February, 2021 | Woodwind Geek

February 26, 2021February 26, 2021

How Can I Get Better at Playing in Tune?

One of the most important aspects of playing an instrument is the tuning. If you can’t play in tune, no matter how good you get technically, you’ll never produce a really nice sound, particularly if you’re playing with other people. Playing in tune can be difficult, particularly on certain notes or over big intervals. So how can you improve your tuning? I’ve put together some tips that you can work on here.

February 22, 2021February 22, 2021

How do you Play Different Notes with the Same Fingering?

All woodwind instruments have a finite set of fingerings. Within a given note range, the fingering for each note will be different. However, when you get to the point where you’re learning to play a second octave, you’ll find that a lot of the notes have the same fingering. So what’s actually going on physically when you change the pitch of the note without changing your fingering?

February 17, 2021February 17, 2021

Should I buy a woodwind instrument online?

There are lots of places to buy musical instruments online, but is it a good idea? There are lots of things to consider when choosing which instrument to buy, and where to buy it is definitely one. Instruments are expensive, so you don’t want to be buying one without being sure what you’re doing. I’ve written down some things to think about when you’re deciding on the best way to buy a new instrument.

February 14, 2021February 14, 2021

Can I play a woodwind instrument with a cold?

When you have a cold, probably the last thing you will want to do is get your instrument out and start playing. However, sometimes you don’t have much choice. If you’ve got a concert to play in and you end up being ill on the day, you might have to play whether you like it or not. But how is playing through a cold likely to affect your playing?

February 8, 2021February 8, 2021

Why do woodwind players have to double in orchestra pits?

If you go to see a musical with a live orchestra, you’ll notice that the woodwind players always seen to be playing loads of different instruments, while the other instrumentalists usually just play one. It’s not immediately obvious why this would be, so I thought I’d do some research into it and find out the reason.

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021

Do reeds have an expiry date?

We talk a lot about reeds needing to be changed regularly when they’re being played. What we don’t usually think about, however, if whether you can keep a reed indefinitely if you’re not using it. Do reeds go out of date or not and does it depend on the conditions they’re kept in? I was curious so had a look into it and I’ve written up what I found here.

February 2, 2021February 2, 2021

Where does the notation for accidentals come from?

Any music reader will be able to identify the symbols for accidentals – sharps, flats and naturals. What they probably don’t know, however, is where the notation itself comes from. Why, for example, does the symbol for a flat look like the letter b? I’d been wondering this for a while, so decided I’d find out.