Building a library

Building a library of music is a costly exercise. At the hound, we undertake to provide you with music at very competitive prices.

You might also like to check out a range of innovative products from one leading distributor in their "CD Sheet Music" series. Stored in PDF (acrobat) format, each CD has a wealth of music which can be viewed or printed from your computer - a real space saver! Current titles include major orchestral works of Beethoven, complete string quartets of Mozart, of Beethoven and Brahms. There are separate CDs catering for organ, piano, voice, orchestral scores and strings all at very reasonable prices.

Warming up

We all know that it is important to warm up with gentle stretching exercises before playing sports (especially competitive ones!) - so why, oh why, do some players assume that warming up to play a musical instrument comprises only playing scales, arpeggios or passages?

Good playing combines a relaxed and balanced body with the technical mastery of the instrument - besides it is much more fun when you can play without feeling tense or tight and getting muscle tension.

Quite a few musicians have tried out "Alexander Technique" to refine the mechanics of posture and performance and here in the kennel, we believe that it can contribute to instrumental mastery, through heightened awareness of how the body and instrument should interact to minimise wear and tear on either! There are numerous "Alexander" teachers around, but a lesser number that understand the musician's need. Whilst the generalist can get you started and observe you playing, there comes a time when the specialist is needed to avoid introducing any "nasty habits".

Given that you'll want to warm up both mind and body before picking up your instrument, which warm up exercises are best? Your teacher should be able to recommend some which may cover:

• major muscle groups (e.g. back / shoulders)
• local muscles (e.g. arms / wrist / fingers)
• breathing exercises (good for relaxation too!)

Always start exercising with the major muscles then move out to the minor ones as this gets a good blood flow going, avoiding cramps and local tension.

What do you think? Email us at the hound: