wirechoir11

I was trying to locate the piano part to the Vivaldi g minor Violin concerto that appears in Suzuki Violin book 5. As it turns out, I can't even find the concerto itself, and now I feel a little stupid (maybe I missed something important in Lit & Style a decade or so back). Could it be that this concerto is a transcription of a conerto for a different instrument (like the transcriptions of the Bach Cello Suites for viola)? If I knew for sure how to locate the piece I might have better luck finding the file I want. Any suggestions?

There are some posters here who contnually support some askers with "online self teaching videos" and "deep discount instruments". I do agree that we should foster and encourage all people to learn, love, and enjoy music. However, as professionals (or even people who know better), don't we have an obligation to give the most appropriate answer and lead these people down the right path?

As professionals, where do we draw that line?

Just go with me on this one. What if YA! set up a feature that allowed you to filter questions within each forum? Say you were allowed to filter OUT two types of questions so that you would never have to see them again...what would you choose?

I know we are all sick to death of the repetitive "Bella" questions, so I thought this time I would put the drivel to good use:

By putting modern keyboard garbage like "Bella" in movies geared towards the adolescent crowd, are we fostering a love of instrumental music or are we sentencing all good classical music to an early grave? It is my honest opinion that this "Bella" crap is no more enigmatic than any other instrumental "filler" stuck in the dead spaces of movies to fill the void. Richard Gere playing piano in "Pretty Woman" comes to mind, and you know where THAT wound up.

What are your thoughts on this current rage of "soft soundtracks", and can you come up with any more examples of same?

TOTAL SIDEBAR: When I put this question in, YA! led me directly to the classical forum. Those posters really might be the sheep we think they are!

Can somebody tell me the specific anchor point for thumb position? I've got the concept but want to save myself some trouble. Should I be using the side of the knuckle joint on my thumb or should I be contacting more on the side of the thumbnail. I hope this makes sense, I'd hate to have to edit a thousand times until we understand each other. The side of the knuckle seems to offer more resistance and less pain, but I don't just want to muddle through, I want to do it correctly.

My niece is interested in the pre-college program at Juilliard. I have heard her sing and believe she has at least a decent chance of securing an audition for the program. We happened to be in the city for a day and I took her to their bookstore to get a sight-singing book so she can start working on her aural training. And here's the point of my question:

I went in and asked one of the representatives which system of solfege the school used, fixed or movable do. The woman sounded incredibly insulted and sniffed out a response that they only used fixed do at THIS SCHOOL. Now, I know it's Juilliard, but yikes! I'm wondering if this is something the average idiot should know about the school, or if I just got the elitist cold-shoulder.

I am looking for a website or poster that gives the color code to the different brands of strings. Example, Thomastik Dominants have a purple winding on the peg end, and Piranitos have that funky red white blue spiral winding on the tailpiece end. I know there was once a chart of all the different brands and their winding colors, but I can't find it anymore.

My son has just turned four...that puts him in Suzuki range. I would like to have him take up an instrument, and he is very interested in music. I teach strings, and am worried that I will become like one of those "pageant moms" who pushes too hard...if he takes a stringed instrument. Has anyone else gone through this, and if so how did you steer your kids? Ultimately I will let him choose, but I am nervous about it anyway.

The first step is admitting that you have a problem, right? I am going over the rosters for next year's orchestra students and I have noticed that for the first time ever, I will have a HARPIST. I have never even touched a harp before, so it has unseated me a bit. I will be trying to track down this kid's teacher for assistance, and may try and take a few lessons myself to get a better idea of what's going on, but does anybody have any suggestions for me?

I know this is silly, but my 4 year old has a new happy meal toy and wants to know the name of it. The package is gone and I don't watch this show enough to know the answer. What is the Dad's name on the show "El Tigre"???

Okay, so I'm at this performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Right before the conductor comes out, the principal violist comes up and wraps a cord around the score. The conductor comes out and is forced to do it blind. Somewhere in the middle, the basses get tired of all of their rests and start sneaking booze through the section. By the last movement they are so blitzed they lose count of their rests. The conductor is visibly LOSING HIS MIND over this mess. While I am watching all of this unfold, the guy sitting next to me leans over and says......?

Okay, so it's taken me eight years of conducting Middle School Orchestra to build up the courage, but I am going to take the plunge and set up a full orchestra for next year. My question is, when I add the winds, brass, and percussion, how many kids do I put on a part? I have gotten alot of joke responses from colleagues (like "one for every Tums in the bottle"), but no straight answers. I am assuming I should stack the winds a little heavier than the brass because of projection capabilities, but concrete numbers would be helpful if you can give them. We have a strong program here and I will only be doing this for one piece of our concert program. HELP!!!

I think you all know who you are...the elitists who tell instrumental students that they should not put any faith in their school music teachers...and immediately get a private teacher. What is WRONG with you? I happen to be a classically trained violinist who teaches strings in public school, and I think I do a pretty darn good job. My students learn, advance, and grow. Maybe not as fast as they could if they also had the bucks to shell out for a private teacher, true. I am just interested in your rationale for this CONTINUOUS slam against band/orchestra directors in schools. Those of us who are properly certified went through the same vigorous instruction as the rest of you, only we had to learn other instruments and pedagogies as well. What is your rationale for this slander?!

I have not needed to add ornaments (trills, mordents, turns, etc) to a piece of music for many years, but suddenly I have a need to do so. Can anyone give me a reliable source for the ornamentation symbols? I need both the notation and the breakdown by note. There are probably a million websites on this, but I would like to cut my search time if you can direct me to a good one.