Warmup On The Flute
    Many flutists find doubling uncomfortable, but with some practice, it can be enjoyable to play piccolo occasionally. I always begin my practice routine on the flute, and move to the piccolo once all of my flute warmups have been played. Starting on flute establishes what is most familiar, your standard flute embouchure in particular, for the day and provides that essential foundation that should support your approach to both instruments. I begin with some harmonics, which underscore the embouchure and air use aspects of woodwind playing, move into Taffanel & Gaubert’s 17 Big Daily Exercises #1, #2, or #5 as a quick warm up for the fingers, and then move on to tone studies. I enjoy playing long tones that also incorporate dynamic flexibility.
    Next, I play something that has some complicated finger work, such as  exercises from Paul Edmund-Davies’ 28 Day Warm-up Book. His premise is that it is harder to achieve quick reflexes when picking a finger UP than when putting it DOWN. Most of the finger studies in his book focus on small triplet loops that require lots of dexterity. The articulation studies in his book are also super, and that is my next warm up area, followed by a bit of work on large intervals and arpeggios. Scales are part of the daily routine as well. 
    If I’m playing a lot of high register piccolo at work, I make sure to spend extra time on long tones in the flute’s low register to maintain my embouchure flexibility. The embou­chure settings for high piccolo work and low flute work are so different that reminding your embouchure what it feels like to play low on the flute is essential. Without this counteractive approach, your low register flute tone will quickly disappear. The low articulation studies #1, #5, and #12 in Moyse’s Etudes et Exercices Techniques are particularly helpful for keeping my flute’s low register agile and responsive. Once I’ve gone through this warm up, I move on to flute repertoire. 

Warmup On The Piccolo
    My warmup on piccolo consists of a few pages from Patricia Morris’ Piccolo Study Book. I choose an etude that focuses on flexibility and another for articulation practice. Those are followed by long tones with a tuner – just to check my pitch center. I also check the intonation of any intervals that are problematic from the week’s repertoire.
    When there are high register passages that require extensive practice, I use ear plugs! My practice room at home is rather small, so earplugs are helpful to save my ears (and stave off potential headaches). I use the custom fitted musicians ear plugs that are available from any audiologist but disposable foam earplugs are also quite effective. 

Muscle Memory
    There are two main areas of muscle memory that need attention when switching from flute to piccolo – placement and playing position. Because the piccolo is smaller than a flute, it has to be placed a bit higher on the lower lip than you are used to on the flute. The piccolo also requires a smaller aperture. Flutists doubling on the piccolo should learn to the feel of the correct piccolo placement so that they can find it quickly every time they switch from flute to piccolo.
    The hands are closer together on a piccolo than they are on a flute. Consequently, the finger movement must be even lighter and smaller to fit the piccolo’s size.
Relax the shoulders, especially the right one, when playing piccolo. It is natural to want to raise the shoulders more because the hands are closer together, but we need to stay broad in the back and low in the shoulder area. You may also notice a slight difference in the angle of the instrument relative to the angle of your head, again, because the piccolo is so much shorter than a flute.
    Remember that air use differs for piccolo players from the flute. The piccolo takes a faster air speed but less sheer volume (amount) of air than a flute. Don’t overload the instrument with too much air or the tone will be coarse and unrefined. 

Practice the Switches
    Finally, when playing music that requires you to double, practice making the switches between instruments to reinforce the muscle memory for each instrument. 
I recommend using a doubling tray for the piccolo to rest upon. It is like a little shelf that attaches to the pole of the music stand and keeps the piccolo within easy reach for quick changes.
    Of course, you can put the piccolo in your lap for super fast changes, but do remember that it is there when you need to stand up. Never place a piccolo on the lip of the music stand. Sometimes music stands are loose and swivel forward easily, dropping a piccolo on the floor. Many an instrument has fallen off of such a precarious perch. The music stand should hold music and a pencil only. 
    Instrument pegs are quite useful, but I find them a bit cumbersome for fast instrument changes, mainly because they often have be on the right side.  Twisting to the right and back is often too much movement for a quick switch. Have fun with your newfound confidence as a flutist playing the piccolo!

The post Doubling appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Learning to Listen
     The following techniques can be used on any piece at any time, but it is easiest to work on intonation with a piece that has sonorous chords or basic harmonies.
     To begin, hold the first chord of a piece until everyone can hear whether it is in or out-of-tune. If it is out-of-tune, stop; build the chord from the bottom up. Draw everyone’s attention to the bass note as they add their note to the sounding chord. For purposes of keeping a flute choir in tune, the bass is always right, even when it is wrong. In addition, the bass note should be everyone’s reference pitch (and not a personal tuner or stand partner), to make sure that everyone is adjusting to the same pitch. Now as each part joins the tuning chord and adjusts to the bass note, listen carefully for waves in the sound that don’t belong. Use the tuner to solve problems of individual pitches or for players who are having difficulty finding the correct pitch.
 
Tuning chords by stacking parts from the bottom up is one option:

                                      Always draw attention to the bass note.
                                      It’s right, even when it’s wrong.

    Another option is to start from the bottom, but tune notes of the same pitch together. For example, if the bass part has a D and it is the root of a D-Major chord, hear and tune the bass Ds first and then add all of the Ds in the other parts– each octave separately. Once all of the D’s are in tune, add the As (the 5th); finally, add the F sharps (the third).

                                     Continue to draw attention to the bass.

    When the chord is in tune, hold it so that everyone can hear how it sounds. It will ring clearly and vibrate beautifully. When the ensemble can play the chord in tune after holding it, stop and start the chord several times until it begins in tune without having to hold it.
     Tuning one chord will help the entire piece, but continue to strengthen the group’s intonation by tuning individual chords as you work through the composition. If the chord you just tuned repeats in the music within a few beats or measures, tune the same chord again with its different voicing.
    

    Next connect the tuned chords with the music in between them, lingering on the designated chords until they settle into focus. For the time being, ignore any intonation problems that might arise between the tuned chords.

     Another way to practice intonation is to tune the first chord and then move to the second one, omitting any notes that do not fall on the beat. Do this with each beat for the first four measures. Then go back and play the same four measures as written – slowly first and then in tempo.
     When working on intonation in larger sections, try tuning the first chord of each measure within the section. You can also choose strategic chords within the section. Be flexible and adapt this idea to fit the composition’s style. Then play the section through, landing on those tuned chords momentarily before moving on. Allow the ensemble time to settle in on those chords before continuing. Then go back and play the section in tempo. After the careful tuning has been done on a passage, in the future, simply work one or two chords in that passage and offer reminders to listen to the bass.
     Note that when tuning, the third degree of the chord may need to be altered in order to make it sound more in tune. For more extensive information on this, see Trevor Wye’s Intonation and Vibrato Practice Volume 4.
     For instance, the third degree of a major chord should be lowered a bit to be in tune. If you tune just the third of a major chord with a tuner, it is necessary for it to be flat on the tuner in order for it to be in tune in the chord. This is a matter of equal and just temperament. (see Wye, page 11).

    
The third of a minor chord, on the other hand, needs to be raised a little.

     While tuning each individual note of a triad with a tuner makes the chord sound more in tune, adjusting the third in this manner gives chords more resonance. It may seem complicated at first, but with practice it can become second nature and happen automatically.

Singing
     Singing helps any intonation session. When tuning chords, ask members to sing the bass pitch and then the pitch that they play. They might sing do-mi or sol-do or do-mi-sol. Directors can also sing the two pitches and ask the group to sing them back. After players sing the correct pitches, they should play them. The mystery of music takes hold at this point, and intonation of that interval miraculously improves!
     In the previous example the bass flutes have both the tonic and the bass note. Many times in music, however, the bass flute does not have the tonic of the triad. It is still helpful to sing the bass pitch first and then the upper pitch, because the upper pitch should match the lower one – not visa-versa.

Tuning for practice in warm-up
     There are some general warm-ups that can help flute choir members hear intonation problems and adjust more quickly. Using the key of the piece that is about to be played, ask players to play the first, third, or fifth note of the tonic chord. It is simpler at first to have all of the bass flutes play the tonic, which has been tuned with a tuner. With the bass flutes on the tonic, add everyone else. Give them a few seconds to find the pitch. If it does not settle in, tune each note until the chord sounds perfectly in tune.
     Although not everyone will hear the problems of an out-of-tune chord at first, they will quickly learn. Next, ask players to choose a different note of the chord. Tune the chord again, just as before. When the chord is in tune, play it several times until the choir can begin with the chord in tune, and not just settle in after a few seconds.
     Another warm-up is for the bass  flutes to play the tonic pitch while everyone else moves up a major scale. Stop to tune the consonant and perfect intervals (3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, and unisons/octaves) on the way up as indicated in the example below. If intervals remain out-of-tune after they have been held for a few seconds, sing the intervals from the bass to the soprano. For instance, if the F# is out-of-tune, ask the group to sing Do-mi. Then play the interval again, everyone on their own note.

   
    Finally, explain pitch tendencies and state them often until everyone knows that flutes are generally sharp on C sharp and D. Top line F and B flats are flat. High notes are sharp, with the exception of third-octave B flat, which can be flat. Low notes tend to be flat, as do soft ones. Loud notes can be sharp, etc. Knowing pitch tendencies helps players make instant judgement calls about which direction to move, particularly when they are unsure from listening which way to go.

     The beauty of taking time to tune passages carefully in rehearsals is that a flute choir will continue to play those passages in tune in the future with perhaps just an occasional reminder to listen to the bass. Players’ pitch memory takes over in those passages and there will be a marked improvement that cannot be achieved by repetition only.
     Improving intonation takes the most time with new music, and then less as players become more familiar with the music. Improving intonation also takes more time with new members, but as they become familiar with the process and begin to make adjustments quickly it takes less time. By working on intonation, the group will improve in such a way that everyone notices. With practice, members of a flute choir soon begin to realize when they are out of tune, listen to the bass to find the reference pitch, and learn to self-correct.
     Ignoring intonation problems with the hope that they will go way is a waste of time. Like everything else, intonation only improves with practice.

The post Tuning Your Flute Choir appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Private flute study often just includes instruction in flute technique, literature, and general musicianship. To train well-rounded musicians, we should also teach music theory, music history, and performance practice. Incorporating these additional music disciplines prepares students more completely for a life in music – whether they become professionals, semi-professionals, or amateurs. A comprehensive flute curriculum creates a foundation for an appreciation of music that will last a lifetime.
    It is difficult to incorporate these topics into an already too-short lesson. However, when students learn a piece with an understanding of its basic theoretical and historical aspects, their resulting performance is better informed and more easily understood by an audience. Students also gain a broader understanding of what they are doing. Here are several ways to add to your curriculum.

    Select and analyze several chords from each new work a student is learning. Play them on the piano so students can hear the quality of the chords. Instead of introducing music theory as an isolated, detached subject, teach it by discussing chords for the piece they are learning. 

    Study the composers. You can feature a different composer each month or introduce a new composer when he is encountered in the flute repertoire. I create composer worksheets that become a starting point for discussions; about the composer’s life, works, and compositional style. You can even include a broad overview of what went on in the world during that composer’s lifetime.
     My composer worksheets are similar to the example that follows. They encourage students to do the necessary research to answer the questions. While this is a worksheet for J.S. Bach, it can be adapted for any composer.

Sample Composer Worksheet

Johann Sebastian Bach

1. Birth and death dates
2. Musical era
3. Country
4. Instrument(s) played
5. Bach learned to repair a certain instrument. What was it?
6. Bach’s famous collection, The Well-Tempered Clavier, included examples of what style of composition? Describe this style.
7. True or False: Bach’s career included many compositions for two distinct purposes – religious and educational.
8. Bach’s entire family was very musical. Name two of his children who became notable musicians.
9. True or False: Bach’s music has always been popular, even immediately after his death.
10. Bach’s works are catalogued using a certain lettering system. What three letters are used to label his works?
11. List anything else you found interesting in your research.

    Listen to music during lessons. Have music playing as students arrive and while they are putting their flute together, as well as when they are packing up to leave. Encourage active listening by asking students to describe the music. This helps them learn to distinguish between styles and exposes them to examples of a good flute tone. They will also learn the difference between hearing, as in background music at the grocery store, and listening, which is active and focused.
    Listening to examples of a composer’s work helps students build a timeline in which to place the works they are learning, as well as becoming more educated about stylistic approaches in various time periods.
    With older, more experienced students you can try a drop the needle game by playing a short section of a composition. Then ask them to name the musical era, composer, composition, etc. It’s an exercise we all had in college theory classes, but you might be surprised at how good students will get at it.

    Encourage curiosity. Ask students about their favorite music groups and find a way to apply that information to the music they are playing in their lessons. This makes classical music more relevant for them and shows them that all music is connected.
    Invite students to bring a C.D. of their favorite band to lessons. While listening to a track you can talk about the rhythm, basic harmony, tempo, and melody, and compare these elements to works they are studying.

    Arrange field trips to the symphony, opera, community band concerts, and other musical performances. Explain beforehand what will occur, when it is appropriate to clap, the plot of the opera, etc. Demystifying the experience will make them more likely to visit in the future.

    Teach performance practice in a broad, genre-by-genre fashion. When teaching how to approach a Bach sonata correctly, stress that this is a concept that applies to all Baroque music, not just works by Bach. When students tackle the next Baroque piece, they will know how to approach it.

    All genres of music and music disciplines are connected – a fact that is important for students to understand. Whether they go on to perform with the New York Philharmonic or just come to enjoy local opera productions, a broader approach to flute study will help prepare them for the future.

 
A Sample Lesson Plan
for J.S. Bach’s Partita in A Minor

Materials: recording of J.S. Bach’s Partita in A Minor for Solo Flute, BWV 1013, sheet music for the Partita, major/minor scales, Taffanel and Gaubert’s Seventeen Daily Exercises.

1. Listening: Play a recording of a J.S. Bach flute work as the student enters the studio and assembles her flute. Point out specific elements of the interpretation while looking at the score. Show those spots where the performer used embellishments.
    Discussion: Tone color on recording.
    Questions: Was it bright, thin, or somewhere in between? Did the flutist play on a metal flute or a wooden one? How did flutes vary in the Baroque from flutes we play today? Did those differences affect the way composers wrote? Did the performer use just a few embellishments, or did they use many? How did those embellisments change the overall effect of the piece?

2. Scales and technical exercises. As students play their scales, point out those keys that are in the Partita, such as the A-minor melodic scale that opens the Corrente movement or the C-Major scale the closes the first half of the Sarabande. Identifying the applicability of scales to the music students are working on should make practicing scales seem more useful.
    Discussion: Explain why the Taffanel & Gaubert scales don’t go down to low B or beyond high C. Introducing a bit about flute history teaches students the relationship between music of a particular period and the instrument upon which it was originally performed.
    Questions: Can you identify and write the names of the scales in your piece? Why is the key signature different from that of the scale?

3. Bach Partita in A Minor. While a complete harmonic analysis might not be useful for most students, it might be illuminating to take a brief look at the harmonic foundation of the piece.
    Discussion: Use of various dance forms by Baroque composers. Dance implies shifting of the body’s weight from foot to foot. How does this affect the music?
    Questions: Where does the Allemand change from A minor to C Major? What version of the A-Minor scale is used? Where is the return to A minor? Is there a Coda or concluding passage? What is the form of the Allemand?

4. Music History. Point to the absence of any dynamic and articulation markings in the work (in the Urtext edition) to begin a discussion of performance practice.
    Discussion: Articulation and dynamics in the Baroque largely left to the performer.
    Questions: Where could specific dynamics be used? What about articulations? There aren’t any of those either. Should the Allemand be entirely tongued? Were you to add slurs, where would you add them.
 

The post The Complete Flute Lesson appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Music Education in Serbia
    The Serbian music education system has a long tradition and was put in place in the former Yugoslavia. Most schools are public, and from the ages of 8 to 13 or the primary education years, students may go to a separate music school within the confines of their regular school building.
    When students reach high school, they go to a secondary school and at this point have several options. They can attend a music high school, attend a regular high school, or go to both regular and music high school concurrently. In the case of the music high school, all subjects are taught, including sciences and math, but the emphasis is on music.
    At both levels, music education includes theory, sight-singing (solfège), chamber music, and private study on the student’s primary instrument. Students commonly stay with the same teachers in each subject for the duration of their time in that school.
    There is an interesting side note regarding the daily schedule for primary school students who attend both music school and regular school. The school day schedule varies quite a bit. At times music classes are in the morning with students attending their regular academic classes in the afternoon from 1:30 until 7:00 p.m. The schedule reverses weekly. Those not studying music stay home and do homework or participate in sports while the music students take their classes in the music schools.
    By college age, students who decide to pursue music as a career have a great foundation. Students who choose this route can major in performance, composition, conducting, pedagogy, musicology and ethnomusicology. The only Serbian college-level music academies, however, are in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, and Kragujevac.
    The next point made my jaw drop. When a student graduates from one of the music academies, they are almost certainly guaranteed a job! All but a handful of the flute students with whom I worked will work as flutists in Serbia or abroad. Those who do not, may end up with careers in related fields such as radio and television.
    The music education system itself creates many employment opportunities. In Belgrade, for example, there are 20 primary music schools, and each one employs around 30 piano teachers. Hence, there are 600 working piano teachers in Belgrade alone. The schools have several flute teachers with each studio comprised of approximately 15 students. The province of Vojvodina alone has 20 music schools, and Serbia as a whole has 65.

    I spent the first week in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, where I worked with Ljubiša Jovanovič (pronounced LYOO-bee-sha yo-VA-no-vich) who teaches flute at the university-level Fakultet Muzičke Umetnosti (hereafter called the Academy). Jovanovič is also the Academy’s Vice Dean for Artistic Work and International Activities and teaches at the Music Academy in Cetinje, Mon­tenegro as well. I worked with 13 students, a couple of whom studied with the Academy’s other flute teacher, Miki Simonović.

Ljubiša Jovanovič

    Jovanović grew up in Niš, approximately 200 km south of Belgrade. There he sang in a famous choir that toured Europe and won many competitions. He credits this choir with providing a good foundation for his musical background. Later he was principal flute in the Belgrade Philharmonic Orch­estra (1988-2005) and founded the Camerata Serbica in 2004.
     His father was a famous violin teacher. “Because of him, I started playing the violin when I was 8.” At 13 he switched to flute and studied with Serbian flutist, Miodrag Azanjac. In high school, Jovanović auditioned and won the solo flute position in the Belgrade Opera and played there for two years. After a summer with Severino Gazzelloni, he went to Paris, where he met Christian Lardé. After finishing two levels at the l’École Normale Supérieur de lat Musique de Páris (the Diplôme Supérieur d’Exécutant in 1982 and the Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste in 1983) Jovanović returned to Serbia, but continued to make trips to Paris especially to study with Aurèle Nicolet, who he calls, “one of the most important people to help me develop a ‘flute mind.’”
     Of the war years, he states, “It was important to lead a rich artistic life, because it gave you the strength to continue. I played all the concerts in the Belgrade Philhar­monic, and it was fantastic. When you look at history, the most important cultural accomplishments happen during the most terrible crises. There was some kind of a catharsis in art at that time in Yugoslavia.”.

    The next week I went to Novi Sad in the northern province of Serbia and worked with Laura Levai-Aksin and her eight students at the Akademija Umetnosti (Academy of Arts), which overlooks both the city and the beautiful Danube River. She has taught at the Academy for 20 years and also teaches at the Music Academy of Banja Luka University in the Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Hercegovina. She has performed as solo flutist with the Novi Sad Opera Orchestra and the Vojvodina Symphonic Orchestra.

Laura Levai-Aksin

    Levai-Aksin was born in Subotica in northern Serbia and started recorder at age five. At 12 she switched to flute and was performing Messiaen’s Le Merle Noir, Dutilleux’s Sonatina, and the Martin Ballade by age 16 She moved to Novi Sad and started playing in the opera orchestra as solo flutist in 1983, while simultaneously earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees with Marijan Egić at the Academy.
    As Yugoslavia was splitting into various republics in 1991, she and her trombonist husband went to France, where she studied with Claude Lefebvre, Patrick Gallois, and audited Alain Marion’s classes. After studies with Patrick Gallois, who she calls one of her flute idols, she won the Premiere Prix de Supérieur and the Premier Prix de Excellence.
    She also took some master classes with Aurèle Nicolet. “It was a great experience to work with a wonderful teacher, flutist, and person. I am very proud that he wrote in my letter of recommendation that he thought I was an exceptional player and that he especially liked my interpretation of Bach’s E-Minor Sonata and Stockhausen’s In Freundschaft.”
    She and her husband looked for work in France after their studies were complete but found it difficult to find employment available to non-French citizens. When the difficulties were resolved in Serbia, they returned home. “The dean of the Music Academy in Novi Sad called several times because they were holding my teaching job open for me. Ultimately we went back, and my husband ended up teaching at the Academy as well.”

    The music that I proposed to teach included various staples of the solo repertoire for U.S. flutists – the Hindemith and Muczynski sonatas, Kent Kennan’s Night Soliloquy, Robert Muczynski’s Three Preludes, Katherine Hoover’s Kokopeli, and Aaron Copland’s Duo. Several other pieces had particular meaning to me in that I personally knew the composers and wanted to share their works with the students. They included Victoria Bond’s Shenblu for flute solo and Woven for flute duo and Gustavo Leone’s The Green Quintet.
   Thanks to one of my Chicago students, who is Serbian and went back home several months before my trip, the repertoire was hand delivered to the Serbian professors so that everyone could prepare before I arrived. We would have limited time to work together in preparing for their concert – only a week at each conservatory.
    The students’ playing levels were very high. They were hard working, well-prepared, and enthusiastic about the repertoire. Most spoke English fluently. Only occasionally did I need help with a translation. In both conservatories, lessons were given in a large studio with a grand piano, and an accompanist was always present. Students freely came in and out when it wasn’t their lesson to watch the lessons of the others. In Belgrade, professor Miki Simonović came to observe once, but otherwise I was left on my own with the students. Novi Sad was a bit different in that Laura Levai-Aksin was present for many of the lessons.
    I was impressed with how quickly the students adopted my suggestions. Some of them wanted to have lessons every day – I taught daily in large blocks of time. In Belgrade I taught at least 6 hours per day, but in Novi Sad I had the opportunity to visit the countryside with Laura and her husband between the morning and late afternoon lessons.
    Several of the more rhythmic pieces – Muczynski’s Sonata and Three Preludes, as well as Bond’s Shenblu, – were of particular interest to the Serbian students. One student in Novi Sad remarked how the constantly changing odd meters of Shenblu reminded her of the folk music she was playing in her band. This student was so enthusiastic that she invited me to go with her to a traditional Serbian restaurant to hear folk music. I was intrigued by the musicians encircling a table of diners who were apparently celebrating some occasion, as from time to time plates would fly and crash to the ground.
    My overall impression of the students was that they were well grounded in not only technique and rhythmic dexterity but also quite musical and sensitive to various styles.
     I had the opportunity to play two duets – Bond’s Woven and Carolyn Bremer’s Dr. Awkward with both Ljubisa and Laura. This, too, was a treat – to get to know each of the professors through rehearsals and performances.

Flute Teaching in Serbia
    Jovanović and Levai-Aksin have both exposed their students to new concepts, teachers, and music, and feel strongly that this is important. They have regularly invited guest teachers regularly at their academies, and those master teachers have included Aurèle Nicolet, Michel Debost, Irena Grafenauer, Wolfgang Schultz, Michael Kofler, Sophie Cherrier, Gergely Itzés, and János Bálint. Both teachers studied in France, which influenced their playing and teaching.

    Levai-Aksin: “From the French school I learned to play with clarity and subtlety of articulation, and with more nuance. I also learned circular breathing in France, when I was studying with Patrick Gallois. He required all his students to learn this technique.
    “I want my students to practice and play with understanding, common sense, and love. I talk a lot about phrasing, embouchure, breathing, and finger technique. Sound production and controlled vibrato are also important. I want them to have a noble sound with lots of colors and dynamics. I try to teach them how to vary their sounds for various styles and eras. Even on their daily exercises I urge them to be creative and studious, with maximum concentration.
    “It is important for students to be focused, to listen, and understand what they are they doing. They need to analyze every new piece – to read between the lines, and look for the treasures in the music. Each student is an individual, with a different personality, talent, capacity, soul, and mind. I think it is also important to cultivate students’ interests in arts beyond music, so that they can find other inspirations. Finally, a good teacher must also be a good psychologist.”
    She believes that students should have the ability to improvise and play without the music, and encourages her students to participate in jazz workshops and ensembles.
     “We have master classes as part of the jazz festival, where students learn to improvise in jazz and Latino idioms. I know it’s important because I played jazz, and it adds another dimension to your playing. You have to use another part of your mind to improvise, and it gives a completely different feeling to the music. Some of my students play folk music or solo flute on stage during shows at the National Theatre.
     “Alternative fingerings are also important. Some students are interested, and others think it is too complicated. I have some exercises that use alternative fingerings and help with the embouchure. So far only one of my students has learned circular breathing; the others think it is too difficult.”

    Jovanović: After returning to Serbia in 1984, Jovanović made intermittent trips back to France to study with Aurèle Nicolet. “The most important thing I learned from Nicolet’s teaching is that you must first hear, understand, and make your intended color internally for every sound you produce. People who work with him should have a general knowledge of all other arts, including literature and painting, because there are always parallels in structure.
    “I see teachers in masterclasses try to project themselves onto their students. Nicolet, however, tries to find the best in your mind and soul, and then teaches you how to use the instrument to reflect your own personal qualities.
    “If you ask any important European flutist today to name their most influential teacher, I think 85% would say Nicolet, including Emmanuel Pahud and Irena Grafenauer, who were his students.” With Nicolet, “it was not only a relationship between professor and student, but he deeply understood what I needed to know about music – about pedagogy, etc. For me, Aurèle Nicolet is one of the most important musicians of the 20th century.
    “He never accepted any money for the lessons. It is so important in the life of young people, that even today, I take no money for any private class I teach in Serbia. If someone like Nicolet or Rampal gave me the opportunity to learn without taking money, my obligation is to do the same for my students, also without money. That is the balance between life, art, and a good sense of heart and soul. If you really want to be a musician, you have to have good sense and balance in your life. Then many doors will open for you.
     “Psychologically, a teacher needs a different approach for each student because everyone has their own ideas and character. You must find the best and shortest way to resolve their problems. The thing I am proudest of is that none of my students play like me. They all have their own sound. It is not necessary to have my sound or to sound like anyone else.”

    Both academies were in the process of change, brought about by the introduction of a new educational act, called the Bologna Declaration, an attempt to regulate the requirements of higher education throughout Europe. Serbia is not yet a part of the European Union, but it is preparing to meet the new requirements of the declaration.
As Jovanović is a music administrator, I asked about this eminent change.
   
Jovanović:  “Now we have to adhere to the Bologna Declaration, like all of Europe, to regulate higher education. I don’t think this is good because there is too much paperwork. It seems the quality is not as important as before.  The change was instituted because some European countries, such as Italy, Greece, and Spain, were not recognizing the diplomas from other countries. Now they created this system that decreases the educational level by two or three notches. As a result, each country now has 20 or 25 universities with recognized diplomas, which may be recognized but the quality is not as high. 
    “If you want real quality in France, for example, you stay with just two big schools – the conservatories in Paris and Lyon. Now, however, there are valid diplomas in 10 more places. Italy also has many music universities and their diplomas are now recognized. In essence, schools that weren’t recognized before are now being recognized.
    “In terms of teaching jobs, if someone has good connections, they will get a job, but perhaps the better people will not be able to find a job. We call it the ‘democratization of diplomas.’
Due to the political crisis in Serbia, there are also some problems with the music education system in general. Jovanović says, “Our musical education needs a higher quality. The crisis caused many people to leave Serbia. Almost one million people moved away and are living all over the world. That is 10% of our population. So there is a crisis because of that, not just because of the music education system itself.”

Through Thick and Thin
    Both Jovanovic and Levai-Aksin experienced hardships due to their country being in complete upheaval. According to Jovanovic, “When the war started in 1982, we had an economic crises. Our salary for the whole month was two or three dollars.” He performed throughout the war and believes that the arts grew because of the strife.
    His professional life had continued to flourish. “I never had management, but somehow the doors opened and many people invited me to play. Today I am living a very full artistic life, playing about 60 concerts a year. I play chamber music with a varied repertoire that includes a lot of works by contemporary Serbian composers. It is a privilege to have such a full artistic life, and I don’t need to live somewhere else. Even in the most difficult days, I had the consciousness that it was good for me to stay.
    “Of course, we are not rich, but I can still occasionally afford to travel and meet good friends. That is most important. I’m still crazy about music, art, and flute, and I love to practice daily. For me, practicing is like breathing. I still make progress in my playing, which means I always play better than yesterday, and next year I will be better than I am right now.”
    In the years to come it will be interesting to see how Serbian music education progresses amid the changes of the Bologna Declaration.

The post Flute Lessons in Serbia appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Clean, Oil, and Adjust
    A flute should be regularly checked for leaks. Pads that do not seal properly prevent players from achieving a clear and focused tone. For the casual player, a clean, oil and adjust (COA) should be performed yearly. For the professional player, schedule one every six months. When flutes don’t seal well, players usually squeeze the keys tightly to achieve a clear sound, which can cause physical harm to the player over time. Air conditioning and dry climates take moisture out of pads. At the N.F.A. Convention in New York City, James Galway suggested blowing on the pads to add moisture to them. I have found that blowing on footjoint pads and those pads that are closed all the time (the trill keys, and the G-sharp key pad) makes the keys seal better and improves the flute’s response.

Align the Headjoint
    There are three basic ways to align the headjoint with the flute body. The first is the classic alignment in which the center of the embouchure hole is aligned with the center of the D, E, and F keys on the body. This alignment was championed by American flutists, Frances Blaisdell, Joseph Mariano, and William Kincaid. Paul Taffanel (1923) agrees with this in-line position but suggests that the embouchure hole might be slightly inclined or turned in for certain lip types.
    The second alignment, referred to as the modified alignment, is a slight turning in of the embouchure hole. Henri Altes (1880) suggests aligning the outer edge of the embouchure hole with the center of the keys. He goes on to say that according to the length of a pupil’s fingers, the headjoint can be aligned along the center of the embouchure hole and not along the outer edge of the embouchure hole.
The third alignment is the Rockstro position. R.S. Rockstro (A Treatise on The Flute, 1889) advocates turning the headjoint in a greater amount. The chart below is based on his thoughts from the article, “Authorities for turning the Mouth-hole inwards.”

    While the classic alignment suits me well, find what is best for you. Whatever you select, set up the headjoint the same way each day. With a consistent alignment, you will use the embouchure muscle groups in the same way every time you play. The goal is to develop and maintain a flexible, strong embouchure.

Align Yourself
    This could also be called your set-up, and it includes how you stand, balance the flute, and move when you play. With a good set-up you will be able to practice and perform without pain. Over the years I have asked students where they place their feet when they play, and most have no idea. I have also asked if their aperture is centered, off to the right, or off to the left. Again, most don’t know. The answers to these two questions and other similar ones can greatly influence how you use your body when you play. Learning to use your body well can mean that you will sound great and never play with discomfort. If you are experiencing problems, seek the help of music performance specialists. There is a growing field of physicians, physical therapists, and musicians who are dedicating their time to finding answers to our questions.
    This new field has already changed the way that we stand and sit. We now incorporate into our set-up the fact that the flute is played off to the right side. We have learned that playing the flute symmetrically, that is, with the shoulders parallel to the music stand, produces a crick in the neck. However, by rotating the body to the right 45 degrees and turning the head to the left, we can keep the head balanced on the spine and in an upright position. No longer do flutists have to suffer neck and shoulder pain.

    Alan H. D. Watson, a senior lecturer in anatomy and neuroscience at the School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Wales and professor of music biology at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama has published an important book for musicians. The Biology of Musical Performance and Performance-related Injury discusses posture and the back; the shoulder, arm, and hand; breathing; the voice, the embouchure and wind playing, and the structure and organization of the brain. Included in the book is a CD with excellent anatomical illustrations of topics in the book. This book provides many of the answers to better flute playing and playing without pain. Because this is a new field and covers subjects that are rarely discussed in music school curriculums, I would encourage you to seek out the book. The bottom line is: the better you are set up, the better you will play.

Where to Blow
    One of the challenges of playing the flute well is learning to angle the air at the riser wall (the far side of the embouchure hole). When the air stream is angled just right, the tone is focused and has a ringing quality. When the angle is not right, the tone is either airy or dull. This perfect blowing place is called the sweet spot. Every headjoint has its own unique sweet spot.
    To find the sweet spot, choose your best note and play it for several counts. Repeat the note again, only this time slightly raise your right-hand knuckles (third back from the nail) while playing. If your tone is better with your knuckle in this position, you need to blow higher on the blowing edge or embouchure hole wall.
    If you had positive results, you may be tempted to play with the right hand knuckle high, but this is an unnatural position for the hand and may cause injury over time. It is better to put the knuckle back in its normal place and figure out how to raise the air stream higher on the wall with your lips. Some teachers have students hold a hand directly in front of their face and make a straight line with the air stream from the heel of the hand to the tip of the middle finger. This helps students understand how much work the bottom lip must do. Remember that the bottom lip is the bottom of the aperture or opening in your lips.
    If your tone is too airy, then you are angling the air too high on the wall. Learn to adjust the angle of the air so that the tone is focused. Experiment by blowing the air toward your left toe or your left elbow. Also experiment by varying the size of the aperture and the position of the tongue in your mouth.
    Joseph Mariano encouraged his students to practice long notes with the tongue in the position of each vowel, using both the long and short pronunciations. This exercise will teach you how and where to place your tongue. Some people find that they get swollen lips from food allergies. Be sure to avoid foods that affect you on days when you will perform.
    I find that I have the best tone when my embouchure is in shape. This means that it is flexible and yet can stay quiet if needed. Practicing harmonics is another way to develop a flexible embouchure and a ringing tone.

Harmonic Series
    The harmonic series is a succession of tones consisting of a fundamental note and the consecutive notes that are produced by it. The fundamental is also called the first partial. On a flute with a C footjoint, the lowest fundamental is C4 or middle C on a piano. When that C is overblown, the series will be Partial #2: C5, Partial #3: G5, C6, E6, G6, B-flat 6 and C7.

On a flute with a B footjoint, the fundamental is low B followed by the same intervallic skips of an octave, 12th, 15th etc. It is the interval of the twelfth or the third partial that we will use in these exercises.

Left-Hand Partials
    With the right hand on the barrel, play a low G. With a low-G fingering, overblow to the octave above and the fifth above that. These three notes are partials 1, 2, and 3.

    Practice these three partials tongued or slurred; each way offers different challenges. Slurring requires embou­chure flexibility, while tonguing requires the correct partial with no reference point. Once you are comfortable playing these three partials, alternate their playing order: 231, 321, 213 etc.
    Repeat using the A-flat 4, A4, B-flat 4, B4, C5, and C-sharp 5 as the fundamental. Placing the right hand on the barrel will keep the flute securely in your chin and facilitate the playing of the harmonics.

Right-hand Partials
    When you are secure with the lefthand harmonics, practice the righthand harmonics using the following notes as fundamentals: D, E flat, E, F and F sharp. I did not include the footjoint notes because playing the footjoint notes requires the right-hand pinkie to be out of the position of function.
    To find this position, simply place your hands in front of you and turn the palms up. This is a natural or neutral position of the hand. The hands and fingers should be in this neutral position when playing. Extending your right hand pinkie to reach the footjoint notes can cause tension in the hand. When practicing tone work, get rid of as much tension as possible.
    In my own practice, I would never do extended tone work with my righthand pinkie extended. I like to believe Taffanel & Gaubert had the same thoughts, because they could have written Daily Exercise #1 (the five note patterns) beginning on a C rather than a D.
 
Harmonics and Vibrato
    Once you have practiced counted vibratos on a harmonic note, you will instantly know that it is much more difficult to vibrate on a harmonic than on a regular note because there is more resistance. You can use this extra resistance to improve your sound. Some of my favorite music to practice counted pulses “on the third harmonic partial” includes:

Taffanel & Gaubert, 17 Big Daily Exercises, Daily Exercises #1, keys D through F sharp;
Marcel Moyse, De La Sonorite, “Suppleness in the Low Register”, pages 10 – 14

    I also like to practice with simple melodies. . Practice counted pulses on each note and your tone will begin to ring.

The post Steps To A Better Tone appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Early Flute Lessons
    “In Japan everybody chooses a club to join when they enter junior high school, such as painting, volleyball, or tennis. I was going to join the volleyball club. When I went to sign up there weren’t very many people there, but there was a crowd of people signing up to join the wind ensemble club.”
    That looked much more appealing to Watanabe, so she started playing the flute and joined the club. The wind ensemble had a reputation for being quite good, and the director had to pare down the number of people who wanted to join. He felt that physical fitness was important for musicians, so he asked everybody to do pushups and situps. Watanabe says, “I was ready because I had been in sports. You need to know how to use your muscles and breathe well in order to make a good sound.
    “Every morning for a semester we reported to the club for running, pushups, various calisthenics. In the afternoon sessions, we did it all again. The first semester consisted of physical training and headjoint work.” As I tried to imagine American students sitting still for a whole semester of headjoint work, Watanabe continued, “We started working on a standard sound and worked in to the high register sound; we also did some fun headjoint exercises, such as changing the pitch by putting your finger in the end of the headjoint. Second semester we finally added the body of the flute. The first scale we learned was Bb major. It wasn’t really hard, but the flute felt a little bit awkward to hold.”
    “After the first year there was a selection process. The band director sent out letters asking students to write down three instruments that they would like to play. I wrote, Flute, Flute, Flute. I have a larger body structure than most Japanese people, so the band director wanted me to try trombone. He brought the instrument in and had me make a sound, which he said was very good. The bottom line was that he didn’t need another flutist. There were already 20 people playing flute in the wind ensemble. Then he suggested oboe and even trumpet, but I just kept insisting on flute. When he agreed that I could play flute, I practiced very hard to make sure that everything was perfect. I even used vibrato.”

High School and College
    There are special high schools in Japan that focus on the arts, and one in Tokyo that specializes in music. Watanabe decided to apply, but didn’t know that the audition included piano, sight reading, solfege, and dictation. “I had no clue about solfege and dictation, but decided to take the audition exams anyway. The  first time I ever did solfege and melodic and rhythmic dictation was at that audition. Obviously, I didn’t get in. About 72 students applied, and they accepted 35. However, there was a flute teacher at the exams who introduced himself to me afterwards. He said I played beautifully and asked who I studied with. I told him I didn’t have a teacher.”
    She attended high school elsewhere but decided to take flute and solfege lessons. “In Japan many music students take solfege lessons for years before the high school auditions, but I didn’t know that. The flute teacher I studied with was Takao Saeki, the man who introduced himself to me after the failed audition for the music high school.” She worked with him throughout high school and college.
    Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo was her chosen college, but applying for a college education is a bit different in Japan. “Entrance auditions in Japan are usually a week long, and they include tests in Japanese, English, dictation, solfege, flute (scales, etudes, and piece), and an interview. In two weeks the results are posted on a bulletin board at the school. They are not sent through the mail.
    “Going to check the board was a difficult thing to do. I thought, ‘What if I go to Tokyo, an hour and a half train ride, and look on the board, and my name’s not there?’ My parents had spent a lot of money that they really didn’t have for my education. I decided I would become a translator and start taking linguistic classes, but then I saw my name, and all the misgivings were gone.”

Move to the U.S.
    Her journey to the United States is interesting, because it never occurred to her that it was an option. “The beginning of this American dream was when I met a trumpet player friend from junior high school days. We ran into each other in the train station. He had just returned from the University of Illinois and said that I should go to the U.S. and study music.
    “He mentioned several schools and planted the seed. After that I started researching what sorts of schools were available, what they would cost, and asked my mother if she thought I could study music in the U.S. She was curious about the cost also, but she was very wise. She said, ‘Tell me when your research is complete.’”
    This all took place before computers. College brochures were obtained from the library. “I didn’t know what aspects of a school I should consider important or how to decide between one school and another. I didn’t even know who the teachers were. There was an instructor at my university who had gone to Eastman, and I talked with her.”
    Ray Cramer, the former chairman of the Band Department at Indiana University, was directing the Wind Ensemble at Musashino Academia Musicae that semester, and Watanabe went to talk to him as well. “I couldn’t speak English, but I was using hand signals all over the place.” Quite by accident she saw an advertisement for the American Education Office for Study Abroad in a music magazine. She had been seeking information from various sources, but here were all the brochures in one place.
    Later, on a trip to the library she saw posters about auditions being held in Japan for American colleges. Representatives of all the big music schools were coming to Japan to audition new students.
    “I went and a translator explained about the colleges and announced that we could return the next day to play for them. They would record our auditions. So I went the next day and played Enesco’s Cantabile and Presto. When I finished, they asked me to wait outside the door. Then they said they wanted me to apply, but I didn’t think I had played well. Through the interpreter I asked if I could send a better recording, and they said it wasn’t necessary.”
    She sent in her application, but her spoken English was not good enough. She was accepted at several American schools but only as a non-matriculating
student, which meant that she would take only flute lessons and study English. The TOEFL test (Test of English as a Foreign Language™) measures a student’s ability to use and understand the English language as it’s read, written, heard, and spoken in the university classroom. As a master’s student Watanabe would have to pass the TOEFL test with a score above 550. “Mine was below 400 at that time. Some of the schools even offered me a scholarship and assistantship, but that made no sense to me. How would I be able to teach if I didn’t speak English fluently?”
    She was 22 years old when she arrived in Rochester, New York at the Eastman School of Music. “They put me into the English School, so at first I only took flute lessons and English. Second semester, they put me in the orchestra as well, but I wasn’t happy. I didn’t want to be a special student.”
    She wanted to audit music classes, thinking she would learn English faster that way, so she went to the director of the school and laid out her case. “I showed him how my TOEFL scores were improving. If he would just let me audit some real classes, my score would go even higher and having audited the classes would be an advantage for me when I actually took the classes for credit. He finally gave in, which also allowed me to make some friends as well.” After a year she was accepted as a regular student and eventually earned a master’s degree in 1995.
    Watanabe moved to Windsor, Ontario, just across the bridge from Detroit. She needed a job and approached Muramatsu America to see if they hiring. Ervin Monroe hired her to help with Little Piper Press, and took her under his wing. For her work he gave her flute lessons. “I learned about being a musician and about being a good human being from Erv. He is such a good person and his love of music is indescribable. I didn’t feel it was work; it was a privilege to work for him.”
    Not done learning yet, Watanabe began commuting to Ann Arbor to work on a doctorate at the University of Michigan. She finished it in three years, one of which was spent studying with Leone Buyse. “I learned so much about how music is constructed and how to control the flute from Leone Buyse. Before her my playing was energetic and physically all over the place without control.
“I became more refined as a flutist with her. The way she communicated made sense to me. She knows how to grab students’ hearts, and she talked to my heart about music. Our intention as teachers is to make students better, yet we point out their negative points right away. Leone taught me how to teach students and tell them the truth without hurting them. That one year with her was extremely important.”

Teaching
    In Japanese culture, perfection is always the goal.  If you don’t achieve it, you are expected to find out what you need to work on to make it perfect. I asked Watanabe if her cultural background is a factor in her teaching studio now. “I think I bring Japanese discipline to the studio, which is perhaps different for American students. I make sure that students understand about self-discipline in their practice. 
    “My aim as a teacher is to help students to become well-rounded musicians. Whether they want to be teachers or performers, they have to develop solid musicianship while they are in the university. Entering the music world is not only about playing an instrument, the outside aspect, but also about being able to see in themselves the discipline of practicing and teaching.
    “The outside part of flute playing is the technique, such as how to make sound, establish posture, and develop facility (fast moving fingers). Most students are hung up on this aspect. However, there is also the inside component – the emotional and psychological part of music, such as feeling the music in your heart, practicing positively, and respecting musical colleagues. Both facets in one are called musicianship.
    “My approach for developing better musicianship starts with time management. Students should learn to organize their practice time and set priorities for effective practice. I ask them to write a lesson plan or agenda for a week’s worth of practice.   Punctuality is also of great importance because it teaches students reliability toward their teachers and colleagues. Lastly, students should bring a respectful and open mind to their lessons and to studio class. In the masterclass setting of the studio class, I encourage students to make productive comments with a respectful attitude about fellow students’ performances rather than relying solely on my commentary. It gives them an opportunity to share their problems, experiences, and success stories. It is also good for them to be open to learning from other students.
    “I think the most important tools for improvement on the flute are breathing and posture. Without those two things, students will not be able to lead a healthy musical life, either as performers or educators. They would not be able to perform satisfactorily without pain, which they might create from bad habits, and educators are the mirrors for future musicians. When they demonstrate, they would only perpetuate the vicious circle of improper playing. Therefore, it is very important for all musicians to be able to play their instrument in a healthy manner.
    “Another aspect I emphasize is developing the ear. This can be done from listening to live performances and carefully listening to their own music. Here, the key word is listening, not hearing.  To listen requires deeper and more sensitive understanding using their ear. Once students experience this level of listening, they can apply what they hear to their own performance. They will be motivated to create what they heard in their playing.
    “I have organized field trips to concerts and flute festivals since I arrived in Muncie and invite guest performers to campus. Jeff Zook, Detroit Sym-phony solo piccoloist, and Mimi Stillman, came in 2008, and Leone Buyse came in November, 2009.  
    “The last and least important aspect of good musicianship is appreciation. All music was composed by human beings who put their effort, creativity, and life into their work. For that reason, we should know the composition’s background and how it relates to the composer’s life. Not only should we understand about the compositional style and influences, but we should also include the composer’s ideas with our own. Lastly, we should not forget to be grateful for the opportunity to perform and to show appreciation for those who supported us along the way, and for being here today.
    “I love this phrase ‘Ichigo Ichie (一期一会)’, which is from the Japanese tea ceremony. It means  that when you attend, whether as guest or server, you must faithfully perform your role as if it were the last opportunity of your life. You should make your performance (any kind of performance) seize the moment with the deep appreciation to play at your best, as if it were your only opportunity.

The post An Interview with Mihoko Watanabe appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    It combines purity of feeling with subtle sensuality, the bliss of spring and the forlornness of the human condition, dream and reality, even a demonstration of puffed-cheek-blowing six hundred years before our time (but more on that later). It also shows mastery of color and technique at the service of expression and poetic sentiment.
    But does symmetry take part in this masterpiece? Not at all. Venus’ neck, arms, and hands, even her face and eyes, are out of proportion, like the limbs of the scene’s other elements.
     More recent periods of painting, Piotr Mondrian (1872-1944), Russian Constructivism (1914-1930), Ameri­can Geometric Abstraction (1950-now), Josef Albers (1888-1976), and Frank Stella (b. 1936), deliberately used geometry as basic to their work. Symmetry, however, is never completely present in their designs. Even if they had used more or less geometric shapes, pure symmetry is moderated by asymmetric intervention.
    Other painters and sculptors, Cubists (Picasso, Matisse, Braque, Léger), Abstract Expressionists (Pol­lock, Rothko, de Kooning) treated asymmetry as the epitome of expression and painted with everything except symmetry.
Why such a long winded introduction on my part? Because symmetry does exist in the world around us. However, it is my contention that symmetry and the flute, in spite of appearances, do not coexist.
    The human body’s configuration during the playing of most instruments (strings and certainly the flute) is asymmetrical by nature. Even the oldest and most exotic representations of flute players show their apparently awkward and off-center positions – arms to the right side, broken wrists and elbows, and tilted necks. Modern flutes have kept that basic position, because experience has proven that it is the best, or at least the least bad.
    Actually, many human activities are asymmetrical: there was a time when it was considered a curse or a perversion to be left-handed. Young lefties were forced to learn to write with their right hand, their left arm tied behind their back. “Sinister” comes from the latin word for “left” and bad, whereas “droit, dritto” was for “right,” honest and good.
    There is sort of a fixation among flute teachers about the symmetry of the embouchure. I do not totally agree with this preoccupation, and I would like to explain why.
    Of course, a teacher should urge a beginner to place the embouchure as close as possible to the center of the mouth. However, when a young person’s sound begins to gain personality and reliability, it might move away from the exact center. Forcing a beginner or intermediate flutist to change their position may delay their progress and pleasure. In my experience, the battle to change an advanced player’s embou­chure to the center has led flute players to doubt themselves and led to psychological problems.
    Assuming a flutist’s position is efficient and the sound does not need improvement, remember the famous words of that unknown American philosopher: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
     It is very rare to see a face that is symmetrical. You might find it amusing to cut someone’s picture down the middle and reassemble it with two left sides or two right sides. It shows quite a different person, mostly because the eyes and the lips are generally not symmetrical.
    Jawbones and tooth shapes, hidden from view, are also predictably asymmetrical. The lips can be thin and linear, which helps the straightness of the embouchure, or fleshy and curved making centering a problem.
     In my view, the quality of tone comes from the way we hear, more than from the symmetry of our embouchure. Many great flutists played from the left side of their mouth: Georges Laurent, Marcel Moyse, Jean-Pierre Rampal, and, more modestly, the writer of these lines. Roger Mather even made a study of this matter.
    What teacher has not been impressed with a perfect position and disappointed by the sound, and vice versa? To teachers, I would say: Don’t torture young people about playing exactly in the center. Pleasure and comfort are more important than symmetry.
    Hand position is more important for flutists of any level. It is extremely important, even for the sound: if the fingers’ action rattle the embouchure, the lack of stability jeopardizes the focus and the articulation.
    The fingers must not pinch the flute. If they do what I call “slam and squeeze,” lifting them is harder and slows down the technique. The flute should be held with fingers that are not trying to create notes.
    How about flappy cheeks? As usual I would say: if it works for you, do it, but I find that it accentuates the asymmetry of any embouchure as usually only one side flaps about. It mimics the vibration of the air, but sound is created by resonance, not by vibration or vibrato. Even if flapping cheeks seem to have an effect in the middle range, they are a hindrance to p/pp attacks in the high range or f/ff attacks in the low range.
    I suggest that young flute players should use the lips, but most of all trust the ears. They tell you what you like better than gimmicks and taboos. Listen to the feedback from the space where you are playing, be it your practice room, the band room, or Carnegie Hall. Listen to yourself and play the room as much as you play your flute. Stop analyzing what you see in the mirror. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the crookedest of them all?” 

The post Symmetry and the Flute appeared first on The Instrumentalist.