instruments and equipment

I'll fully admit that I am a "gear head" and extensively research and test all of the available technology available for all of the different instruments that I play. I am a firm believer in the idea that if everything is working 100%, a student can only place the responsibility for how they play on their own skills, and not the hardware that they are using. Here is a rundown of what I use, and my recommendations:

Violin

I play on a violin created in 2005 by Ran Dim from the Chicago shop of William Harris Lee. An original model, it is full size in length with slimmer horizontal proportions, and despite it's smaller volume has a brilliant projection and rich, warm, tone. My primary bow is a 1930 Emile Ouchard (pere), and probably more important to me than my fiddle. My backup bow is a 2010 silver-mounted C. Chagas, Arcos Brasil. I'm currently using Pirastro Eudoxa (gut) strings with a Pirastro Wondertone Solo E (silvery steel). I've hauled  dozens of different cases around the globe, but recommend those crafted by Dimitri Musafia in his Cremona workshop above all others.

If you have a cheap(er) violin; what you would consider a "student" quality instrument (especially if it's not a full size instrument), do yourself a favor and pick up a set of Thomastik Vision Regular, Warchal Brilliant, or Warchal Karneol strings. Compared to the cheap stock strings that your violin came with, they will sound a hundred times better at a price that won't break the bank.

A good bow is essential. I understand there are still tons of folks out there who don't believe that it makes any difference, and they spend tons of money finding a great violin but then wonder why they still struggle with their $100 factory import bow. If your violin cost less than a few thousand dollars, you'll get much more mileage out of a new nickel-silver mounted bow from Arcos Brasil for $400-$500 than putting that amount into another violin...in most cases, you'd have to double the value of your violin to get any noticeable difference!

Viola

I have a "best bang for the buck" viola from the workshop of Ming-Jiang Zhu, 16" in length with a very small neck, making it very playable. It's a very powerful viola with a huge low end. My primary bow is a silver-mounted A. Carvalho, Arcos Brasil. My preferred strings are now the Warchal Karneol set. For forty dollars they can't be beat! If you have the bucks to spend, Pirastro Obligato strings for the viola are just fantastic though.

Smaller violas for beginners are a challenge, primarily because their shorter body length in the 12 to 15 inch doesn't allow for an interior volume of the instrument to produce the characteristic sound of a full size (16 inches and larger) instrument. In particular, the C string tone is heavily compromised. Makers have tried to overcome these issues by scaling the bouts to different dimensions, adjusting the string length, and making the ribs taller, among other things, and thankfully there are true violas available in these smaller sizes these days, not just violins re-strung with viola strings.

Clarinet

I presently perform on two Yamaha CSG Custom Clarinets, a Bb in silver plate and an A in hamilton (gold/nickel) plate. I own a variety of barrels from Backun Musical (Canada) that serve different ensemble/tuning needs. I play on a Walter Grabner CXZ_K11* (star) mouthpiece, Brancher Leggerio ligature, and use a variety of reeds including Vandoren V12 (4.5) and Rico Reserve Regular and Classic (4.5). I've tried and liked Rico Grand Concert Select Evolution (4.0) and Zonda (4.5) as well.

For beginners, I recommend either a Buffet B12 or Yamaha YCL-250 clarinet. For the best possible playing experience, it's important to have a good mouthpiece and I encourage my students to start with the Clark Fobes Debut. For under $40 it's a superb mouthpiece. For a ligature, a standard Rovner or Bonade are excellent choices. If there is some room in the budget a few months in, I'd also recommend acquiring a Muncy Synthetic Diamond Barrel ($69) or Backun Protege Barrel ($99) which will improve the response of the instrument dramatically.

Reeds can be a touchy subject; I'm not a brand purist and have used many throughout my career to date (I've purchased and tried pretty much every single kind of commonly available reed on the market). While I love the results I can obtain with Vandoren V12, the amount of time and work I have to invest to achieve concert-quality reeds (and then perhaps only 2-3 out of a box of 10) makes me feel that they aren't really appropriate for younger students without the skills to break-in and adjust them. For this reason, I would encourage students to look at the Rico Grand Concert Select reeds (Traditional, Thick Blank, or Evolution). They play very well out of the box, require minimal adjustment, and are very consistent. Many of my students find 8-9 working reeds out of each box of 10...their only drawback is they do not seem to have the longevity of Vandoren but let's be honest here: if you're only getting two weeks out of each Rico, eight of them will get you through two months, rather than trying to stretch 2-3 Vandorens for the same amount of time! That being said...my most recent concerts I've relied on a few stellar sounding V12's to carry me through.

If you're out marching on your clarinet or saxophone, stop killing yourself on your cane reeds as they are pushed to the limit because of changes in temperature and humidity. Get yourself an equivalent strength reed by Legere or Fibracell and concentrate on your motion and music instead of panicking about your equipment!

Saxophone

I play on a Yamaha (YAS-82Z) Custom Z Alto Saxophone in regular lacquer finish, Selmer S80 C* and Runyon Quantum 7 mouthpieces, Rovern 1R-ED ligatures, and Fibracell reeds.

As far as mouthpieces for beinngers, the clear winner here is the line of student mouthpieces called "Debut" handcrafted by Clark Fobes of San Francisco, although the Yamaha 4C line isn't a bad choice either. Available for Alto/Tenor saxophone, the Debut costs between $40-$50 and are absolutely the highest quality and best playing pieces you can find in this price range. When you need more options, it doesn't hurt to start with the standards first: the Selmer C* and the Meyer 5. From there, there are almost endless options of every size, shape, and sound in the saxophone world.

When recording, I've switched between Fibracell and the cane reeds that I normally used (Vandoren and Rico) and I've really not found that much of a difference when I hear my playback. Obviously they do feel and play different, but the longevity and consistency of Fibracells is such that I I play on them on saxophone full time and don't miss cane reeds at all.

Trumpet

I seriously started my studies on trumpet three years ago, and have owned a variety of instruments including a Bach Strad 43*, Eastman 520G, Yamaha 8310Z, and Yamaha 6335S (which my wife who plays much better than I do has as her primary trumpet nowadays).

I currently play on a Vincent Bach Stradivarius 72G with an unlacquered bell and silver body. It has Mark Curry heavy valve caps and lightweight finger buttons, paired with a Yamaha 14C4-GP mouthpiece. It's a somewhat heavy instrument with a very unique sound, and I enjoy playing it immensely!

After trying several brands, I've settled on Ultra-Pure Valve Oil and Slide Lubricant, and carry everything in a very awesome Torpedo Bags Single Outlaw case.

 

 

questions that people ask me.

Besides wanting to know what I play and recommend, I also get some very frequent inquiries regarding a variety of pedagogical issues. I'm putting down a few of them here for reference sake, though I will advise you that these are generally my own opinion and that based on your experience, YMMV (your mileage may vary). New responses are appended as questions come to me throughout the year.

Q: How important is talent?

A: Perhaps the one place where talent (or natural attributes/ability) really will matter is at the very, very top of the spectrum...but since so few people ever actually get there, it's not something to worry about.

Talent is not reall all that important. I repeat, talent is really not that important. Sure, it definitely *helps* if one has an aptitude for something, but raw, unfocused, talent for any skill barely scrapes at the surface of the potential that can be realized. Thomas Edison's famous quote "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration" really applies here. I've seen it happen over and over again: give me a student who wants to work hard, wants to practice, and wants to be good...and that student will lay the smack down on their talented but lazy peers. As a teacher, my purpose is to figure out what my students are good at, and take those skills as far as they are willing to run with them.

Consequently, no student in the world just randomly picks up an instrument and is great at it because of "talent." Being good at instrumental music take hard work. Behind every little child "prodigy" is a teacher and/or parent that adds fuel to the flame: providing discipline, direction, and commitment to a long-term goal.

Q: I am an adult beginner...will I ever be good at [instrument name here]?

A: Yes. All you need is the right attitude, time, efficient practice, and a teacher that is not only fairly competent but also motivated to help you succeed. There are many people out there who claim that only little kids can eventually become good at playing an instrument and that it is a waste of time for anyone else of relatively advanced age to even try.

I've taught a number of older players who have all succeeded in their goals. One gentleman wanted to play duets with his granddaughter. Another wanted to be able to play the chamber music of Haydn and Mozart. One violinist received an instrument as a high school graduation present and in the four years she studied with me reached her initial goal of playing Bach's Unaccompanied Sonatas and Partitas (and interpreting them at a high level). During that time, she also dished out a number of concertos and performed in Mendelssohn's Op. 20 Octet at an international chamber music festival in France!

Now, the reality in question is: will you be able to land a job in a professional orchestra? I guess that depends on whether you're able to put in the (average) ten thousand hours of superb, quality, practice like the rest of the conservatory-trained musicians that are currently on the audition circuit these days!

Q: Will playing and/or studying more than one wind instrument simultaneously (flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, etc.) hurt me or ruin my embouchure?

A: There seems to be a lot of misinformation out there regarding doubling. Quite simply, if you practice correctly, the answer is "no." There are some things you need to take care of first before you decide to go off and gun for a Broadway show gig playing every woodwind in existence. I strongly believe you need to choose a primary instrument and study that one instrument to a high level of technical proficiency before you start adding others.

In my career so far I have gone from regular Bb clarinet (on which I completed my master's degree) to the little Eb, Bass and Contrabass clarinets, then to all of the saxophones: soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, a year-long excursion into flute and piccolo which made me realize I didn't enjoy playing them at all, and a few years on french horn and mellophone that has led me to my current studies on trumpet. All the way through, the important thing is to practice correctly on every instrument so that the different things you have to do for each one don't all mesh together and confuse you, and be wary of any who tells you that there is only one right way to do something. In my book, if you sound good, and can play without tension, things are working!

I consider myself very fortunate that in my line of work, I am able to spend my breaks between teaching classes and lessons practicing my instruments, so I average 2-3 hours a day. On my primary instruments this is enough for me to play all of my regular basics and scales, leaving me a good chunk of time to train on my newest pursuit, trumpet. FORGET ABOUT PLAYING PIECES. Work on your fundamentals all the time and you'll be able to play anything that is put in front of you.

Q: In that same vein, do you think playing violin AND viola is a good thing?

A: Absolutely. One only has to look at all the composers who played viola along with another instrument: J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Dvorak, Haydn, Hindemith, Mendelssohn, Milhaud, Mozart, and Schubert, to name a few, to realize it's importance and value. Arnold Steinhardt from the Guarneri Quartet mentions his very positive experience studying at the Curtis Institute where all the violinists had to spend a semester on viola in the orchestra, and his time in the viola section of the Casals Festival Orchestra. Despite violin being my primary instrument and focus of study for the past twenty-five years, I added the viola over ten years ago to play chamber music, and I have not stopped since. I spend an entire month each summer in ensembles of every combination playing the viola upwards of seven hours a day, and I strongly value the lessons I have learned in exploring the inner voices of many major chamber works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Dvorak, etc.

I generally start all of my students on violin first unless they have a very strong attachment to the sound of the viola from the very beginning which has been the case with a few kids recently. Thankfully there are decent fractional-sized instruments down to 12 inches being made these days! Whether you play both or end up committing to one more of the time is really up to your physique and musical tastes. I will say that from time to time, I run into what I call "viola purists" who decry the "problem" of violin players playing the viola and not being able to get the so-called "viola sound." To me, sound is very personal, and extremely subjective. What one person likes is not necessarily what another person likes. Arguing about sound is sometimes much like arguing about "taste."

Q: What's the difference between conducting and teaching (ensemble)?

Conducting is the art of using gestures to communicate musical ideas. Teaching (ensemble) is the art of explaining to musicians how to interpret those gestures and make music as a cohesive unit. Many people have difficulty separating the two. For this reason, we have many fine teachers who can teach just about anyone to play anything, but standing in front of an ensemble with a baton they do more damage than anything else, and fine conductors who can elicit the most amazing sounds out of a group but can't explain in useful terms simple things like rhythm and pitch to students.

Q: What is your opinion regarding non-string players *teaching* orchestras?

A: For the same reason that one cannot take a classically-trained violinist out of a symphony and expect them to be able to train and lead a jazz big band wth any sort of competency until they make the effort to study the medium in a comprehensive way, it makes no sense to put a band director with no real string training in front of an orchestra and expect a significant amount of education to happen. You'll see the concert programs and know right away: "Mars" and "Jupiter" from Holst's Planets, Shostakovich's Festive Overture or finale from Symphony No. 5, Bernstein's Candide Overture, Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain...all pieces that have been transcribed for band thus the only orchestral repertoire that they know or can relate to (albeit these are all still wonderful pieces of music). Their knowledge of the symphonic works of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and their predecessors is practically zero, despite that the aforementioned composers' works are central to the existence of the entire genre.

My biggest complaint here is that the training of the string players who make up the majority of the student ensembles in question is neglected to a huge degree, because the person standing on the podium has, for example, no clue what the difference between a spiccato or a sautille bow stroke is, and in what context those bow strokes need to be used. It's especially bad when they are the only source of instruction for rank beginners...seriously, if you can't pick up that instrument and play the works of Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi, just how on earth can you expect someone to learn that from you? If you've never played in a symphony before, how are you going to teach someone what the experience is like?

Q: But how can anyone teach then? No one can learn to play everything!

A: The issue here is not to learn how to play everything, but to be as knowledgeable as possible about whatever topic it is that one has to teach. It's hard for me to take someone seriously when the depth of their training on an instrument or area of instruments has been limited to a semester of a methods class in their credential program at school. It is enough for them to get the paperwork and land a job, and for many programs of course it is sufficient. In times of financial crisis like now, just to even be able to have music classes is a luxury for some school districts.

What I object to is the insistence that somehow these teachers are qualified in any way to instruct beginning students, the ones who are most vulnerable to faulty instruction. If you cannot perform, or have never performed at a technical and musical level far beyond that of the majority of your students (i.e., the average to good ones), and/or have not performed in any sort of regular capacity, then you have no business teaching other people how to do so. As I do not feel fully competent nor have the requisite training in fields like small combo jazz, brain surgery, and nuclear physics, I will not teach those subjects either.

Q: I showed up at school with a "jazz" instrument and my director says it's not right for orchestra/band, do I need to get a different instrument?

There's no such thing as a "jazz" instrument. An instrument, is an instrument, is an instrument, and depending on your preference with regards to tone, playability, flexibility, and appearance, you can use any instrument to play practically any style of music. As long as you can make it work for you and produce the kind of sound that is characteristic for the playing situations you are in, play on it. There are great instruments being made right now, in this century, that will serve even the top professionals. This is despite the insistence of an establishment that says that string players must play three century old Italian violins with two century old French bows, clarinet players have to play Buffet R-13's, saxophonists must play a Selmer Mark VI, trumpeters need to have a Bach Strad...it never ends. Despite the occasional new student that shows up and gawks in amazement that I actually play on Yamaha clarinets, their assumptions about equipment are usually put to rest fairly quickly once they get a chance to try my instruments and realize that they run circles around theirs.

Q: My school director says I *have* to have a shoulder rest for my violin, or I'll get a lower grade. You've taught me that I don't need one but my director says you're wrong. What should I do?

First of all, the choice to use a shoulder rest or not is highly dependent on your individual physiology at the current moment in time. When I watch you play during your lesson, based on my experience in working with thousands of students both privately and in ensembles, I can suggest ways to help you relieve tension in your playing by ensuring that your equipment as it relates to the instrument is appropriate for you. In your case, getting rid of the rest improved things (I will say, you are now one of only two students that I teach that are like this, everyone else uses a shoulder rest without issue). I personally tried many different rests for years, and finally discovered that I played better and with less tension without it...your mileage may vary.

Secondly, you need to tell your director to call me, and I'll be happy to explain how the physics of it works to them. As for the assertions that you "can't shift" because of the "missing" shoulder rest, please direct them to these YouTube videos of the following great violinists (and violists) who can play anything on the planet sans shoulder rest:

Itzhak Perlman, Sarasate Zigunerweisen - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEmbFSiJzEQ
Nathan Milstein, Paganiniana Variations - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnTtgk0HkOs
Pinchas Zukerman (with Perlman), Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAKA3rLENGU
Jascha Heifetz, Hora Staccato - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mag2mc5Vva0
William Primrose, Paganini Caprice No. 24 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn3RYzDuQcE

On the slip side there are great performers who use one and it doesn't hurt them in the least!

Hilary Hahn, Ernst Erlkonig - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMBZS6iAp2I
Joshua Bell, Bruch G Minor Concerto - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKwmfkDQ_Ws

Remember, you need to respect your teachers, but don't settle for information that is obviously incorrect, or is not supported by factual evidence.

Q: Mr. Wie, I'm going to be graduating this coming year from my college music performance program but I really want to become a school band/orchestra director and teach ensembles in schools. Should I go do my credential right away or should I go do a master's degree first?

A: This is a good question, because given the current job market (amidst an economic depression) it's important to look at how hire-able you are in the field you want to work in. I'm telling students right now that if you're still in school and going to graduate in a year or two, don't stop! Find a master's degree program in performance or music education where you can complete your teaching credential *concurrently*. The reason I stress this is because once you get out, your earning potential is higher with a graduate degree; however if you put off earning that credential you will burn out from all the school (7+ years of college? arghhh!!!). Get it done right away in a program that allows you to do both simultaneously. And of course, there is the inevitable question that follows:

Q: Mr. Wie, didn't you tell us that you never did a teaching credential yourself? Why are you recommending it to us? Aren't you successful without one?

A: Yes kids, that's correct. I never pursued any sort of teaching credential. However, my teaching in public school music programs has always been as a consultant or program adviser, and my primary employment over the past decade has been at private or public charter schools without a teaching credential requirement. I also came into teaching music from a prior career as a software developer.

I am in a unique situation...I have studied and performed the major concerto repertoire for all my primary instruments, and have appeared in a professional capacity on violin, viola, clarinet, saxophone, and as a conductor. I've trained many private students to enter major college programs in music performance. Unlike many orchestra teachers in the schools, I am an established private teacher with a strong track record of graduates at major schools across the country. I continue to study every summer with master teachers in the field as part of my professional development as a performer and educator. Consequently, I have a grasp of the "big picture" that many instructors who only teach a single subject lack. I practice my primary instruments every day, and perform nearly a hundred concerts each year (I also don't sleep much).

While I feel that my career has not been hindered by not pursuing a credential, I cannot guarantee that you will have the same results. If you plan to be a K-12 music teacher in the public schools, go and complete your credential. You will need it. Learn how to map a curriculum, write a lesson plan, and teach your material effectively...it is NOT busy-work if you are serious about helping students develop real skills!

Q: Mr. Wie, how are you qualified to teach Computer Science at the high school level without a credential?

A: Our education system in the United States does not presently have a credential program for Computer Science One of the biggest problems that we have in schools with technology education is that we have tons of teachers whose background in computing is limited to business skills (using Microsoft Office) or "surfing" the Internet (and for the more thoroughly informed, the World Wide Web is NOT the entire Internet), and these same people are attempting to teach programming fundamentals that they barely even understand themselves.

I arrived at college with a working knowledge of BASIC and HTML, and had assembled several hundred personal computer systems by that point. I was fortunate to attend a superb computer science program for my undergraduate studies, and developed a comprehensive understanding of programming fundamentals while acquiring proficiency in several languages along the way (Scheme, Java, C, C++, and PERL). In working as a software engineer and now as a technology educator, I've helped people do everything from solving simple math and science problems to writing applications for wireless devices (Palm, Android, iPhone).

I teach computer science the same way I teach music...ensure that students are rock solid awesome at the basics, and they can build on those to reach the most advanced concepts. I was not an exceptionally strong CS student when I started college. I struggled to master the basic concepts and had to work really hard and put in many long hours in the lab to graduate. I have a deep understanding of how challenging it is to learn and apply the subject matter!