by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Jul 9, 2020 | Embouchure, Performing, Practice, Teachers, Tone
What is tone color? Tone color is one of those things that’s just a little bit ethereal. What really is tone color? And how do we do it? What does it mean when we play the flute? I remember when I was in college, thinking, “All right, so what’s this...
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Jul 2, 2020 | FluteTips, Performing, Practice
We all have problems cleaning up fast passages. When you hear someone playing flawlessly with crystal clear passages it is something to be admired. it is a lovely thing when you hear every single note. Playing cleanly takes a player from the amateur level up a notch...
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Apr 30, 2020 | Extended Techniques, FluteTips, Practice, Tone
Have you ever tried playing and singing at the same time? It is an extended flute technique that actually improves your tone when you learn to do it! Singing while playing is not just a 21st century extended flute technique. It’s an exercise that you can use to...
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Mar 26, 2020 | Etudes, FluteTips, Practice, Technique
If you’ve never looked at Köhler’s Virtuosic Etudes Opus 75, you should. But, let me tell you what you’re getting into. First, they are a lot of fun to play! Second, they are not for the faint of heart! I really enjoy them because they do work a lot of...
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Mar 19, 2020 | Embouchure, FluteTips, Intonation, Practice, Support
Playing softly is an art that needs to be practiced all on its own. Everyone has their own way of playing softly, sometimes correctly, but more often incorrectly. The usual way of soft playing is to squeeze the embouchure. It can be quite difficult to break this habit...
by Dr. Angela McBrearty | Mar 12, 2020 | Breathing, Daily Routine, FluteTips, Performing, Practice
Breathing in the middle of a solo can sometimes be quite tricky when done properly. Actually, I don’t think it’s that tricky, we just think it’s tricky and so we don’t do it properly. Generally, when we’re playing in the middle of a solo...
