There are so many things to work on in the practice studio! I'm like a kid in a candy store when I come to my flute. However, I realize there are some folks who don't share my enthusiasm! Deciding what to work on that day may be dependent on time available, or immediate needs such as an upcoming rehearsal or performance. In general, balanced practice for me means spending about 1/3 the time on basics (tone production, scales, arpeggios, double tonguing), 1/3 on repertory, and the remaining 1/3 on piccolo work. This way I'm able to touch on everything important. Write out a list if it helps you organize your time. Warm up quickly and musically....those first sounds of the day should set the 'tone' for your practice session.
The New Year provides all kinds of opportunities for renewal. I like to take a monthly 'tonal inventory' to see what particular element of my sound might need a little extra attention. Is my low register powerful, but singing? How are my high register tapers? Is vibrato at all distracting on my middle register notes? Tone is not a 'static' element, but something that changes depending on the demands of your current situation. For example, when I'm playing a lot of high register piccolo, I make sure that I spend extra time on the low register of the flute to stay flexible and balanced on both instruments. If I'm working on a piece with a lot of extended tonal techniques, I make sure basics are in balance. Listen very carefully when you practice your long tones today. Hone in on the weakest link, one very specific concept, and go about fixing it.When working on tapers, be sure to have your tuner handy, or use a drone pitch. Experiment with moving the lips upward rather than only forward, to keep the pitch up at the ends of notes.
Trill fingerings are so interesting: they are not 'one size fits all' as we first learned them! I find some of the basic fingerings lacking in pitch accuracy: the top note might be too flat or the tone quality too false. Occasionally, there is a magical mechanical fix, such as the C# trill key. It is one of the best investments not only for the B-C# trill but for third octave G-A trill, so I highly recommend this particular key as an option when purchasing a flute. One of my favorite sources for alternative fingerings is Nestor Herszbaum's book "Alternative Fingerings for the Flute". It has many different solutions which are helpful depending on the color/pitch you might require. One of my current finds is the third octave E-F# fingering. The typical thumb trill yields a very flat F#. Try fingering A natural with the left hand, right hand on 2nd trill key and trill with the A key in the left hand...so much better.
Many times students come to us for coaching on a piece right before a competition or an audition, so our job as their coach is to help them polish and refine the piece at hand. It's always amazing to me how much music is contained above and below the staff: these details often make the difference between a vibrant performance and one that is merely correct. Many articulation marks are found above the staff: Staccato, Legato, Accents of all different shadings, and slurs. Developing a rich nuanced palate of articulation is essential for artistry! Articulation also yields clues into phrasing: following the composer's intentions and playing simply often clarifies phrase direction. Lots of directions are provided below the staff: Dynamics and other indications for style (words like dolce, agitato, etc.). THIS is where style lives: embedded in these words and symbols. It's our job to bring each detail to life and provide a solid musical interpretation. The correct rhythms and notes are all found within the staff...but the style...now that is the heart of music making. Look above and below the staff for your inspiration.
It goes without saying that breathing is at the heart of wind playing. How such a very natural component of our daily existence can become so complicated in pedagogy! I always remind young students to watch their pets breathing when they are asleep, (our own dogs sleep a lot so it's easy to catch them in the act of breathing naturally) and to describe what part of the body they notice moving with the breath...this helps students locate the correct area for diaphragmatic breathing. Have students lay down on the floor on their backs, and place a book just at the bottom of the rib cage to observe this correct and deep way of breathing. It helps to remember that breathing will raise the chest area a little bit (think sternum rising just a touch) and the ribcage will expand outward. The shoulders do NOT move up and the breath is a horizontal kind of physical endeavor, never vertical! For advanced students who breathe correctly but do not get enough breath support for tonal fullness, ask them to play the same passage flutter tongued or ask them to sing and play at the same time. Both of these extended techniques require a LOT more breath support than traditional playing, and feeling the difference will bump up awareness of how much air the flute can take.
Communication is changing rapidly every year, and because of that, there are more platforms for self promotion than ever before. Facebook, Instagram, and You Tube, to name a few, are becoming mandatory stops on the internet for most musicians. I am ALL for healthy self promotion, and since my dad was an independent business man throughout his career, I value great entrepreneurial ideas and spirit. However, there must be something BEHIND the promotion! Great musicianship is built in the practice room, not at the computer screen! As we begin another school year, let's remind all of our students that those basic skills of wonderful tonal control, intonation, great finger technique, stable internal rhythm, and a fabulous sense of phrasing develop musicianship. A spirit of collegial respect and good interpersonal skills are handy in this business. Let's teach our students to be on time, to be prepared for every situation and to be great human beings too. Musicianship first...self promotion second! Here's to a great academic year!
I read an article in Flute Talk that addressed 'being teachable', and since the start of the new school year is just around the corner, I would like to explore this concept.
Keeping an open mind is key to studying music: I've had to sort through lessons with different teachers in my past where interpretive ideas on the same piece of music were exactly the opposite. I took the information away from those lessons and chose the idea that worked best for me...since it was probably not the time to say 'so and so told me to do it THIS way'. Sorting through ideas on your own post lesson might be a better way to approach different viewpoints! Sometimes those different viewpoints are offered to you since the current way of doing things is not working as well! Being teachable means preparation that is thorough and consistent...after all, you will ultimately become your OWN teacher, and learning to practice and analyze your own mistakes is the goal! It goes without saying that teachable students are prompt and have all their materials ready to go for each lesson. Here's to a great new start! Have you ever driven in the desert and come across one of the road signs that reads "Last gas, food and water for the next 125 miles"? You would be very foolish to ignore this sign if your gas tank was nearing empty! Ignoring a breath mark can be like ignoring this sign...when you mark in breaths, TAKE THEM. You will be so much more comfortable sticking to your plan. AND, you can prevent mistakes simply by staying on track with your breaths. Whenever we stop for any error, we always breathe, so missing a breath sometimes results in our brain 'deciding' to make us stop for another reason, thereby getting that breath once we come to a stop. Decide on your breathing places according to musical, phrasing requirements, and stick with your plan.
Here's a great vibrato exercise...assuming that you already have a fairly developed vibrato, this is a great way to gain even more control. With the metronome set at quarter note = 60, play 2 beats of straight tone, then 2 beats of tone with vibrato, then back to two beats of straight tone. You can practice changing the speed of the vibrato pulse, first with 4 pulses per click, then 5, then 6. Your tone should retain its lovely center and focus with and without vibrato, and the dynamic should match. This exercise helps create a heightened awareness of vibrato.. Enjoy.
Your expressive vocabulary for music depends on every nuance you can find, and many opportunities exist within the realm of articulation. There are many different kinds of accents for example: ones that rely more heavily on a more round sound and vibrato for the accent,(adding weight to the note) versus accents that are sharp and most decidedly handled by the tongue on the attack (adding more point to the note). Releases can have many shapes: they can be square and sharply cut off (think 20th century music) or elegantly tapered (more Mozartian and 18th century). Listen to the beginning of each note and try several different attacks on for size as you practice...interpret the symbols for accents, staccato and legato in several different ways. You will be able to arrive at a creative solution that sounds beautiful. Same idea with releases...and always take care not to go flat on the ends of tapered notes.
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