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New instruments are expensive! But, did you know that upgrading your mouthpiece, ligature or reed can make a HUGE difference in how you sound?
As you enter Jr. High and become more comfortable with your instrument, that is a great time to look at upgrading your setup. We have worked real hard to compile a list of recommended mouthpieces and other pieces of equipment for you. Please consider purchasing these pieces of equipment to really maximize your talent at your instrument!
Flute - Unfortunately, there isn't much to change in a flute without buying a whole new instrument. But if you are looking at upgrading, we highly suggest an open holed flute. This will greatly improve your tone quality and fix a lot of intonation issues as well. If you are in a rental program with Menchey Music, look into transferring the money spent on your rental to a new Flute! Other accessories that will help you out include a tuner and a metronome. A tuner is very important for flute players as the tuning tendencies on flute vary greatly! You can download a metronome and tuner for your phone very easily! I suggest Tonal Energy. This is app is the best out there!
Clarinet - I've done a lot of research and asked a lot of professional clarinetists this opinion on mouthpiece. Man! There were a lot of opinions! After some time though, I think the Vandoren M15 Profile 88 is the best mouthpiece for you to go to! This is a great piece of equipment that will really help you hone in on that great clarinet sound we desire. Team this up with a Vandoren Optimum Ligature and some Vandoren V12 Strength 3 reeds and you will notice a huge change in your sound. Now, it may take a little bit of time, but it's well worth it. You are going to notice an incredible difference in how you play with this new set up.
Oboe/Bassoon - For double reed players, the best thing is a hand made reed. A simple Google search of "handmade bassoon reeds" or "handmade oboe reeds" will find you many result of people that will make you a reed if you don't know how to. If you want to dive into the world of making reeds, that's awesome! This can save you money, but it can be time consuming. Other accessories that will help you out include a tuner and a metronome. A tuner is very important for flute players as the tuning tendencies on flute vary greatly! You can download a metronome and tuner for your phone very easily! I suggest Practice+. This is a two in one as it includes both a tuner and metronome!
All Saxophones - For jazz players, you can't get much better than the Meyer 5. That mouthpiece is a standard out there and will get you great results. For classical, we suggest the Selmer S80 C* mouthpiece. Great product and great company! When it comes to ligatures though, the Vandoren Optimum Series is awesome. Very versatile. A great buy! Reeds really depend on you as a player. I really like Vandoren reeds though. By the time you get to high school, I'd really like you playing on a 3 if possible. Get a way from the Rico Royal 2's and 2.5's. You will notice a big change in sound by just a reed change!
Trumpets - For trumpets, there are a million mouthpieces out there! If you are able to go to a shop and try out some, that's the best plan. But if not, a Bach 3C mouthpiece is a great upgrade to what you have currently. If you want something a little bigger a 1 1/2 C would be another great one. Ask your private teacher, for a suggestion though! They will know what would work for you best! You should also have a straight and cup mute. I suggest the Denis Wick brand mutes, they sound awesome and stand up over the course of time. It's a great investment! If you are looking for a little bit of a cheaper one, Humes & Berg are good mutes as well. Cheaper and very durable but don't get as warm of a sound as the Denis Wick ones.
French Horns - One thing that can really help a Horn player is getting a quality mouthpiece. The sound that the Horn can make can be rich and dark but only if you are set up the right way! I suggest the Holton Farkas MDC. This mouthpiece should last you a long time. You will find more comfort with finding pitches and partials as well as noticing a big difference in your tone quality.
Trombones - As a trombone player, I have a Shilke. I love my Shilke 47 but it's pretty small for overall playing in our Concert Band. I highly suggest the Bach 6 1/2 AL or a Bach 5G. Just make sure before you buy a new mouthpiece, you know what size shank you use. If you don't know, ask your band teacher. You should also have a straight and cup mute. I suggest the Denis Wick brand mutes, they sound awesome and stand up over the course of time. It's a great investment! If you are looking for a little bit of a cheaper one, Humes & Berg are good mutes as well. Cheaper and very durable but don't get as warm of a sound as the Denis Wick ones.
Euphoniums - Shilke is a great mouthpiece manufacturer and the Shilke 51D mouthpiece is an amazing choice for Euphonium players. You will get a big, dark and warm sound out of this mouthpiece. Highly suggested from a former Eastman Euphonium masters student! You don't really need any mutes, very few pieces of music call for Euphonium mutes. But a tuner and metronome would be an incredible value for you! Download one today!
Tubas - For tuba, I highly suggest the Conn Helleberg mouthpiece. This is an incredible mouthpiece that I suggest to all of my private students. This will greatly improve your tone quality! By the way, get a tuner. Because the entire ensemble listens to you for tuning!
Percussion - Please visit https://www.steveweissmusic.com/category/schools to find our school and purchase whatever supplies you need. You will also need to upgrade your drum pad if you have never done that before. We recommend the Vic Firth Heavy Hitter Slim Pad Marching Snare Practice Pad which is also available on www.steveweissmusic.com
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