Gilbert’s Ghosts
    One of the exercises in Angeleita S. Floyd’s book The Gilbert Legacy: Methods, Exercises and Techniques for the Flutist (Winzer Press: 1990. page 48) is called ghost harmonics. Geoffrey W. Gilbert (English flutist, 1914-1989) used this exercise to develop proper breath pressure and to loosen the embouchure in the third octave. Gilbert’s instructions are as follows:
 
    1.    Finger top B3
    2.    Blow gently to obtain the lower harmonic –d#2. Keep the embouchure still and loose.
    3.    Continue blowing more air, using only breath pressure…to reach the next harmonic – C#3. Do not squeeze the lips or change the embouchure to obtain the harmonic.
    4.    Continue increasing the (air) pressure until reaching the proper top B3.
    5.    This exercise can be repeated descending by half-steps.”

    Practice this exercise until you can play it well. The ghosts are the notes that you will drop down to if you do not stick the landing. Learning where these notes are will help you prevent them from sounding.

High And Soft
    The question is always how do you play high and softly? There are several things to consider. First consider the size of the aperture. The aperture is the opening between your lips. The higher the note is in the flute’s range, the smaller the aperture should be. The lower the note is in the range, the larger the aperture should be. To learn to vary the size of the aperture, gather three straws. One should be a large straw suitable for drinking a shake. The second straw is a smaller one for drinking a soda and the third is a coffee stirrer straw.
    One at a time, place each straw in your mouth while looking in the mirror. Learn what you squeeze or relax to hold each straw in your mouth. This will teach you how to control the size of the aperture. Once you are familiar with the feeling of the aperture with each straw, imitate the feeling without the straws. I find the words: See for a larger aperture, Sue for a medium sized aperture and Pooh (Winnie-The-Pooh) for the smallest sized aperture helpful. The angle of the air stream is an important consideration in playing high notes. Because each flute’s embouchure hole is slightly different, experiment angling the air against the opposite wall in various spots to see what gives you the best results. There is no one answer. Each flute responds differently.
    The speed of the air is another contributing factor to successful high playing. Most flutists err on the side of not keeping the air stream moving when playing softly in the third octave. Choose a spot on the opposite side of the room from where you are standing and think about sending the air to that spot as if you were aiming for a target. This exercise is called target practice.

Lip Attacks
    Many flutists have difficulty getting the aperture small enough. If you experience this problem, practice lip attacks. To execute a lip attack, start with your lips closed. Then, as if saying the letter P or B, gently open the lips while blowing to attack the note. No tongue is used in playing lip attacks.
 
Plucking
    Once you can successfully coordinate lip attacks, practice plucking any third-octave note out of the air very softly. First try a D in the third octave because it is one of the easier notes to pluck and control. Finger the D, attack the note with a lip attack (using P or B) while blowing a steady stream. Play the D as softly as possible (ppp) for about six seconds. To practice this exercise successfully, use a metronome set on quarter = 60 and a tuner. Keep the vocal folds separated. Continue this exercise randomly choosing notes from the third octave.
    For the first several weeks, stop the air for the note ending. Then after a few days of practicing plucking, end the note with a slight taper by making the aperture smaller. Practice this exercise with and without vibrato cycles. Once you are successful with the plucking technique, progress to working with notes in succession.

Arpeggios
    Ascending arpeggios and seventh chords are some of the best note patterns to use when learning skill (See Patricia George’s Extras on Flute Talk website for downloadable major, minor, diminished and augmented arpeggios.) It is much more difficult to ascend with control on the flute than it is to descend. In addition, most places in the literature, whether solo or orchestral where you will be required to stick the landing will be the last note of an arpeggio or seventh chord.

Exercise 1: Traveling Fermata
    When practicing the F major arpeggio slurred, place a fermata on the first note and then proceed with the next 12 notes. Then move the fermata from the first note of the arpeggio to the second note and play the remaining 11 notes. Repeat until you have played the arpeggio with a fermata on each note of the triad ascending and descending. The goal is to make the most beautiful note on each fermata and to develop your embouchure so that you can stop on any note of the phrase. Sticking the landing has a lot to do with being still when you land on a fermata.

Exercise 2: Linger And Go In 7/8
    Play the arpeggios in the following seven rhythms. Once you can play the arpeggios lingering in time on the quarter notes, play this exercise freely as if in a prelude or performing a cadenza. This exercise develops embouchure stability.

Exercise 3: Harmonic Tune Up
    Before playing the arpeggio, play the highest note (F in the third octave) by overblowing a Thumb B flat fingering.  Notice the position of your lips when overblowing the Thumb B flat fingering. This is the position the lips should be in when you reach the F in the third octave arpeggio. Play the entire arpeggio with the lips in this position. Joseph Mariano, the legendary American flutist, remarked in a lesson with me: “you can play low notes on a high note embouchure, but not high on a low embouchure.” This exercise puts his idea into practice. When you progress to the next arpeggio, here are the harmonic-to-regularly fingered note pairings:

    C1 to G2               
   C#1 to G#2
    D1 to A2           
    Eb1 to Bb2           
    E1 to B2
    F1 to C3
    F#1 to C#3   
    G1 to D3
    Ab1 to Eb3
    A1 to E3
    Bb1 to F3
    B to F#3
    C to G3
    C# to G#3

Exercise 4: Five Notes and a Tapering Fermata

    Play the first five notes of a major scale slurred. Place a fermata on the last note. Set the metronome on quarter = 60. Start the five note pattern mf. When you reach the final note, make a diminuendo lasting 12 counts from mf to ppp. Start this exercise on a D in the second octave and repeat on each ascending chromatic step through the third octave. Use vibrato cycles on each note. Do not let the vibrato stop and start as you change from one note to the next.

Exercise 5: Stick the Landing Arpeggios, With a diminuendo and messa di voce

    After working on the previous exercises for a few weeks, you should now be able to open and close the aperture, have a good idea where to angle the air and be able to keep the air stream moving. Not it is time for the final push to polish your landings.
    Play the arpeggio ascending very slowly slurred. Start in F major (then repeat the exercise on each ascending step until the highest note is C in the fourth octave). On the top note diminuendo for 12 counts (q = 60). Use the metronome and the tuner. The goal is to land on the top note exactly in tune and keep the needle or dial still as you diminuendo. If you have difficulty, repeat the previous exercises. Some of the third octave notes are easier to control than others. Practice what you cannot do, rather than what you can do.
    On alternate days, practice a messa di voce on the top note. A messa di voce is when the final note begins pianissimo and then swells to a fortissimo and returns to a pianissimo over several counts. Practice this concept with and without vibrato cycles. Use a tuner and a metronome.

Expression and Nuance
    These exercises help develop control over the shape and dynamic of a note. In order to accomplish this task, use a mirror to check the aperture size regularly. Experiment with changing the angle of the air with the lower lip and the tongue placement. And, most of all, keep the airstream moving at all times. Play on the air.
    The good news is these exercises will help you learn how to “stick the landing” with success and confidence.  However, the bad news is that once you have learned to do it, you will need to continue practicing these exercises several times a week so that your muscles, air and finger co-ordination will alway be in top shape. Record yourself regularly to be sure that you are producing the finest product.

The post Stick The Landing appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

                                 C                                             D
     The right pinky¹ makes no difference in the sound of the C, so why not anticipate and do away with it, using the right ring finger in anticipation and for balance:

                                C                                             D no change

     The same procedure applies for the other connections in the example above: the right ring finger stays down, whether the interval goes up or down. Smoothness and ease help comfort and phrasing, as well as speed if needed.
     There is no alternative for the E fingering but to have the right pinky down. No shortcuts there. But it is good to know that there are only six notes over the whole range of the flute that must be fingered with the right pinky down: 

   
All other notes (except for those on the foot joint and in the 4th octave) can be played without the right pinky.
     Take the connection between F# and G to D, in the low and medium ranges, as in various places of the Mozart G major Concerto:

                                   No Pinkie ________________________________

     Likewise, F natural to D and vice-versa are much more smoothly connected when the pinkie is taken off on the F in anticipation of the D.
     The following example from the Finale of Poulenc’s Sonata shows the possibility to use both the F# (right ring finger) as stabilizer and preparation for the D, as well, later, as facilitator for the D/B repetitive connection. The F natural/D does not need the pinkie down. Finally, the F# can stay down on the B/F# repetition, while it is unimportant whether the pinkie is down or up.

                                 B                                            C#

                                D                                             B

                                 B (5 opt.)                               F# (5 opt.)

     These anticipatory fingerings may seem a little farfetched. My opinion is that a few minutes of concentration and logic are worth hours of mindless practice of the so-called real fingerings. Anticipation and preparation can create better music making, in slow and fast movements. It is not always a bad idea to use one’s head.
     No less an authority than Wally Kujala wrote an exhaustive article² on this same subject , where he says: “I continue to be impressed with (Altès’ ³) rational method for using alternate fingerings.” Unfortunately, this advice does not seem to be followed, as if finding easier and smoother solutions were something to be ashamed of, a cop out, as it were.
     There are many instances, however, where anticipating finger configurations are the fruit of analysis and thought, not just laziness. In all these triads, as in many others, certain fingers can be kept down:

                               F# (5 stays off)                   A & A# (5 off, 4 on)

                              B flat (5 off, 4 on)                     B (5 off, 4 on)


                                E flat (normal                     G flat (normal)


                                 B flat (4 stays on)                   C (4 stays on)

     The only note where the right ring finger must be lifted is the D above the staff.
     The right middle finger can also be left down to facilitate a fast passage or to anticipate a smooth connection between two cantabile notes.
Measure 6 in Aria with flute obbligato from Cantata #212 by J.S. Bach  (Universal Edition)

Throughout this passage the right middle finger can be kept down:

     Even in slow phrases where note connection is musically vital, the E can be anticipated with the same fingering:   

A slow phrase showing preparation is the pp beginning of the beautiful Ibert Concerto slow movement, which is so hard to connect:

                                1st B (anticipates D)           2nd B (anticipates E)

     Finally, when the context permits, it is a good idea to anticipate low C, whether in the low range or when it is needed for the highest D.

From the start of this tricky little lick, there is time to anticipate the low C before the first B, and leave it there until low C:

                                  B (low C on)                     C (low C on)

In the very high notes leading up to the highest D, the quick switch of the pinky to the low C keys is enough to destabilize the flute and cause the D to fail. An excellent example occurs many times in the devilish Finale of the Classical Symphony by Prokofiev, that nightmare of auditioners:

It makes sense to improve stability by preparing the low C fingering at least one beat before, in both cases. The quality of the notes is not affected by the anticipation. The A, which will not speak without the D# key, comes out easily with the low C keys.

                              high G (low C on)                        high A (low C on)

These licks are rare, thank heaven. If the flutist uses his imagination and concentration, however, and anticipates the difficulty, there is a possibility of success.   

1 Debost’s Comments: Three Little Devils (Flute Talk, 1993)
2 Walfrid Kujala: Flute Fingerings in Homage to Henri Altes (Flute Talk, March 1992)
3 Celebre Methode de Flute Henry Altes (1826-1895). (various ditions, including in English). Altes was professor at the Conservatoire National de Paris (1868-1893).

The post Preparing and Thinking Ahead appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    There ensued much study and consultation on the part of the surgeon before he gave me my options. They were to continue therapy and hope that my range of motion would return; cut through the extensor tendon, which runs above the bone on the top of the finger, and wait to see how it healed; or have surgery to lengthen the extensor tendon by 2-4mm allowing the tip of the finger to relax and return to its normal position. I chose the third option because it was the only one that had some control over the outcome.
     Almost immediately I began to deliberate on how and what I would still be able to play and practice. Afraid of loosing my embouchure, I decided that I could continue to work on breathing, long-tones, tone color changes, support, high-note endings and tapers, intonation, and articulations of all types.
    I attempted several methods for stabilizing the end of the flute. Eventually I devised a sling for the foot joint using a small chain that I wrapped with a piece of soft fabric. Two S-hooks allowed this device to be hooked together and the extra length was to hang from another hook or a rod and be totally adjustable for proper playing height. Because the right-hand little finger is the stabilizer for the lower portion of the flute and would be useless because of splints, I needed to be able to brace the flute so I could use the other fingers as normally as possible.
    The day after the surgery, with the finger bandaged and externally splinted, I began to develop a practice routine. For five weeks I practiced the items outlined above. During the fifth week I was allowed to take the splint off and practice regularly for half an hour per day. It quickly became evident, however, that now the fingertip was in the opposite position, which is  called a mallet finger deformity.

    The tip of the finger drooped at almost a 90-degree angle with no way to lift it. The tip was catching on the keys and there was no possible way to lengthen the finger to reach the roller keys on the foot joint.
Shortly after that discovery I went back for more surgery. This time the extensor tendon was shortened by 2mm and the finger was pinned (internally splinted) for five weeks. Now I was totally frustrated with having to return to the same old practice routine. I decided to try placing the right-hand ring finger on the D# key for stability, and by standing in front of a mirror, I could determine how to use the remaining two fingers over three keys. Practicing this way allowed me to play most scales – though slowly and awkwardly at first.
    The amazing discovery for me occurred when the pin was removed and I was finally allowed to practice with no restrictions. I actually found myself going back to my nine-finger routine rather than using all 10 fingers.
    I hope that my story will encourage others to seek solutions to similar physical challenges rather than giving up or putting the instrument away. Decide what aspects of flute playing you are able to work on and develop a plan that will make it happen. Do not be afraid to leave out a few notes you cannot play. Just keep the rhythm steady and play the notes you can with the best sound, intonation, tone color, etc. possible. You will be so glad you did when you can finally return to being a ten-fingered flutist! 

Notes:
1 eMedicine online, s.v. “Orthopedic Surgery – Boutonniere deformity,” (accessed June 17, 2010).
2 eMedicine online, s.v. “Orthopedic Surgery – Mallet finger,” (accessed June 17, 2010).

The post The Tale of the Nine-Fingered Flutist appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Modes
    After you are comfortable with and have memorized the major scales and all three forms of the minor scales, add modes to your practicing. There are two ways to learn them.

    1. Study all of one mode
    2. Learn them within a certain key.

    The first is a more thorough method, but either way, choose the approach that is most similar to how you learned the major and minor scales. Just like major and minor scales, you should be able to hear and feel the modes after you understand the formula.

Ionian: This mode is the same as the major scale pattern starting on the tonic.
    Formula: WWHWWWH

Dorian: Starts on the second scale degree or supertonic.
    Formula: WHWWWHW

Phrygian: Starts on the third scale degree or mediant.
    Formula: HWWWHWW

Lydian: Starts on the fourth scale degree or subdominant.
     Formula: WWWHWWH

Mixolydian: Starts on the fifth scale degree or dominant.
    Formula: WWHWWHW

Aeolian: This mode is the natural minor scale. It starts on the sixth scale degree or submediant.
    Formula: WHWWHWW

Locrian: Starts on the seventh scale degree or subtonic.
    Formula: HWWHWWW

Example of Modes in Repertoire
    Howard Hanson’s Serenade for Solo Flute, Harp and String Orchestra includes several examples of consecutive modes used in runs. The example below is bars three and four after rehearsal number four. Hanson composed four runs consisting of G# Phrygian, C#  Aeolian and A Lydian.

    Malcolm Arnold’s Concerto for Flute and Strings also exemplifies the use of modes as runs. In the third movement, Arnold wrote a C Mixolydian that ends on a D eighth note to arrive at rehearsal letter C with the theme.

    In Flute Music by French Composers for Flute and Piano edited by Louis Moyse there are numerous examples of modes.
Of course there are two ways to looking at the appearance of modes in repertoire.
    1. You can view them as the major scale starting on a certain scale degree: this a straightforward, less time consuming approach.
    2. You can view them as the actual mode they represent. I prefer the challenge of this second strategy.

Acoustic Scale
     In the spring of 2006, I read 14 composer biographies and other music related books in a matter of three to four months. One of the biographies, The Master Musicians: Bartok by Paul Griffiths, sparked my interest in Bartok’s music and also introduced me to the acoustic scale.
     The acoustic scale is derived from the overtone series. If you take a major scale and raise the fourth and lower the seventh notes, you have the acoustic scale pattern. Another way to look at it is that it combines the Lydian and Mixolydian modes. After learning the modes, this is a fairly simple pattern to get under your fingers.
     Formula: WWWHWHW

     Again Malcolm Arnold’s Concerto for Flute and Strings provides a clear example. In movement three, two bars after rehearsal letter G, there is a long run of four and a half measures that is a  C acoustic scale.

Diminished Scale
     Jazz often includes the diminished scale. Vital Elements for the Jazz Flutist by Jordan Ruwe demonstrates this pattern. Once I was familiar with it, I started to notice it in classical repertoire.
     Formula: WHWHWHW

     In the first movement of Robert Muczynski’s Sonate for Flute and Piano, the measure before rehearsal number one contains a diminished scale starting on A flat.

Whole Tone Scale
     The whole tone scale is a series of six pitches built on whole steps. This is a great pattern during your daily warm-up because it lends itself nicely to experimenting with articulations and dynamics. I like to encompass three octaves where possible.
     Formula: WWWWWW

     This example from Jacque Ibert’s Flute Concerto is not a whole tone scale in its straight-forward form. Two measures before rehearsal number 55 in the third movement, Ibert wrote this wonderful sequence of four sextuplets. By dissecting the pattern, you will find multiple whole tone scales.

     Take the 1st and 4th notes of each group and the 2nd and 5th notes of each group to form a descending whole tone scale on Ab and G (with some enharmonic spellings). This actually occurs other times in the movement on different starting pitches.

Chromatic Scale
     The chromatic scale pattern is built on a sequence of 12 half steps ascending in sharps and descending in flats. The real benefit to having chromatic scales under your fingers is recognizing when a pattern in a piece is only partially chromatic.
     Formula: HHHHHHHHHHHH

     This example from Aram Khachaturian’s Concerto is 17 measures into the first movement’s cadenza. It is one of those devious passages that looks chromatic but is actually not entirely chromatic. The whole step from F to G on beat four breaks the chromatic pattern.

Other Scale Patterns
     The following scale patterns are also worth learning because they often appear in flute literature and have an interesting sound quality. A variety of scale patterns for warm-ups breaks up the monotony of the daily routine. These scales are fun, and sometimes more of a challenge than the major and minor scales!

Major Pentatonic

Formula: WW m3 W m3

Minor Pentatonic

Formula: m3 WW m3 W

Gypsy Scale

Formula: WH A2 HH A2 H

    Although some of these scales have only one or two possible note patterns, it is possible for them to have any starting note, so it is worth learning them on every note. Different fingering patterns coming from or going to certain notes can cause difficulties. During scale work, focus on these new patterns, so that they are quickly remembered when you encounter them in the literature. 

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     The 60 Style Drills (see the right two columns on the chart below) are applied to Taffanel & Gaubert’s Exercise #4, which is repeated twice through in its entirety. Six keys are actually repeated more than once because they are also played an octave higher. By starting with a different scale each day and continuing down the left side of the chart in order, you will be thoroughly entertained by playing all scale patterns with all sorts of styles (dynamics, articulations, and rhythms). The transitional passage at the end of each key should played as fluidly as possible, slurring all notes together in a slow, gorgeous manner.
     At first this may seem cumbersome, but after getting the hang of each Style Drill, you will be able to make it through the entire 60 scales (24 keys + 6 octave transpositions x 2 = 60) in 30 minutes. This is a great way to play the Scale Game through in its entirety each day, when your schedule allows.
     First and foremost, have fun!  Stretch your limits. For example, when pianissimo is indicated, see where the breaking point is. When does sound no longer come out? Once you find that point, you can ride along the line just above this breaking point, while pushing the breaking point softer and softer each day. 
     Similarly, if a passage is to be played slur four/tongue four (#24), ask yourself: “How short can I play the staccato notes? How much can I connect can the slurred notes?” By carefully considering these ideas, you will soon discover in yourself a beautifully centered tone that you can play in all ranges, at all dynamic levels.
     Each day I enjoy choosing an emotion with which to play each drill. For example, I might convey Anger while playing #40 (halves and 16ths, slur, forte, fast) on a D-flat major, 8va scale. I might choose to soar through a B-minor scale during #34, playing as if riding on the wind, or I might be a mouse quietly scurrying through my rural house during #43. I could possibly curl up by the fire, lulling me to sleep with its warmth, during #3.
     While it is important to be critical with yourself so that you play these drills as accurately as possible, this game is not designed for you to sit on one drill for an hour until you get it right. That would quickly lead to boredom, which is entirely not the idea here. Keep going; make a mental note of problems that arise, and fix them the next time the same problems pop up. Enjoy the Scale Game!

Key Rotation
     Taffanel & Gaubert #4 is played all the way through, twice every day, but  each day you start in a different place in the exercise. The style drills you apply, however, always begin with #1 on the chart. Therefore, you are applying various articulations, dynamics, and tempos to different keys than you did the day before. Where 8va is marked, replay the section you just played at the higher octave, then proceed to the next key.

For Example:
     First Day: Begin at C major with style drill #1 (Slur, mf, medium). After playing the C major section, go back to the beginning and play the C major key again an octave higher. As you reach the next key marked in the key column, change to the next style. So C major 8va would be played in the second style of slur, ff, fast. When you finish this key, begin playing the A minor section using style drill #3. Continue through the keys and style drills through #30. Don’t forget to include the keys marked to be played an octave higher. You will play the first 30 style drills on the first time through the exercise. Then repeat the key column (C major through E minor)with style drills #31-60.

     Second Day: Begin at C Major 8va; with Style Drill #1 (Slur, mf, medium); work on down the key column, changing keys and octaves as indicated while also moving through Style Drills 1-30, which are now displaced by one number. In other words, C major 8va, with style drill #1, A minor with style drill #2, F major with style drill #3, D minor with style drill #4, and so on. When you finish the E minor section (playing #29), go back to the beginning of the exercise and play the C major key with style #30. Then start back at C major 8va with style #31 and continue through the keys again.

     Third Day: Begin at A minor in the key column with style drill #1, and continue through the keys, their repetitions, and style drills, which are now displaced by two numbers. In other words, A minor with style drill #1, F major with style drill #2, D minor with style drill #3, and so on.
     Continue in this fashion for 30 days until you have once again reached the first day. Keep track of your daily starting point by placing a paper clip next to the key for the next day.
When you are pressed for time, just play through the key column once with the first 30 style drills (15 minutes) and play the other 30 style drills on the following day.

How to Read the Chart

TT = single tongue
TK = double tongue
TKT = triple tongue
KK = single tongue using “K” as the only articulation
“Hu Hu” = short, pointed articulation using only breath and abdominal muscles
pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff = dynamic indications
very slow, slow, medium, fast, very fast = tempo indications

The post Michel Debosts Scale Game with revisions appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

The Problem
    As a flutist and physical therapist, I can certainly appreciate what young flutists go through during marching season. When standing at attention and playing, a number of things are occurring in the body. Because the far end of the flute and right shoulder are pulled back, the spine is forced to curve to the left. As the thoracic spine (rib cage level) is not very mobile, the lower lumbar spine and the higher cervical spine (neck) do most of the bending. The left shoulder blade moves forward, and the right is displaced towards the center of the back. The left collarbone, easily felt at the top front of the chest, aids in bringing the left arm and shoulder blade forward.
    The issue becomes even more complicated when you consider all the muscles that have to work to achieve and maintain this marching band position. The shoulder joint is one of the most mobile joints in the body and is held in place by a complicated group of muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Many of the muscles that lift and turn the arms arise from the shoulder blade. In order for that to work, the shoulder blade must be stabilized. The muscles that do this are attached to the spine and rib cage.

    With the spine and rib cage pulled so far from their normal position asymmetrically, you can see why flutists develop back soreness and fatigue. Take a look (see above) at the levator scapulae, the rhomboids, and the trapezius and imagine the pull they must exert to bring the right shoulder blade back. These same muscles are stretched out on the left side as the muscles of the chest pull the left shoulder blade forward. At the same time, the muscles that attach the shoulder blade to the upper arm, collectively called the rotator cuff, must work to turn the arms as needed and keep them in the right place. Notice the supraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor that lie on top of the shoulder blade and the subscapularis that lies underneath it. These muscles along with the deltoids and trapezius lift the arms as they hold the flute up, again in an asymmetrical fashion. In addition, muscles up and down the spinal column are working to hold it in this crooked position.

Consequences
    With the right hand cocked backward, the right elbow is more prone to develop lateral epicondylitis, or what is commonly called tennis elbow. Many students have a rounded thoracic spine from either weak core strength or the many hours spent studying or in front of a computer. When they combine this forward posture with the right arm elevation required by the horizontal position of the flute while marching, right-sided shoulder impingement can easily occur. The increased spinal curves in the neck and lower back can cause pain, fatigue, and eventually muscular imbalances. To combat problems such as these, marching flutists need a strong program of not only strengthening and aerobic exercise, but asymmetrical stretches targeting specific muscle groups.

A Well-Balanced Position
    At the opposite end of the spectrum from this situation is the position of artistry. A well-balanced, neutrally aligned set-up for a flutist should be taught as a foundation for solid playing technique. The feet are hip distance apart and at right angles to each other. As seen in the photo (left), the end of the flute is far forward of the plane of the body with the head turned to the left about forty-five degrees. Both shoulders and elbows are down, placing them as close to a neutral position as possible. The flute has a natural angle of droop, which necessitates a slightly asymmetrical embouchure. As the cut of the embouchure hole is typically asymmetrical, this position allows the flutist to match his flute better. The spine is much more aligned in this position; only the cervical (neck) area is rotated. A rightward tilt of the head, seen so often in flutists, can be minimized if not eliminated using this stance. This adapts easily to a seated position, with the chair at a forty-five degree angle to the music stand.
    Both the marching band stance and the position of artistry should be taught to young flutists well before marching season. They should not use the marching band stance when they are in the band room sitting in a concert band set-up to practice the marches they will be playing on the field. Their flutes should be gently angled downward, their chairs; their bodies should be at a right angle to the stand; and their heads should be turned to the left. Save the marching position for outside.
    Students should have a good understanding of the differences between the two positions and know how to switch between them. A good way to differentiate these two positions is to practice going back and forth between them. Start in the marching position, and then while keeping the head, arms, and flute stationary, turn the right hip outward to the right, bringing the right foot back and pointing to the side. Now you are in the position of artistry. Return to the marching band position.

Further Remedies
    The awkwardness and fatigue factor of the marching position for flutists can be avoided in several different ways. The most obvious is to not use flutes at all in marching bands. A radical idea, but the flute sound is not well suited to a football stadium. Piccolos can at least be heard and are much easier to manage. Flutists can use this as an opportunity to learn a second instrument, such as the lyre or some other member of the percussion family. (I learned to twirl so that I could avoid marching with my flute.) Flag bearers are another alternative. If flutists do march with a flute, they should buy a second-hand curved headjoint. The reach is lessened significantly, and the flute won’t stick out to the side as much. As with the piccolo, there is also less chance of running into another bandsman and less strain on the arms and upper back. Marching band directors could also use the position of artistry when the band plays in a stationary formation.
    Flute teachers should educate both their students and band directors about these different positions and the physical problems that can arise. With more awareness of the difficulties of the marching position, hopefully band directors and the judges of marching competitions will become more open to providing alternatives for marching flutists.  

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Practicing the Switch
    When asked about practice and warm up on both instruments, Jackson describes what she calls the Switch.
    “During the second five years in Vancouver I always warmed up on flute and then moved on to piccolo. Gradually I got to the point where I could  start the day with piccolo. Now the instrument I choose to warm up on first depends upon what I am playing that day.
    “I really don’t have the problem of losing my flute low register after lots of piccolo playing, although I know some players do. If you play piccolo properly and are intelligent about the switch, you won’t experience that difficulty. When you make the switch from one instrument to the other, you need to flip a switch in your brain that says ‘I am now playing a different instrument.’ The transition between the two instruments is hard for people because they ease into it. They continue to play the first instrument in their head while trying to begin the second.”
    “I worked on switching instruments by putting the flute and piccolo parts on a music stand and playing the piece in the order of the switches. If I didn’t like what I was hearing, I would take the second instrument, perhaps the piccolo, play that part and then switch back to the last couple measures of the flute part, then switch back to piccolo again. I did this over and over, until the switch worked.
    “The questions is ‘What do you want the second instrument to sound like?’ Practice that, explore it,  and then go back to the last little bit of the first instrument’s music. Play that, and then switch again and recreate the feel of the second instrument. Learn to make the switch quickly. There is not time to ease into it. Now I have absolutely no problem, except when I haven’t played one of the instruments for a long time. Then the embouchure muscles may be out of shape, but that is different from the mental adjustment. I make every change that is necessary for a switch, including air usage, sound production, shape of throat, where the tongue sits in the mouth, the shape of the lips, etc..
    “It is human nature to suddenly tense up when going to a smaller instrument. We automatically tighten every single muscle that we think we will use to play piccolo. What we have to learn is how to use only the specific muscles that are necessary. You do use a slightly firmer muscle on piccolo, but it is not tight; you are simply using smaller muscles that are closer to the embouchure hole.”

Lip Plate Placement
    “I also think that it is important to place the piccolo slightly higher on the lip, although I also play with my flute higher on the lip than most flutists. It opens up the sound. You can produce a much bigger sound when the instrument is up a bit higher, but it is harder to control pitch and dynamics. Air is akin to gas in a car. You want to go faster or play louder, give more gas, give more air. The danger in giving more air is that, as the air speed increases, notes tend to split, get sharp, and thin out. That is not an issue of using more air, but of being able to open up the embouchure, and part of that is bringing the tongue down in the mouth and widening the throat.
    “Flutists talk about opening the throat, but the idea of widening the throat is also valuable. I like to say AH because that syllable drops the jaw without affecting the embouchure. The concept of a yawn is absolutely correct, but I find that when people think about a yawn, they actually start to yawn, which isn’t what we are going for.

Air Quantity
    “A good breath is like a silver tray carrying your sound all the way to the back of the hall. We need to take just as large a breath on the piccolo as we do on the flute, even if we don’t need the air. Because the instrument is so much smaller and has a reverse conical bore, it has very little resonance in the instrument itself, much less than the flute. The wall is actually denser in a wooden instrument, so a wooden piccolo lacks even more resonance. We should create the resonance in our bodies – in our mouth, throat, and chest. Even if I have only three notes to play in an orchestral passage, or just one staccato note, I take the biggest breath that I can to make the space and create a resonant sound. My body becomes the vibrating chamber, similar to the body of a cello.

Audition for Los Angeles
    The rest of the flute community was about to think of Jackson first as a piccolo player. One of those many auditions was for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. “Similar to the Vancouver audition, I felt like I played my absolute best in Los Angeles. Both auditions felt like perfect auditions to me. I played the musical passages the way I wanted to with the sound I wanted to use in Los Angeles; I was focused. The flute and piccolo switches were solid, and I felt that I showed myself the best I possibly could. That does not mean that I actually played a flawless audition!
I know I must have chipped a note slightly or played something a bit out of tune Playing perfectly to me, whether at an audition or a performance, is not about never making a mistake. It is about conveying good intonation, sound, various tone colors, good technique, and unwavering commitment to your musical ideas.
    “There is a funny story about that audition. Just before the semi-final round I was sitting in a practice room, and accidentally dropped my piccolo. Never in my life had that happened before. I was staring in disbelief at my piccolo on the floor when a knock came at the door; it was my turn to play. I played a few notes, then off we went. There was no time to worry about it. Ultimately, the piccolo was fine, but it was not the way I wanted to start an audition round!”

Playing the Space
    A new orchestra, new job, and new performance hall can require some adjustments. Jackson made her share. “My first year with the Los Angeles Philharmonic was also the inauguration of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. What a hall. In some ways the fact that no one knew exactly how to play in this new hall took a bit of the edge off my beginnings there. Then again, there was a whole lot of Pomping and Circumstancing going on. The L.A. Phil is definitely bigger than the Vancouver Symphony, so playing there took some getting used to. I eventually switched piccolos.
    “In Vancouver I had played a grenadilla piccolo with a cocus headjoint. I find that cocus provides a slightly sweeter sound than grenadilla, but it is also a slightly smaller sound. In L.A. I was pushing the cocus headjoint further in forte passages than was best for the instrument. I bought an all-grenadilla piccolo, and that is what I play on now. I also have an all-cocus piccolo that I use in smaller groups like chamber music. I am about to get a grenadilla piccolo with a new C#-trill key mechanism.”

Teaching
    The greater Los Angeles area has many colleges and universities, but when Jackson arrived all the flute teaching positions were filled. Over time she has built up a studio at home. She now has a student in a masters program in piccolo performance at Azusa Pacific University. “I love teaching, when I can find the time. I also go out and teach masterclasses. In October I went to Caracas, Venezuela to teach masterclasses and private lessons. In late February I will be in Salisbury, Maryland to play a flute and a piccolo concerto with the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra and teach a masterclass at the Salisbury University. I will play and teach at the 2011 International Piccolo Symposium this in Omaha, Nebraska.”
  
     “Students are often afraid to experiment and try something that may not work well. I was never afraid for it to sound bad. You have to find out what doesn’t work, just as much as you need to figure out what does. Try to make it sound worse and think about everything you are doing. This will show you the appropriate direction in which to go to improve it. I warm up with tone exercises every day and ask myself each time, ‘Can I be more open and relaxed. I am probably more open and relaxed now than I was a year ago. If you are not moving forward, then you are moving back.
    “I have analyzed very carefully how to play the instrument in all its tiny details, and I can tell you that I have learned more about piccolo playing by teaching piccolo players. A student will come for a piccolo lesson, and when they leave my husband teases me by asking, ‘Did you learn much?’ By teaching I see a different way of doing something because what works for me doesn’t always work for the other person. When you are dealing with such a small aperture, millimeters of differences, the physical shape of someone’s embouchure makes a big difference. Maybe they cannot do it the same way you do. Because I have experimented a great deal, I either have an answer or a suggestion for students, or I encourage them to experiment. I show them that it is all right to drop a note to figure out that it doesn’t work. There is no growth without failure. I think I have grown tremendously as a player because of my students.”

Chamber Music
    Chamber music opportunities abound in Los Angeles, and Jackson participates in them frequently. “Obviously, more is on flute than on piccolo, but that’s fine because it allows me to play some really meaty flute music; 4th flute in the orchestra just doesn’t satisfy somehow.
    “The Philharmonic has two chamber music series that I play in regularly. One is a straight-forward chamber music series where we put groups together ourselves and submit those ideas for approval in the next year’s planning. The other is a contemporary music series made up mostly of small groups; most often a conductor is involved.
    “I have a woodwind quintet that I play in regularly; just last week we performed for the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (pictured above). It was so much fun, and I always find playing for kids so satisfying.”
Jackson is married to conductor Clyde Mitchell, who was Resident and Associate Conductor of the Vancouver Symphony, where they met. He started Sinfonia, a Vancouver chamber orchestra, and now flies between Los Angeles and Vancouver to maintain his ties with the organization. He does a fair amount of conducting abroad, and Jackson joins her husband on these trips when she can get away from the orchestra. The couple’s other passion is cooking and they enjoy exploring interesting flavors on their many trips outside of the U.S. Sarah Jackson is also serving on the board of the National Flute Association through 2013.   

The post Making the Switch to Piccolo Seem Easy, An Interview with Sarah Jackson appeared first on The Instrumentalist.