2007-09-26 04:26:03 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Primary & Secondary Education
~ In the US we don't have the same exam system - some US readers will assume you are referring to the 6th grade (12 years old). grade six exams would challenge many college musicians in the US. ~
A wooden instrument by a quality maker is much better quality. The tone and timbre are better and the construction tolerance is closer. Once he plays one you should hear a distinct difference in both sound and ability.
500 is not all that much really - put into perspective. I'm a musician. My main performing flute is the tool with which I carry out my occupation. It cost $7000 when new.
Were I a carpenter, I would likely own a set of tools for my occupation. They would have a cost. Same were I a plumber or even an accountant.
Now, if I were a mediocre carpenter, I might get by with an old used hammer with tape around it and some nails. But to be a truly good carpenter, I would need some power tools and higher quality hand tools. I would start acquiring these better tools while a student as I advanced in ability.
Your son is advancing to level six, that's not a beginner any longer. He requires tools capable of the level of performance that he is able to coax from them if he is to move forward.
If he goes on to study in the university or conservatory then this same instrument you're looking at now is the tool he's going to need. If he goes on to play with the symphony as a professional then you haven't seen expensive in an instrument yet... Clarinet players typically have matched sets of several types of clarinet -- all well over 500 each.
The question to you comes now, how important is this musical education to you and what level of investment are you prepared to make? There comes a point when the toy carpentry set isn't sufficient for the aspiring carpenter - and a time when beginner quality musical instruments aren't sufficient for the aspiring musician.
We who are musicians by profession promise to you that there is indeed a difference between a plastic/resonite student instrument and a Buffet model R-13 clarinet and that the difference is well worthy of the cost. What we can't tell you is whether your son is ready for that -- but his teacher seems to think he is.
2007-09-26 04:46:03 · answer #1 · answered by CoachT 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The simplistic answer is that they sound better!
If your son intends to carry on after Grade 6 he will definitely need a better clarinet as some of the techniques he will need to learn are very difficult, if not well nigh impossible, on a plastic instrument.
I would strongly recommend that you contact one of the music shops which run nationwide hire schemes and sell the good quality instruments. They frequently have instruments for sale secondhand where someone has 'traded up' and used their old instrument as part payment for the new one. There is also at least one music shop in London which reduces the price of every instrument, both new and secondhand, for the whole of January!
Do not think that secondhand is second best - quite often you can get a superb instrument which has been 'played in' at a price you can afford. When I started at music college I bought an instrument secondhand for a reasonable sum which would have cost literally one thousand pounds more if buying it new!
One word of advice though -either get your son's teacher to go with you to buy the instrument or go to a reputable dealer and make sure he plays the instrument before you commit to buying. Do not but sight unseen - neither you nor your son is likely to have the knowledge to know whether you are buying rubbish!
2007-09-27 00:12:06 · answer #2 · answered by O J 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He doesn't have to have wooden one, I did my grade 7 with a plastic one. The ABRSM certainly don't insist on it.
It may be that his teacher doesn't consider his current instrument a very good one, so if he was going to have a new one it may as well be wooden, as they generally produce a better tone.
if your son is definitely going to carry on with the clarinet, £500 is a reasonable investment. Some music shops will let you pay by instalments, or you can pick up a bargain on Ebay.
Family could always rally round too, ask them to give a donation towards a new clarinet instead of a Christmas present.
2007-09-26 21:08:10 · answer #3 · answered by toscamo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Schools do indeed supply some instruments, usually things like tubas, baritones, drums, kettle drums, and xylophones. Schools seldom have the smaller instruments like clarinets, flutes, trumpets, although they do sometimes provide oboes. I have never heard of a school that insists that a parent purchase an expensive model of an instrument as a prerequisite for taking an exam. The sound quality of an instrument has nothing to do with the mechanics of playing or how well your son knows finger position and how to read the music. Speak to your son's band director. If you find him or her inflexible, talk to the principal or superintendent. No need for this expense.
2007-09-26 04:43:19 · answer #4 · answered by claudiacake 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only creatures fitting the description of what Noah was supposed to take on the are were Tetrapods which account for between 28,000 and 30,000 distinct species and about 15,000 kinds (genus). Well below the six million you state. So there is no reason anybody here should believe anybody fit six million animals on a wooden boat.
2016-05-19 00:35:48 · answer #5 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the event that you are searching for woodworking plans you can discover a huge number of woodworking plans on this website ( woodworkingplans.kyma.info ) It's the perfect result in the event that you are simply starting with woodworking and also in case that you have already experience with it. You can discover a ton of woodworking arrangements and you will have the capacity to deal with the projects with a CAD/DWG software. It permits you to alter the projects and to alter the arragements.if you are a beginner this is a great approach to start. It's the best approach to woodworking; and on the off chance that you already have experience you will discover a considerable measure of plans and inspirations to improve your capabilities with woodwork.
2014-09-29 22:46:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only reason I can think of is that wooden clarinets sound better, and are usually of higher quality than the ebonite (plastic) ones.
2007-09-26 04:30:10 · answer #7 · answered by rduke88 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes the tone would be better, but there is absolutely no reason why you should fork out that much unless he is looking to progress as a professional musician. At that level the examiner is only looking for accuracy anyway.
2007-09-26 04:35:04 · answer #8 · answered by Bone 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
(cost in excess of five hundred )
WoW!
What is it a Magic Clarinet?
2007-09-26 04:32:21 · answer #9 · answered by ♣Kermit the Frog♣ 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The school should supply the instruments....
2007-09-26 04:33:15 · answer #10 · answered by Polo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋