Doctor Flute Blog
Musings on the Flute
Playing Flat Scales to Expand Your Tone
We all want a bigger sound, a larger sound than what we think we can get with our current flute! Sometimes I think that if I just switched out to a gold headjoint, or I put platinum on the lip plate, that would just automatically give me a bigger sound! Gold Will...
Practicing Triplet Scales
Have you started practicing your triplet scales yet? If you haven't, you absolutely must add this technical scale exercise to your regular practice session. When I practice triplet scales I play through all of them. I begin with C, and travel the circle of 5ths. When...
Harmonics Matching Pitch Exercise
In a previous blog/video I've talked about practicing harmonics by playing Reveille and the very positive effect this can have on tone. Now, I'm revisiting harmonics with a new exercise that will help to increase resonance in your tone. Match Pitch to the Harmonic To...
Piccolo Tuning
Piccolos are a bear to get in tune regardless of whether you're playing in a band, in an orchestra, or playing with a piano. Even if you have the most expensive piccolo money can buy, it still will have intonation problems. If you have a piccolo you are definitely...
Easy High Notes
We all want our third octave notes to be easier to play. But much of the time of those notes are difficult to get. You feel like you are blowing against a wall or there's just a hiss that's coming out or you are so tight that the tone barely squeaks out and with a lot...
The Basics of Starting the Piccolo
Do you have a piccolo? Maybe you have just gotten one for a gift and finally your heart is cured of it's ache? Are you asking yourself now what to do I do with it? Do you put to your lip and blow? If you haven't gotten one yet but plan on purchasing stop reading and...
Trilling Faster
We all want faster trills! I always felt that I needed to work on making my trills go faster because my fingers were not naturally fast. But how can we learn to trill faster when some of our fingers move faster than others? Train All of Your Fingers to Move Faster You...
Can I Just Start with Piccolo?
If I got a dollar for every time I've that before I'd have ....well... some money. But I have received this question on numerous occasions. The question more specifically, is whether you must learn to play the flute first, or can you just jump into learning the...
Bending Pitch Extended Flute Technique
There are a lot of pieces being composed today that use the extended technique of bending your pitch. Sometimes it's bending down and other times you bend up. It’s very easy to bend down it's more difficult to bend it up. Here’s some keys to think about when you're...