Another vote for the alto saxamaphone. Almost identical to flute. Wait for the guitar. Small hands will have a lot of difficulty with bar chords. The sax is so much fun to play. I play (some more than others);
[li]Alto Sax[/li]
[li]C Melody Sax[/li]
[li]Soprano Sax[/li]
[li]Flute[/li]
[li]Alto Flute[/li]
[li]Recorder(s)[/li]
[li]Guitar[/li]
[li]Electric Guitar[/li]
[li]Bass[/li]
[li]Synthesizer[/li]
[li]Piano[/li]
[li]Harmonica[/li]
[li]Penny Whistle[/li]
[li]Clarinet[/li]
[li]Steel Drums[/li]
Trust me, alto sax. Perfect for now. Later the guitar and other stuff.
So I bring up the subject in the car real casual-like. And she says, “You know, I’ve been thinking about that. I was thinking about the trumpet, because our trumpets are really weak and could really use the help. But I think I’d prefer the sax.”
That was tough!
And she said she doesn’t think she is going to challenge the other flautist, because she was the first person who was nice to my daughter when she moved up to the 8th grade band, and she’s in 8th grade while my daughter is in 7th. So she said she thinks she’ll stay where she is, and concentrate on being the #1 flute next year.
If she ever “gravitates” towards orchestral string instruments, go for the viola…every orchestra except the really bad ones need more violas, and they can get paid well. There’s much less competition there than someone playing violin or, well, flute. I’m putting this in as someone who plays all the orchestral string instruments plus piano…I would recommend that if she wants to go for a career in music, to at least learn the basics of one of them. I could someday be at a disadvantage because I don’t play a woodwind instrument, or whatever.
Yeah, but if those Filipinos had been wearing big heavy suits of metal armor, broadswords woulda made mincemeat out of 'em! (Or was it the Filipinos who were using the broadswords? I don’t know Filipino history. Anyway, broadswords work great, assuming your enemy is loaded down with so much armor and gear that he can barely move. Two-handed greatswords are even better against such encumbered foes. I learned this from the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Arms and Equipment Guide.)
Polyphonic, like the piano, but take-it-anywhere like the flute. Also, she can focus on classical, spanish, folk, rock or jazz as she prefers, for play or pay. And she can focus on it either as an instrument to play in its own right, or to accompany her vocal talents. Not many instruments give her all these choices.
Plus, it’s just a fantastic thing to learn to play. Plus, when she gets into her teens she’ll be perfectly placed to swap acoustic for electric, start her own rock band, get very rich and look after you in your retirement. I’d say this is the over-riding consideration.
ahem, Dins, I’m willin to put all that crap about before behind us, if you are atleast. so to break the ice, I thought I’d give some input. definatly go with the horn. Its hard to start on (if she has history with trumpets its a breeze, but it doesnt appear so) but its definatly a keeper. I’ve played about 3 years now, but I was able to pick up on in (with the rough basics) in a week, just cause I played trumpet for 3 years before that. but theres a definate beauty in the horn. but of course, its a family issue, so I’ll just chuck in my 2 cents and go on. good luck
What crap, caesar? I love horns myself. I think the french and bari are probably the best sounding instrument around, and trumpet is just soo cool. But my middle child, my son, has just started trumpet. He’s doing pretty well (I think), but he is just a beginner. And he has some self esteem issues. Add in a healthy dose of sibling rivalry, and I’m not too hot on the idea of eldest daughter simply picking up the horn and instantly blowing rings around my boy.
Regarding guitar, we have 3 around the house, acoustic, electric, and electric bass (my old instrument). We keep them out so they are always available for the kids should they wish to pick them up. I should play them more myself. Same with various drums around the house. Not pushing them, just making them available. I know how much fun I had playing in bands, and I would love it if my kids had the same experience (except being more accomplished musicians in bands that didn’t completely suck and occasionally made a little money.)
I’ve played the flute for many, many years and I got a sax for Christmas. They have remarkably similar fingerings and I’ve been able to pick right up on it. It’s also a fun instrument, with good jamming potential.
OBOE is the instrument your daughter, IMO, should take up.
I played flute and piano and then merged to Oboe. I’m astonished that anyone would suggest Sax or Trumpet. The oboe is the instument many flute players shift to after a few years.
The sax is an instrument that many CLARINET players shift to and the fingering is similar. For the flute and oboe, the fingering is also similar.
The trumpet is a completely different instrument - you’re talking about going from woodwinds to brass. Now, it can be done - I took up the euphonium after playing flute, as well, but it certainly isn’t the natural transition that going from flute to oboe is. I strongly, strongly suggest speaking with someone in music because while the oboe seems obvious to me, you’re certainly getting a wide variety of opinions.
Also my .02 on the Saxaphone…I just don’t understand why everyone wants to play sax. Quite frankly, there are usually too many in the band/orchestra and there are almost always too many BAD sax players. Of course, I may just be anti-sax but this fascination with it befuddles me entirely. And it certainly isn’t because I haven’t heard some great sax players.
Tibs, I think the sax has the benefit of flexibility. Orch, band, rock, jazz, blues. Oboe is a beautiful instrument, but I don’t think it has that type of flexibility. And right now, a playing opportunity for my daughter is jazz band.
For whatever reason, at her jr high level, there seem to be more trumpets and clarinets. Not a surfeit of saxes. I guess the way the school system teaches it, kids start off on clarinet, and then switch to sax if they want to. Perhaps most are content to stick with clarinet.
My youngest will be old enough to pick up a band instrument next year. This year she is in chorus, and could start a string if she wanted. The missus would like a violin, but the kid has shown no interest. She thinks trombone(?), sax, or drums. But learning that the school starts sax players out on clarinet, leads her to prefer trombone or sax. They always seem to have a shortage of french horn players. And those percussionists always seem to have a good time back there. Of course I have less than fond memories of helping our drummer haul his shit around, and helping him set up and break down before and after gigs.
dins, ah good to get that all behind us. anyways, yes I agree about the horn. it is a beatiful instrument. about the rivalry…I dont know what to say there. Trumpet is a HARD instrument. heck I’ve played 5 years straight and still can hardly hit C6. this might be way out of the question, but if you could convince your son that it really DOES take a long time, and if he picked up the horn later on, he’d be really good at it. but you never know how much patience a kid has (unless you know em) heck, if I would have known that it would take me 5 years, I wouldnt have believed it. times different to a kid. ohwell I rambled on again.
Saxophones are always good. I play alto saxophone myself, however, I can also play bassoon. If she shows an usual aptitude for music, put her in double-reed instruments. They’re difficult but fun to master (although the oboe, when not played properly, is annoying!) There are flute players that play double-reeds…it shouldn’t be too hard.
Either Sax or Oboe would be good. Depends on whether she wants to go into Jazz band or Wind Ensemble in college. It would probably be good to stick to the same family (not brass or strings - gaining brass chops may play heck with flute embochures, and calluses from guitar strings aren’t good for open-hole woodwind fingerings) If you want her to be frustrated (oops…I mean challenged), try bassoon.
Ok…heres my gripe. As AWB mentioned, fingerings for Trumpet can also be used for just about anything from Tuba to Flugelhorn.
I usually play in a Christmas Cantata at a local church (I’m not a member but they needed reed players). One of our brass players (a retired gentlemen quite content with his choice of instruments) is a Treble-Clef Baritone player (e.g. reformed trumpet player). Thing is, he was playing the TC Baritone part on a valve trombone. We had a flute player that switched back and forth between an unholy canniption and a hairy cat-fit over this. He was playing the wrong instrument. He was playing the wrong part. It can’t possibly work and sound right. None of us know what we’re doing.
She insisted the valve trombone was not a real instrument (never heard of folks like Bob Brookmeyer I guess). It was a toy (well, no, it’s a Bach Mercedes). A trombone has a slide on it or it isn’t really a trombone. He just wasn’t a serious musician. You can’t play a Bb treble clef part on a trombone it just can’t possibly work. And on and on and on, to the point of disrupting a whole series of rehearsals (which we did need).
She also complained that she didn’t get paid mileage back and forth from her home in University City to the church once a week for rehearsals. And she had to buy her own food at the benefit pancake breakfast for a cancer-stricken church member. Waaah.
You know, I’ve been driving back and forth from South St. Louis County up to UCity twice a week for the last four years to play in their summer band. Asking for mileage for the 20-mile trip was on my list somewhere between whether or not to wear a snorkel and whether to try to read my music while standing on my head.
Hmm. Well, not to diss the suggestions of others, but I have been a flutist for many years now, and if your daughter has any intentions to continue playing the flute seriously, I would recommend against learning another wind instrument. I know several flutists who took up sax and clarinet as a lark and it ruined their embouchure.
If she’s already a pianist, suggest mallet percussion (bells, chimes, xylophone, vibes). She should be able to pick it up in a snap, and it’s a blast to play (I doubled on it in high school). Jazz bands usually need a vibes player, and most “regular” high school percussionists (in my experience) can’t read music well enough to play mallet perc, so pianists are often recruited.
