Ozwinds Brass and Woodwind

1. It can cause movement of pads and cork: Shellac has a melting point quoted at around 75°C to 91°C, which may seem unrealistic to achieve in a case – which it probably is. But the softening point of shellac and hot-glue is lower than the melting point (some sources indicating 50°C), and it is only needs to be warm enough for it to shift by a fraction to impact on how that pad seals. 2. Wood can shrink and fittings can become loose: When exposed to extreme heat, the wood of a clarinet or an oboe will shrink due to a  decrease in moisture and tenon/bell rings can become loose.  This can be problematic as the clarinet will need to be re-oiled and the rings either glued or shrunk to fit the tenon properly again. Do not attempt to assemble a clarinet with loose rings, as they no longer provide structural support to the joint and may cause a socket to crack whilst assembling/disassembling. This would be an expensive repair and can cause the instrument to never play the same again. Read More...

Understanding The Concept: Firstly it's vital to have a good handle on what tuning is and the reasons why we tune. Essentially, tuning is adjusting the pitch of your instrument's tones to reach the most aesthetically pleasing and musically correct sound. Your instrument produces vibrations that make up its sound. If the pitch becomes too high or low, the sound will fall sharp or flat – 'out of tune'. The vibrations your instrument makes will no longer sound 'right'. That's why it's so important to be in tune! After all, you want the sounds you produce to reflect all the hard work you put in to learning your craft. Read More...

Review of the brand-spanking long awaited Charis Cornet by Schagerl. For more exciting videos and products visit us at : www.ozwinds.com.au For more information visit us @:   Website: http://www.ozwinds.com.au Twitter: https://twitter.com/ozwinds/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ozwinds Google+: https://plus.google.com/+ozwinds/posts

One of the most important things in general woodwind care is gentle and careful assembling and disassembling of the instrument. Whether an oboe or flute, don't hold the instrument by the keys when doing this. Attach pieces with a gentle twisting motion, but don't force anything. If you feel you need to apply force to put pieces together, stop and take a step back. Making sure you pay attention in putting together or taking apart your instrument is vital to avoid bending parts out of shape or damaging any keys. Read More...

Here are some of our top tips for beginner jazz players. 1. Watch and listen to the experts: You can't learn what jazz is really all about without watching and listening to some great players. This will help you to develop your ear for the genre. Your teacher may be able to advise you on some of the legends to listen to and masterful performances to watch, but you should also try and catch live gigs when you can. There's nothing like seeing talented and passionate jazz players doing what they do up close, and it's bound to give you plenty of inspiration and remind you why you started this journey in the first place. Keep an eye out for local jazz festivals too, as these are a great place to catch wonderful performers and hone your own stills, too. Read More...

Yamaha Custom 82Z Tenor Saxophone in black lacquer, with Aizen 8* resin mouthpiece, Alexander New York 4.5 reed and Francois Louis "Ultimate" XL Ligature. For more exciting videos visit us at https://www.youtube.com/user/ozwinds. For more information visit us @:   Website: http://www.ozwinds.com.au Twitter: https://twitter.com/ozwinds/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ozwinds Google+: https://plus.google.com/+ozwinds/posts

Nick Taylor tries out our brand new Selmer reference 54 Limited edition Dragonbird Alto Saxophone at Melbourne Brass and Woodwind. You can check out the more details of Selmer saxophone at http://goo.gl/lRByrd For more information visit us @: Website: http://www.ozwinds.com.au Twitter: https://twitter.com/ozwinds/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ozwinds Google+: https://plus.google.com/+ozwinds/posts

It's also essential that you assemble and disassemble your oboe carefully, without forcing the pieces. Next of all, make sure you keep your oboe clean. After each time you use your oboe, gently wipe it down and remove any dust or debris. Read More...

Music and maths are connected in even deeper ways. For example, rhythm and timing are some of the most important components in any musical piece, no matter the genre. Whether you're playing brass instruments like the trumpet or woodwind instruments like the clarinet, getting the rhythm right is essential for conveying the true spirit of the piece. After all, the wrong rhythm can render a piece unrecognizable – even if every single note is sounded correctly. To get your timing perfect, it's essential to know how many beats each note lasts for and how these work together when they are combined within a piece. For example, two quaver notes equal one whole crotchet note, while a minim is made up of two crotchet beats. A semibreve lasts for the equivalent of four crotchets, while a semiquaver makes up a quarter of a single crotchet. Read More...

Brae shows us the brand new Yamaha NEO series euphonium. Includes a rare performance by Wayne Preusker, our resident low brass specialist. For more exciting videos please visit us at https://www.youtube.com/user/ozwinds. For more information visit us @: Website: http://www.ozwinds.com.au Twitter: https://twitter.com/ozwinds/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ozwinds Google+: https://plus.google.com/117407598047005694958/posts

Numerous institutions offer programs in study for the discipline, and it's becoming increasingly popular around the world. Many hospitals, hospices, schools, mental health facilities and more engage in music therapy with their patients. A significant amount of research has gone into the practice of music therapy and what kind of practical uses it may have. For example, a study from the Faculty of Music at the University of Melbourne, undertaken by So-Young Moon, found that piano playing music therapy helped the motor coordination of stroke patients. Read More...

Brae Grimes from Melbourne Brass and Woodwind explains the range of the trumpet mouthpieces that we carry. For more exciting videos please visit us at https://www.youtube.com/user/ozwinds. For more information visit us @: Website: www.ozwinds.com.au Twitter: https://twitter.com/ozwinds/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ozwinds Google+: https://plus.google.com/117407598047005694958/posts

Practice Regularly: There's no other way around it – to improve your sight reading, you're going to have to sight read regularly. Just as training strengthens an athlete's muscles, so too can frequent sight reading practice help your musical comprehension. If you're learning a new piece, sight reading will be a part of your practice routine anyway. However, even if you're well acquainted with your pieces you can still practice sight reading by finding some new sheet music that is a couple of levels below your ability. Give yourself a few minutes out of each practice session to play this through, starting an unfamiliar bar or section each day. Read More...

You have a choice of several different versions of the flugelhorn. Some come with a rotary valve and others even have an additional fourth valve, so there is a variety of flugelhorns that you can play. Read More

Brae Grimes from #Ozwinds explains the benefits of using Greg Spence's #Wind #Products for all wind players. For more exciting videos visit our channel at http://goo.gl/rr6azH.

Teamwork: Being able to contribute as part of a team is a skill that's essential for many areas of life – whether it's in sport, music or the workplace. Understanding and collaborating with other people will always be a part of human life, and learning a musical instrument can give you a valuable head start in this area. Musicians who play in an orchestra, chamber group or other group will get a crash course in working effectively alongside each other. In order to perform to the best standard, every musician needs to be able to pull their own weight, while also cooperating in perfect harmony with others. This is a valuable skill to have at any life stage, and it can be learned in a fun way through performing and practising with others. Read More...