by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Jan 28, 2021 | Daily Routine, Etudes, FluteTips, Practice, Tone, Tonguing
Is practicing etudes a drudgery for you? Do you intentionally skip playing etudes? If that is you, I’m here to tell you to stop! Etudes are part of a rigorous practice session and reveal so much of what a musician needs to learn. Etudes can be the bane of your...
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Dec 17, 2020 | Daily Routine, Etudes, FluteTips, Practice, Tone
No time? No problem? I’m talking about how to get a full practice session done in just 30 minutes. Life is rarely ideal by giving us all as much time as we want to practice. Instead, life is crazy busy. Whether it’s the job, family, too many classes and papers, or a...
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Dec 3, 2020 | Breathing, Embouchure, FluteTips, Practice, Tone, Tonguing
Let’s talk about tension! Tension is one of those areas that we all need to work on. Tension in the embouchure can prevent you from getting the sound you would really like to have. The problem is we don’t work on this. It is oft times ignored in our practice sessions....
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Nov 19, 2020 | FluteTips, Vibrato
Do you listen to your vibrato when you practice a solo? Are you sure that you are in control of your vibrato? I think the answer to those questions is a resounding no! For many flutists, the vibrato “job” is done once it sounds good and you can play with vibrato...
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Nov 5, 2020 | Breathing, FluteTips, Support, Tone
How is your soft playing? Can you hang out there on a piano and not crack or go flat? Most people practice their tone with a forte sound. It is very rewarding to have a large resonant sound. However, the professionals know that they need to practice their pianos too....
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Oct 22, 2020 | FluteTips, Tone, Vibrato
Could you name some of the aspects of tone that separate the amateur flutist from the professional? What is it that makes their sound so special? I can help you with one of the aspects. It’s: liveliness! A lively sound is what’s going to make people stand up and...
