Review: Magic Rosin® X

Recently, between being swamped by end of the year school stuff (juries, exams, etc.), I needed to take a small break from the site in order to make sure that I was not overwhelmed with work. However, over the next couple of days I am going to upload a series of reviews that I have taken way too long to perform. Some are because of testing reasons, and others are from simply having too much work and not being able to write them. I am planning on bringing this website into its own thing in the semi-near future but first comes school and my jobs/internships. Now that I have a small staff of writers, editors and a web manager I hope to start making content more consistent but I will need everyone's help. If you have not subscribed to my newsletter then we are starting our own next month. Feedburner has completely dropped the ball on us, so we have decided to start anew. Email "Newsletter" to Sulliadm2@gmail.com and we will add you to our new custom made newsletter. It will be once the month and will be easier to read than spamming every post to you after being posted. I will be updating the site soon so anyone who wants to pass by and join can. Anyways, on to the review!

Today is the first day of my review mayhem. As stated above, I've had a lot on my plate the past few months and over the next couple of days, I will be releasing reviews of products that should have been reviewed before now. On this review, we have Magic Rosin® X! Those whom have been following me for a few years now know that Sarah West (creator of Magic Rosin®) and I have gotten to become great friends as I have continuously reviewed her rosins. Just before she released her newest rosin, she asked if I would review it for her. How could I refuse? Free sample of the next step in her company and being one of the first to test it… I was ecstatic and I still am. However, there is a reason to why this review took as long as it did. I felt obligated to test, and retest and retest this rosin over the past 3 months so I could make sure I was saying something that could be considered an accurate review. I think I finally found a way to express my opinion effectively and clearly.

Just as a heads up, I know this review will sound very negative but it should not be taken that way. A large part of this review went into testing the major difference between this rosin and Magic Rosin®'s 3G and 3G Ultra formulas. If you have never used any other Magic Rosin® rosin, then click to check out my 3G review or the 3G Ultra review but the basic premise is the brand is made for all instruments. This rosin has kept the same quality and distinctive feel that many have learned to grow attached to but with some changes. They all are very smooth and crisp rosins and work fairly well on all instruments. 3G formula has more than enough bite for the higher strings while not making it sound crunchy but tends to be a weaker rosin for cello let alone bass. 3G Ultra has a better amount of bite for cello while not overdoing it for violins and violas. The problem that some have seen is it is not strong enough, and that is what the majority of this review will be centered around.

The first thing that was noticeable about this rosin was the claims on the site and from Miss West herself. As stated on the website, “At long last,after much research and development, we are very pleased to introduce MagicRosin® X, the grippiest Magic Rosin® formula.” When they say it is the grippiest, they really mean it! This is probably the strongest rosin I have ever used on my bow. This leads me to the first, and only serious complaint I have against the rosin: It might be too strong for anything outside bass. Personally, I use either Magic Rosin® 3G Ultra or Jade, depending on what I have near me. Jade is something that I see as being a too weak, while Magic Rosin® 3G Ultra is exactly what I like. The new X formula is roughly twice as sticky as the Ultra. There’s nothing wrong with that if you want more bite but personally I want a rosin that is a mix between sticking to the strings and fluidity. A strong opinion to hold but this is the reason I had to tested it so much.

In my initial test, I used my student Brazilwood bow. On this bow, it was simply too thick. I could not move the bow without crunching everything and anything I attempted. There was a flaw in this test: I was using a balding bow. It was roughly ¼” of hair, and some were black hairs. Following the basic principle of physics, the more surface area an object has to contact another then the pressure and energy from that one area would be dispersed more and thus grabs the string. However the less hair, then the same amount of energy would have to be disperse over a smaller area, causing less stability and more energy to be released over a smaller area. This means that I could not effectively test the rosin on that bow without rehairing or purchase a new bow. This lead me onto my next test: Testing on new bows. I had been planning on upgrading bows for some time so ordering them was not out of my way. Using fresh bows from World of Bow (review of the company will be available by clicking here when online), I rosined them with the Magic Rosin® X and tested them. I cleaned the strings with some bow tonic, rosined the bow and played for a bit. It felt really thick to me, sticking to the strings about the same as before. The only error I can come up with in this test was the rosin being to “fresh” on the bow and not really in the bow hairs, but I believe the coating of rosin on the strings would theoretically counter this but I will note it for later research. The biggest evidence came to me whenever I did my final test.

I decided after the first test that I should see how the target market would react to the rosin. This lead back to the high school I used in my previous tests on. I borrowed 4 bass players and 6 cellist in order to test if my theory was correct to an interesting surprise. The cellist loved the new rosin as much or more than the 3G ultra, which is what the teacher uses in his classroom. They applauded the stronger grip on the string but for them wasn’t sacrificing in terms of quality sound. From my point of view (that being the listener of this test) it came off as a stronger bite but not really any clearer quality sound. To me it sounded like it was a grittier but not enough to be noticed by the students. Plus in their minds, at least from what I’ve gathered from coaching most of them for 2-3 years now, louder equals better as long as it does not cause a distorted effect. This is not always the case but if you are into that sound then this is the rosin for you. There is one more thing I need to touch on however.

Something that I also tested was how this new rosin would compare to other bass rosins. Something that was explained to me from various teachers in South Carolina String Educators Association was they felt like the 3G Ultra was great for Violin, Viola and Cello but was simply too weak for bass. The initial testing I did of the rosin (which you can see by clicking here) shows that the students I used then felt the same way. They feel like the quality is there, but the grip was not enough to cause the strings to vibrate effectively. After noticing there was a lot more grip to this rosin, I compared it to two other bass rosins that are standards in their field: Pops and Carlson. They are on two opposite sides of the world in terms of rosin. Pops is a strong rosin that can become gritty at times but is more stable and can really pull the lower end out of the bass when needed. Carlson, on the other hand, is an equally strong rosin but can achieve a similar strength sound without the gritty sound. The cost is the lack of stability from the rosin’s formula. It can be very temperamental in higher humidity and that causes the rosin to not stick very well or in some rare cases stick too much.

The reason I bring all this out is the results from this test. The Magic Rosin® X came out literally in the middle for all the bass players. They all called it the happy medium between the two rosins. It was sticky enough to cause the clear and concise sound that Magic Rosin® is known for but without the cost of being temperamental or being too strong. Whenever I fiddled around with the rosin samples on one of the basses, I noticed the same thing. It was clear and worked well but fit as a natural middle ground between the two other rosins. As far as I’ve noticed, the rosin seems to be very stable and if it is like the other Magic Rosin® types then it should be very stable.

With everything else said, there is one more thing I need to get out of the way before I give my final verdict. This sample of the rosin is very flaky. I do not know if it is from the sample or the recipe but it chips a lot easier than the others have. Not enough to cause it to shatter from bumping it with the frog but if you have used the other rosins then it will be noticeable.

Other than that complaint and the bulk of this review, it is a great rosin. Magic Rosin® has kept their quality up high when creating this product. It has all the signature qualities: the clear rosin with the beautiful images inside, the lack of dust that makes it very friendly to those with asthma or allergies and the longevity of the rosin for the amount. The only thing that should be considered before trying it yourself is if you like strong rosin. For those who have used the 3G Ultra and would like something stronger then this would be worth trying. If you are a bass player looking for a good middle rosin between the previously mentioned then this would be a great place to start. I give Magic Rosin® X a 3 chunks of rosin out of 5 for cello and a 4 chunks of rosin out of 5 for bass. 

Review: Larsen Crown medium cello strings

http://www.sharmusic.com/shop.axd/Search?keywords=larsen+crown

Hello and welcome to the Adam Sullivan Music Theory Blog review of the "Larsen Crown cello strings". If you like this review, then please subscribe to the blog for more musical reviews, and much more.

Now as a few of you have requested I have a review for the Larsen Crown strings. Shout out to Frank up at Davidson Violins (homepage and facebook) for helping me get the strings. Now for those who are interested in the overall view on them I think they're decent strings. They aren't the best I've ever played but if you need strings for cheap or want your student some good strings for cheap, then these are a very good option. Also, I need to point out that I was using Evah Pirazzi Soloist A & D, and Spirocore Silver G & C on my Spainhour cello.

First off, let's go over the packaging. The mediums I tested came out in a plastic box with the strings in a white envelope and the logo Crown on it. I opened the box to see the four strings were uniquely sealed in their own envelope. Each strings I had in the set was well sealed. The strings felt a little heavier than what I was use to, but I eventually got use to them. The strings are made from peek, which is a high quality synthetic core. I've never had the opportunity to try them before these. After first putting them on, I noticed they the A and D were a lot louder than the Evah Pirazzi, but the sound wasn't as clean. They didn't sound as direct a sound, but the overall volume of the cello was louder. The G and C were the same volume wise as the Spirocore but they weren't as clear, and I couldn't get any projection out of them. I felt like the quality of sound had gone down, however seeing this was my first play with them I assumed it was from them being unboxed and new. I let them sit for a few days on my cello, and they never slipped on me. I loved that they never slipped while breaking in on me. However, the clarity of the sound diminished overall. I feel that the strings have gotten quieter since they settled in and the tone has gotten a bit better than before. I will have recordings of what I'm referring to in the near future.

Overall, these strings aren't that bad. I've never used synthetic core before, but after using these I am willing to give any others a try. I feel like the overall sound from my cello has diminished, so I'm removing the strings from my cello after I record the audio for showing how they sound after getting broken in. However, these strings aren't the worst you can pay for the money. The average price online that I've seen is around $100 for a set, so if you are curious to test out synthetic core or feel your student should try some new strings for cheap then these would work. I give them a 3/5. I will update this article with the audio files and the unboxing soon!

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Episode 1: What is Music? (based off the original episode "Musical Alphabet and Note Values")

Hey everyone, Sulli here with the "main series" 2.0! The video above is the new version of the old video. It goes into a little bit better detail of what music is, and starts us off where the original episode is. In case you want to see where we started from, this is the original episode from the series:

http://sulliadm.blogspot.com/2012/03/episode-1-musical-alphabet-and-note.html

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Sulli's Song of the Week #3: "Nocturne - Cello & Piano" by Steven Chen

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheOrchestraBoy/


I'm back with some another episode of "Sulli's Song of the Week". This week, Steven Chen of Spartanburg, SC has a song for us. He's been playing cello for 5 years now and composing for 2 of them. He plays upright bass, viola and piano along with cello. Steven says the idea behind the song is it starts out dark and mysterious which it then rushes into a fast movement from the cello while the piano thunders away with a D minor chord. If you like this, and want to see more then go to his YouTube page and follow him.

If you would like to be featured on this segment then let us know! Message us a clip of you playing something original or a cover at YouTube, Twitter, Facebook or in the comments below! Thanks for reading!

University of Tennessee Cello Workshop: Day 1 (post #50!)

How's it going guys? Sulli here with the 50th post of the blog! I never thought that it would wind up the way it has, but I'm here with an update on what you guys missed and my opinion of what all has been taught during the series. If you like this and would like for me to do more episodes such as attending and "reporting" for things like this, then follow the blog on either Facebook, Twitter, or let me know! I would love to do more things like this if you guys would like me to! As a general idea, I'm not posting everything I wrote down. I think it would be a better idea to give you guys what I can type and make as clear as possible without a demonstration  Also, I do not think you guys would like to read all 4 or 5 pages of my notes.

Anyways, day one has been great. I arrived rather late (got lost on my way up here multiple times), however I did manage to catch a few really great tricks and learned a few things that I never had thought of doing. I walked in on a master class which was being mentored by Sera Smolen was talking to the student about a more natural way to start music, especially those that feel like it thrown you into it for the beginning. Mrs. Smolen recommended the student to do two things: Imagine the sound that you want to hear and do the "Circle, Set, Pull!". In this case, the student was playing the first movement of the Saint Sean's Cello Concerto #1 (for those of you who have no idea what I'm referring to, give this a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx6UDgi9TEA). Mrs. Smolen said for the student to start by imagining the note that would start the piece off with as one way to prep and even out starting inconsistencies. The other is a trick that I have seen a few times before but never looked into the reasoning, which I am a little mad that I hadn't. Mrs. Smolen said to use the "Circle, Set, Pull!". Basically, it means to Circle the bow from wherever is comfortable for you to the frog, Set the bow so that you get a good grip with the string, and Pull the bow so that the momentum does not settle and you have to move from start. The way I thought about it was in the case of looking at a drag strip (or any kind of car racing you can clearly think of); If the car simply floors the gas while it's stopped then it usually starts by spinning out and takes time to get a good motion forward. However, if a car starts out going close to the speed that the driver wishes to achieve and then floors it, then it will not spin the tires.

The second student I saw was playing the prelude to Bach's Cello Suite 3 (Again, in case you need a listen to what I'm referring to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0dWyGsroNI). The main point I got out of this was in order to play chords on cello or to play anything involving shifting across all strings, the bow speed and pressure must vary and not remain static. So, the speed at which one should play the C and G strings should be slower and heavier than the speed and pressure used on the D and A strings. To most people, I believe this is a major *facepalm* moment on my behalf, but being taught in the public school system tends to have a lot of disadvantages, and small technique stuff like this is one of those things that I was never taught. Once I sat there and thought about it I had one of those major "A HA" moments; it is a very good point to make sure bowed string students should know. So in the case of all of the chords in the Bach, one would play a slower and slightly heavier bow for the lower chords and then speed and lighten the bow up once it gets to the higher strings. This is one of those things that must be practiced in the practice room, and has to be overdone and then some in order to actually master if you haven't already done so.

The next event that I took notes in was the Group Scale workshop. The majority of the notes I took were on bowing studies, however there were a few major things that caught my attention. The first thing was the statement that students can get more work done out of reworking a simple song versus learning a concerto. That was another one of those "A HA" moments that really grabbed my attention and said, "I need to start teaching this sort of stuff to my students back home!" Bow control is one of the big things that either make or break an orchestral musician (and to a certain extent an orchestra). It not only largely controls the quality of tone that comes out of our instruments (If you don't believe me, go try this one out with a camera at your local music shop), but is a major attribution to stylistic development in a piece. So for a stringed musician to continually grow, said musician should be able to have complete control of their bow. I'm going to go into an episode of the practice series to continue debating this point and to dig into deeper details of ways to help strengthen your control of the bow. 

The main help with this was an exercise that was called the "Add 'Em Up". The general idea is to get from point A to point B (in the case of the class, a 3 octave C Major scale) in one bow. One would start with the tonic note and would achieve this by playing it in a detached style (think of it as a staccato but with a little more body) while starting at the frog. Then you would jump to the tip and play the tonic plus the next note in the same detached style. Following that, one would go back to the frog and play the first 3 notes and etc. until the musician has successfully played whatever the musician was trying to achieve. I will post a demonstration of this if anyone would like a visual explanation.  The other major trick that I think should be explained is called "Finger Permutations". The basics of the exercise is to play the exercise at a slower rhythm (for example 8th notes at 80 BPM), then double the number of notes but half the value. Now, the reason it's called "Finger Permutations" is to start playing the following fingerings on any string. Start with a 1 2 3 4, then go 1 2 4 3, followed by 1 3 2 4, 1 3 4 2, 1 4 2 3, and finally 1 4 3 2. Then one can switch to starting on different fingers and keep changing the pattern. Some will be easy and some will be hard but mastering all of them is the only way to loosen up the muscles in your fingers.

There is one last thing that was covered in today's lesson and that was all about improvisation. I will come back to this topic on my next practice episode, however a lot of the info covered was really great for not only improving ones views on creating music, but it also was covered great ways to bond with people in your band or whatever ensemble you are in. Along with that, I would like to congratulate Mr. Wesley Baldwin, Mr. Carter Enyeart and the UT Orchestra on a great performance of the David Ott Double Cello Concerto! 

I hope you enjoyed this special 50th episode of the Adam Sullivan Music Theory Blog! If you want more, or have something you would like to suggest then find my Facebook Fanpage, Twitter, or message me on here! Thanks for reading and hope to see you back for Day 2!

New idea for the blog *NEED EVERYONE'S INPUT*

Ok guys, as you may or may not know there is a large number of international viewers and in celebration of being seen in every developed country in the world last night, I want to hold a new contest that will benefit everyone! Someone at Winthrop gave me the idea that I should host a mini cultural event with everyone on here. Basically I would give you a sample of my life here in SC along with a song that I feel is a cultural song from the US and you would send to me (via Twitter, the Facebook Fanpage, over email or as a comment on the page) a little bit about yourself and a song from your country. I'm going to start with mine on here and we'll see how far we can go. If I like yours then I will post it on here in a new series for the rest of the world to see. So, let me know via Facebook, Twitter, email, or comment below and don't forget to share this page with your friends!

Review: Magic Rosin 3G Ultra

Before I start this review, I want to thank Sarah West for her sample of Magic Rosin's 3G Ultra (click here). This was unexpected but I am so thankful you sent them to me try test out! Now I have another review for you guys out there and thanks to a few anonymous viewers, I have a few changes to my post I want to see if it helps you guys out. For those who aren't regulars and would like to see more from the blog I will have a new post out over the weekend with a contest! So don't forget to checking in!!

Now, let's break down how I conducted my test. Like I said before with Magic Rosin's 3G rosin, I started out with the rosin the testers used regularly by playing a scale and something that they knew off the top of their heads and after running my absorbent microfiber cloth over their strings and bow I applied a generous amount of the Magic Rosin to their bow and they played the same thing. This time however, when it came to the bass players, we had a little debate over which was the best so we had to have a blind audition and I'll explain how that works later.

Since I was unable to get in touch with one of my violinist I used to test the 3G ultra I decided to not to test them for the time being but I feel that it might be too strong a rosin for them. Whenever I get a hold of them I will update the post with the results.

I got a hold of one of the violist I used to test the 3G and after we went through it I feel that it might have been border line between strong rosin and too much bite for them, but it all depends on the player's style and taste. The player and I both liked it a lot like that but I do know how one of the others is with their rosin and that probably wouldn't suit those style of players well. I would recommend this for an electric violist or someone who likes to play electric viola. I give it a 4/5 for viola.

Now, going into my personal range of specialty I spent almost a week testing the rosin with my cello and I think this IS the best rosin for cellos I've tried, which ranges from student quality to $35-40 professional rosin. I found this to give me the clarity I need while also projecting well and sticking to the strings. I ran this by a couple of other cellos and I was hearing the same results from them as I was from myself. This rosin is made for cellos except for students or cellist who use very sensitive strings. I give it a 5/5 for cello.

Finally, we have our tests from the bass players! I found this series of test (yes, it took multiple trials to get through all of the tests and make a well rounded decision!). We started out with the usual method of testing rosin and discovered the huge differences between other commercial rosins and Magic Rosin. The first is the clarity of rosin, which most are either gritty, muddy or don't give the projection that is desired. Magic Rosin went and not only made it clear but it also gave us a lot of projection that the other rosin's gave us. After a few tests like this we got to the point that we thought we were hearing things so we had a blind study between Magic Rosin 3G Ultra, Magic Rosin 3G, and two competitors rosin and acquired four identical bows. We went and rosined all of them up with some rosin and had a random person write down the bows rosin to when they handed it to us and hands down we felt the Rosin 3G Ultra had everything else beat. I give it a 5/5 for bass.

It is hard to believe that there is rosin that can be used for all four instruments but it really exists! And for the price of a few cakes of Magic Rosin, you are making a wise investment into not only yourself but your students if you teach privately or in public schools. For more about the rosin click on the link above. If you would like to follow the blog, follow me on Twitter (click here), Facebook (click here) or email me directly! I want everyone to message me by any (or all) of those methods above and tell me one thing you want to see changed or one thing you like about the blog and share this with a friend!

How to Practice Episode 5: Play outside your box

Alfred 00-0483S Suzuki Cello School Cello Part- Volume 3 - Music Book

Hello and welcome back to his segment of How to Practice. This time I have a different (or at least less commonly thought about) technique for helping you practice; Practice outside your comfort zone. This means a few different things; like playing harder music or playing different music than what your use to. I say that you should do all of that and more!

Many people who don't like being outside the box are afraid of messing up and looking stupid when they do. Don't be afraid to make mistakes when you’re playing! Just believe in what you’re playing and if you mess up, then say "Ah well" and shake it off. That is easier said than done, I know but sometimes you have to get out of that block. As long as you’re not on stage giving a concert then it shouldn't matter whether you make a mistake or two. The point is as long as you’re learning something new and pushing your limits then you will be fine! Challenges come and go all the time and the courage is in trying to push your own limits because you are only limited to the extension of your imagination and technical know-how. If that means you are just starting out and know only how to produce a few "noises" or you are like what I did the other day at the SC Cello Choir and was the only 1st chair player in a couple of the rehearsals sight reading material and techniques I had never seen before. The point is you need to not be limited to what your mind knows what to do, but you should do what your mind thinks you can't do because that is the only way to learn anything but especially music.

As I stated before, I was the only cellist in Section I that didn't go to the advanced orchestra rehearsal because I felt like it would be better if I made the pieces I had sound the best I could get them to sound over being in both groups. That is the only exception to my rule: If you don't feel comfortable preforming something in the slightest, then don't add on. That only creates a train wreck. You should push yourself but at the same time know where your limits to your abilities are. You should aim a higher then you did before but not too high. If you’re reading Suzuki Book 4, then aim for the 5th or maybe the 6th, but not anything higher. For those who are learning through the Hal Leonard books, then go one page to about 2 or 3 ahead but no more than that. You don't want to try to push too much.

Now before I leave you I had a question for you. Is there enough regular viewers to start a contest on or what do you guys think I should do? You can email me, tweet me, use my hashtag, or facebook me. If you want to be heard, have a question, want to tell me how I'm doing or just want to make a suggestion on something to talk about or more review ideas. I'm here to talk to you about music! Also, if you want to create fan art I would love to see it! If not I will create a new logo soon enough!

Alfred 00-0481S Suzuki Cello School Cello Part- Volume 2 - Music Book 

Review: Magic Rosin 3G

Hello everyone, here is the long awaited review on "Magic Rosin 3G" by Magic Rosin. I have spent a few weeks working on giving you guys the best review I can by testing everything on all 4 instruments. I was very skeptical at first, but just a heads up I was happily mistaken in that prejudgment.

Here is my method of how I tested the rosin. First I started by taking my Microfiber cloth and cleaned off the strings of the instruments, rubbed it over the bows to knock off any rosin that would lead to a cross contamination. Then the person testing applied the rosin they use normally and played me a scale and a run threw of whatever they wanted to play for me. Afterwards, I ran the rag over the bow and strings and then gave them the Magic Rosin and they played the same thing as before.

First let's start with the violins. I started testing with 5 violins, 2 who have been playing for 3 years and 3 who have been taking private lessons. We started with a simple scale of their pick with the rosin they normally used (mostly Super Sensitive's basic rosin, but one was using a special rosin that we referred to as "star dust" rosin). They played their music and then we cleaned the instruments off and used the Magic Rosin and the first big thing that I noticed was the clarity of the instruments. It sounded so much clearer than the first time! They said they had to use a little more arm to get a louder sound, but just off of my random sampling of the students, if all of the violins used this rosin the clarity would come out. The higher registers weren't over played, and it held it's ground with the everything I could ask of them. The only drawback that they didn't have any for themselves. I rate it a 5/5 for violin.

Now, onward to violas which I will admit now wasn't my best test sample. The people that was ready for the instruments didn't show up, however I had some others to help test this rosin. I had two people test this out on their violas, both of which didn't have too much experience playing. They both used Super Sensitive's basic rosin and they both had the same result as the violins; the clarity and the overall tone came out for the viola. I will need to do an update to this post in the near future when I can get my "expert" to test this stuff for me and give you a better and more detailed review, but I give it a 4.5/5 for viola.

I have personally spent a good couple of weeks tearing into this rosin on my cello and I can tell you, I have never used anything like it! It is in fact some of the best rosin I have used for my cello; it sticks to the strings well but it doesn't make the sound grainy. The only problems I have with it is I had a few moments where it might have been not sticking enough but I tend to play more along the lines of Apocalyptica so I like bite to my playing but that was during my initial testing. Since then I haven't had any problems with it and the same went when I was testing at the school. The students who used it on cello loved it and had the same argument; it wasn't sticking well at first but the issue cleared up after a little bit of use. Overall I think this is a great rosin for cellos, but I will need to test the 3G Ultra to see if it has the problem cleared up for cellos. I give it a 4.5/5 for cello. *UPDATE* I have completed a Magic Rosin 3G Ultra review (click here)

When I first read the rosin online and saw it was for all four instruments I was very skeptical; like most people online reading the same description, so I sat down with some of the more advanced bass players at the school and said, "let's run this rosin down on the basses and see if it really works well on the instruments". So with the bass players we got the rosin they used (Pops and Carlsson) and we spent a good half hour running blind test after blind test and seeing which we liked better. Here is our overall impression with each rosin: Pops gave us the greatest bite between all of them but it tended to sound very grainy at times. Carlsson had some bite but no where as much as Pops but the tone was great. Magic Rosin was the best middle ground for bass in our opinion; more bite than the Carlsson with just as much clarity but not as much bite as the Pops. Something else one of the bass players brought up to me during testing was they had a better coverage of rosin than they did with either brand. The way the Pops worked for me was it gave a lot of slick spots and places on the string that it wouldn't cover very well and would have to fight to get the bow to work. The same thing with the Carlssons; it gave us a lot more coverage but we still kept hitting slick spots on the strings. The Magic Rosin fixed that problem very well and didn't have that problem when testing. I felt like it was good for bass but if you like a lot of bass sounds from your group or yourself try the 3G Ultra. I give it a 4/5 for bass. *UPDATE* I have completed a Magic Rosin 3G Ultra review (click here)

Overall, for the money you get a great grip from the rosin and that does kind of trip me out that it makes the bass sound great without over gripping the violins and viola bows! It really did astonish me while testing, I never thought about this being a possibility and especially for the price! I think this rosin should be in EVERY starting up orchestra classroom if not every classroom. There isn't anything else out there like it on the market that I can find. I give the rosin a 4.5/5. To view my Magic Rosin 3G Ultra review click here.

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Episode 7: Timbre and the Importance of Tone Control

Hello and welcome back everyone to something more exciting than all the reviews I have been doing. If I have bored you from them, I'm sorry but some people were asking me to do some reviews, and if you have any request don't be afraid to ask me! I love doing reviews for people and helping people if they need help. Anyways, on the the lesson at hand: What is Timbre and why does it matter to me?

First off Timbre or tone color is the sound that an instruments produces. Every instrument has it's own sound that it produces and its the only type of sound that can produce it. For example, you listen to a piccolo and listen to a flute or bassoon you can tell that the qualities of the sound have a lot of similar qualities but they aren't the exact same. The piccolo is a higher and sounds more "whimsy" and "In air floating" feel than the flute or bassoon does, but they all have a feeling of a wind instrument. Now add a cello to the mix and you hear a new feel to the music, which is a more earthy feeling that is produced from the violins, violas, cellos and bass. Every instrument has its advantages and disadvantages revolving around tone color and it effects the overall feeling of the orchestra. That is one of many reasons symphonic music is written with so many instruments as well, the composer wants to fill in every gap that he wants to be filled in and cause the piece to sound complete. It makes the piece sound better, and that is also the art of composing; Knowing how to make a one lined melody fit into the best possible group of instruments.

So now you're asking; why do I need to know this? The answer is you need to be aware of the differences in all music in order to be a better musician. If you know how everything links together then you become a better musician. There are reason why Bach wrote the suites for cello and not violin, and why he wrote the violin concerto for violin and not cello.

Now Tone Color is a different, but very important thing to talk about. Tone color is the type of sound you are producing from the instrument. It is similar to timbre in the way that it is left to the composer to control, however this is controlled by the instrument. The easiest way to explain this is adding a mute to an instrument. It not only softens the music, but it changes the overall sound of the instrument from blocking some of the vibrations. This is crucial because sometime you need the soft, but broad sound from an instrument, or sometimes you need a loud, harsh sound. Strings players achieve that by several ways, first being the mute. We add on a mute to soften the sound and change the overall sound. 2nd we can change the position of the bow. If we play more up towards the fingerboard we get a softer sound; sul tasto, or up towards the bridge; ponticello. Finally changing fingerings for a run can change the overall tone of a piece. For band and choir, there are mutes or some kind of tone changing methods as well.

Review: Evah Pirazzi and Spirocore Strings

Hello everyone, welcome back to the music theory blog! I have a review for you guys, and I've been testing these products for a few months now to get you the best review I can give! Today I am reviewing Pirastro Evah Pirazzi Soloist A and D and Thomastik Infeld Spirocore G and C on my 1992 Spainhour cello.

To begin let's start with what I was starting with before I changed over. I was using Pirastro Chromcor, which is an ok set for someone starting out but beyond that the strings aren't good at all, not to mention my set was pretty old. Very bland tone, no volume or anything a professional cellist would need for his/her cello to sounds great. The only reason I had them on my cello is because it was what came with my cello when I got it at Christmas from my parents and I wasn't able to afford any new strings. However, with my graduation money I received, and after a lot of reviews, interviews with the professors at Winthrop and a rough decision I decided to go with them and I must say, they are amazing.

The first thing I noticed with the first time I played them on my cello was the amount of volume they produced. I was use to pushing and digging into my cello to get any type of volume from my cello and just keeping the dynamics at around a mezzoforte to what I was use to nearly blew me out of my seat when it came from the new strings. The other major difference is the amount of overall tone color and projection. The Evah's gave me a feeling of warmth and a lot of depth that I love hearing. They didn't overkill the higher register either. When you play most regular notes on a cello, some strings tend to thin out the tone and lead to nasty sounds from the notes. However, the Evahs don't do that, they make more of a rounder, thicker tone. The Spirocores are the same way, but they have a little less tone color than I would like but they make it up in the projection! Whenever you play a note on the C, you feel it! That's what makes Spirocores so popular among cellist; we like the feeling of making sure we are heard as far away as possible, especially on the lower registers!

However the main drawback from these are the price of each set. The Evah mediums are usually around $220 for a whole set, or around $60 for just A and D. The Soloist are about $235 a set or $75 for the two. As for Spirocore, they aren't as bad. A set of Spirocore Chrome is usually around $135 or $100 for the G and C, however the tungsten strings are about $240 for a set or $105 just for the C!

Overall, I say they are a must for a musician who wants to expand his sound quality and if they have already gone for cheaper stuff like Heliocore, I recommend they upgrade to this. The set up I have is a staple in professional orchestras around the world and if you can afford to try them, you should!

Episode 6: Simple and Compound Meter

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Hello and welcome back to the Music Theory Blog! Today's long awaited episode is about the difference between Simple and Compound Meter. I am here to help you along with understanding the material better by showing examples of what I am explaining and we'll see if this makes it better to understand!

 Now first, for those who are new comers, you must understand what the time signature is. The Time Signature is the symbol that shows musicians how many notes are in a measure and what note value gets the beat. For Example, 4/4 time means there are 4 notes in a measure that a quarter note gets the beat. If you need more help with understanding this, refer back to episode 4.

In order to understand why the two types of time signatures are important, you must understand what they are. A Simple Meter is a meter that's time signature breaks down into two parts. For example, you can divide a whole note into two half notes, a half note into two quarter notes, and so on. This is what most music is written as, which are 4/4, 3/4, and 2/4. Any variation of the signature will work, for example you can say 2/8, 3/2, or 2.16 as long as the measure breaks down into two parts anything is possible. Here is an example of a piece that is in 4/4, "Prelude" from Bach's Cello Suite No. 1. Some other examples of music you might see with a simple meter is Common Time and Cut Time. Common time () is simply another way to write out 4/4 and Cut time () is a simpler way to write 2/2.

Now, the difference from a simple meter to a compound meter is a Compound Meter divides the beat into 3 parts rather than 2. For example a commonly seen compound meter you may rn into is 6/8. There are 6 beats in a measure but most of the time it is felt in two parts and is conducted the same. The most common types of compound meter are 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8 but changing the lower number would work the same. Here is an audible example of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" which is written in 9/8.

If you like the new way I constructed the lessons, let me know by sending me an email, or message me on Twitter.

Update: From the Eyes of College

Hello, and for all of those who have been checking on the page daily thank you so much! I have had a few of you email me about when the next episode will be up and my answer is... I don't know! I am working hard in college and I haven't been having much free time in school or outside of it, but I have a few ideas for you guys and I want all of you to give me your opinions! Here is what I was thinking... What if I created a big "fan supported music demonstration" sort of set that anyone can submit to. Say you wrote out a full song, or just a simple little melody it doesn't matter. Just submit it to me and I will put a link to it in the blog and have it shared. I had one person already submit me something and I will have it on here soon. It is a song for a starting out strings class and has a very driven feel to it that I like a lot. So, if you have any kind of song that you wrote and want advertised on here, then send it to my email and all of your responses to my question. If we get 200 responses, I will post something I've been writting on the side on here for you guys to review for me! So start sending those replies in, and use the header as "From The Eyes Of College" so I can tell why I am being flooded! Thanks, and keep checking in!

Episode Recap 1: Episodes 1-5 Part 1

Hello and welcome back! Now before I begin the recap let's go over a few things. 1st off, you may have noticed the button above me. Finances are really low, especially if you want more reviews so please donate anything you feel comfortable donating to me. I am wanting to do more reviews and if you want to see more, then any money is good money! With that said, I promise I WILL NOT go crazy with the button! The only time I will post it is on general recaps (like such), and reviews. I want to provide everyone with a few service to learn music theory, tricks from professionals, and reviews so you aren't wasting your money on pointless or terrible stuff for your instruments (and yes, I have used some terrible stuff, and amazing stuff so I know what's good and what's not).

With that out of the way, I bet you're wondering "What's an 'Episode Recap'?". I feel after so many episodes on all my topics, I will post one giant summery for you on what is in that section. For today, this episode recap is on episodes 1-5, which are:

-Episode 1: Musical Alphabet and Note Values

-Episode 2: Sharps and Flats

-Episode 3: Treble and Bass Clef

-Episode 4: Defining the Signatures

-Episode 5: Dynamic Contrast

Now how this is going to work is like a review over the selections, and explain some harder to explain things.

Episode 1:

This was a presentation-Only entry so most people didn't read this entry, so I will count this as the actual lesson. There are two main elements when reading music: a Note and a Tone. A note is the visual representation of a sound (♪). The actual sound that goes with it is the tone. We could say that the note is an A, or a C but we don't see that when we are watching a group play: We hear the tones of the chord(s) the person or people playing make but we don't see the (♪) in front of us unless you brought sheet music with you.

When you link them together in any pattern going up or down until you repeat the first note, you get a Scale. There is no simple number of notes in a scale, because there are so many different types of scales. However, there is a "Western" standard of scales, which has 8 tones in a repeating pattern. I will discuss this more later on in the episode review. 

Now we have to discuss the Musical Alphabet. This is the way musicians learn their notes, and it is always repeating: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. 

A standard Octave or simply the "Western" style of 8 note scales, is the repetition of one note. For example take a C scale. If we wrote it out we would have C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. The bold C is an octave higher than the one we started on. This works out on the entire musical alphabet.

Now, we talk about basic note values. They work the same was as fractions, which is they break down and are seen as fractions, like for example ♪ is an eighth note while ♫ is two eighth notes or a quarter note. The way the notes flow is demonstrated in the following picture:

The top note is a whole note, and it breaks down into two half notes. each half note breaks down into two quarter notes and so on all the way down the line. This is the proper way to subdivide notes. Now we must figure out how this fits into a staff. A Staff is a bar with 5 lines and 4 spaces that fit together and are split to make Measures. This will be further explained in a later chapter.

Episode 2:

Going back to notes on a staff, you can have either Sharps, Flats, or Naturals. Naturals are notes that haven't been altered and these are the white keys on a piano. Then if you take that note and go up a half step (going from a white key UP to a black key) your going from a natural to a sharp. When you go down a half step (going from a white key DOWN to a black key) your going from a natural to a flat. *Editor's Note* I just realized there was a glitch in the episode, and I fixed it so it's legible.

Episode 3:

There are 2 major clefts to playing most instruments. You have Treble, or the G cleft, which is the higher side and you have the Bass, or the F cleft, uses the lower side. Back to the discussion on scales. The "western" or non-asian countries use a standard for scales which goes with the "standard" of 8 notes that repeat at the base note but at a distance of an octave. For example: C Major is C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C.

How to Practice Episode 4: Practice the Basics

Welcome back everyone! Now I know it can get very annoying to practice scales over and over again but you have to know your basics. There are many reasons why you need to know them, such as:

1). The basic skills of your instrument is what makes you a musician. If you didn't know how to play simple stuff, then how could you play the more complicated? For example how can you play work by Bach and Beethoven when you don't know the simple stuff.

2). There are crucial skills you can practice on scales that makes your whole style of playing better if you practice them on scales. For example, vibrato is a great example that you should practice on scales. Vibrato adds so much tonal flare to music, and is probably the biggest divider between musicians. However, it can be a hassle at times to practice so remember that an hour a week of nothing but good practicing is better than 3 hours a day of bad practice.


3). Practicing the easy stuff helps you be able to do things like improvising from being able to tell the chord progression and scales in the music and being better acquainted with your instrument. That is a huge factor when it comes to improving, because the less you are close to your instrument the more nerve wracking it will be. Your instrument is like your best friend, especially when your alone on a stage that has been lighted up.  

Review: D'Addario Helicore Cello Strings

Now, for those of you who are new to my blog I am a intermediate cellist. I have been playing for almost 7 years, which to most people is just a drop in the bucket but the benefit from my perspective is I am going to college in a few short months (as of now 2 and a few days) so I know where the deals are and know what to get so you get bang for your buck.

Now, for years I've been taught from my teachers that just because you have a cheap cello doesn't mean you have to think it will always sound bad. For people who are just beginning and have a student instrument, there are several changes to your instrument that will improve the tone and overall characteristics of it. The first, and usually the most effective, way to get the sounds you want is to get new strings. For people starting out the best strings you can get for cheap are D'Addario's Helicore. They are made strong, and they are made to last for a long time. Before I changed cellos, they were the only ones I would use on my cello and I never had to worry about strings popping. I kept a set on there for a few years, which is not a good thing to do but when your on a budget it works out well.

This leads me into a lesson on strings, for my stringed musicians on here. The rule of thumb for us is you should change your strings once a year, however there are strings that will last longer. Just keep in mind the longer they stay on your instrument the more they will go "flat" and the more likely they will snap.

Now, what do I mean by a string going flat? Every string is constructed where they have a core, and the metal is wrapped around it. After a while the core will start to get worn out and it causes the string to vibrate less vividly and it gives a "flat" sound to the instrument. Another key feature to know about strings is that there is a break-in period that varies between the strings. The way it works for the Helicore strings is 5-7 days. That is a good time, but you need to remember that if you have a competition, audition, or a performance you need to be able to avoid getting stuck with spotty tuning.

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Episode 10: Scale Theory

Hello and welcome back!

Sorry I haven't posted in the actual episodes in a while, but college seems to keep me busy no matter which way I turn. But today, our lesson is to explain what a scale is and give you some to practice!

First off, we need to figure out how to define a scale. A scale is a series of notes in an ascending or descending pattern. For example, let's start with the note C. There are many different scale involving the letter C but they have to follow some kind of pattern. As I said before there are many different types of scales, but the over all feel is there are two basic scales: a major and a minor. Just like they sound, the major scale sounds brighter than the minor. The whole understanding of scales goes back to understanding intervals, which was the topic of the last two episodes (episode 8 episode 9).

The basic progression of a Major scale is W W H W W W H, where W is a whole step and H is a half step. Now let's apply this to a scale, and since the basis of all music is C let's develop a C major scale. It starts on C, then a whole step up would lead to a D (C#- D), followed by a whole step to an E (D#- E) but then we hit the half step in which we get an F. A whole step to G (F#- G), then an A (G#- A), followed by another whole step to B (A#- B) and then we have our last half step back to C. So a C major scale is C D E F G A B C. Now, let's do another example with F. Start with the note given, and follow the intervals above. So a whole step above would be G, another whole step to A but then we get to the half step which we use Bb. Now we need another whole step to C, another whole step to D a final whole step to E and then the half step back to F. So the scale is F G A Bb C D E F. Ok, let do one last example with G. Follow the guide and you should get G A B C D E F# G. The F# in this example and the Bb in the previous one are ways to indicate a key. F# is the only sharp and the rule of key signatures is take the last sharp and raise it a half step. The trick to flat key signatures is take the second to last flat and that is your key, however the key of F is the only key that doesn't follow this rule. So if we went up to the next flat in the order of sharps and flats, it would be Eb but the key would be Bb.

Now the trick to minor scales is moving the pattern above back two spots. For example, the natural minor of C is A minor, and is played like C but starting on A. The same is true for the other scale above; the natural minor of F is D minor and the natural minor of G is E minor. The pattern is W H W W H W W. A minor would be  A B C D E F G A, D minor would be D E F G A Bb C D, and finally E minor would be E F# G A B C D E.

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How to Practice Episode 3 - Don't get frustrated

Hello, and welcome back! Sorry for the delay but between getting ready for college, graduation, and the simple uncanny timing of life's messages has put me back a bit!

Now, on to the lesson: Not getting frustrated from practicing and not getting results. I know how hard that is, practicing the Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1 for the past month and still can't play a simple line that shouldn't take more than one or two times through to be able to preform. There are just some things in life that will get you down, and you must put effort to keep going through them and continue to practice them. Always remember the music is nothing more than ink on a piece of paper, or pixels on a screen. If you keep putting effort towards the song and continue to work on it constructively then you will see progress. Here are some examples of breaking a piece down:

If you notice that the piece is getting higher than the range you know how to play is, then practice a scale that resembles that phrase, or find a scale that gets you to go that high. In my previous statement of the Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1, I have problems with the highest part of the song that seems unapproachable. However, when you break the phrase down into it's fundamental level it is nothing more than a G major scale so I practice a G major scale in 3 octaves, focusing most of my effort on the last octave in tune and getting vibrato on the notes. Start off slowly, then build yourself up to the speed of the piece.

If you notice that there is a rhythm that you can't seem to play, then use "tick" marks, or a / above each beat, or subdivided beat. This one can explained to cellist, using the Haydn, with the whole thumb position phrase that is heard multiple times throughout the piece. If you write in those marks above the 8th note beat (the song is slow, and is normally conducted in 8 instead of 4), then it will help to count the piece/ Once you write in the notes then work slowly counting by clapping the beat out loud with a recording or your teacher play the phrase.

If you don't feel like you are remembering the dynamics enough, or your director says you aren't playing them enough then take the song and look for all the crescendos and decrescendos and use a "hot" color (red, orange or yellow) to indicate the crescendos and a "cool" color (green, blue or purple) to indicate the decrescendos. Experts have proven that colors pop out at you subcontiously and you will be reminded to play them. My only suggestion is not to do this on originals.

Episode 5: Dynamic Contrast

Welcome back to the blog, now with a new title and new series that you should take a look at in your free time. However, today's lesson is on dynamics and their importance. Dynamics is the volume of a note or series of a notes. Traditionally, volume is ranged from a Forte (f) to Piano (p). Forte means to play loudly, while piano means to play quietly. The range is controlled by either instantly changing music from being loud to soft and vice versa, or with a Crescendo (<) or a Decrescendo (>), which means going from one dynamic to the other Gradually. You can also write music as a crescendo from a piano to a forte or as a decrescendo from a forte to a piano. Just keep in mind that you need to keep the change within the style that you are playing, like a forte can't blast everyone's eardrums if you are playing a song that just needs to be under another part, but you need to play loud enough to be heard well.

Now, later on in music we move onto and see mf (Mezzo Forte) and mp (Mezzo Piano). Mezzo means to play moderately, or slightly less than (or more than) the dynamic. So for example, a mf would be read as a slightly less than forte, so you play under forte. For mp you should think it is moderately piano, so slightly louder than a piano. Finally, we get to extreme dynamics which are Fortissimo (and above) and Pianissimo (and below). Fortissimo, or ff, is the loudest you can get without making the tone sound bad.

How to Practice: Episode 2 - Using YouTube and Recordings

Welcome Bach everyone! Today's tip of the day is on how to use YouTube and other forms of recording to your advantage. Teachers will not normally agree with this tip because watching the video too many times may go against what he or she is trying to teach. For example, search "Bach Cello Suite No. 1 Prelude" and look at how many results you get. Think about how many variants there are in each performance, because no two people will play it the exact same. However if you use this the way I believe is the best way to do, you will increase efficiency in your practicing.

YouTube has now become a world wide business for almost anything you want to see. You can go on there and search for videos on the "Traxxas Rustler" and find several thousand videos (When searched on 5/23/12, I found 13,900!), and as stated above if you search for "Bach Cello Suite No. 1 Prelude" you will find a large number of people preforming it (On 5/23/12 there was 4,720). Keywords does make a difference, however that's a topic for the end of the lesson. Anyways, as I said, when you search for Bach's Prelude from Suite No. 1, you see there are almost 5,000 performances of that song alone, and rarely does the same video get re-posted, so the overall possibilities are varied greatly. One person could begin with the first phrase (the phrase almost everyone recognizes when someone starts playing) very well, but make a small mistake in the second phrase. Then take another video and that person might play it very well throughout, but not stick to the stylistics perfectly throughout. There are many possible differences, and that is the 1st reason why this is a good way to practice: Find a couple recordings that suit either how you imagine the piece to sound or how your teacher thinks it should sound and begin listening to them constantly.

The more you listen to a piece, the more familiar you feel when you see the sheet music. Just picking up the sheet music, you can see how "insane" it looks, or how much of a push in mental and physical level that the piece will push you but unless you already know the piece the sheet music will look a little foreign. It's like when you go to a new school: You can see from the outside of the building that there are few classes, or many classes in the building. You can also tell when you get inside the same thing, but you see more than you did before, but until you actually walk around the school and see for yourself where everything is and know where you should be, the place is pretty much foreign territory to you. The same applies to music. You hear Prelude and you hear that there is a lot going on, but the melody is pretty straight forward. When you get the sheet music however, you see that there is a whole lot more to the sheet music than you anticipated (most people don't know that the piece is almost entirely 16th notes). But just from hearing you know that it is fairly simple to learn.

Another advantage of this tip is when you see some people playing the music, it helps develop fingerings and articulations you may or may not have thought about using before. For example, watch someone preform the Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1, and see how many possible fingerings there are for some of the actual performance. Same rule applies to articulations, if someone wasn't aware that Haydn was from the Classical time period and thought he was from the Baroque era, the articulations of his music would be entirely different. However, by listening to the music you can tell that he wasn't from the Baroque era.

Remember that this is no substitute for practicing, this is simply a tool to make practicing easier, and more efficient.