All About Music For Beginners & Selecting Instruments

[watmekiasu]

phankao:

pinkapple:

but after reading a few thread here, most think it's easier to start learning piano before moving on to other instruments.

Do you not think the child will be *spoilt* by the easiness of the piano before learning violin?

Violin really trains the hearing, but piano, as long as press the correct keys, it will be ok...

Fact : More young children give up on learning the violin than piano. The piano gets progressively harder which imo, is a better way to learn anything. The violin meanwhile, has so many technicalities that have to be mastered from the beginning that it turns off many children (and parents). Imagine three months down the line, the violinist is still struggling with Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star whilst the pianist already has a little repertoire under his belt like Beethoven's Ode To Joy, Air from Mozart and etc.

Furthermore, I think the higher grade piano exam is more challenging than the violin. For the violin. you only have to memorise over 80 scales for Gd8 whilst it is over 100 for piano. Fret not cause ABRSM is revising the number of scales required (cutting down, that is).

Despite all the above, nothing beats the violin when it comes to stirring the emotions from the sounds made.

[pinkapple]

watmekiasu:

Despite all the above, nothing beats the violin when it comes to stirring the emotions from the sounds made.

think is rather subjective, just as music itself is subjective.

I'm moved by piano more than the violin.

[jce]

I personally think ALL instruments can cause a stir in the heart when played beautifully.


And going back a little to Phankao’s comment on "violin really trains the hearing", well, I think this aspect can only be trained well IF the violin teacher (whose ear has to be good in the first place) teaches the child well to listen. I have heard some (in high grades, grade 8, even diploma) whose pitching is really bad. Even some so called "teachers", theirs is just as bad too. On the other hand, it’s also the student’s ear that matters. For some, they just can’t hear that they’re off, even after much training.

[phankao]

jce:

I personally think ALL instruments can cause a stir in the heart when played beautifully.


And going back a little to Phankao's comment on \"violin really trains the hearing\", well, I think this aspect can only be trained well IF the violin teacher (whose ear has to be good in the first place) teaches the child well to listen. I have heard some (in high grades, grade 8, even diploma) whose pitching is really bad. Even some so called \"teachers\", theirs is just as bad too. On the other hand, it's also the student's ear that matters. For some, they just can't hear that they're off, even after much training.

Got me a little shocked there for awhile that there can be teachers who's hearing can be poor. I wouldn't dare engage such. haha. 2 of my kids learn string instruments of their choice and they don't play the piano. Their intonation is v good. I wonder if it'd be the same if they'd started w piano. bc for instance i play the piano n hv v good hearing myself but my intonation with string instruments is poor.

[watmekiasu]

I wouldn’t engage a music teacher (for any kind of instrument) who does not have perfect pitch in hearing. First of all, there’s no way they can teach a string instrument which relies solely on their hearing. Then, how can they teach aural for the exams ?

[jce]

Not many teachers out there, even for string instruments can distinguish the slight difference btw A @440 and A @ 441 (or 442 or whatever for that matter). It really takes that precise pitch hearing to get that spot on.

[phankao]

watmekiasu:

I wouldn't engage a music teacher (for any kind of instrument) who does not have perfect pitch in hearing. First of all, there's no way they can teach a string instrument which relies solely on their hearing. Then, how can they teach aural for the exams ?

Hmm... most instrument/vocal teachers don't teach aural for exams. The accompanist does.

[phankao]

jce:

Not many teachers out there, even for string instruments can distinguish the slight difference btw A @440 and A @ 441 (or 442 or whatever for that matter). It really takes that precise pitch hearing to get that spot on.

The ones that I know do. Ds1's tr would frown saying \"it's a hairline off!\". And ds2's tr tells me that I shd tune D at 442 instead bc it's not the same as violin which should be 440. Oh well, then I pass the stuff to her to tune. HAHA.

[watmekiasu]

phankao:

Hmm... most instrument/vocal teachers don't teach aural for exams. The accompanist does.

Then my dd must be lucky.

[jce]

Teaching aural - it all depends on whether (1) the instrumental teacher knows how to play the piano and (2) teacher wants to spend time teaching aural as some would rather spend the time teaching the pieces and technicalities to perfection and hence leave the aural to the accompanist