Symphony Orchestras in Mississippi

Here are all of the Symphony Orchestras in Mississippi including professional, community, college and youth ensembles. Zoom in and click on the map location to see the description and a link to their website.

12 Reasons Why You Should Use a Metronome Every Time you Practice.

1. No excuses. You can download the app for free if you have a smart phone. Even though I have a drawer full of stand-alone metronomes, I almost always use Pro Metronome on my iPhone. It's convenient, simple, and offers everything I need, including the ability to listen though headphones if I want.

2. It trains you to listen outside of yourself while playing, thus making you a better ensemble player. 

3. It keeps you honest about your rhythm and tempo, and helps you find errors in your playing. We all have a tendency to rush or drag with certain types of playing. We all have the potential to be lazy about correct subdivision of beats. You can improve and overcome these tendencies. 

4. It helps you know what you can and cannot do at certain speeds. We all need work on both faster and slower playing. Keep track of progress as you set goals and work to push your playing ability on both ends of the spectrum. Work to make your scales faster. Work to make your long tones slower.

5. It is a necessary tool when learning challenging syncopated rhythms. Slow it down and really listen. Don't stop listening when you speed it up.

6. Being prepared for performance is all about consistency. Practicing with a metronome reinforces consistent rhythm, tempo, and the ability to play through the piece or excerpt to completion with no mistakes.

7. It makes practice more efficient. Set goals. Play things at both slower and faster tempi than your final goal. Keep track of your progress and write down the speeds at which you have played the excerpt/piece and check them off as you accomplish them.

8. It prepares you to play with backing tracks/click tracks. Playing with that external click takes some getting used to. 

9. For rhythms that you're having a hard time figuring out,  put down your instrument and clap/sing the rhythms along with the metronome before you add in the extra challenge of playing them.

10. It builds in a sense of tempo markings, so that if you are away from the metronome and see a marking of quarter=140 vs. quarter=132, for example, you understand what speed that is.

11. You can fool most of the people most of the time if you have rock solid rhythm even though you've wigged out about playing the all the correct pitches. Good rhythm comes before correct pitches when it comes to a solid, convincing performance.

12. Techniques such as trills can mess with your sense of time. Always always practice with a metronome when you've got trills....especially long ones. 

Double Reed Resources for Composers

Below is a short bibliography, a list of links, and a list of standard repertoire to familiarize yourself with as you begin to write for the double reed family. Many extended techniques are possible. Be aware of the clef preferences for bassoonists who play at different levels (i.e. college students and professionals prefer to read the upper range in tenor clef).

Books: 

New Sounds for Woodwind (2^nd Ed.) by Bruno Bartolozzi

Library call #: MT339B29 1982, Published by Oxford University Press

Contains descriptions of how to produce tones with monophonic possibilities, multiphonic possibilities, combinations of the above, and fingering diagrams. It is a general guide, with fingerings for all the woodwind instruments.

Oboe, by Goosens

Library call#: MT360G66, Published by MacMillen Publishing

Contains history of the oboe up to 1800, including bass oboe and Heckelphone. Also discusses technique, including contemporary music technique.

Index of Oboe Music, by Wayne Wilkins

Published by Music Register (1976)

Contains a bibliography of oboe music arranged alphabetically within genre and includes methods, solo and chamber music and books of interest.

Contemporary Solo Literature for the Bassoon: An Analysis of Representative Compositions and a Survey of Compositions Suitable for the College Student, by Richard Dean Scott. Library call#: ML128.B26 S360 1971b, Published by University of Illinois

Contains an annotated repertoire list of contemporary solo music of published works from 1945 to 1971.

Double Reed and Composition Websites:

This is a small list to get you started. My apologies to composer friends and colleagues who have not yet been added to the list. Please let me know if you'd like me to add you.

International Double Reed Society

www.idrs.org

Must be an IDRS member to have full access to the site (the journal is available on-line to members), but a great deal of the site is available to non-members.

Trevco Music
www.trevcomusic.com
My favorite purveyor of sheet music for double reeds. They offer a vast catalogue of the music that is in print for bassoon, oboe, English horn, double reed ensemble and small ensembles that include double reed instruments.

Ken Watson
http://kwatsonmusic.com
Composer and arranger for double reed instruments. Member of the Washington Double Reed Quartet.

Mike Curtis
http://mikecurtismusic.com
Composer who writes wonderful arrangements of klezmer, jazz and tango music for double reeds and chamber ensembles.

Thomas Dempster
www.thomasdempster.com
Composer and bassoonist who has written several great pieces for bassoon and bassoon in chamber ensemble.


When you write for double reeds, you should find a professional player to ask questions of and to review your manuscript. Clef choices, technique demands (even simple things like slurring from particular notes), extended techniques (such as the use of just the keys for percussive effect), and tendencies of the instruments are not always obvious. To get in touch with a local bassoonist or oboist, seek out regional double reed societies, professional double reed players in your area (through local symphonies, woodwind quintets, and wind ensembles) and area universities that have music departments or schools of music. The double-reed world is small. If you connect with one person, they can likely get you in touch with many more.

Standard Bassoon Repertoire in Chronological Order:

1.     Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto in e RV484

2.     Georg Philipp Telemann Sonata in f minor  (1728)

3.     W.A. Mozart Concerto K191 for bassoon and orchestra (1774)

4.     François Devienne Quartet Op. 73 (1798)

5.     Carl Maria von Weber Concerto in F  (1811)

6.     Johann Nepomuk Hummel Grand Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra (1816)

7.     Camille Saint-Saëns Sonata Op. 168 for bassoon and piano (1921)

8.     Heitor Villa-Lobos Ciranda das sete notas for bassoon and string orchestra (1933)

9.     Paul Hindemith Sonata for bassoon and piano (1939)

10.  Jean Francaix Divertissement for bassoon and string orchestra (1942)

11.  Alvin Etler Sonata for bassoon and piano (1952)

12.  Wilson Osborne Rhapsody for Bassoon (1952)

13.  Alexandre Tansman Sonatine for bassoon and piano (1952)

14.  André Jolivet Concerto for bassoon, harp, piano and string orchestra (1954)

15.  John Williams The Five Sacred Trees , a concerto for bassoon and orchestra (1995)

Standard Oboe Repertoire in No Particular Order:

1.     Schumann: Three Romances

2.     Handel: Sonata No. 1

3.     Labate: Pastorale

4.     Corelli-Barbirolli: Concerto

5.     Barlow: Winters Passed

6.     Clerisse: Fantasie

7.     Handel: Concerto in Bb

8.     Loeillet: Sonata in G

9.     Nielson:Romance and Humoreske

10.  Handel:Sonata No. II

11.  Guihaud:First Concerto

12.  Valentine:Sonata No. 8

13.  Godard:Legende Pastorale

14.  Donizetti:Sonata in F

15. Albinoni:Sonata in a

16.  Telemann:Concerto in f

17. Berio Sequenza

Double Reed Websites

Some Suggested Double Reed Websites

Bassoon Doctor (http://bassoondoctor.blogspot.com)

You saw it here first. 

InternationalDouble Reed Society (http://www.idrs.org)

This is the International Organization for oboists and bassoonists--contains a wealth of information. Become a member and check this site periodically. 

Bassoon.org (http://www.bassoon.org)

Contains information about the bassoon and bassoonists. The "For Sale" section has ceased, but the list of links is still vast and helpful. 

ArizonaState University Oboe Studio (http://www.public.asu.edu/~schuring)

Martin Schuring’s site contains many excellent articles on oboe topics. 

TrevCoMusic (http://www.trevcomusic.com)

A GREAT source for double reed music. Searchable online catalog.

GailWarnaar Double Reed Shop (http://www.DoubleReedShop.com)

Double reed Music, tools, and accessories. Give them a call for bassoon, oboe or double reed ensemble repertoire suggestions and great customer service. 802.633.4014

CharlesMusic (http://www.charlesmusic.com)

Double Reed Vendor. Great selection. Their student cane is very fine. 

Landy Bassoon Repair (http://bassoonrepair.com)

Includes New and Used bassoons and bocals for sale

FredWeiner (http://www.weinermusic.com)

Woodwind Vendor with Instruments and Accessories. Often basement prices on reeds, tuners and other basic supplies. 

Woodwindand Brasswind (http://www.wwandbw.com)

Woodwind vendor with Instruments, Accessories, etc. Often the lowest prices on cane. Check their clearance section. 

InternationalMusic Suppliers (http://www.intlmusicalsuppliers.com)

Woodwind Vendor with instruments, accessories, etc. Good for basics. 

MidwestMusical Imports (http://www.mmimports.com)

Double Reed vendor with Instruments, Reeds, Tools, Accessories, etc. Tend to have good prices! Great customer service. 

Mark Chudnow Woodwinds (http://MCWOBOE.COM)

Double Reed Vendor. Specializing in oboe and English horn. 

OboeCane and Reeds  (http://www.stuart-dunkel.com/ocr/index.htm)

Based in Massachusetts, Stuart Dunkel and Kristen Severson provide consistently excellent gouged cane as well as professional quality oboe reeds.

NoraPost (http://www.norapost.com)

Kingston, NY. North America's widest selection of new and used oboes and English horns. Check out Boris' corner.

RobertD. Gilbert, Inc. (http://www.rdgwoodwinds.com)

Extensive selection of woodwind instruments, accessories and supplies. Located in Los Angeles, they offer repairs and overhauls for instruments.

StellarOboe Products (http://www.oboe.net)

Extensive selection of oboe accessories and supplies.

RigoutatOboes, Paris (http://www.rigoutat.com)

Founded in 1922, the RIGOUTAT Company specializes in high-quality oboes, oboes d'amore, Cor Anglais and bass oboes.

AnnHodge Double Reed Supplies (http://www.annhodge.com/catalog/)

Double Reed Vendor. Good selection. Good prices on reedmaking tools.

JonesDouble Reed Products (http://www.jonesdoublereed.com)

Double reed vendor and reedmaker

EdmundNielsen (http://www.nielsen-woodwinds.com)

Double Reed Vendor. Boasts largest selection of Heckel bassoon and contra bocals in the U.S. Very good prices and service

MillerMarketing (http://www.millermarketingco.com)

Site for Moosman bassoons, Danzi reeds and cane, Rieger and 2x tools and accesories. Comes down to NCMEA each year

Berklee Careers in Music (http://www.berklee.edu/careers)

An absolutely excellent site if you want to learn more about career options in music.