Tips

Grand Opening Event Series at Paige’s Music – Free Concerts and Clinics

Please join us on the evenings of November 9th and November 13th to help us mark the Grand Opening of our new retail showrooms at Paige’s Music. George Pope – Flute Clinic and Performance On November 9th, the Indy Flute Shop will host a FREE clinic and performance by George Pope, Altus artist and Emeritus Professor of Flute at the University of Akron! George Pope is hailed as a motivational and highly successful teacher. Still an active performer, Pope released …some measures for living, a solo CD, in 2016. Laurence Vittes of Gramophone UK has written: “The wonder of Pope’s playing is how engagingly, articulately, flowingly and objectively he pours himself into the music.” He currently serves as the Instructor of Flute at the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory and has served as Principal Flute of the Akron Symphony Orchestra for 24 years and Principal Flute of the Blossom Festival Orchestra. He has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Ohio Ballet Orchestra, the Cleveland Philharmonic, the Canton Symphony Orchestra, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera Cleveland, the Tulsa Philharmonic, the New Mexico Symphony, the Monteux Festival Orchestra and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra. In addition to this impressive list, he has also served

Read More
Oct 17, 2017 No Comments

Our Favorite Blogs

  One great thing about writing a blog is that you get to read a number of other blogs. Like music education itself, The blogosphere isn’t a great pit of competition, it is an entity that is always trying to improve through practice, influence, and collaboration to achieve higher levels of skill and performance. Here are a few of my favorite blogs I’ve encountered that I read on a weekly basis:

Read More
Oct 3, 2017 No Comments

Repair Tip: Proper Saxophone Neck Assembly

This week in the repair shop we had a saxophone that came in with a severely bent neck. While we can usually straighten a bent neck this one is bent so badly it will need to be replaced. This can be a fairly expensive repair if not covered by our service plan. Some necks can cost $300-400 or more.

Read More
Sep 19, 2017 No Comments

Which valve oil is right for my instrument? FAQ

At Paige’s Music, we are frequently asked “what valve oil do you recommend”? This answer can vary depending on the type and age of instrument as well as specific player preferences. Here is a short overview of our most popular options.

Read More
Sep 12, 2017 No Comments

Basic Tuning Tips for Woodwind Instruments

We’d like to talk about the basics of tuning your woodwind instrument. While this may seem oversimplified there are some important details about the different families and the instruments within that are important to know. All brass and woodwind instruments are designed around the A440/A442 pitch and can be adjusted higher (sharper) or lower (flatter) to a certain extent. Adjusting too far either way will affect the scale of the instrument and can actually cause playing problems. On this blog we will start with the woodwinds. Flute/Piccolo-Where the head joint tenon fits into the  receiver at the top of the main body tube is where the tuning is done. You would normally start by inserting the tenon all the way in and then pulling it out about 1/8-3/16 inch to start tuning. Then you would push in more to raise the pitch or pull it out to lower. Never use the head crown assembly for general tuning. For more info about the head crown assembly see our post titled "There’s A Cork In My Flute. What Does It Do?".   Bb-Eb Clarinets-Where the barrel fits onto the top of the upper joint is where the primary tuning is done. After

Read More
Sep 5, 2017 No Comments

4 Easy Options To Get A Band or Orchestra Instrument For Your Student

This is a repost from this time last year, but is still great information on the best ways to obtain an instrument from Paige’s! It’s the beginning of August. The sun is shining, the wind is warm, it’s the height of summer. In Indiana, school is starting. For many students, this means that English, math, biology, history come roaring back from the long summer. For a growing number of students, this also means the beginning of the musician’s journey! At Paige’s Music, we have partnered with many schools throughout the state to become the supplier of school band and orchestra instruments. For many families, the easiest option is to rent. Renting with Paige’s Music is a great opportunity to participate in music-making. We make rental easy and convenient and provide you with peace of mind. All of our band and orchestra rentals include free repair and replacement, free deliveries and pick-up, exchange, return, and early purchase discount options. We have several convenient options for renting an instrument on our Debut Rental plan.

Read More
Aug 8, 2017 No Comments

Tips On Caring For Your Trumpet

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 trumpet.

Read More
Jul 11, 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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
May 23, 2017 No Comments

Get Your Instrument Serviced Over Summer

Has it been a while since your instrument was in for a check-up? If summer is a down time for you and your playing time, then you should send your instrument in for a check-up. We recommend two visits each year to help keep your instrument in proper playing condition and the summer is the perfect time. In fact, schools across the state will be sending in all kinds of school-owned instruments this summer to be cleaned, repaired, and refurbished so that they are ready to go for the next school year. The best way to get your horn serviced during the summer is to bring it to the store. Our District Managers are visiting some schools during the summer, but not all schools and not every week. It’s very sporadic. The safe thing to do is call us first to see if arrangements can be made to drop off a loaner and pick up your instrument. You can call us at 1-800-337-0471. Have a great rest of your summer and don’t forget to practice!

Read More
May 16, 2017 No Comments

Paige’s Music 2017 Year-End Sale

If you’ve been looking for a good reason to exchange your beginner instrument for a more advanced instrument, the month of May is a great time to do just that! Through the month of May, Paige’s Music will pay the first monthly payment on ALL step-up instruments! How do I exchange my beginning instrument for a step-up instrument? There are 2 Convenient Options: 1. Visit Our Store By visiting our store in Indianapolis, you can complete the exchange in a single visit. This is certainly a very efficient method, allowing you to carefully audition the instruments available. 2. Call Our Store If visiting the store is not convenient for you, please call the store at 1.800.382.1099. Our retail staff will do their best to provide other options. In addition to this free rental month, we have several special rebates for new Conn-Selmer and Yamaha pro-level instruments that apply not only to purchases, but also for several instruments available on our rent-to-own program. For information on the rebates available, please click here: https://island.news.paigesmusic.com/spring-into-savings-on-professional-level-instruments/ We highly encourage you to visit our store and audition the instruments we offer. We have several intermediate and professional options available so you can be sure to

Read More
May 9, 2017 No Comments

Quick Tips On Euphonium Maintenance

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 Euphonium.

Read More
Apr 11, 2017 No Comments

Student vs. Intermediate vs. Pro – Which Option Is Best For Me?

At Paige’s Music, we carry many instrument options. Most instruments fall under a broad category of “student”, “intermediate”, or “professional”. Student-level instruments designed to be easy to play and easy to hold in the hands of beginning students. Student-level instruments are generally very budget friendly as it is difficult to have clear goals or commitment when your student is just beginning their music education. Intermediate instruments provide a stepping-stone between student and professional-instruments. Intermediate instruments generally bring several features and design cues from professional instruments down to a more affordable level. Professional instruments have the highest quality sound and ultimate-expressiveness, the two features essential to professional performance. These instruments are designed to be the very best instrument they can be and are constructed with the highest quality materials and the highest-level artisanship by the most experienced craftsman. These instruments often have advanced features that are only available at the professional level.

Read More
Apr 4, 2017 No Comments

Quick Tips on French Horn Maintenance

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 French Horn.

Read More
Mar 21, 2017 No Comments

Make Sound Your #1 Priority During Practice

Instrumental practice often consists of the classic combination of long tones, scales, and etudes. While this combination of exercises is “classic” for a reason, there is one glaring omission: sound. Sound is the most important of playing no matter if you are a beginning 6th grader or a seasoned professional in the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. If you are playing a scale at a very fast tempo, the number of notes passing is irrelevant in each note has poor sound quality. If you are hitting very high notes on your instrument and they don’t sound good, they don’t count for much. If you are playing in an ensemble and you are “in tune” but have a poor sound quality….you get the idea.

Read More
Feb 28, 2017 No Comments

Rotor Valve Challenges

We can’t stress this topic enough.  There are many problems with rotary valves. Maintaining them requires skills in tying knots, gentle tapping with special hammers, not to mention all those little screws and bumpers. Then after they are completely apart, they must be cleaned off all the dirt and debris on the valves and inside the casings. Lubricating and returning them to their proper casing and reassembling are the next hurdles. This first picture here shows valves from an instrument that the valves were barely working on. You can see the oxidation and staining on the valves from lack of lubrication turning them almost black. Prolonged lack of lubrication along with dirt and debris caused this build up inside the casings and prevented the rotors from turning smoothly. Sometimes it is so bad we have to forcibly, but gently, drive the valves out of the casings. We then have to clean the valves and the body of the instrument in our ultrasonic cleaner to get them back to new condition. In the second picture you can see the valves after they have been cleaned just before they are re-installed in the instrument. Proper lubrication will keep your valves looking this

Read More
Feb 7, 2017 No Comments

Basic Tips On Flute 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 flute.

Read More
Jan 17, 2017 No Comments

Basic Tips On Trumpet 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 trumpet.

Read More
Jan 10, 2017 No Comments

Preparing A Solo

  Welcome back from winter break! I hope you enjoyed your time off and are ready to tackle Solo & Ensemble. Much of the performance year is focused on group ensembles but ISSMA Solo and Ensemble gives you a great opportunity to focus on your individual playing. Mastering solos is an essential part of every musician’s career. Solos are a great way to improve your technical and expressive musical qualities and a great opportunity to become confident performing by yourself in front of others. Practicing and performing solos requires a great deal of discipline. Unlike your band or orchestra class, you have to make time to not only practice your solo, but you need to schedule practice times with your accompanist, make sure that you know every part of your solo, and you have to balance this with any other activity (such as another ensemble) musical or otherwise. Here are a few tips to get the most out of your solo: Master the notes and rhythms. This advice may seem basic but the first step in performing at the highest level is to master the basic components of the piece. In addition to notes and rhythm, work hard on making

Read More
Jan 3, 2017 No Comments
Categories