Sounds of Music C

[wonderbread]

Is anyone making a piano?

[zyzzyva980]

Hi - I'm new to the Sounds of Music thing, so forgive me if I'm being stupid. I'm an oboist, and I was thinking of rigging up a recorder with a reed, since that's what I know best. The thing is that an oboe reed is based on a staple, which I guess may or may not be permissible? Anyone know for sure? And if it isn't, any ideas on how I should switch it up?

You just can't buy the reed. You have to make it yourself.

Is anyone making a piano?

I have not seen a piano at a competition, but if you can fit it through an 80 cm wide door, go for it.

[AlphaTauri]

Finally got a reply from Nationals for the clarification I sent in about Sounds! Here it is, if anyone else was wondering:

No, collapsible legs would not be an alteration to an instrument. Students
have 5 minutes to set up upon entering the room.

The original question is included for your records; there is no need to
respond unless you feel there is an error.
=========================================================
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

If students have collapsible legs on a instrument, and fold them up in order
to facilitate transportation through a doorway (with no changes to the rest
of the instrument), would this be considered an "alteration" to the
instrument under rule 3d?

Sounds of Music

(section: 3 / paragraph: d / sub-paragraph: / line: 1)

Edit: This technically means we were unfairly penalized at Stoga...perhaps we could've gotten a medal otherwise? I swear I'm doomed to never medal in Sounds.

[hscmom]

Question: using fret wire would be illegal, right?

probably. unless you would for some reason want to use it for something other than frets...

Just reading this now -- it's a thread I don't follow often.

Fret wire is illegal. My daughter made a really nice ukulele and used silver bezel (sp?) wire that was similar but not quite as mushroom-shaped in its cross section. After she's totally done competing with the uke, she'll put real tuning pegs on it (the case won't shut with the gears she has) but will leave the bezel wire because it totally works.

[hscmom]

Does anyone know where to find a disc (9" diameter) of any (reasonably) malleable metal such as copper/aluminum etc. for a trombone? I have experimented with an aluminum cone, but that didn't work so well...

Are there sheet metal shops nearby? Last year, my daughter got put on Sumobot when a kid quit the team. A nearby sheet metal shop GAVE her the metal she needed -- as the pieces were "scrap" and too small for them to use.

Maybe a sheet metal shop can either give/sell you the metal or point you in the right direction. Look under "fabrication" in the phone book or ask the guy at Ace because (at least at my Ace) those Ace guys are often very well connected.

Copper will be quite expensive but very pretty!

Do well.

[hscmom]

Wait, does the melody part of st. anthony have to EXACTLY match the given part or can it (while including original notes) play chords or harmony in some parts?

I think the judges are expecting harmony or chords under the melody...

My daughter and her friend just competed in this and actually learned a clean, by the books St Anthony's and then they arranged one that was a lot more stylized (for lack of a better term). They practiced both and provided music for both and asked if it were okay to play the stylized version because that's what they liked to play (and it was more musical). The judges allowed it and that's what they played, but they were ready to play a very "straight" version.

[Mr. Cool]

Can't wait to show up to Regionals with our shoddy instruments tomorrow! At least we actually have a treble and bass instrument this year, so we're guaranteed a better score. Haha.

[engineeringmaniac]

I built a violin i am extremely proud of, but i havent put in a sound post as i cant get it without professional help which would be bothersome to say the least. I left the front plate a little thick (about 6 mm) and installed a solid 4-6 mm bass bar securly. Will i need a sound post? im not worried about acoustics, just structurally. Ive strung up the bottom three strings with only minor creeks (the bridge tilts but ill fix that) but im worried about the strain of the high tension e-string...

[AlphaTauri]

With all 4 strings on and tightened to playing tension (assuming the violin is to scale and you're using average tension commercial strings), you have about 50 pounds of pressure trying to pull the ends of the violin together and at least 20 pounds pushing down on the bridge trying to snap the violin in half...well, how fond are you of this instrument?

Joking aside, there's a reason they tell you to always loosen all the strings immediately if the soundpost falls. Personally, i'd rather be safe than sorry, especially with something that you've spent so much time working on. If you really want the E, i'd put the soundpost in, since tension on the E is nearly the equivalent of two lower strings. Alternatively (and this in my opinion is the better solution), you could just forget the E, leave the three strings you have and shift up on the A for high notes - allowable range is only up to a G5 anyways and that's third position on the A. You still get full range points, you don't have to deal with the hassle of putting the soundpost in, and you don't have to worry about things breaking from too high tension (plus you avoid that metallic and shrill E-string sound).

[engineeringmaniac]

I would definately not feel comfortable putting a 20lb weight on top of my violin. Ill put it on but leave it untightened for pure asthetics, although im not looking forward to playing in third position (i never particularly liked it) itll have to do. I dont want my violin to go the way of every bridge ive built for SO.