by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Mar 29, 2018 | Embouchure, FluteTips, Intonation, Tone
Playing in tune is one of the most important aspects of playing the flute. It is also the bane of our existence. Wouldn’t a perfectly in tune flute be a wonderful thing? However, until that beast is invented we must use every tool in our toolkit to play in tune. One...
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Mar 13, 2018 | Daily Routine, Embouchure, Flute Purchase, Tone
I recently attended the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention in Reston, VA. While in the exhibit hall I made an interesting observation. The flute that I thought had my name all over it – was not the flute for me! We flutists get the itch every so often to change up...
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Feb 6, 2018 | Embouchure, FluteTips, Piccolo, Tone
It is a common belief that we flutists can play piccolo just because of the nature of the flute and piccolo are from the same family. This usually occurs in high school where the band director needs someone on piccolo, and points to you. So, you just pick up the...
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Dec 5, 2017 | Daily Routine, Embouchure, Practice
Are you busy? Really, that is a silly question because who is not busy. Schedules today, both our own and our kids are so full that having copious amounts of practice time is an ideal thing of the past. Today it’s about how to get the most out of the little bit of...
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Nov 30, 2017 | Embouchure, FluteTips, Tone
Embouchure placement is not a sure thing. If you have grown up, and you’ve taken lessons, and you’ve played for a long time, yet you’re still not happy with the sound that you’re getting, think about your embouchure and its relationship to your...
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Oct 3, 2017 | Daily Routine, Embouchure, Tone
How is your tone? Do you feel like it is always improving or are you stuck in a rut? Are you unsure of where to go next for tonal improvement? Tone, it is an unsung hero in our flute lives. At some point in our career, usually our college and grad school days, we work...
