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15 Mar 00 - 06:51 AM (#195266) Subject: small instruments From: GUEST,art my 10 year old wants to learn guitar,and the one we have is too big,does anyone know of an half size guitar available in the u.k. at a reasonable price? the tone wont matter too much 'cos by the time he gets good enough to appreciate a good guitar he'll be big enough to play the real thing thanks to all |
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15 Mar 00 - 10:40 AM (#195397) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: GUEST,murray@mpce.mq.edu.au I don't know about steel stringers. There are some small-sized classical guitars made in China sold here for about 99 Australian dollars. They seem to have several different names. I don't like the feel of them myself. Of better quality; but still pretty cheap are the Spanish made "Admira" guitars. They make a "Junior" line which are a bit under a meter long and which have a narrower neck than the "standard" classical guitar. I am looking at a full-sized Admira at the moment and while I was in the shop I looked at the Admira "Paloma" which seemed a lot more playable than the Chinese ones. This model is not the smallest. You should look at the "Estudio" or the "Infante". The latter is quite cheap--under 200 Australian Dollars. Don't get one that sounds too bad, or that is too hard to play or he/she will get discouraged. Murray |
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15 Mar 00 - 09:11 PM (#195784) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: bill\sables Hi Art I managed to get a half size and three quarter size guitars for my grandson at a car boot in York they cost £10 each I will keep a look out but you could try Stan Gee email stanandmaggie@geez98.freeserve.co.uk He usually has all sizes of guitars Cheers Bill |
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15 Mar 00 - 09:25 PM (#195788) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: McGrath of Harlow You might do worse than have a look at the Argus and Index catalogues - I noticed quite a pleasant looking half-size guitar pretty cheap in one only today, which might be suitable for the purpose.
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16 Mar 00 - 04:13 AM (#195943) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: GUEST,art thanks y'all this has given me a few ideas to research. |
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16 Mar 00 - 08:19 AM (#196002) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: Whistle Stop "Reasonable price" might mean different things to different people, and I don't really know what your threshold is. I also don't know what's available in the UK. But in the States, for a small steel-string guitar it's hard to beat the Baby Taylor. You can get them for around $250 American, which might be more than you're looking to spend. But it's a real, quality instrument that plays well and sounds good. I agree with one of the other commenters that you need to get an instrument aht is good enough that your ten-year-old won't get frustrated and give up. And the advantage of the Baby Taylor is that it will continue to give your child pleasure even after he/she graduates to a full-size instrument -- it's a great travel guitar, and adds a somewhat distinctive sound to ensemble playing. OR you can steal if back from your child after he or she moves on to something larger. |
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16 Mar 00 - 10:45 AM (#196083) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: GUEST,Beth/PA My 8 year old son refers to playing a recorder in music class at school and would like to have one of his own. Can anyone tell me what type of instrument this is, and the approximate cost? |
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16 Mar 00 - 11:15 AM (#196110) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: Bert Regarding the cheap Chinese guitars. Generally they are poor quality, however, their manufacture is not very consistent, so if you sort through them it is sometimes possible to find one that is quite reasonable. If you decide to take a look at them don't just accept the first one you're shown as being representative. Look at about a dozen or more (if the shopkeeper has enough patience with you) and you might find a gem. Bert. |
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16 Mar 00 - 11:45 AM (#196132) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: Whistle Stop Beth/PA, a recorder is a small wind instrument with eight holes on top for your fingers, and one on the bottom for your thumb. More elaborate than a pennywhistle, generally made out of wood. Recorders have been around longer than the modern-day flute, but they're similar in their mechanics and timbre. If you're into them you can find some extraordinary recorder and recorder consort music from the Rennaissance and Baroque periods. They come in sizes ranging from bass or baritone up to sopranino, but the soprano recorder is by far the most common. They're also amenable to more "folky" musics, and you don't need to be a virtuoso to get pleasing sounds from them. If it isn't heresy to say so in this forum, you can pick up a surprisingly good student-grade plastic recorder for next to nothing. I don't think they can really make a decent plastic cello or piano, but recorders are simple enough instruments that this works okay. In fact, it's not uncommon for schools to offer recorder classes as part of the regular music curriculum, and it can be a great way for kids to be introduced to the wide world of musical instruments. Good luck. |
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16 Mar 00 - 11:52 AM (#196134) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: Tony Burns GUEST, Art -- Please don't dismiss the sound quality. A poor sounding instrument may turn him off. Have you considered a ukelele? A lot of us started that way. |
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16 Mar 00 - 12:03 PM (#196141) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: Mooh Some actually start with an inexpensive electric guitar, simply because the body size is more managable, even though the scale length is full-size. Lots out there second hand. This is not what I recommend, simply what alot of kids I see do. I'd rather smaller hands and bodies buy smaller acoustic guitars...check out a large music store on or off line. |
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16 Mar 00 - 04:34 PM (#196305) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: JamesJim Oh no! Stay away from the electric guitars. He'll get there soon enough! |
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16 Mar 00 - 05:02 PM (#196319) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca You might also check with the local schools to see if they have instrument catalogues from suppliers. Also, check local instrument shops and folk musicians. I know a number of those people repair instruments and/or trade instruments as well. |
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16 Mar 00 - 05:52 PM (#196351) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: GUEST,Jim Dixon For recorders, check out these web sites: http://catamuse.com/catamuse/yamsoprec.html http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/FL.htm http://www.songsea.com/recordrs.htm http://www.capecod.net/aswltd/recfaqs.htm You can get a Yamaha plastic soprano recorder for around $6 to $9. It's probably what your kid plays in school. At that price, you can buy 2 and learn to play along with your kid! |
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17 Mar 00 - 08:24 AM (#196701) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: Mooh ...Or simply a classical guitar, which has a smaller body size than the usual steel-string... |
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17 Mar 00 - 09:16 AM (#196715) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: Grab Recorders are dirt cheap. Pick one up for £5 at any music shop. Don't know about the Argos 1/2 size guitar, but I've got the 3/4 size for my wife and it's not too bad. Obviously not top quality, but good enough for learning on. Or go to a local guitar shop and look around. Make sure you get a classical guitar (nylon strings, wider flat neck) to learn on. Steel-strung guitars have a narrower curved neck which is easier to play, but you get into bad habits with that, and then it's harder to learn how to do it properly! Re the plastic instruments note, there was an article in the paper a little while back about a manufacturing student at some English uni who'd worked out how to make plastic guitars (and by implication, other stringed instruments). The problem is getting a light-weight front which'll still resonate properly, so he's invented something which puts little bubbles in to get a foamy kind of structure. Apparently the guitar isn't as good as a proper one, but it should be OK for learning on, and being mass-produced it'll be nice and cheap. Have to wait and see what happens with that. Grab. |
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17 Mar 00 - 11:13 AM (#196757) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: Whistle Stop Grab, your manufacturing student wasn't the first. Back in the 1940's, a fellow named Macaferri pioneered making plastic archtop guitars, first manufacturing them himself, then under licensing to Selmer (the band instrument people). The most famous player of these instruments was Django Rinehart, the great French gypzy-jazz guitarist. You still find them around in music shops. I don't much care for them myself, but they're out there. Of course, Ovation has done a lot with synthetics (their inventor was a helicopter designer who knew a lot about the strength, rigidity and flexibility of plastics). And carbon composites are now coming into their own as well. For myself, give me a real, solid-wood guitar any day. But the other stuff is out there. |
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17 Mar 00 - 11:28 AM (#196762) Subject: RE: Help: small instruments From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler I think the UK wannabee Djangos, Ken Sykora and Diz Dizley also tried the Macaferri in the 50s, but whether they stuck with them I don't know. (Rick Fielding must have one or have had one stolen at some time too!). RtS |