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Can some goons well-versed in the classical guitar buying field help me differentiate between the following two Cordoba models? I know the CD/IN and SP/IN indicate what kind of woods they're made of, but is there a tonal difference in addition to the aesthetic differences? C7 CD/IN http://www.guitarcenter.com/Cordoba/C7-CD-IN-Acoustic-Nylon-String-Classical-Guitar.gc#reviews C7 SP/IN http://www.guitarcenter.com/Cordoba/C7-SP-IN-Acoustic-Nylon-String-Classical-Guitar.gc#reviews
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Oct 5, 2015 19:28
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Spruce guitars tend to be richer in available tone colours and they are generally more versatile. They are the "conservative" choice. Cedars are a relatively recent invention and in the last two decades almost every top guitarist played on a cedar, but that is changing again right now. Many people say cedars are less complicated, more responsive and more reliable. But it's only a tendency and it really depends on the particular instrument, so trying it out for yourself is always the best you can do. A decent sound is certainly important, but especially for beginners and to some extent for intermediates it's more important that the instrument is easy to play. We don't want your hands to be cramped all the time and an efficient, relaxed technique is without doubt an important thing every musician should be striving for.
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Oct 5, 2015 20:34
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Honj Steak posted:Spruce guitars tend to be richer in available tone colours and they are generally more versatile. They are the "conservative" choice. Thank you for the post. I played both a C7 spruce and cedar and found myself leaning toward the cedar more. Any other tips when shopping for a classical guitar?
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Oct 6, 2015 23:34
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MikeyLikesIt posted:Thank you for the post. I played both a C7 spruce and cedar and found myself leaning toward the cedar more. Any other tips when shopping for a classical guitar? Look out for general build quality: How smooth are the tuning keys? If the pitch of the string makes a lot of sudden jumps while tuning, it's not a good sign. Look for imperfections at bridge and nut. Compare the octave harmonics (12th fret) with the actual 12th fret notes (watch out that you don't bend the string!). These should be the same pitch. If they're not the same pitch, either the string is broken or, which would be bad, the guitar itself is not correctly intonated, i.e. the fret spacing is not 100% accurate. Play the bass strings with varying dynamics. They shouldn't be snaring at low or medium volumes. Also play them at the 5th fret (e.g. an A on the E string). Sometimes the part of the string between your left hand finger and the nut makes a noise, which is not the best sign either. For complete beginners: Get a chromatic tuner, not a guitar specific one. If you have a smartphone, there are great apps for Android and iOS. Also learn how to change the strings for yourself. It's cheap and really easy. Change the strings when they're getting dull, which mostly depends on how often you play on them and how sweaty/greasy your fingers are. This can range from a few days to a few months.
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Oct 7, 2015 00:15
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Honj Steak posted:Also learn how to change the strings for yourself. It's cheap and really easy. Getting the knot at the bridge right is very important if you don't want the string to gouge a huge gash in the top of your two day old guitar when it slips and lets loose. Don't ask me how I found this out.
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Oct 7, 2015 07:11
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My wife rightly pointed out that I have lost routinely value from my instruments by buying new - every time I get a new one I say to myself: ah ha! this is the exception, it must be new! And it never really is the exception of course. Except, I simply can't find any non-trashy classical guitars for sale in London second hand on ebay, gumtree or craigslist. Is this a known thing?
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Oct 7, 2015 08:32
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I ended up getting a spruce Cordoba Fusion Orchestra (https://www.cordobaguitars.com/p/orchestra). I played the C7 Cedar, the C7 Cutaway, and a few others and kept coming back to the fusion. The neck was just so comfortable for me, and I really liked how pronounced the sound was. Now, onto learning the style. Thanks for all the help guys! E: there seem to be some fret buzz on the 3rd and 5th frets of the A and D strings. Does anyone know if changing the strings will remedy this or did I pick a dud? Didn't even notice the buzz until i got it home. MikeyLikesIt fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Oct 7, 2015 |
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Oct 7, 2015 19:25
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I'm being emotionally manipulated to hold off until Xmas to get my CG. Am I making a mountain out of a molehill by talking to my wife about ingrained incorrect posture, fingering, etc. ?
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Oct 10, 2015 16:39
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Depreciation is the name of the game. Anything you buy new is going to lose monetary value as soon as you buy it. Your other concerns are legitimate, but keep plodding along. If you have to wait, you have to wait. If you get a window to get one early, that would be great too. Also, I got a chance to try one of those Yamaha guitars, and I was very impressed. You would definitely have a hard time finding a better value. Mikey, your guitar could probably use a set-up and a good look-over by a trusted repairman. It's also well worth considering a case and humidifier for your guitar. Congrats, by the way, very beautiful and pretty intriguing.
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Oct 11, 2015 15:53
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I wish I had started this audiobook alot earlier in my musical career: http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Arts-Entertainment/How-to-Listen-to-and-Understand-Great-Music-3rd-Edition-Audiobook/B00DEL6S44 It's really, really good.
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Jan 3, 2016 13:14
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I'd just like everyone to know that The Grapist is the loving man and has my respect eternally and forever. Made one of my 8th grader's 2016 start out way better than his lovely, lovely 2015.
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Jan 6, 2016 05:02
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Southern Heel posted:I wish I had started this audiobook alot earlier in my musical career: http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Arts-Entertainment/How-to-Listen-to-and-Understand-Great-Music-3rd-Edition-Audiobook/B00DEL6S44 Woah, I only just heard of this from your post and picked up the video version from their website. I'm utterly enthralled with it, and I've only finished the 4th lecture so far. Thanks for sharing this!
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Jan 6, 2016 05:47
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Southern Heel posted:I wish I had started this audiobook alot earlier in my musical career: http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Arts-Entertainment/How-to-Listen-to-and-Understand-Great-Music-3rd-Edition-Audiobook/B00DEL6S44 I grabbed the paperback version on Amazon and I'm about 90 pages in. I can't stress enough how clearly it explains the history of "classical" music. I don't know how he did it but the author found the perfect balance of simplicity and depth and it's surprisingly engaging throughout. I'm looking forward to finishing it and going back to some of the murkier chapters to study them. I definitely read the fugue chapter very carefully and I still don't quite understand them, hah. If anyone knows of similar books or articles I'd love to know. I'm always looking for new reasons to get excited and motivated to pick up the classical guitar.
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Jan 12, 2016 00:49
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I'm on the video lectures (same audio source as the audiobook) and honestly, you're probably missing out quite a bit by not having the music excerpts that he uses to illustrate his points. I don't think I'd have been able to make sense of the fugue lecture without his judicious use of Bach excepts. It is a phenomenal course though.
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Jan 12, 2016 01:18
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Jesus H. Christ that guy is so freaking inspiring it wants me to take up another instrument - I've gone through Violin, Viola and Cello but I'm starting to think that maybe a 5-string fretless electric might be more appropriately reusable for other genres of music as well as to play Cello pieces as written. I already booked myself a lesson at a local school for a violin taster but would be interested to hear opinions here?
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Jan 18, 2016 20:10
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So my 4th grade daughter has decided that she wants to learn flute for band starting next year. Internet searches seem to point towards Yamaha, Pearl, Jupiter, Azumi as good brands. The thing is I currently live in Bahrain and will be in Japan next year (with a brief stop at the folks place in Vegas). What are some good online stores to look at? Is it better to buy at a music store (even though no one in my family knows how to play yet)? If we can find used anything we should play close attention to?
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Mar 12, 2016 18:16
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Personally I'd just grab a basic Yamaha Advantage - that's what I have for school flutes for my middle school program. Buying used flutes is pretty much a crapshoot unless you can take a flute player along with you. Pretty similar to buying a used car, actually - pretend that you've never so much as driven a car in your life. Tough to really be sure if the used one is in good condition, right? Even driving it yourself won't be that useful, since you have no idea what it should feel like. Try contacting the band teacher and see what he/she recommends.
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Mar 12, 2016 23:11
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Do prices fluctuate during the year or are they consistent?
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Mar 13, 2016 16:04
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Gom Jabbar posted:Do prices fluctuate during the year or are they consistent? Some stores raise their prices during peak seasons like back to school or Christmas time. It's a good time to pick up a Yamaha YFL-221 though, they're being phased out and replaced by the new YFL-222. Shoot me a PM or email at jeff@jeanbaptiste.com I'll help you out.
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Mar 13, 2016 18:29
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I'm thinking about getting this cello: http://www.amazon.com/Knilling-Maes...=A3QI5PL377NJ1M It looks like they take mostly complete instruments from china and spend a few man hours setting them up. Do any of you have experience with Knilling instruments? I'm really just buying it because I want a cello to fool around with. I'm not even close to serious about being able to play. It would be cool to make a note that sounded decent. Edit: I am dumb. Zev fucked around with this message at 14:56 on Mar 27, 2016 |
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Mar 26, 2016 21:43
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You didn't link to the page for the Cello, just a page for a cart
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Mar 27, 2016 07:42
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Mederlock posted:You didn't link to the page for the Cello, just a page for a cart Haha, I'm an idiot. http://www.amazon.com/Knilling-Maes...=A3QI5PL377NJ1M
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Mar 27, 2016 14:57
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I would not order an instrument from Amazon. I am not familiar with the brand but I see them a lot on craigslist. My gut feeling is that they're poorly made, factory instruments. Most likely, you'll get a cheap bridge, cheap strings, and it may not even have the sound post set up. You'll have to spend some serious cash to get it setup properly and no guarantee how it'll sound or how playable it is. Based on some basic googling, they don't seem to fair well: http://www.maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/42930-are-knilling-bucharest-decent-violins/ http://www.maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/184268-knilling/ There's a lot more threads on the quality of Knilling instruments on that forum. Maestronet is a well-known forum for Violin makers, I didn't just find some random forum. If you are serious, I would find a local shop and rent an instrument for a few months. Many shops have a rent-to-own program so you can eventually own an instrument. I think around me it's about $90 for 3 months. It sounds pricey but often times shops will cover if your strings break or anything goes wrong with your bow. This may sound expensive but it is better than having a $1,500+ paperweight that you try to sell on craigslist in a few years for half of what you paid. If you can't find a local shop to rent from, these sites/shops are very reputable and worth checking out: http://www.sharmusic.com/ http://www.swstrings.com/ I would find a teacher and take a few lessons as well. I would not advise trying to learn on your own since you have a good chance of injurying yourself. If there's a college with a school of music near you, I would start there and see if there's any college students that teach private lessons on the side. Good luck! If you have more questions, feel free to ask. mariooncrack fucked around with this message at 00:33 on Mar 28, 2016 |
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Mar 28, 2016 00:31
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mariooncrack posted:I would not order an instrument from Amazon. I am not familiar with the brand but I see them a lot on craigslist. My gut feeling is that they're poorly made, factory instruments. Most likely, you'll get a cheap bridge, cheap strings, and it may not even have the sound post set up. You'll have to spend some serious cash to get it setup properly and no guarantee how it'll sound or how playable it is. Based on some basic googling, they don't seem to fair well: What got me thinking that they might be decent was this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spem5aOP2gE but it has the same Issue a lot of sources of information on the company seem to have: It's dated. The video is from 2012. I looked at the posts you linked and they are pretty old too. I even tried to search that forum, and I couldn't find much on the instruments themselves, just lots on the geared pegs they sell. I really wish I had a local shop around here. The closest thing is a shop that sells a few cheap violins and can order other stuff. The display instruments they had were set up so poorly I could tell that they wouldn't sound good (bridge not aligned, strings missing, made of plywood, etc...). I faund this at one of the sites you linked, and I'm going to try to see what I can find on it reputation wise: http://www.sharmusic.com/Instruments/Cello/Beginning-0--2K/Franz-Hoffmann-174-Prelude-Cello-Outfit---4-4-size.axd#sthash.QidoU3Tq.dpbs or this maybe? http://www.stringworks.com/collections/cellos/products/crescendo-cello I'm in the same boat teacher wise. There is one dude out here who sorta teaches violin, but nobody for cello. Zev fucked around with this message at 03:10 on Mar 30, 2016 |
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Mar 30, 2016 02:41
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This has probably been asked a million times before, but here goes anyway: how much of a difference does bow quality make? I'm a cello player looking to upgrade my starter brazilwood bow to a pernambuco bow, but I'm really not sure how much it will affect the overall sound. I've seen youtube videos comparing bow sound, but I only hear a significant difference when they player goes from a lovely fiberglass bow to a real wood bow. Everything else sounds very same-ish. Edit: One more thing I've been wondering: I've been using the same rosin since the very beginning. It's the Super Sensitive dark rosin that practically everyone gets in their starter outfits, but I'm wondering if I should try a different type. Does it really matter, or is it one of those things that only the pros can hear? Time Crisis Actor fucked around with this message at 19:09 on Nov 5, 2016 |
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Nov 5, 2016 19:04
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I'm not much of a string player, so I honestly don't know, but -- do you have a local luthier/string shop? If you don't know of one, this is a great time to google one, bring your cello with you, and tell them you'd like to upgrade your bow and would like to try some of theirs out. I'm betting that bows are a lot like wind instruments and that a pro (like the people who bother making youtube comparison videos) can probably get a great sound out of any bow, but a newer player like you can get a lot more benefit out of upgrading. But it's really hard to figure that out unless you just go check out some bows in person.
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Nov 6, 2016 02:53
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Buying advice please: I played french horn in middle/high school (15 years or so ago) and miss it pretty badly. I'm finally financially in a spot where we could swing a big purchase on something like this, and I live in an area with options for low-pressure community bands and orchestras (the no-audition type). Would I be OK with a single horn for this type of group? Are there any better options for buying used than craigslist and ebay?
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Nov 18, 2016 02:21
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Ewww....single horns. Why would you do that to yourself? I GUESS you could buy a single Bb horn, that would at least be better than a single F. But seriously, double horn all the way. How much dough do you want to spend? International Horn Society has a classifieds section on their website, but it's generally filled with pro horns, obviously. Only serious nerds are members of the International Horn Society. 
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Nov 18, 2016 03:57
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As a casually active horn player, I agree wholeheartedly with getting a double horn. As for buying one, we really need your budget to help out. If buying new, you are probably looking at $1-2k for low level horns. Mid level is around 3-6k and high end can easily be double that. Buying used is where you are going to get your best deals but if you don't know much about various makes, models, and years if horns, it's best to ask someone who does so that you get your money's worth. I'm using a Hans Hoyer Heritage which is a low level gig horn and it cost about 5k new six years ago. It's a very nice horn and I will probably never reach a point where I'll need anything better. For something much cheaper, Wessex Tubas is normally pretty good. I bought a Wagner tuba from them (like a euphonium crossed with a horn and even uses a horn mouthpiece) that I'm very happy with. They sell double horns, as well: http://www.wessex-tubas.com/french-horn/
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Nov 18, 2016 14:55
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Thanks for the advice. I'm likely looking at about $1k investment and definitely shopping used. It sounds like for that I can either get a pretty OK Bb single or a pretty bad double. So it seems like I either need to rethink my budget or rethink my goals.
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Nov 18, 2016 15:50
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Huxley posted:Thanks for the advice. I'm likely looking at about $1k investment and definitely shopping used. It sounds like for that I can either get a pretty OK Bb single or a pretty bad double. Definitely take a look at that Wessex horn I linked, then. It is at about your budget and, if nothing else, is good enough to get back into playing with. By the time you start feeling like you need something better, you will have already gotten past the point most people stop from disinterest. e: also, prioritize Hawkgirl's advice over my own if he/she says something that contradicts my posts Kibner fucked around with this message at 16:07 on Nov 18, 2016 |
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Nov 18, 2016 16:05
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Kibner posted:Definitely take a look at that Wessex horn I linked, then. It is at about your budget and, if nothing else, is good enough to get back into playing with. By the time you start feeling like you need something better, you will have already gotten past the point most people stop from disinterest. I have a Baritone horn and an Euphonium from Wessex, and although I've had some minor issues with the lacquer on the euph, the horns play beautifully. All the folks in the brass band and wind band I'm in are pretty impressed with them too. Have had them for about 2 years now. I can't speak to the quality of their french horns though, although it comes out of the JinBao factory, which is one of the more well regarded Chinese manufacturers of brass instruments that get exported. Tons of companies rebrand their horns (Wessex tubas, Sam Ash's Jean Baptiste [I think], Schiller, Mack Tubas, +more) and sell them to North America and Europe. Best part about Wessex though is their full return policy and warranty. Their double horn falls directly in your budget, so I'd recommend at least considering it too
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Nov 18, 2016 17:18
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Mederlock posted:I have a Baritone horn and an Euphonium from Wessex, and although I've had some minor issues with the lacquer on the euph, the horns play beautifully. All the folks in the brass band and wind band I'm in are pretty impressed with them too. Have had them for about 2 years now. I can't speak to the quality of their french horns though, although it comes out of the JinBao factory, which is one of the more well regarded Chinese manufacturers of brass instruments that get exported. Tons of companies rebrand their horns (Wessex tubas, Sam Ash's Jean Baptiste [I think], Schiller, Mack Tubas, +more) and sell them to North America and Europe. Best part about Wessex though is their full return policy and warranty. Their double horn falls directly in your budget, so I'd recommend at least considering it too Sam Ash's brand manager for Jean Baptiste and curator of their vintage and high end horn program checking in and at your service! Yes, the Wessex and Jean Baptiste brass both come from the Jin Bao factory (and our flutes, our woodwinds now come from the Gulf factory but our made to my specs. I made a KILLER Mark VI copy for alto and tenor if anyone wants a pro horn priced below most intermediates). We charge $1000 for a new double, and I can scour the chain for a higher quality used horn that might fight your budget. Shoot me an email if and I'll hook you up. Jeff.Galperin@samashmusic.com That's an open offer for anyone here. Not just brass winds and orchestral instruments. I'm kinda a big deal in the company. You want a deal on anything we stock, new or used? Want a vintage piece? I got you. The Grapist fucked around with this message at 18:51 on Nov 19, 2016 |
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Nov 19, 2016 18:49
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I'll have to keep that in mind next time my little brass quintet needs something. Thanks! 
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Nov 19, 2016 22:13
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X post from guitar thread: https://youtu.be/T763uXxWs2A To demonstrate that, yes, I have progressed after a year of still posting the same piece, I'll be uploading a run of Leyenda later this week. Pce from deployment
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Dec 14, 2016 22:41
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Just kidding I meant tomorrow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD9-vE2vfc4
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Dec 15, 2016 15:13
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