I'm required to play bass flute in the orchestra every now and then...what a difference from the piccolo! In order to make life a little easier, and quite literally lighten the load on hands, arms, and wrists, there are a couple of things to consider. A bass flute lap crutch literally cradles the end of the instrument and the post supporting it is attached to a brace that fits over your right leg. This helps you from holding the entire weight of the instrument in your right hand. Some manufactures make the instrument with this feature built in. AND, there are people out there who manufacture different crutch sizes to better fit your left hand! My flute came with a bassoon crutch, which honestly is not all that comfortable. My new crutch is SO much better at distributing the weight in my left hand and therefore, increasing finger dexterity. Never shy away from finding a great solution to a problem! I reached out to Chris Potter for help and she was able to steer me in the right direction as a low flutes specialist...thanks Chris!
Keeping the thread from last month's post, I thought we could discuss the role breathing plays in technical passages. ALWAYS make breathing a choice: a choice from a musical/phrasing standpoint, integral to the music. Mark your breathing spots, and be consistent about taking them. Whenever we make an error, what do we do? We stop and we breathe, so make SURE that your brain is not fooling you into taking a breath by causing a mistake, so that you WILL stop and breathe. Mark breaths, take what is marked, and enjoy the consistency with the technique that you will gain.
|
Archives
August 2018
Categories |