I stumbled upon this book one year at a flute convention in my grad school days. I’d been using my technique books: Taffanel and Gaubert’s 17 Grand Exercises for the Flute and Marcel Moyes’s book Daily Exercises for a long time. They’re good books from which I learned a lot. However, I knew I needed something else to practice.

But I wasn’t looking for just another technique book!

I wanted something else. Something that was not merely scales, but offered more variety and interaction with the keys. So, I bought this book on a whim and have since fallen in love with this book.

If you don’t have it, you need to go out and get it because it is a fantastic book. It gives you so much variety covering all the different keys with such a variety in scales and arpeggios in such an interesting way that I never ever get bored with this practice book.

This book is even put together in a different way too. You can go through and play the exercises page by page, or you can follow the schedule written inside the first page. There is no set way to use this plan. But if you follow across the top line, the exercises performed will continue in a similar key structure – but with amazing variety.

I love playing across this schedule. I don’t have to stay with one so long that I’m bored with it. I can play one exercise as many times as I want, then continue on to the next one. My plan is to play one line of these exercises for a week. I will play all the exercise across the line each time I practice. Then the next week, I will move down to the next line. If you were to look at my book you would see that I have some arrows pointing to each line which are put there for me to keep track of the exact line I’m working on for that week. At first you think it’s easy to keep track of what line your are on but 10 weeks in you will be asking yourself which line you played last!

This book will change your practice!

Some of the exercises in this book are very difficult and they cause any number of problems. This makes me hate working on it! But then again I love working on it! Because it helps my fingers in some way that I didn’t know I was having problems with.

At some point, when I’ve learned it well enough, I will put a metronome on and see if I can maintain the tempo. Let me tell you that if you put a metronome on and try do all the exercises in the row at that tempo it is a challenge! Some of these exercises can really make your fingers work.

Go get to this book, try working all the way through the schedule following a line at a time for a week before you move on to the next one. See if you feel the changes that will make your fingers move better, train your muscles, and help your sight reading reading.

I think you’ll enjoy working on these exercises. It will give you variety from your normal routine.

This book will change your practice!

DoctorFlute

Watch my video explaining this: FluteTips 95 Marcel Moyse Scales and Arpeggios

FluteTips 72 Rich Expansive Low Register

FluteTips 53 Moyse Short Tones

FluteTips 48 Building Your Technique by Practicing Moyse Scales

Practice with Me Moyse Short Tones

The post Marcel Moyse Scales and Arpeggios appeared first on DoctorFlute.

Sure, we all know how to take fast breaths when we exercise. But when you’re playing through a fast passage, and you need to breathe while in tempo, you’ve got to learn how to do it quickly AND quietly.

Here’s a way to train yourself to relax your throat and jaw, so that you can easily breathe quickly and quietly.

The biggest mistake we make is keeping the throat tight. When we take a fast breath, our instinct is to just suck in the air we need while keeping a tight jaw and a tight throat.

This produces a noisy breath. It makes a sound. A sound that we probably don’t want in the middle of a piece. Once when I went to a flute convention, I heard Trevor Wye talk about all these competitive performers who we’re not thinking about the noise they made with their breaths. He was actually complaining about how much it bothered him.

It made me start thinking about my breaths. Were they noisy when I played? I wasn’t even sure. I began to listen to myself and thought that I was fine. Then I heard a recording of myself in a performance and was shocked to hear the sounds my breath made. I realized my throat and jaw were tight and those quick breaths were louder than I imagined!

Generally, when you take a fast breath in the middle of a piece, the vast majority of flutists take it with a tight jaw and closed throat. The spontaneous breath is closed and tight. Thus, the right method of breathing has to be well thought out and practiced just like everything else in music. It will take intentional thought to breathe properly.

When I want to work on breathing, I pick a passage from what I’m working on and I practice taking a proper fast breath with an open throat and relaxed jaw. If I play at the speed required for the piece and take a breath I will undoubtedly do it wrong. So, instead when I need a breath, I stop completely and open my throat which automatically relaxes my jaw. By practicing this breathing technique while I’m practicing a piece, I learn to take this kind of breath every time

Every time an intentional breath. Every time.

It’s amazing that all you really have to do is relax the throat and breathe to do it quietly. And not only is it quiet, but just as fast too.

Now, experiment with this practice technique. Experiment with taking those fast breaths, but do it from a complete stop. Fill up, and then resume at the tempo in which you ended. This is a way to practice breathing correctly and a way to train yourself to take that kind of breath every time.

Add this to your practice routine. You’ll be glad that you did because a quick breath can open that throat up and relax the jaw. It’s quick, it’s quiet, and it will give you a better tone when you come back in.

Have fun!

DoctorFlute

Watch me demonstrate this FluteTips 83 Taking a Quick Breath Quietly with Relaxed Throat & Jaw

The post Taking a Quick Breath Quietly with Relaxed Throat & Jaw appeared first on DoctorFlute.

It’s indicated in music like what you see on the left. This is from a piece of music I just performed at the NFA convention a couple weeks ago called On a Poem, Harvard Square composed by Shawn E. Okpebholo. Now you do need to look at the key in pieces with extended techniques so that you are sure of what the composer wants. While there is some consensus on how to indicate these techniques sometimes a composer doesn’t comply.

The simple explanation is that all you need to do is just tongue between the lips and blow a little air at the same time. When you play these types of tonguing you are not trying to get the pitch indicated by the symbol even though they are located on a certain line or space on the staff. But, when done correctly the air sounds have a pitch to them.

To begin these I build up a lot of pressure in my stomach, or more properly, I build up the support. If I don’t keep this pressure constant the tonguing will sound floppy without the nice punctuation.

However, if I hold in the air, breathe properly, create support then when I my tongue releases the air I can get a much broader sound.

I can double-tongue in this pizzicato style as well since the music required it.

So, to do your pizzicato tonguing, tongue between your lips, use a lot of pressure, and get that sound to echo through the flute. Make sure that your air goes through the flute but not so much that your embouchure creates a pitch.

Experiment with this type of tonguing. Don’t be afraid of it if you see it in music. It’s not that scary. It’s really quite fun to work on.

Have fun!

Doctor Flute

Watch me demonstrate this: FluteTips 47 Pizzicato Tonguing

Practice with Me Low Register Tonguing

FluteTips 46 Practicing Triple Tonguing in Reverse

FluteTips 19 Low Register Tonguing

The post Pizzicato Tonguing Simplified appeared first on DoctorFlute.

What a wonderful weekend it was – filled with flute!

The Washington Flute Society did a great job of putting on this convention. There was something for everyone and more. The exhibit hall was filled with flutes and music and the sessions were a nice mix of recitals and pedagogy.

I went to this convention to present a session on “5 Methods to Improve Your Tone Today.” Since this was scheduled for Sunday mid-morning, I was able to attend sessions all day Saturday and just enjoy the event.

Enjoy I did!

The first session I attended was presented by Lea Pearson and her innovative methods to help us all play better by using using our bodies better. She definitely has interesting ideas that I need to explore more. I am also scheduling a time to Skype with her and discuss her ideas on breathing.

The next event on my schedule was Nina Assimakopoulos’ “Cirque de Flute.” Nina has introduced some innovative ideas into the flute ensemble and her own solo performances.

Of course, Nina’s playing was superb and the pieces she performed included many extended techniques and methods. Her groups used movement and dance to portray the music in a new light. The performance definitely took the normal flute ensemble to a new level of musical enjoyment by expressing the music in movement as well as notes.

You can hear her groups performing at the New York Flute Fair and the NFA convention this summer. It would be well worth your time to go and see these performances.

Don Bailey’s session was next on my list. “Listen! Learn to Sing Through Your Flute.” What a musician! He discussed how vibrato should be a thing of change and discovery. In this session he worked with students, using Moyse melodies, teaching how to use vibrato to enhance the music rather then to just always play with vibrato. It was a good reminder to be intentional in your use of vibrato not formulaic. Whenever I hear Don Bailey give a masterclass I am aware that I am in the presence of a master!

The invited guest of the convention was Valerie Coleman. She presented a recital and a masterclass for the attendees. Her recital was a beautiful collection of her own music and some masterpieces of the flute repertoire. I personally love it when a recitalist speaks to the audience about the pieces which they are performing. It gives an insight into the pieces, the composer, or their rational for the program. When the performer speaks to the audience, they bring themselves and their performance closer to the audience. This added a nice personal touch.

Valerie Coleman also ended the 2-day event with a masterclass of students performing. She was wonderful with the students, giving them feedback on their solo piece. Her work with them was stellar and I hope they went home better musicians.

On Sunday I presented my session on tone development: “5 Methods to Improve Your Tone Today.” The room was full to the point that several attendees were sitting on the floor or standing in the back – what a thrill!

However, I showed up 15 minutes early not realizing that the start time had been delayed by 15 minutes! I had been emailed a time for the session to begin, which was also posted online, so I didn’t think to check the program that morning.

ALWAYS CHECK THE PROGRAM FOR THE OFFICIAL START TIME.

When I began, I was wondering “where is everyone?” Well, I was glad I didn’t rush into the content of my workshop, because by the correct start time, the room was full and still filling.

I love giving sessions, especially when it’s a hands-on workshop. Because then I can listen to what some are doing and offer immediate advice. When I finished, there were lots of good questions and some even stayed for what seemed like another full session to get their questions answered and to have some 1 on 1 coaching.

That was great fun! The “meetings after the meetings” can really be the best.

That’s when I got to spend time with Samantha Donnell (@flutist.donnell) and  Tyler Schmidt (@tylerschmidt_flutist) of Elev-8* whose performance I thoroughly enjoyed the day before!

There was much more going on at the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, but one can only attend so much while still saving time to visit the exhibits. Because, who doesn’t want to play a $40,000 platinum flute? Hmm? It is a highlight to explore the flutes and music that are available to us today.

My favorite vendor time was spent with Alan Weiss, Artist in Residence with Haynes, learning about MY flute. I have a solid silver Haynes (#51607) with a gold riser that I bought around the turn of the century from Jeff Weissman – a memorably fabulous experience. I learned that it’s a limited edition made for the European market sharp scaled flute tuned to A444. The best advice from Alan was to keep this great flute and just get a complete overhaul with Straubinger™ Pads from the Flute Center of New York. These pads are supposed to reflect the sound, rather than absorb it. I look forward to showing you the “before-and-after” videos!

I came away with the idea that the flute I thought was my “when-I-have-$15,000-dollars-of-disposable-income-to-buy-another-flute” is not the flute for me today. It was surprising that it no longer does anything for me. Since trying that flute at NFA 2015, I’ve worked intensely on my tone to the point where I’ve significantly changed my sound. But that discussion will have to wait. However, I did play my flute with a 5% gold Haynes headjoint, and it did still WOW me!

My favorite new flute that I tried was a Burkart 5-95 Elite Platinum Enhanced Silver with a 5-95 M2 headjoint. I look forward to an extended trial of that beauty.

The Muramatsu DS also had the wow effect on me.

All in all it was a great event of all-flute-all-the-time. What could be better than that?

Next stop – the NFA Convention this August in Orlando where I will be performing On a Poem by Miho Nonaka Harvard Square by Shawn Okpebholo. Plan to come to NFA, or to the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention next year in VA.

Immerse yourself in flutes.

You’ll be glad you did!

Doctor Flute

The post Reflections from the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention appeared first on DoctorFlute.