Doctor Flute Blog
Musings on the Flute
Single Tonguing to Improve Tone & Get Back in Shape Fast
When I’m out of shape or taken some time off from practicing, I do a lot of single tonguing to get back into shape fast! It is truly amazing how single tonguing can get you back on the path to tone. Single tonguing does a couple of things. It forces your sound to come...
When You’re Playing Baroque Music What Flute Sound Should You Use?
There's a lot of discussion out in the world today in the flute world about the sound that you should have and the style of which you should play Baroque music. I am not the world's best expert at stylistic performance. Although I think I've got it down pretty well....
Learn Chaminade Concertino 1st 15 Measures
Have you ever studied Cécile Chaminade's Concertino in D Major Opus 107? Learn with me as I teach through the Concertino in 6 parts, highlighting areas that might be technically and rhythmically difficult. In this first video I will cover only the first 15 measures....
Doll’s Waltz Köhler 25 Romantic Etudes Op 66 No 2
Do you practice Köhler's 25 Romantic Etudes? If not, you need to get these little gems and start practicing them today! You can download a free copy from me at the DOWNLOADS link in the menu above. These etudes are a wonderful addition to our already full and rich...
Articulating Low Notes
We all want to get our low register notes to respond right away. But oftentimes they don't. They come out as a big puff of air, or there is a delay before the sound responds. This is especially a problem for the low C. The best way that I found to work on articulating...
How to Get a Rich Expansive Low Register
When we play our low register, we want it to be rich and full! We want to be able to play softly and loudly. The exercise that I like best to work on in the low register is found in De la Sonorite by Marcel Moyse. I’ve have used this book so much that it’s tattered...
The Dreaded Piccolo Buzz
If you've ever played piccolo, and sometimes in the high register on the flute, you know what I'm talking about. When you're playing in that upper octave, the third octave of the flute and the third octave on the piccolo and your lips buzz. It is a Dickens of a thing...
Tapers
We all want beautiful phrase endings. It is really what separates the professional from the amateur. When I hear flutists play with a beautiful ending to a phrase, whether in the middle of a piece or at the end, I know I need to take a second listen. How does this...
Piccolo 3rd Octave Notes
When we choose to play piccolo it's often because we enjoy the high tessitura. Let's face it, we all like playing that 3rd octave. It's pretty cool. But those high notes come with a price tag. That price tag is learning to get those notes without tightening the...