| Technology
I recommend that my students record their lesson, at least the songs we're working on. The world of handheld recorders is something that changes very rapidly and I have to update my recommendations regularly. The days of cassette tapes is pretty much gone and good ridance! The latest technology that I have removed from this page is the mini-disc player. we now are in an age where recorders need no discs, need no moving parts to wear out and can upload files to a computer.
Flash MP3 Players: The new thing these days are Flash MP3 Recorders. These get rid of the annoying discs or tapes and allow users to upload their recordings to their computer as wav, mp3 or wma files, which can be easily organized, labeled and even burned to CDs. Probably my students' top choice at the lower end of the price spectrum ($65) would be a the Olympus WS-110 voice recorder, which has a built-in speaker and is very easy to operate. You will need to use your computer for off-loading the files when it fills up. It does work with Macs and PCs. Models and prices change quickly, so don't be alarmed if this exact model isn't what you find. The sound is fine for lessons, but you wouldn't want to use it for concerts.
If you'd like a higher end recorder, the Zoom H2 ($200) is my recommendation. This recorder makes great sounding recordings. It comes with a 512 mb SD card, amd the files can be uploaded to your computer. It makes .wav or mp3 files. It's also a great recorder for concerts or band practices. It has no built in speaker, so you need to plug it into your stereo or upload the files to your computer for playback.
iPod users: iPods have had microphone attachment options for quite some time, but these have had severe recording limitations making them almost unusable. However, Belkin's new TuneTalk mic attachement for the video iPod is very high quality and extremely easy to use. If you have a video iPod or an iPod classic, this is a no-brainer at $60.
Band-In-A-Box: Band-In-A-Box
is a computer program for the Mac or PC that plays chords
along with you as you practice your songs. You simply type
in the chords and it plays along with piano, bass and drums.
Not exactly a string band, but unlike my accompanists, it
never gets tired AND never gets drunk. And for swing/jazz
numbers, it can sound pretty darn good. Of course, you can
change tempos and keys. I've uploaded about 150
fiddle tunes to save you the typing. The program actually
does a lot more than I've mentioned, like allowing you to
type in the melody, automatically creating solos and harmony
parts and ear training exercises. A cheap place for PC users
(sorry Mac users) to get it is here
from Tricoplis Records.
Slow Down software: For
learning from recordings, many students like to slow down
the music. You can do this from the Windows Media Player 9
or higher. There is a menu item called "enhancements"
and a selection "play speed setting" that, when
checked, allows slower speeds (up to half speed) to be selected
without changing pitch. There is a dedicated program called
Transcribe!
that will also slow down music with much more control than
the Windows Media Player. It also allows you to change the
pitch so you can fine tune old recordings for play along,
and it has a Karaoke feature that mostly removes the vocals
so you can hear backup instruments better. It works on both
Windows and Macs and you can save the files with all the changes.
$50
Unless you have a program like Band-In-A-Box, you'll want
a Metronome. Steady timing
is probably the hardest thing to achieve in music. Metronomes
have been used for over a hundred years to this end. Also,
they allow you to measure your progress as you increase tempo
over time, so you don't have to guess whether you're getting
faster or not. I prefer electronic metronomes, because they're
louder and you don't have to set them perfectly level, unlike
the wind-up, pendulum type. But there are some electronic
ones that aren't loud enough for fiddles and banjos, so check
them out first!
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