Any of your kids doing dual instrument?

[pokemon]

[quote]When I started to pick up the cello, I was already using full sized cellos


I've seen a custom made cello that's smaller than 1/8. Suitable for height lesser than 1m. It was specially made for a 3yo girl from China. Meet her during one of our orchestra trips to China I think in SG it's quite hard to find a small cello. I can help you ask my teacher, cos she has students who are 4yo :)[/quote][/quote]

if nd to custom made must be v ex, dun tink i want to spend so much on it. if i remembered correctly, i saw a 1/8 size in mandeville showroom and the sales personnel say that is the smallest size, mayb he meant is the smallest size that mandeville is selling?

[pokemon]

[quote]According to my dd, she said with piano foundation, it is easier to learn the cello. The posture of the hands for bowing is different for the violin and the cello. She found it confusing initially for the notes of the cello strings. For violin, it is G D A E, whereas for cello, it is A D G C (If I remember the sequence correctly). Due to her small size, she is using size 1/2. She is learning the cello for her interest and is not taking any grade. The teacher advised that she has to drop one musical instrument (piano or violin) if she wants to go for graded exam for the cello[/quote]
Why need to drop 1 of the instrument if she decides to tk exam for cello? if she cn cope,cant she keep all. I kn the abrsm theory exam is the same for all instrument,so dun need to repeat for different instrument, even the oral section of the abrsm practical exam, dun need to repeat for other instrument. I was told by my ds piano tchr.

Btw, does your dd bring the cello back from sch to pract at home or juz pract few times in sch. i dunno shd reject my ds if he ever wanted to tk up sch band in school. They cant choose the instrument rite?

[watmekiasu]

pokemon:

I understand that cello also come in diff sizes, is the smallest the 1/8 size? My boy only 125cm tall, would he be able to fit the smallest cello size? He very cute say cello better cos dun need to rest on the neck so would not feel the ache.

For height of 125cm, he should be able to use the 1/4 size cello. My dd is 132cm and she is already outgrowing the 1/4 size. Sizewise, for the cello, it is more flexible than the violin as the cello has an adjustable rod at the base.

[snowz]

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[pokemon]

watmekiasu:

For height of 125cm, he should be able to use the 1/4 size cello. My dd is 132cm and she is already outgrowing the 1/4 size. Sizewise, for the cello, it is more flexible than the violin as the cello has an adjustable rod at the base.

Thanks for your info. We always think he is too small to fit any cello.Do u kn how much does a beginner cello cost? incase my ds wants to switch in future. Currently he quite happy with his violin cls. Since theres a cello size for him, i do not know if i should switch him to cello where his initial interest lies. :?

[pokemon]

snowz:

Theory is the same for all instrument. However, you need to repeat aural section for the same grade for diff instrument in the prac exams. As both dd's violin & piano are above Gr5, teacher wants her to spend more time on her practice. She brings her cello back home from school. One thing good about cello is dd can play with band, string emsembles and Chinese orchestra for performance in the school.

Sorri, not sure if i hear his teacher correctly, is it 'oral' or 'aural' section need not repeat? In abrsm pract exam is there an 'oral' section?

[liliansim]

Hi, how to handle both instruments successfully? Any tips?


Also, any good violin teacher to recommend - patient & motivating (other than being technically competent)?

Thanks.

[watmekiasu]

Tried to reply to your pms but you're not taking any. :shock: Anyway, here's the jist of my pm :


It wasn't easy when dd was doing both piano and violin. I was very stressed cos it was like my dd didn't have a childhood at all. Her whole life then revolved around school, dance, piano and violin. Something had to give and I made her drop dance and piano. No regrets at all as I believe those lessons have enriched her. Even today, dd will sometimes go to the piano and play a tune, so all is not lost.

Currently, she is learning both violin and cello with ease as her lessons are alternated between the 2 instruments weekly eg week 1 and 3 - violin, week 2 and 4 - cello. Altho the progress is much slower, it suits us fine, so long as she enjoys learning, it is money well-spent. She practices on her own - again, this slows down the progress but at least I don't feel stressed listening to her mistakes and she doesn't get stressed by me, hahaha!

The only advice I can give you is to make sure the child is learning for enjoyment and not just for grades. That way, the love for music stays with them forever and it is worth much more than a piece of Grade 8 or Diploma Cert.

Her teacher is from Ricco Music at Toa Payoh. Very easy-going person. He doesn't seem to take many or any new students as his schedule is always packed.

[sharon1234]

My dd started piano at the age of 5 and violin at the age of 7. As it is, she likes violin as she picks it up very quickly due to her foundation from piano.


It would be hard if you start your child on both instruments at the same time. Also, I don’t let her take exam so far as I don’t want to kill her interest by drilling on the exam pieces all the time. Exam could come later.

[jce]

It’s easier to pick up a 2nd instrument if there’s a foundation (eg start piano first then a few yrs down the road pick up another). Piano is always a good place to start cos it sounds better than the other instruments even right at the start. Those who start with violin will find it easy to pick up the other string instruments at a later stage.