Guides

Exploring String Types: A Guide to Choosing the Right Strings for Your Instrument

Are you curious about the evolution of string materials and how they affect your instrument’s sound? Join us on a journey through history and innovation as we explore the world of Strings! Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) national conference in Louisville, KY. It was an enriching experience filled with reconnecting with old friends, forging new connections, and attending insightful educational sessions. One such session, hosted by D’Addario, delved into the intricacies of string materials and their impact on performance.

Apr 17, 2024 No Comments

Top 5 Reasons To Play The Trumpet

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Students all throughout the country are trying out instruments and deciding which one is right for them. Within this blog, I will give you the top 5 reasons to choose the trumpet! For the record, there is some satire involved in this blog. As a true trumpet player, I must say that there are many more reasons to choose the trumpet, but we’d run out of space within this blog.

Apr 2, 2024 No Comments

Finding The Perfect Trumpet Mouthpiece Part 1: Where Do You Start?

Choosing the right mouthpiece is often overlooked for middle school and high school trumpet students. We often focus a lot more on choosing the right trumpet but, choosing the right mouthpiece may have as much or more of an impact on your playing than choosing the right trumpet. Here are some things that you should consider when you start to look for a mouthpiece: Try Before You Buy: In my opinion, it is extremely important to try out the mouthpiece before you purchase it. Here at Paige’s Music, we have a great stock of different trumpet mouthpieces from different manufacturers. Although doing research online or talking with your teacher is an important step, trying the mouthpiece out for yourself is vital. Please make sure you try out the mouthpiece either by borrowing one from someone or stopping by Paige’s Music. You won’t regret it, I promise. Lip Size/Shape Matters: I often use the analogy that a mouthpiece is like a shoe. Your lip size and shape are important in determining what mouthpiece you should use. Personally, I have large lips, so I play on a large mouthpiece. For a long time, I played on a smaller mouthpiece because it was

Feb 7, 2024 No Comments

How To Playtest a New Saxophone

As you continue to progress as musicians, you will eventually outgrow the equipment you are using. Even if you feel like you aren’t ready to jump into an upgraded instrument, I highly encourage you to play test a step up or professional level instrument if you get the chance. Play testing a new instrument is a skill on par to sight reading: you might not necessarily do it every day, but the more you do it, the easier it will get!

Jul 6, 2022 No Comments

Backun Clarinets at Paige’s Music

Backun is a clarinet brand after my own heart: a respect for tradition and the past, but fearless when it comes to experimenting with new designs and new materials. Based in Vancouver, BC, Backun offers a truly incredible line of custom, professional, and intermediate clarinets. In addition to complete instruments, Backun offers a wide array of mouthpieces, bells, and barrels that can complement the existing clarinet you play. Paige’s Music is proud to partner with Backun and launch their product in central Indiana. Through the month of December, you can audition their fine clarinets, mouthpieces, barrels, and bells. Here is what you can request:

Dec 2, 2020 No Comments

When to Buy Which Trumpet? Classical Edition

Last time we discussed instruments that would be good for those of us who primarily want to play jazz or commercial types of music and left it by discussing studio musicians who may need to do it all. This leads us nicely into the classical side of trumpet playing and the instruments needed for that work. In order of importance here are my suggestions. (Your timeline may vary. Please consult your teacher/professor on when it is appropriate to purchase these instruments)

Apr 17, 2020 No Comments

When to Buy Which Trumpet? Jazz/Commercial Edition

I’ve got some news for everyone: I am a trumpet junkie. I have always been fascinated by different brands and models and have even experienced many cases of FOMO (fear of missing out) when it comes to my equipment. I’ve taught several students and have had to have this conversation many times and have even asked for personal recommendations. Today is just a quick look at what instruments you should purchase and when, depending upon your musical path. While it is super difficult to give a recommendation without hearing people play or know what their interests are, I will give some fairly general model recommendations from the “Big Three” brands of trumpets along with a few special suggestions when needed. Today we will discuss instruments needed for those who want to primarily be Jazz/Commercial players and they will be in order of importance. (Your timeline may vary. Please consult your teacher/professor on when it is appropriate to purchase these instruments)

Apr 3, 2020 No Comments

You can count on us to help you keep making music!

We know there is uncertainty right now, but the team at Paige’s Music is ready to help you keep making music! We will remain open regular hours unless we are mandated to close. Please follow us on our social media channels for updates. Since many school schedules are interrupted, please contact us with any questions or needs you may have and we will find a way to help you! We are taking extra precautions on top of our already very high sanitary standards to keep every instrument clean & every staff member, customer & student safe. Here are some tips to help your student to keep their instrument clean & safe. Please contact us with any questions that you may have.

Mar 17, 2020 No Comments

Contest Season Starts Next Month – Is Your Instrument Ready?

It’s not too late, but time is running out. Contest Season is almost here! January through April is a really busy time of year for school music students. Many of the annual contests and festivals happen during this time of the year. These include: Solo & Ensemble Contest Jazz Band Festival Junior/Middle School Organizational Festivals High School Organizational Festivals Your performance level and the success of your organization depend on a properly playing instrument. If your instrument has not been looked over by a technician in the last 6 months you may be overdue. Send your instrument in for proper maintenance to help avoid small problems from turning into something larger at an inappropriate time. It could help you get to the next level during the upcoming contest season. If you’d like to send your instrument in for us to check, we have a step-by-step guide on how to do that right here. As always, please give us a call if you have any questions. 1-800-382-1099

Dec 10, 2019 No Comments

Interested in Studying Music? A Guide To Finding Your Path

You’ve made the choice: you love music and want to pursue a career in the music industry! Great! So now what? At this point you need to determine which University, music program, and major are right for you. There are more music degrees than just performance or music education. Other music degrees include: Music production or recording technology, music therapy, music business, arts administration, music history, and music theory/composition. Some universities collaborate with local businesses to help offer a degree in popular music theory, analysis and composition. When researching your potential future, you have several resources at your disposal to find out information and some of the work can even be done at home with your parent/guardian.

Nov 7, 2019 No Comments

A Summer Practice Guide for Middle School Band and Orchestra Students

The article below is written by Mr. Alex Keim, band director, at Noblesville East Middle School. When we asked him if we could post it here, he mentioned “It is geared toward 6th grade band, but it is definitely applicable to all middle school students returning to 7th or 8th grade.” We felt like it was great advice that all middle school band and orchestra students could benefit from.

Jun 18, 2019 No Comments

Tips On Buying A New Trombone

Finding your next instrument can be a daunting task if you don’t have a game plan. The market is filled with a plethora of options, and sometimes it can be difficult to see the forest through the trees.From my time at Paige’s Music and my experience as a player, I can provide my thought process, and hopefully it will help with your future instrument selection. Start by playing on your instrument. Always, always, always limit the variables. Bring your current instrument and mouthpiece as well as familiar music. Warm up on your instrument and take note of how it sounds in the space around you. You need to have a control for the experiment, and your current instrument will provide that. Take out uncertainties like unfamiliar music, unfamiliar mouthpieces, and etc.

Mar 28, 2019 No Comments

Quick Tips On Clarinet Care

Daily care and maintenance of your instrument is very important to how well your instrument performs. Watch this quick video below for a few, quick tips on caring for your clarinet.

Mar 13, 2018 No Comments

Practicing Over Break

We like to share this post each year to give you some ideas for practicing at home over break! You’ve made it through the first half of the school year! For many of you, that means you’ve probably played a few concerts, recently completed your marching band season, or maybe you’re headed to the Rose Parade. With winter comes the thrill of pep band, the improvisation of jazz band, the spinning of winter guard, or the rhythms of winter percussion. You know by now, being a musician is a never-ending process with performances and rehearsals perpetually around the corner. With so much going on, you’re probably ecstatic to have a few weeks of winter break to take a break from all the commotion. While it’s great to take a break from any activity that takes up so much of your time, it’s important to incorporate a little bit of practice during your off-time to maintain your peak condition. Many professional athletes can attest to the same thing: just maintaining your physical state during the off-season makes it much easier to perform at your best when it’s game time. Here are few tips for musicians to maintain their “chops” during the

Dec 26, 2017 No Comments

D’Addario Saxophone Reed Guide

Known for the wide variety of high quality reeds, Rico by D’Addario has a reed for every type of performer. If you were curious about the qualities that make each reed different from one another, this guide can help you in making your next reed decision! Rico by D’Addario Rico by D’Addario reeds are unfiled and feature a thinner profile and blank. Designed for ease of response, they are ideal for students, revered by educators worldwide, and are a favorite among jazz musicians. D’Addario’s state-of-the-art machinery and reed-making process have resulted in unprecedented consistency in today’s Rico reed. Royal by D’Addario Royal by D’Addario reeds are filed and feature a thinner profile and blank. They are ideal for students and advancing players, and are revered by educators worldwide. Royal reeds offer ease of response and increased clarity in the sound. D’Addario’s state-of-the-art machinery and reed-making process have resulted in unprecedented consistency in today’s Royal reed. Reserve A premium, filed reed that offers a rich, warm tone, a heavy spine that promotes dynamic flexibility, and exceptional tone quality in all registers, a long vamp profile to produce consistency of response, and a traditional tip thickness for ease of articulation. Grand Concert

Jul 4, 2017 No Comments

D’Addario Clarinet Reed Guide

Rico by D’Addario Rico by D’Addario reeds are unfiled and feature a thinner profile and blank. Designed for ease of response, they are ideal for students, revered by educators worldwide, and are a favorite among jazz musicians. D’Addario’s state-of-the-art machinery and reed-making process have resulted in unprecedented consistency in today’s Rico reed.

Jun 20, 2017 No Comments

Vandoren Saxophone Reed Guide

One of the questions we frequently receive is “which reed is best for me?” Vandoren has forged a reputation as an elite maker of quality reeds for clarinet and saxophone that work right out of the box. Each type of reed is designed with a specific sound quality in mind. If you were wondering what each reed is designed for, here is a detailed description for each type of reed! “Classical” Reeds Traditional This reed is designed to produce a quality, extremely pure sound due to a very thin reed tip (the area of reed with maximum vibration), balanced by a solid vertebral column (more cane in the area which climbs gradually to the heel). Traditionals feature the thinnest tip with the thickest heart, resulting in crisp articulation with a full, dark sound.

Jun 6, 2017 No Comments

Vandoren Clarinet Reed Guide

One of the questions we frequently we receive is “which reed is best for me?” Vandoren has forged a reputation as an elite maker of quality reeds for clarinet and saxophone that work right out of the box. Each type of reed is designed with a specific sound quality in mind. If you were wondering what each reed is designed for, here is a detailed description for each type of reed! Traditional The most widely played reeds in the world with a superiority proven over the years, these reeds suit all styles of music. Traditionals famous for their excellent response in all registers, allowing a pianissimo attack in even the highest notes. They are also extremely flexible, allowing the legato or staccato execution of large intervals while maintaining a richness of tone that gives body and clarity to the sound, which is a hallmark of Vandoren reeds.

May 23, 2017 No Comments