Review: World of Bow

Hello and welcome back to my review series. I know that it is unusual for me to post multiple times in a month but to make up from the dry spell, I'm posting this review on top of the previous. I have one more but I need a little more time for get it ready to be posted so stay tuned. For now, please enjoy this review and don't forget to subscribe or follow us on social media if you have not done so already!

For those whom may not be aware, World of Bow is a bow warehouse site. From first glance of the site, this site looks like it was stuck in 2003 when it started. However first glances are simply that because the quality of their products outweighs the exterior. It is a clean, slick look but it doesn't seem very enticing or helps make me want to buy from them. If it wasn't for the recommendation I had from multiple trusted friends and teachers, I would have overlooked this gem. I recently needed to order a bow to complete some local gigs, not to mention my student bow looks like I’m using dental floss on a stick. After being pushed to try them, I went and ordered two bows: A carbon fiber bow and a Brazil wood bow.

Their selection of bows has some variety. They range from professional to amateur bows, various types such as a Snakewood, Pernambuco, Brazilwood and carbon fiber. They also offer a variety of sizes, though the smaller bows do not have as much to choose from. Something also great about them is they offer baroque bows alongside modern bows, which caught me off guard! While I feel there should be more selection for the smaller bows, the selection is one of the best I’ve ever seen. There is a lot to look and choose from the site.

The prices of the bows are also reasonable too. I will come back to the quality of the two I ordered, but they are definitely worth the money I paid for them. They all ship 2 day express for $10! The packaging was wrapped in 3 layers of cardboard and the bows themselves were compressed together. They were made to handle the extremes of rush shipping! They came in one piece, and no damage to the bow.

Now the most important question of all: Are they worth the money? In short, the ones I ordered are well worth the money. Here are the links to the two I ordered: The Brazil wood bow and the carbon fiber bow. I opened the large triangle package like a little boy opening his large Christmas present, full of hopes and anticipations. As I previously stated, the care in the shipment was beyond what I expected but the bows were something different. I will review them independently but a quick summery from my first impressions was wow. Granted, I had been using a low quality student bow for the past 3-4 years (the last year being pretty bald) but they did do a good job of showing me what to look forward to later down the road. My only complaint so far is with the carbon fiber feeling very off putting. In comparison to the other bow, it is balanced roughly the same but it feels like it is too frog heavy. *Edit* After playing it for a full 3 days, the carbon fiber is a lot better but it keeps losing hairs. Not sure why, but I update once I have found a solution.

Before I end this review, I just wanted to say that the reason I’m not reviewing the bows themselves is not only are they too new and I haven’t quite gotten use to them, but I actually ordered the wrong bow. It is nothing to do with World of Bow, but rather I clicked the wrong carbon fiber bow. I’m happy with it but in order to review it from the proper competitors instead of comparing it to expectations from other bows, I will need some more time. I will go into a detailed review of them once I’ve had time to adjust. It is still a great bow, but my expectations have to shift in order to review it more accurately. However, this issue does lead me to my final thoughts.

The biggest thing I can say from this is consider expectations and then throw them out the window. There are a lot of great businesses that simply do not have the means to be over the top in terms of visual pleasure or customer convenience but that should not stop you from trying something new. World of Bow would fit into this sort of site. The site looks a little outdated and can be clunky at times but the service and customer service is beyond anything that one could imagine. The bows, while suspiciously cheap are well worth the money. I believe that the prices of similarly priced bows would be 3-5 times as expensive. Keep an eye out for my World of Bow because if I can save up enough money, I will be back for that Baroque bow! I give World of Bow a 4 great bows out of 5!

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. 

CD Reviews: Led Zeppelin 1-3 2014 Deluxe Remastered Set

        Hello everyone! I'm really sorry about the delay in the music 101 series. I've been working on the presentation for Sept. and getting it perfect have been time consuming. However, I'll have the next one soon though! Just as a fair warning, I know my "English" is normally pretty bad, but the video with this was a rushed project to go with some friends of mine. So what I say doesn't line up with what I've written exactly. I made sure that it does make some sense though, and this follows the outline pretty well. If you want me to do more reviews then I will! I have a book that I've been working to finish in the works now and hopefully will have out before the convention. Otherwise, enjoy and see everyone soon!





       Hello everyone, my name is Adam Sullivan also known as Sulli00700 and welcome and welcome to this review. As some of you may know, I'm a bit of a Led Zeppelin fanatic. My parents grew up listening to it in high school and college. Once they thought I was old enough to be introduced to rock n roll, this was where they started me off. So naturally, I've collected a few things over the years and I've become a fan. After strolling through Target about two weeks ago (from the beginning of writing this review) and while looking for some stuff for college I just so happened to come across these beauties! That's Led Zeppelin I, II & III and they have been remastered for 2014 and we're going to take a look at them right now.

       Back in March of 2014, LedZeppelin.com (http://bit.ly/1fwgoMR) announced Atlantic Records was to release remastered versions of Led Zeppelin I, II and III. It was also said to be remastered by Jimmy Page himself and was to be featured on CD, vinyl, digital download and not to forget box sets. Jimmy Page has gone on to say, "The material on the companion discs presents a portal to the time of the recording of Led Zeppelin, /.../ It is a selection of work in progress with rough mixes, backing tracks, alternate versions, and new material recorded at the time”. While I haven't been able to find the vinyls or the box sets in person, I have found them online, not to mention we have these three to look at. So then, the really big question is, "Are they really worth buying?"

       Visually, these albums look really pristine. Clearly updated versions of what made the original albums so great. It even goes as far to have the working pin wheel from Led Zeppelin III. However, these have more art than the originals did. The back panel the CDs have an inverted version of the front, and the inside has the original back panels plus what was meant to be inside art for the vinyls. (Update: Turns out that they are actually art in the insides of the remastered vinyls.)

       Hidden inside the tri-folds of the albums is an album with a bunch of pictures of the band around the time the album were being produced and while they were on tour. Not to forget a little bit of technical information. This is where we run into my first problem. Now don't get me wrong, these are really nice but do we really need this many pictures? Personally, I would like a little more technical information than the half a page in the booklet and the 12 photos. Same thing goes for the print on the CDs as well, they're just the generic Atlantic Records image. One may argue that it's out of nostalgia but I personally feel that Atlantic Records was going for a more unique feel to these albums, seeing they were re-release with the bonus material. Over all, however, this is more of an opinionated nit-pick of mine and will not be weighed against them heavily.

       All three albums feature remastered audio from the original albums as one would expect. There's a bit of a controversy on how alike these three sound to the original 1991 remasters that were released onto CD. However after doing a little bit of research into the situation, I found the previously mentioned LedZeppelin.com article states that they are indeed based off the original 192kH/ 24bit transfers. (Note: I did not say the 1991 albums, but the rough transfers that the albums were based on.) With that said, since it is based on the same source material, they are going to sound alike. Controversies aside, what really sells people on these albums are the companion disks. Led Zeppelin I having this never before released concert from Paris. It happened approximately two weeks before Led Zeppelin II was released. Led Zeppelin II and III have the previously stated bonus material. Led Zeppelin II premiering a song called "La-la" and Led Zeppelin III premeiring two songs; " Jennings Farm Blues" and "Key to the Highway/Trouble in Mind".

       So then, all that remains is the big question: Are they worth it? If you already own the original remasters and you're simply looking at it because you heard they were being remastered then I would not recommend this for you. However, if you are big into Led Zeppelin or interested in collecting bonus material then I would highly recommend this for you. My only complaint is the price, they're a little over priced in my opinion. Now don't get me wrong, as I said in the beginning I bought these from Target so naturally they're going to be a little over priced, paying $13 plus SC sales tax a piece. The reason I mention this though, is I cannot find them online or otherwise less than $12. Personally, I feel like the deluxe would be more reasonable around $10 each. $10 would be where I would say they are definitely worth it. However, what really drives in the issue is with the box sets. I cannot find them online for less than $120 dollars. This is where I think they are pushing them just a bit. Don't get me wrong, they are great albums, but $120 per set is a little "out there" in my opinion.

       All this aside, it's time to rate them! All things considered, I gave Led Zeppelin I a 3.5 "rocking Jimmy Page solos" out of 5 and Led Zeppelin II & III an even 4 "rocking Jimmy Page solos" out of 5. The reason for knocking that half point of Led Zeppelin I is because of the live concert not worth as much compared to Led Zeppelin II & III. I would have kept that point (if not made it 4.5 out of 5) if it was the same as II and III and had the rough tracks and/or never before heard albums from the original album. That little bit aside, I think they are all still great albums to add to your CD collections.

Review: Hit Me With Music by Uri Bram and Anu Pattabiraman

Hello everyone! After eight months of waiting, it is time to review a book that you have been waiting to hear about. Today I am going to review Hit Me with Music by Anupama (Anu) Pattabiraman and Uri Bram. Before I start the review, I would like to say thank you to Anu for donating a copy to review.

To begin this review, I feel like there was a few things that I do not think was in all the editions but was in mine. In the edition I read and reviewed there was several cases of double and triple spaces. I have heard of errors like this happening hence why I am assuming it was my computer. Also there was not any page numbers. The Kindle app set there was “locations” instead of page numbers. I could be wrong about it, but just in case this was something with my copy or how I added it to Kindle. If there are any other reports of this happening, then feel free to comment them to me.

With these slight slip ups aside, there was a lot to really like about this book. The first thing I really liked was the diagrams and the examples. They are very useful in explaining concepts as complex as these. Using Do Re Mi from “The Sound of Music” to explain solfege and Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi to explain rhythm had me laughing. They are rarely used together to explain something from a traditional standpoint, let alone in music all together. Along with that, the concept of explaining how intervals are derived and some scales were explained really well. There is a lot of information that is not commonly taught in school unless you are in graduate school or learn to compose. While these are wonderful points, I only have one real “complaint” about the book.

The main thing I did not really like about the book is it appears to be in a sort of “theory limbo”. I would like to view the book one of two ways: A.) from the perspective of a novice wanting an affordable substitution to get me started into music than trusting random people online or B.) A book that expands what I was taught in school by edging the bar forward more. The problem I felt with the book is it falls in that middle, with information a little too advanced for someone new to music or a little of the watered down side to someone whom has been through school. While this is not a bad thing overall I felt like there was not really a clear direction that the book was going in besides providing good information. Whenever I read the Amazon description, I felt like it did not help clarify my question either. Same thing goes for the Kickstarter (yea, I went into the archives and looked over it again). It did not really explain the book as well as it should, which I kind of feel like it missed the metaphorical “bar” by not completely answering the questions it imposed. Again, while this is not a bad thing against the book, it left my “let’s pretend I’m not a musician” side wondering why this did not really happen. In the case of my usual self why were they teaching the ratio of a tritone (augmented 4^th/ diminished 5^th) is 64:45 but not explaining modes, other chord progressions besides the couple that are in here or even 7^th chord construction?

After putting everything into retrospect, I feel like this opinion was swayed more as a bias of expectation than really reviewing. I was expecting one thing and it did not happen. While that counts into the overall score of the book, it will not be taken from the amount of uses that it does have. It is a good book for both groups of people mentioned before: People whom are new to music and want a solid crash course, and to those who are interested into the makeup of music. There is a lot of useful information for those in either party. At the price of $3.99 at the time of writing this, it is well worth the money should you choose to buy it. There are other options for whichever market you are into but very few if any are at this price. With everything considered, I rate the book Hit Me With Music a 4 out of 5 stars. While the information is great and the examples are really great, it shuffles the information that it presents into that “theory limbo”. If you are not concerned with that, then this book is great and is worth buying!

If you enjoyed this review then feel free to share it with family and friends. Leave a comment below to what you thought about the review or suggestions for other reviews in the future! Don’t forget to subscribe for more posts from us!

Review: Fraley's Klotz

Sulli said I had to introduce myself, so... Hey everybody! My name is Faith, and I am a violin major at UNCC. I am also the manager at Davidson Violins and have really enjoyed learning over the past couple years about various violins, their makers and their merits. When I was asked to write a review of something interesting in the shop, I knew exactly which one I wanted to write about. (I also desperately want this violin for Christmas, but I don't think that's gonna happen.)

Hanging on the wall at Davidson Violins is a very unique violin. At first glance, it doesn’t look much different from the dozen or so other violins on display next to it. But as you stop and take another look, you start to notice the things that make it so special.

The wood is obviously old and has a fine grain of light and dark brought out by the smooth varnish. But it’s not just the wood that catches your eye. Something about the body is a little different. Chubby even. And that is what sets this instrument apart from the others. While the rib height is fairly standard, the arch of the belly is much higher than that of a traditional Stradivarius copy. This violin was made almost for sure by one of the Klotz brothers.

This family founded a violin making school in Mittenwald, Germany, in the late 1600’s. Their popularity brought fame and fortune to Mittenwald, and the town celebrates their patrons with a memorial and statuary. Their violins are so unique, and so well liked, that there has been an epidemic of badly made Klotz copies and knockoffs. So much so, that any instrument labeled as a Klotz comes under suspicion.

This particular instrument, however, carries nearly all the marks of a genuine Klotz. While there is no 100% guarantee, experts have agreed that it is, most likely, not a copy. The label inside, while not the original label that came with the instrument, is a copy of a genuine Klotz label. It reads proudly:  Aegidius Klotz in Mittenwald…1771. Aegidius (1733-1805) was a third generation violin maker in the Klotz family, and son of Sebastian, one of the more famous members of this family. Aegidius’ violins were considered quite excellent work. In fact, it is said that Mozart’s own personal violin was made by Aegidius Klotz.

This violin is in excellent condition for being over 200 years old. There is very little obvious cosmetic damage, and the imperfections around the edges only lend to its charm. There have been a few top cracks repaired, but there is little evidence that there was any damage at all. When you look at the instrument from the side, the arching is so high that you can actually see through one F-hole and out the other. While a regular violin has a body that is a little over 2 inches deep, this Klotz has a depth of 3 inches. The back of the instrument, made of a single piece of wood, has a zebra stripe flaming pattern with an obvious wear spot there the player’s shoulder would come in contact with the instrument.

A modern neck has also been grafted in with the original scroll in order to compensate for the change in string tension as violin designed moved away from the Baroque setup to the now standard classical set up. This is standard procedure for any violin made in the Baroque period.

This extra space in the body makes for a deep resonant tone. The G string isn’t as powerful as one might expect, but it has a very sweet sound. The A string in particular is clear and strong. A typical classical musician might find the setup fairly low, as this violin has been used as a fiddle for the last several years. However, it plays smoothly and responds well to any player.

While this is an excellent instrument in its own right, there is also some more modern history that may lend an extra attraction for some. The most recent owner of this instrument was the late Kentucky fiddle player J.P. Fraley. Fraley used this instrument for years, and won many awards while playing with this fiddle. Since his passing, this decision was made to put the instrument up for sale, making this unique instrument now available to the public. 

Review: Zoom Q2HD

Hello everyone, how are you doing? Sorry about the delay on the post for this week, but after some last minute decisions on a vacation and working dilegently on a new arts activism site (If you want more info, I'll talk about it in a later post) I've been strapped thin. In any case, I have a review that I've been saving for just this situation, and one that I've had several requests about posting. If you like this review and would like more, then send me some stuff you would like for me to look into and I'll see what I can do. Don't forget to subscribe for more Adam Sullivan Music Theory Blog posts. So then, without thougher ado, this is my review on the Q2HD microphone camera by Zoom.

Zoom's Logo.

First off, I want to note from the beginning that Zoom is a wonderful company for starting musicians who need recording/editing equipment. I've used several of their other microphone cameras like the Q2HD and have loved them. I've only had problems with them once before, but their customer service helped me take care of the situation. Continuing with more background info, I also like the packaging that this product has.
They tend to package their products with care, and with the quality their products deserve. It's well sealed and the box does a good description going over the features it offers for the basic user. Going into the packaging we see it's well packaged in styrofoam, and it includes the usual manual, warnanty and a CD with the installer of the audio program that comes with the product.
I have not had the opportunity to test this program out so for the sake of simplicity I'll stick to just the recorder. Zoom offers an accesories pack that includes a basic wind screen, carrying case, USB cabe, HDMI to mini HDMI cable and a tripod for the Q2HD however I will only go into great detail of the wind screen, case and USB in this review. I will cover the kit in another episode.

Now then, let's look at the recorder itself. First, from the front we have camera with it's 4X digital zoom, and the case where the batteries go not to mention the Q2HD's logo on the battery cover. Opening the cover up reveils the need for 2 AA batteries. Rotating clockwise, we see the power button, headphone/line out 3mm jack, the HDMI out and USB out starting from the top.
The opposite side contains the mic gain roller, the delete button and a SD jack that recommends an SD XC card. Finally from the back we see the 2" display, a "play" button, a menu button and a D pad that reminds me of the days of the iPod nano and a couple of holes that is where the speaker is located. Finally, the "disco ball" on the top that is (in fact) your microphones.
Before we go into the mechanics, get some AA batteries and any SD card if you haven't. In my situation, I'm using 2 Energizer Recharge rechargable batteries and a 16Gb SanDisk Ultra Micro HCI. I will explain later why I chose these.

After holding the power button and allowing the splash screen to appear, we enter the main display which consists of the battery gauge and memory gauge in the top right, a time stamp at the top, the main camera display in the center, audio levels for both left and right below followed by some options below. Now pressing the menu button pulls up the main menu with all it's features. For this walk-through portion however, I'm not going into all the details. Besides, wouldn't that ruin the fun or exploring and/or reading the manual? The basic mode I kept mine of during the process of testing it is audio set to PCM 48/24 with mic angle set to mono while video was set to 1080/30. When my card is blank, this allows for around 2 hours of HD recording with mostly uncompressed audio.
If I went any higher in quality, it would eat up more memory and offer little noticable difference in audio. I have, however tested the camera with the angle set to 90 degrees and 150 degrees and they sound wonderful if you need to record a concert. In the case of voice overs or talking in general, I recommend leaving it on mono. Same for video quality. If you need something with a higher frame rate but not too much on having to be in 1080p, go for 720/60.

Now, on to the review side of things! With all things considered, this is a great hand held mcrophone if you're in need of starting up musician or video producer this is a wonderful product to look at. Whenever I recorded this intro to my YouTube video introducing my OC to the arts activist group I used the same audio settings, set to no audio angle, no video, added the wind screen and set the mic using my personal tripod so that the front was slanted facing my throat.
I talked into the top of the mic, but not straight to the top. Whenever I used video, I talked into the back of the mic on mono using the settings previously mentioned. I feel like the video could be better, however seeing I have a video based camera and my on screen capture program to record in 1080p so it's not that big a deal. The video isn't great for recording concerts, which I'll add a video to demonstrate that that I took at one of the Winthrop Freshmen Orientations. There are some lean way with this however. Buried in the video settings there is a way to change the mode of the video quality so it's slightly more lenient towards video recording concerts. This too brings me to my next point to the device: hidden features.

While I love how this device has a lot of features for something like this, there are some that are nice to know how to use without needing to dig through the manual and some that shouldn't really be on here. My main point to this is the screen flipping feature and the need for memory/batteries to run. Now, the screen flipping feature is a thing in the playback menu that allows you to view your video in landscape instead of portrait.
The way to access it is to start playing a video clip, then hold the play button for a few seconds then it will flip. The feature would be nice if one didn't have to have the clip playing first before getting to flip. Another thing about it is I wish it wasn't so hidden in the manual. It's almost burried and took me a while to get the hang of it. The other half of this is some features not needing to be on this device.
The main point to this is requiring batteries to start up and needing a SD card to record. Whenever I was really testing the recorder, I was using it to Skype with friends of mine on various projects. The way I would like to use it is have USB in and have that power it to turn on and off, and have it run on the background. The odd thing though, is this WILL recharge my batteries (hince why I use the rechargable batteries) but not run.
Whenever I turn on my camera, in order to edit a setting I had to have my SD in to access anything besides a lock screen.

Overall this is something to seriously consider if you're in the market for this device. Great quality microphones with wonderful response for people on a budget of starting to record. Though I have a couple of minor issues with the device, that doesn't mean it's not worth testing out for yourself.

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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A Series of Announcements! If you are subscribed, please read!

Hey guys, I'm here with an few announcements for you guys.

First off let's start by saying thank you guys! We've finally hit the 4,000 viewer mark! It's been a few days, and now we're closing in on the 5,000 viewer mark. Also, this is the first time the blog has had 1,000 views in a month! I am going to upload a video that the people on the Facebook page requested. For those who have been following me on Facebook or Twitter you also know of an upcoming contest. This is the official announcement of the 5,000 page viewer contest along with a few other things so keep reading!

The second announcement is I am adding a new author to the blog. Introducing Lester (also known as Distonal), a music education major at Long Island Univ. and a man who I've known for a long time. He will be the main author to the World Music Experiment, and will contribute a lot more to world music than I ever think of. He will also be sitting in on other topics that I will be talking about. I am also working on some cross overs in the near future as well from some other YouTube musicians, so stay tuned! I'm also taking in offers for the "song of the week" series. If you want to have something you've made posted on here, then submit it via the Facebook page, Twitter, or leave me a comment below with your name and the URL. I will consider anything you show me as long as it is music!

The next thing on my agenda of announcements is the fact that I've messed up rather badly. I read over some of the practice episodes and the theory lessons (before the suddenly vanished) and I know of the lack of quality versus the way they started out as. I would rather put a series on hold than give you wrong or very hard to understand topics so I am giving both of those series a temporary halt. Once I get through my end of the year stuff, I will start the series back up and clarify anything that you have to know. If you want me to answer a question before then, then send me a message to either Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/sulliadm) or Twitter(http://www.twitter.com/sulliadm).

As usual, don't forget to subscribe to Facebook or Twitter if you prefer! Between the admins (Yuki, Kyte and soon to be Lester) and myself, we try to keep fresh material on there daily. Also, if you have ever had something you want to ask Lester, to the other admins or to me directly, then I will be taking questions for an admin interview once the Facebook Page hits 100 likes! We are almost at 60, so if you want this to speed up then click the link above! And another note on communication; don't be afraid to comment on the articles themselves. I don't know a lot about your past when it comes to bloggers but I love interacting with the community I'm working hard to establish. If you want to say something, as long as it isn't offensive or spam I don't mind it. I love feedback, because it helps me get an idea on where my audience is and if something isn't to your liking, I want to improve on it. That's why it took so long to catch the problems with the episodes, I didn't know about it until one of my professors start pointing stuff out to me.

And finally, the moment you've been waiting for... the contest! I am offering a package consisting of a poster out of any 1 of the 3 pictures I've created in Photoshop and a black/red para cord bracelet to one lucky viewer. The bracelet was graciously donated by a fan, and is considering making them to sell as a way to show support for the blog. That leads me to a discussion for you guys later on, but for now it's just a thought for everyone to think about. The poster will be around a medium sized poster; I'm thinking about a 16in X 12in... but I'm not 100% sure on the dimensions yet. If you want the poster autographed, I will happily do so but if not then I understand. I will cover shipping in the US and possibly international shipping. I may need a little help shipping them internationally, but I will let you know what I've worked out once I completely announce it and get the bugs worked out. I will let you know what the contest rules are once we hit the 5,000 viewer mark so keep sharing if you want it to happen sooner. The reason I'm telling you guys now is so you get ready for this instead of just dropping it out of nowhere! Here is what is for the give-a-way:

Picture 1:

Picture 2:

Picture 3:

Bracelet:

Review: Audio Technica ATH-M50

Hey guys and let's welcome 2013 with a review of these amazing headphones! I have been discussing how I would review them but I finally decided it would be based off what most of you guys like. So I am starting with their intentional purpose as studio monitoring headphones, then going into classical music and finally some more modern music. Along with that, I will pick some music that has .mp3/ .mp4 and some that is .wav (compressed and uncompressed audio). Then I will go through different types of music (rock, hip hop, dubstep, country, etc.) and give you a general overview of how they sound among the genres. Just from what I've heard from playing around with them since I got them for Christmas these are amazing headphones!

First let's go over the basics of what you get from the box. You get the box it comes in with all the product info, a one year limited warranty, the headphones and a leather bag/carry case. The headphones are black with a 1.2 meter (3.9 ft) coiled cable that extends to 3 meters (9.8 ft). The headphones collapse to fit in the bag they come with and store fairly easy. The headphones are very well padded, padding across the top and around the ear cups. The only thought about the ear cups though is they are just a little too small for my ears (which I'm pretty sure it's because my ears are too big anyways) and the padding seemed to have gone a little flat since I first wore them. However, this isn't affecting the performance of them so it's nothing to scare you away from buying them... Just be aware it might happen to you. Other than that, the build quality of the headphones is extraordinary! Even though they are plastic based, they don't feel cheap at all. And not only is the cable coiled, but it has a screwable 1/4 jack that comes with the headphones. It caught me off guard when I first opened them, but then I realized it screwed off to a standard 1/8. They thought of just about everything with these head phones. One other really cool feature about the headphones is the cups swivel 180 degrees to the left and right. It makes mixing using one ear a lot easier for people who need that feature.

My only real "complaint" with the build of these things is they should have used a replaceable cable (such as the system used in almost every "rap brand" headphone now). It would make replacement of the cable a lot easier, should there ever be an issue with it. I have read of it happening to someone online, so it's possible but I doubt it will happen.

Now on to Basic Performance of the headphones. From what I've listened to, they are very balanced and very clear. People who love a lot of bass might not enjoy them as much as someone who prefers balanced music. I find the quality of their clarity to be the most definable when listen to the Saint Sean’s Cello Concerto 1 recording from “The 99 Most Essential Cello Masterpieces”. I actually have heard more from that song in these headphones than I had ever imagined to. Not only could I hear the soloist playing clearly but I could hear him breathing, the bowing and at a few times could tell you the fingering that he uses. A lot of that comes from a lot of focusing on details that minor but a lot of this is possible to notice. However for using as mixing headphones, that is what kind of quality one would want. The composer or mixer needs to be able to able to hear the smallest of details when mixing something together so that person can get it fixed for the final mix.

I know some of you guys don’t mix as much as I like to or don’t listen to cello music so here’s the more specific rundown of their performances with different genres.

Classical: Listening to Beethoven’s "5^th Symphony" from The 99 Most Essential Beethoven Masterpieces, you can hear the clarity. It’s not hard to get lost in the music with these headphones. I've heard so much more than I ever thought was possible with them. While listening to Mozart’s "41^st Symphony" from the recording I have on my laptop, the clarity is unmatched. In the 3^rd movement, I actually heard the tapping of the clarinet’s keys which is something I never noticed with any of my headphones before.

Soundtracks: Listening to the Halo 4 soundtrack, I can’t believe how much different this sounds. Starting with Awakening, the beginning caught me a little off guard. I've heard this CD a few times since I posted about it, but I forgot how it just fades in and it gave me chills. Also, I noticed on "117" a big difference when it came to the techno beating in the background. It has a lot more presence in the headphones I did with the review. Listening to the  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone soundtrack, you can relive the excitement of the theater. The intro to "Hedwig’s Theme" has always baffled me on how it was recorded but when I heard tapping I figured out that it’s Glockenspiel. That sounds weird that I never knew that, but I never really researched the song in great detail.

Rock: Listening to Mothership, I have to say I don’t know of a way to express listening to one of my favorite bands of all time. There isn’t any other way to express it. I actually got lost in their music like never before, and it’s amazing! It ranged from being memorized in the excitement of “Immigrant Song” to feeling the pain in “Dazed and Confused” and finished my well-rounded dose of Zeppelin with their classic hits likes “Kashmir” and “Stairway to Heaven”.  Same case applies for my listening of Disturbed. When I was listening to "Down with the Sickness", the beating of drums got my heart racing and then the intro came in to my surprise. Same thing happened with "Ten Thousand Fists". It caught me off guard and sounds so crisp.

Jazz: I will go ahead and admit that jazz isn't my best genre to review so if I explain something oddly, I’m sorry. Taking a listen through Time Out reveals a new way to hear music. Listening to the album nearly nonstop when I first got it, and now I’m doing the same. It enhances the experience a lot. The most notable thing is I never noticed the crescendo during the drum solo or the bass “buzzing” in Take Five. 

.WAV Files: Using the recording quality from my Q2HD of me playing my cello in various locations, I can say that these headphones work really well. I am about to release a video of me unboxing the accessory pack to the Q2HD and when I listened back to it through the headphones it sounded great. If you would like to be the judge then I'll post a link for you to judge.

Final Verdict: After all it said, these headphones are made to not only sound good mixing but to simply enjoy music by experiencing it a new way. They might be a little pricey compared to what most people want to pay for headphones (I’ve found them online for around $160 but I’m betting they can be found somewhere else for less) however the quality and performance are remarkable. If you are after balanced music, then you can’t go wrong with these headphones. My only real complaints are the pads tending to go flat on me and the need for a replaceable cable. I give the Audio Technica ATH-M50 monitoring headphones a 4.5/5. 

Quick Update

Hey guys! Sorry for the break but I had some personal stuff come up over the holidays so I haven't been able to post. I do, however, have a couple of reviews for you guys and a song I've been working on. I'll have everything on here as soon as I can finish them. Thanks for understanding, and I hope you stay along for the ride!

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.

If you like this review and want to see more, don't forget to share it or follow me on either the Facebook Fan Page or the Twitter page!

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

Alfred 00-16643 Essential Dictionary of Music Theory - Music Book (Google Affiliate Ad)

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.

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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