion. Here is a look at what the student and parent should expect as they enter this new phase of their life.
Selecting the right instrument will mean that you spent your money well. It will also mean that the student will get the most accomplishment and enjoyment from playing music. Good quality equipment makes the progress of a new skill much easier. An instrument is a very individual item because it practically becomes part of the person playing it.
The beginner's job is the most complicated. Everything is new, and with each step a challenge. There are so many physical and mental tasks to get the hang of that the last thing a beginner needs is complications with his or her equipment. If the instrument is poor, it can turn an already hard process into a series of overwhelming tasks. This is particularly true in the case of elementary-age students acquiring the skill to play band instruments for the first time. A poor quality instrument will only upset the beginner. It will play out of tune, not make notes properly, go out of adjustment, and have poor tone quality. These are all consequences that will contribute to a decline in self-confidence and will result in a loss of interest in playing. A young student will not have the understanding to know that his or her instrument is bad; they will just think that they are not good at music and will want to quit. Sadly, when kids give up music, they usually give up for life.
Even though some parents have enough knowledge with musical instruments to recognize the need for high quality, most do not have the background knowledge, and can easily make a mistake. Parents must understand that the instrument they give their child can have a major power on the child's success or failure during the first year of instruction. This is particularly true when obtaining an instrument through a resource other than a wind instrument specialist.
Precarious instruments include those from a family member or friend, cheap "store-brand" instruments, classified ads, department store catalogues, general music stores, and garage sales. More often than not, if an instrument is gained through one of these sources, the student will end up either with an instrument that is inferior in quality and/or will need costly repairs or one, which is not worth repairing at all. Many parents who do not have adequate knowledge of what they are buying can end up purchasing an instrument from someone who does not know what they are selling. This situation normally ends up being damaging for everyone concerned, with the student being the one adversely affected.
| Bit of History |
Social movements are at once the symptoms and the instruments of progress. Ignore them and statesmanship is irrelevant; fail to use them and it is weak.
| —Walter Lippmann (1889–1974) |
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The clearest means of guaranteeing that a beginning music student has a high quality instrument that plays well is to buy a new or used instrument from a highly regarded woodwind and brass wind expert who is also a professional instrument repair technician. A repair technician will have the essential knowledge to assess any instrument based on his/her experience in repairing hundreds of comparable instruments. Also essential to remember, is that any repair technician who has pride in his/her work and a status to uphold will sell only instruments of quality and ideal playing condition. A repair technician will give a solid guarantee and he/she will be there for you if troubles arise with your instrument.
Instruments that are "no-name," "store-brand" or "off-brand" are usually so poorly constructed and built that they will never function at the level of a "Brand-Name" instrument. To cite an old saying "You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." Put differently, a badly made instrument will always play inadequately, no matter what steps you take to make it work the way it should have in the first place. The final word is that a "low-quality" instrument will do the student additional harm than good, diminishing the student's probability of success.
At every occasion, parents should be confident to obtain the best student instrument they can pay for. Their children will show appreciation - musically - every time they perform. Most significantly, music will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Seven Most Popular Instruments for Beginners" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by MusicInstrumentsCds.com. |
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