Guides to wind instruments
Practical guides on wind instruments from the team at Venuti's Music Store & Studios in Philadelphia.
What comes in the case, and what you still need
Outfits, instruments and the accessories that are assumed rather than included. A checklist before a first lesson.
Harmonicas: keys, and which one to buy first
Diatonic against chromatic, why C is the starting key, and what a multi-key set is actually for.
Cleaning and swabbing a wind instrument
Why moisture is the enemy, how to swab a flute and a recorder properly, and what should never be washed.
Electronic wind instruments: practising at two in the morning
What an EWI is, how the fingering modes work, and why a silent instrument is the practical answer in a row house or an apartment.
Tin whistles: keys, and why D is the default
What the key of a whistle means, why almost every tutor assumes D, and how brass, nickel and plastic differ in the hand.
Choosing a first flute or recorder
Closed-hole against open-hole, why a recorder is not a toy, and what a beginner instrument needs to have to be worth starting on.