Everyone knows that studying and practicing scales is good for you. Yet, too many of us not only neglect this type of practice, but also allow our understanding of scale theory to get rusty. We forget that scale study, in addition to being indispensable for technical development, also increases our musical understanding – which is the real reason it helps our technique.

    There is no better time than the start of this school year to "go back to the fundamentals," hence this article on the structure of the major scale. May I suggest that you use this material for your student flutists who need the review and, even more so, for those who never really learned much about scales in the first place.

Keyboard Practice

    Even if you don’t play the piano, you should acquaint yourself with the layout of the piano keyboard, for this will help you to visualize scale construction that much better. If you have a piano at home or one is available at school, play on it the examples given here. Being able to feel as well as see the music on the keyboard will help you to hear it more accurately.

    This should be, after all, one of our main goals – to be able to recognize types of scales and intervals by both sight and sound. You will soon notice that keyboard practice (you needn’t spend much time at it, or do it regularly) will give you an additional perspective resulting in a more fluent flute technique.

    The scale in Figure 1 is the familiar C scale that can be played on the piano, using only the white keys:

    We call this a major scale – made up of eight tones arranged in a distinctive pattern of rising whole (w) and half (h) steps: Note that there are 5 ws and 2 hs.

    Now let’s construct other major scales starting at different points on the keyboard. Try G first. If you play eight consecutive tones on the white keys beginning with G, you will notice the "false" ending to the scale. The F does not fit. Without even having memorized "w-w-h-w-w-w-h," you will instinctively correct the F by playing the black key located to its right. You have thus raised (or sharped) the F by a half-step, and we call this note "F-sharp" (F#). You see how this now fits the w-w-h-w-w-w-h pattern.
 

 
    The seventh degree of a major scale (F# in G major, B in C major) is called the leading tone because of its tendency to lead or resolve upward by a half-step.

    Now try F as the beginning of a scale, using only the white keys. Here again you’ll recognize a flaw in the sound of the scale, though not at the leading tone as before. Referring to w-w-h-w-w-w-h con-firms your suspicion that B is too high. It has to be lowered (or flatted) a half-step. We strike the black key located to the left of B and call it "B-flat" (Bb). The F major scale looks like this on the staff:

    Here are two more examples of major scale construction beginning on D and Bb, and which follow the w-w-h-w-w-w-h formula:

    Complete these major scales. Play them on the piano, then on the flute. Continue practicing them through a two-octave range, up and down:

Is F Better Than E#?

    You have noticed by now that some of the notes have two different names, depending on the scale in which they appear. For example, the black key to the right of G is called G# if in A major, and Ab if in Eb major. In some scales, even the white keys can have dual names. For example, E# in F# major is the same as F in C major. Notes like these, that have two different names but sound the same, are called en-harmonic notes. During the course of practicing your scales, you will become very fluent with enharmonic notes.

    Question: For the sake of simplicity, wouldn’t it be easier to perform music if E# were written as F, B# as C, Cb as B, and so on? One way to answer this question is to ask another: For the sake of simplicity, wouldn’t it be easier to read words if eight were written as ate, chord as cord, weigh as way, eye as I, know as no, and so on?

    Play this passage on the piano and then the flute:

    Confusing, isn’t it? The scale of F# major

may not be as easy to play as a C major scale, but at least it is much easier to read and understand in Figure 10 than in Figure 9. You see now that identical sounds in music as well as language can have entirely different meanings, and that these meanings can be made clear by their spelling and usage.

Key Signatures

    During our scale construction project you will recall that we wrote the required sharps or flats just to the left of the affected notes. If a piece of music stays mainly in one key, the same sharps or flats will be used throughout. To keep repeating the symbols would be tedious and make the music look cluttered, so a shorthand system of key signatures is used. The key signature is placed to the right of the clef sign like this:

    It simply tells you that, until further notice, all Fs, Cs, Gs, and Ds during the piece are to be sharped in all octaves. There are 14 key signatures altogether, not counting C major, which needs no signature. Here is a complete chart of them. Notice that, as the signatures expand, the new sharp or flat is placed slightly to the right of the last one:

    You should memorize all the signatures – both the names of the keys and the order of the sharps and flats. It would not take too long to memorize them if you just sat down and studied them carefully. But for permanent retention there is no substitute for everyday use of the key signatures, so that you will be as familiar with them as you are with the multiplication table. That is one of the purposes of daily scale practice.

    As you practice scales on your flute, you’ll probably find a tendency to simply observe the various sharps and flats in the signatures, without remembering the names of the keys and the corresponding signatures. When practicing scales, always make a conscious effort to associate the key name. Once in a while, as a check, quiz yourself on the keys and signatures. They will soon be indelibly etched in your memory. Occasionally you should ask one of your friends to aid you by naming the 15 different starting notes in a random sequence; then see how quickly you can respond with the correct scale on the flute.

Try Singing

    Although I have pointed out the importance of feeling and seeing scales on the piano keyboard as a way of understanding them better on the flute, the ultimate test of your mastery is how well you hear the component intervals of a scale. An excellent ear-training exercise is to alternately play and sing the notes of a scale. Here is a suggested pattern to be practiced in various keys. The numbers represent the degrees of the scale. Play the uncircled numbers, and sing or hum in your most comfortable vocal register the circled ones:

    Finally, try this more difficult test of fingering and hearing sensitivity:

    You can invent an infinite number of variations (including descending patterns) to this exercise.

An Investment

    The practice of scales remains one of the most reliable methods for developing technique, but it is important that finger dexterity be coupled with theoretical under-standing if that practice is to be most effective. I have found that the time spent explaining these fundamentals to students has been returned in accelerated progress.

The post The 5 Ws of the Major Scale appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    In logging well over a thousand parades and concerts as a young bandsman in school and the service, I honestly don’t know how I would have coped without my Db piccolo. First, it saved me from an otherwise unvaried diet of Eb, Ab, and Db major; second, I gained a most welcome reprieve from that tortuous, temperamental high Ab, the bane of most piccoloists.

    Assigning the most amenable key signatures for the majority block of Bb and Eb instruments has long been traditional in band music, and accounts for the overuse of the flat keys for the hapless C instruments. Thus, when the trumpets and clarinets are playing in F major, the flutes are in Eb. Bb major for the trumpets and clarinets is Ab for the flutes, and so on. Consequently, the C instruments are seldom allowed to venture into sharp territory, for this puts a burden on the others by adding two or three sharps to their signatures.

    Faced with such a negative flat bias, the only way the piccoloist can enjoy a more reasonably balanced group of key signatures is to switch to a Db instrument (which is, in fact, one reason it was originally introduced into the band). One flat for the trumpet then translates into two sharps for the piccolo, two flats into one sharp, three flats into natural, and so on.

    The piccolo solo in The Stars and Stripes Forever is a perfect example. The C piccolo plays in Ab major, requiring the use of the G# key for 46 of the 121 printed notes. The Db piccolo, on the other hand, plays in the key of G, and only two of the 121 notes need the G# key. The left hand technique becomes smoother, permitting a crisper and more brilliant execution of the opening trills and a big reduction in the number of contrary and cross-fingering movements throughout the solo. In addition, with the replacement of the harsh sounding high Ab by G, these important top notes gain more stability and better tuning and quality. This is especially important when the entire piccolo section plays the solo in unison. The orchestral version of Stars and Stripes, by the way, is in the concert key of G, favoring the C piccolo by making its part identical to that of the Db, piccolo in the band.

    Speaking of orchestral keys, there also happen to be some C piccolo passages in the symphonic literature that can be played more advantageously on the Db instrument. The most famous one is the solo in the Scherzo (third movement) of the Tchaikovsky Fourth Symphony. Transposing it down a half-step from Db major to C major for the Db piccolo improves its lay at least 100%. I have had much success with that version since 1958, when I first played it with the Chicago Symphony. It is still difficult enough in C major, but at least the fingerings have a more logical flow. The crucial F to Eb fingering change in the 32nd note group, for example, is simplified to E going to D, and that strangely empty feeling in the fingers when playing open Db is replaced by a confident first finger on C natural.

Suggestions for performing the Stars and Stripes solo:

1. If you have only a C piccolo, remember that you can improve the sound and response of the high Ab by adding the second and third fingers of the right hand to the regular fingering:

It is a more complicated fingering, but well worth the trouble to learn. I use it almost exclusively for high Abs, even for most fast passages.

2. It is customary to add trills to the third quarter notes in bars 25 through 27 – shown here in parentheses. These are not in the printed parts.

3. The trill sign over the first note of bar 21 is missing in the standard published C piccolo part.

4. In bars 2, 6, and 18 you can use the trill fingering for the second eighth note.

5. All the quarter and eighth notes in the solo should be played with a crisp staccato, and apropos of this style, all the quarter note trills are played with just one quick accented trill (like a mordent). Naturally, all of the eighth notes are double tongued.

6. Memorize it!

The post Stress and Strain Forever, but Not with a Db Piccolo appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    Imagine yourself at an orchestra concert: every time the violinists begin to play a new phrase they raise their bows two feet above their violins. At the specified moment they bring them crashing down viciously on the strings to make the attack. Ridiculous? Yes – very. In fact, that doesn’t really happen; but that is exactly the effect you hear when listening to some wind players.

    In the early days woodwind instruments were quite imperfect. In order to get them to speak – to respond – the player had to tongue violently, using a sharp attack. But this is no longer necessary and is certainly unmusical. Our modern instruments are very well designed – almost perfect. We need only give them the merest attack to back up the air. The air pressure makes the volume (dynamic level) of the tone, not the tongue. You can’t play fortissimo with the tongue; you can only play fortissimo with the air. And if you do play fortissimo with the air you may still tongue pianissimo.

    A sharp attack with the tongue is not desirable. Instead of tonguing with a t sound, you should begin the syllable with a d sound (de, do, du). The tongue should always be "at ease" in the mouth – very relaxed and natural – never tight or tense. It must never stop the note or cut off the air. Once the attack is given, the tongue stays out of the way; it must not return to the roof of the mouth until it is time for the next d syllable.

    Tonguing on a wind instrument is directly comparable to bowing on a string instrument. The use of the tongue is merely the way a wind player achieves a slur or a non-slur (nuance marks). String players achieve this with the many forms of bowing. They do not lift or stop the bow when they change the bow. They keep the bow moving as much as possible and just change the direction. In wind playing you keep the air moving constantly, like the bow, and merely make a small, gentle change with the tongue (the d syllable) behind or through the air. The air does not stop because you are tonguing; it must keep moving.

    The length of the note you play has nothing to do with the tongue, or the attack of the note. The length depends only on how much air you give at any one time. If you want a short note you give air of short duration. If you want a long note you give more extended air. There may be any type of attack for any length of note. You may have a very short note (that is, giving very little air) with a soft attack or a crisp attack. You may have a very long note (continuous air) with a sharp attack or a soft attack. The attack has nothing whatsoever to do with the length of the note. The type of attack which you choose to use should depend on what is required by the music – the style or mood.

    This also applies to staccato. Staccato does not mean short – as short as possible. It means shorter than written. If you have a staccato 32nd note, it would certainly be much shorter than a staccato 8th note or quarter note. Some players see staccato and immediately attack viciously – very sharply – and play as short as they possibly can. This is distracting and therefore detracts from the music. The type of staccato used depends on the mood of the music. The staccato 8th note in a serenade or romance will certainly not be as short or sharp as a staccato 8th note in a march. A march 8th note will be crisp and shorter than one in a romance or serenade. Certainly in a serenade the attack of a staccato note will be very soft – very gentle – no matter what the dynamic level. Remember, the volume comes from the air only and also has nothing whatsoever to do with attack.

    When tonguing rapid passages (e.g., 16th notes) there is no need to tongue them especially short or crisp even if they are marked staccato, because a 16th note in a fast tempo is a note of very short duration anyway. If you play the notes fast with the fingers and you use a natural tongue with continuous air, you will have an effect much like a string player bowing the same fast notes. The string player merely makes the bow change – up, down, up, down. That is the sound you strive for on a wind instrument. The violinist does not lift his bow off the string after every 16th note and come crashing back down, nor should you simulate such an attack with your tongue. I repeat, the notes are already short enough by the fact that the duration of the 16th note is short.

    If the passage is so fast, or the type of sound you desire suggests that you should use double tonguing instead of single tonguing, the process involved is basically the same. That is, instead of using a t sound followed by a k sound, you should use a d syllable and a g syllable such as de ge or do go.

    Tonguing should never be obtrusive or superimposed on the performance. People do not go to concerts to hear tonguing, they go to hear music. Tonguing is only a part of the technique of playing an instrument and should never be an isolated device; it must fit in. It is merely an implement to help convey the composer’s instructions and musical message. Tonguing for the sake of tonguing is nothing.

The post Too Much Tongue in Tonguing appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    Somewhere back in the nineteenth century it became fashionable to call various composers by such titles as "Beethoven of the Violin," "Beethoven of the Guitar," "Beethoven of the Harp," etc. For many years now, Friedrich Kuhlau has been the recognized and undisputed "Beethoven of the Flute."

    Kuhlau was born in Hanover, Germany, of German parentage, in 1786. At a very early age he showed such remarkable musical talent that his parents, although poor, arranged for the child to have piano lessons. When only seven, he lost the sight of one eye through a fall while fetching water from a well on a dark evening. However, this misfortune seems to have caused no diminishing of his enthusiasm for music, for he was soon afterwards sent to Brunswick, where he entered a choir and received lessons not only in singing but also on piano, flute, and violin. Later he went to Hamburg and studied composition under C. F. Schwencke, who had been a pupil of the famous Kirnberger.

    In 1810, when twenty-four years of age. Kuhlau went to Copenhagen where he supported himself by teaching piano and theory. In 1813 he was appointed first flutist (unsalaried) in the orchestra of the Royal Chapel and the Opera, receiving the title of "Chamber-Musician to the King of Denmark." He now achieved his first great success as a composer, not with his flute compositions, but with a series of operas. Danish national opera had not been in a very flourishing condition, and Kuhlau succeeded in bringing it to a peak of success with operas of a pronounced national character, in which he skillfully introduced many of the famous old Danish folk-songs and national scenery. (The Robber’s Castle, 1814; The Magic Harp, 1817; Elisa, 1820; Lulu, 1824.) Various honors came to him. In 1818 he was appointed salaried court composer, and in 1828 received the title of "Professor." So successful was he with his Danish-oriented operatic works that his original nationality was quite over-looked and he was hailed as "the great Danish composer."

Writing for the Flute

    All the while that he was achieving renown with his operas, Kuhlau was quietly composing an imposing number of works for his favorite instrument, the flute. It is interesting to note that his reputation today rests chiefly on his flute music; the operas and even the sonatas and sonatinas for piano two and four hands, which once enjoyed a tremendous popularity, are now largely forgotten. Most flutists today have had a go at his flute duets; many have played some of his seven flute trios and his one extant flute quartet. These works alone, with their brilliant use of the instrument, their tunefulness, and solid comprehension of sonata-allegro form, would be enough to justify the title of "Beethoven of the Flute." But there are so many more flute compositions available from the pen of Friedrich Kuhlau that we gain but an imperfect understanding of his genius when we limit ourselves to the playing only of his duets, trios, and quartet.

His Last Years

    In 1830 Kuhlau suffered the loss of the greater part of his unpublished compositions, including a second flute quartet in manuscript. when his house, just outside Copenhagen, burned to the ground. Shortly after this calamity he lost both his parents, to whom he had been deeply attached, and whom he had brought to live with him in Denmark years before, as soon as he had saved the money for their passage from Germany.

    Under this double stroke of misfortune his health gave way, and he passed away early in 1832. Surprisingly little has been written about Friedrich Kuhlau. All the music dictionaries give him space, but the only lengthy studies of his life and works which I have been able to locate are (1), a book by Carl Thrane titled Friedrich Kuhlau, Lebenskizze and Verzeichniss der Compositionen von F. K., published by Breitkopf & Hartel, Leipzig, in 1886; (actually this is a German translation made from Thrane’s original book on four Danish [sic] composers, published in Danish in 1875 in Copenhagen); and (2), an article by Walther Nohl in a German musical periodical, Die Musik, volume year of 1935. An up-to-date study of Kuhlau – in English – seems long overdue.

    Appended hereto is a fairly complete list of Kuhlau’s published flute compositions. Several of the solos for flute unaccompanied listed be-ow were provided with piano parts later by various flutists; such editions, since they are not fully the work of Kuhlau himself, have not been included in the following list.

Kuhlau’s Flute Compositions

Op. 10: 3 Duos Concertants, Two flutes. (Carl Fischer, Cundy-Bettoney, Ricordi, et al.)

Op. 13: 3 Trios, Three flutes. (Costallat)

Op. 38: 3 Fantaisies Brillantes, Flute unaccompanied. (Costallat)

Op. 39: 3 Grands Duos, Two flutes. (Cundy-Bettoney, Breitkopf)

Op. 51: 3 Quintets, Flute, violin, two violas, and cello. (Costallat)

Op. 51bis: 3 Sonates Concertaantes, Flute and piano. Piano part arranged by the composer from the quintet score. (Costallat)

Op. 54: 3 Solos, Flute unaccompanied. (?)

Op. 57: 3 Grands Solos, Flute unacc. (Costallat)

Op. 63: Introduction and Variations on a Romance from Weber’s Euryanthe, Flute & piano. (Costallat, Litolff)

Op. 64: Grand Sonata in Elicit, Flute and piano. (Cranz, Costallat)

Op. 68: 6 Divertissements, Flute unacc. (Cundy-Bettoney)

Op. 69: Grand Sonata in G, Flute and piano. (Costallat, C. F. Schmidt)

Op. 71: Sonata in E Minor, Flute and piano. (Litolff, Simrock)

Op. 80: 3 Duos Brillants, Two flutes. (Ricordi, International, Cundy-Bettoney)

Op. 81: 3 Duos Concertants, Two flutes. (Carl Fischer, Cundy-Bettoney)

Op. 83: 3 Grandes Sonates, Flute and piano. (Simrock, C. F. Schmidt) Op. 83, No. 2 is found in the collection Pleasures of Pan, vol. 6. (Cundy-Bettoney)

Op. 85: Grande Sonate, Flute and piano. (Schott, Costallat)

Op. 86: 3 Grands Trios, Three flutes. (Costallat)

Op. 87: 3 Grands Duos Concertants, Two flutes. (Cundy-Bettoney, Carl Fischer)

Op. 90: Grand Trio, Three flutes. (Costallat)

Op. 94: Variations on Le Colporteur, Flute and piano. (Costallat)

Op. 95: 3 Fantasias, Flute unacc. (Zimmermann)

Op. 98: Introduction and Rondo on Le Colporteur, Flute and piano. (Costallat, Richault)

Op. 99: Variations on Le Colporteur, (a second set). Flute and piano. (Costallat, Richault)

Op. 101: Introduction and Variations on the duet, ‘Fairest Maiden,’ from Jessonda, Flute and piano. (Costallat, Hansen)

Op. 102: 3 Duos Brillants, Two flutes. (Ricordi, Cundy-Bettoney)

Op. 103: Quartet, Four flutes. (Southern Music Co.)

Op. 110: 3 Duos Brillants (These are really sonatas). Flute and piano. (Ricordi, Costallat)

Op. 119: Trio in G, Two flutes and piano. (Costallat, Simrock)

Op. 130: 12 Variations and Caprices, Flute unacc. (Costallat)

The post Beethoven of the Flute appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Tone
    At a recital, the first aspect that reaches a listener is how beautiful the tone is, what a singing quality the sound has, how pleasing the vibrato is, or how expressively the performer plays. That being the case, an emphasis on tone in warmups is crucial.
    To center the sound, flutter tonguing and singing and playing are two techniques that I rely on heavily. Another way to find the ring in your sound, especially in the low to middle register, is humming very quietly with the flute in place, using a flute embouchure and listening for a ringing, almost buzzing sound without adding air behind the fingered note. You will feel the flute resonating in your hands. The size and shape of the aperture that gets the best ring seems to set the embouchure for the best result when you then actually play the note.
    As for vibrato, if you are an experienced player, regular vibrato exercises may not be necessary, but for those who are in the developmental stages, breath attacks or throat staccatos can be helpful in activating the vocal folds to keep vibrato from getting too wide and uncontrolled. Since there are many articles on this topic, I will just advocate for an awareness of speed and width of vibrato through experimentation throughout one’s warmups and practice sessions.  Record yourself frequently and listen for any overemphasized wobbles or pitch variations that are too extreme. Also do not forget to practice without vibrato to center your tone and pitch.

Exercises
    In all of these exercises, fill each interval with substance, playing connect the dots from note to note. As Joseph Mariano said in my lessons, “Two notes are like two pieces of bread. What you put between them is what kind of sandwich it is.” At this point, if I did not fill the spaces, he would say “That sounds like the bread just has mustard on it.”
    Every day, I start with my favorite – the Kincaid Vocalise. Notice that each exercise starts on the fifth note (dominant) of the scale and descends a V7 chord.

    Using a moderately slow tempo, I try to make the exercise use one entire breath while stretching the top turnaround for expression. Also, a challenge is to hold the last note and decrescendo from f to pp concentrating on pitch and a beautifully tapered release. Progress upward by moving up a half step to the next key and continuing until you are starting on the G on top of the staff.
    Another famous exercise is Marcel Moyse’s Long Tones from De la Sonorité. Practice the patterns both descending and ascending then add variations of dynamics and non-vibrato/vibrato on the repeats.
    In Samuel Baron’s Low Register Exercise make sure to negotiate the pattern accurately. Start on C in the staff and work down with the lowest starting note being F if you have a low B key. Adding various dynamic nuances is great for control of tone quality at different levels and for proper pitch placement as you crescendo or decrescendo.

    Trevor Wye’s chromatic exercise is found in the Volume 1: Tone in the Practice Books Series. Flutter tonguing on the long notes in this exercise helps get the air moving.

Flexibility
    My next step is flexibility exercises and harmonics. octave slurs with rhythms are a favorite. Also try this starting on the upper note and descending first. This loosens the lips and is also good to do with the tuner, checking your placement on the first longer notes to establish a good tonal center.

    For harmonics, I stick with the first three partials to not force the embouchure to struggle with the ones that are too high in the beginning of my practice. Start with the fundamental (I start with low D), release and move to the second partial, release and move to the third partial. Then try the exercise below. Some good exercises can be found in The Flute Scale Book by Patricia George and Phyllis Louke (p. 3.03-3.05)

    Sometimes I feel my practice is more productive if I actually use the written word by having a technique book in front of me – even if I have these exercises memorized. It seems to keep me on track. The ones I use the most are Daily Exercises by André Maquarre, Twenty-Eight Day Warm Up Book by Paul Edmund-Davies, and of course Taffanel et Gaubert and Reichert. Sequencing through all keys is challenging and builds familiarity with all majors and minors. The Maquarre book also has lots of accidentals to maneuver which keeps the brain working.

Technique
    The use of the word “technique” here refers to finger dexterity which means scales, scales and more scales. My clarinet colleague at Texas State, Vanguel Tangarov, says “You are only as good as your scales.” A truer statement has never been made. Since there are thousands of ways to go about practicing scales and triads, I will mention a couple of exercises you may not know. Here is the most recent one I developed. Play slurred listening for evenness of fingers and homogeneity of sound.

    The following is one I learned from some precocious students in Bulgaria when I did masterclasses there a few years ago.

    It includes triads and seventh chords in all keys that travel around the circle of fifths using this pattern – major triad, dominant seventh, minor triad, diminished seventh, dominant seventh built on starting note to take you to the next key.

Articulation
    The regimen of varied articulations applied to Taffanel et Gaubert No. 4 can be applied to any scale routine. My favorite is to slur on the ascending pattern and double tongue on the descending pattern. Starting with slurs gets the air and fingers moving and then articulating on the way down challenges the coordination between tongue and fingers. My own exercise for this has several steps using fragments of scales, first slurred then tongued which finally leads to this:

    Other sources for more details on flute fundamentals and exercises include: The Gilbert Legacy by Angeleita Floyd, Bel Canto Flute: The Rampal School by Sheryl Cohen, The Flutist’s Vade Mecum by Walfrid Kujala and The Simple Flute by Michel Debost.
    The most important thing to remember is to vary your approach so that you are always engaged with the process. Keep things fresh and stay inspired by changing things up regularly. There are thousands of exercises to try, and you can always invent your own. Take the ones you have from others, vary them, use them as taking-off points, and then improvise and find your own voice.

The post Start with Tone appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

One More Time
   Band directors and private teachers commonly ask students to play something “one more time” followed by “just one more time.” As a student I sensed that without more specific instructions the group would not improve musically. The passage became cleaner rhythmically and easier technically through the repetitions, but the expressive element was not there. The players did not have a plan.

Getting a Plan
    This has been of concern to musicians throughout the ages. For example, in the Johann Joachim Quantz book On Playing the Flute, a section called On the Manner of Playing the Adagio addresses the topic. His principal concern is with how ornaments should be realized according to the style of the time. He also has a section on how to accompany these melodies.
    In Part 7 of the Taffanel et Gaubert Complete Method, Taffanel offers suggestions for interpreting the slow movement of Bach Sonata in B Minor, BWV 1030 and the Gluck Minuet and Spirit Dance and advises putting short descriptive sentences above each measure of the score. Instructions for the first section of the Bach slow movement include phrases such as “The first bar calm and without nuance, a very slight crescendo, slight accent on the first grace notes – leaning a little, expression on the G but avoid any emphasis and remain simple, trill without termination, broaden and let the tone fall – finish very simply p without rallentando.” While these phrases are interesting, there are no broad ideas about melodic shaping that a player can use when approaching other melodies.
    The great French oboist Marcel Tabuteau had a numbering system in which each note was assigned a number by importance. Laila Storch, the first woman oboist to graduate from The Curtis Institute of Music wrote a biography of Tabuteau (Marcel Tabuteau: How Do You Expect to Play the Oboe If You Can’t Peel a Mushroom?) in which she discusses this system. Tabuteau encourages oboists to think of each note as if bowed like a string player – up bow and down bow. Flutist William Kincaid, who played principal flute next to Tabuteau in the Philadelphia Orchestra and at the Curtis Institute, taught this down/up system as well as note grouping. In note grouping the idea is that all notes lead to one. So, rather than playing four sixteenth notes 1234, the flutist plays 1, 2341.
    In De La Sonorite pages 24-27, Marcel Moyse offers a three-step process to practice developing an interpretation using melodies by Handel, Bach, and Massenet. Moyse instructs:
    “1. Play the andante right through with a soft tone, pianissimo. To use an analogy with drawing, this will as a whole constitute the ‘outline.’ Carefully observe the tempo – eighth note = 60, no vibrato, great attention to the values, breaths and slurs; take great care that in slurring over large intervals there is no accent. Here the melody will emerge, so to speak, in all of its nakedness.
    2. Play the andante over again twice, still bearing in mind the above remarks, but this time including the dynamics indicated. This will still represent the ‘outline,’ but now with contrasts of light and shade.
    3. Play it over again twice, as before, but now with expression.”
    Moyse goes on to say “This manner of practicing is long and sometimes arduous, but it has the advantage of providing time for reflection. The rational mind has time to take charge over the instinct, to direct one’s temperament without repressing it, and in my opinion any interpretation of beauty must be based on this happy balance.”

The Takeaway
    The above information offers ideas on realizing ornamentation, flowery sentences to describe the atmosphere of the measure, a numbering system, a note-grouping idea, and a process of removing all expression to reveal the outline and then adding elements back in. Professional flutists have sought  more. Another common practice is listening to recordings and imitating what is heard. In rehearsals, colleagues share observations about taking time in certain places or emphasizing a note by lengthening or coloring with vibrato. Unfortunately, most students stick with the “play it again” method for too long. If a jazz musician has 350 ways to work a melody, perhaps flutists should have a list too.

Advice from a Master
    My teacher at the Eastman School of Music was Joseph Mariano, a student of William Kincaid. Mariano often closed a lesson by asking if I had an ensemble or chamber concert that week. If so, his closing remark as I was departing his studio was “Turn a phrase for me.” This always struck me a bit odd because he, who always spoke eloquently, was instructing me to turn a phrase – meaning a single phrase for him. Why would he not say, “Play musically tonight,” meaning to play all the phrases well.
    It took me some time to realize that phrasing is challenging, and it was a good night if one phrase turned out as I intended. This led me to write down general phrasing ideas as I discovered them. I continue to do this more than five decades later. Many of these are familiar; however, having them in an organized list may make the ideas easier to pass on to students.
    Use the melody below from 40 Melodies by A.M.R. Barret (A Complete Method for the Oboe), No. 7 in G major to explore phrasing ideas. Barret wrote these melodies as instructional material for his oboe and bassoon students. The oboe took the treble part and the bassoon the bass part. If you can read bass clef, this duet works well with C flute and bass flute. If you prefer to use alto, remember the alto flute is pitched in G so the part will have to be transposed.
    Playing from a score like this offers many advantages. Being able to see what the other part is playing improves rhythmic ensemble. Because of this, many players note cues in their parts when the bass line is not included. Since intonation is calculated from the bass part up, seeing and hearing the bass line helps players know where to place each note so it is in tune. When looking at the score, it is easier to determine the non-chord tones. Non-chord tones (passing tones, neighboring tones, appoggiaturas, and suspension) are often the notes to be brought out in the musical line.

What is a Phrase?
    A phrase is a musical sentence or statement. Phrasing is bringing these sentences to life. Phrase lengths can be varied in length. The melodies from 1750 onwards are usually based on groups of eight bars that may be subdivided into two- or four-bar phrases. The next most frequent phrase length is six measures. In contemporary music some composers favor asymmetrical phrase lengths. Whatever the phrase structure is, players should mark all the phrases in the score. Wind players need to breathe and most of the time the breath is taken with the phrase ending. Mark phrases by using a V.

40 Melodies by A.M.R. Barret (A Complete Method for the Oboe), No. 7 in G major

What is the Shape of the Phrase?
    There are five shapes: mountain, valley, going up, coming down and some sort of turn resembling a gruppetto. To determine the shape, draw a line from one note head to the next in each phrase.

    Using only the first note of the phrase, play the phrase with this one note going to the high point (mountain shape) or low point (valley shape). By playing only one note, it will be apparent if you are shaping the phrase well with the air stream.

    After you are pleased with the results, play the contour using the printed notes. Notice what are now called crescendo and diminuendo marks, Barret called nuances. If you think like Barret did, these marks show where to lead with the air stream and where to back away. Students often ask about the crescendo marking in bars two and six. Normally most would diminuendo the last two notes of the phrase, so they wonder why Barret put a crescendo there. It was to help the player phrase by four bars rather than by two. This was a way of carrying the line.
    From the Baroque era on, the strength of the beat concept is something composers consider. As most Baroque music was for dancing, the first beat was strong so dancers would know when to land their feet. The music of the Romantic period was about singing so melodic lines surged towards the first beat of a measure. In the first case, musicians refer to coming away from beat one (getting softer), and in Romantic music they think of it as leading or going to beat one (getting louder). These two gestures are used on most music.

Two-Note Slurs
    The Taffanel et Gaubert Complete Method begins with teaching flutists to play whole notes with a steady air stream. Three pages later slurring of two notes is introduced. After a brief discussion of intervals, there is a section on Legato (Du Legato ou Coulé) with this exercise:

    Here, Taffanel is concerned about the connection of the two notes. He writes “It is chiefly from the study of legato (the slur) that the student will gain perfect equality. The smallest inaccuracy appears at once in the use of legato. When practicing legato the student must take great care to move the fingers together when several are required to move at the same time.” By making the second note or the release note of shorter value, Taffanel is also concerned with the note ending. Since the Baroque era, string players have been instructed to make the second note of a two-note slur softer than the first note. In the Barret No. 7 example, notice that this idea may be applied in measures 8, 9, 10, 13, 26.

Balancing of Phrases
    Throughout No. 7, the two-bar phrases are balanced off by pairs. This leads one to question whether phrase 1 (bars 1 and 2) is more or less important than phrase 2 (bars 3 and 4). Play it both ways and then select the one you like best. Feel free to change your mind from one practice session to the next. It might seem clearer what to do in phrase 5 and 6. Since phrase 6 (bars 11 and 12) has a higher range or tessiture, play it slightly louder than phrase 5. There is not right answer at this point. You just want to be sure you are playing a way on your search to the way.

Repeated Notes
    In bars 4, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, and 25 there are repeated notes. Be sure they have an articulatory silence between them, so the rhythm is clearly heard by the listener. Think about whether the first or second note should be louder. To find the answer, look at the strength of the beat rule. In measure 4, the E will be louder than the E in measure 3. In measure 14, the D natural on the fourth beat is a pickup into the D in measure 15, so it should be softer.

Syncopation
    Besides repeated notes, syncopated notes should be separated. See bar 22 as an example. All of these pitches should be played slightly shorter in duration than written. This is true in bar 24 too.

Tessitura
    Look for the highest notes. The C’s in measures 15 and 24 are on weak beats while the C in measure 25 is on a strong beat. The C on the strong beat is most important. Knowing where the highest note in a piece is shows the climax or focal point in the composition.

Working the Melody
    After completing the analysis above, work on the melody, so you not only have the analytical skills but also the technical skills to play it well. Work in sections (mm. 1-8, 9-18, or 19-26). One idea would be to take a section a day and work through the following:

Repetitions
    This will help you learn the notes. By repeating each of the following exercises with a different syllable, you are slightly changing the position of the tongue in the mouth. (A similar exercise to do is to play the passage with each of the vowel sounds as this too slightly changes the position of the tongue in the mouth.) A change in position of the tongue may improve your overall sound plus this work will enhance double tonguing for another day. Use a tuner to help pinpoint the pitch tendencies of each note.
    1.    Tongue each pitch four times with the T. Repeat using K and Hah.
    2.    Tongue each pitch three times with the T. Repeat using K and Hah.
    3.    Tongue each pitch two times with the T. Repeat using K and Hah syllables.
    4.    Play melody with T on each pitch in rhythm.
    5.    Play melody with K on each pitch in rhythm.
    6.    Play melody with Hah on each pitch in rhythm.

Wiggles
    1.    Trill between two notes in sixteenth notes with regular fingerings for eight counts. Metronome should be set to 96 for four sixteenths. For example, trill from D to E, then E to F#, F# to G etc. throughout the section. This exercise cleans up coordination of the fingers which is especially important when two or more fingers move.

By Threes
    1.    Slur by threes making all pitches equal in length.

    2.    Repeat starting on the second note and slurring by three notes.
    3.    Repeat starting on the third note and slurring by three notes.

Rhythms
    1.    Play pitches in the dotted eighth sixteenth note rhythm. (long, short)
    2.    Play the pitches in the Scottish Snap rhythm. (short, long)

Vibrato
    1.    Place four staccato Hahs to each beat at quarter note = 50- 60.
    2.    Slur the staccato Hahs to produce four vibrato cycles to each quarter.

High Note Strategy
    On each barline, add a beat and on this beat play a top octave B. This exercise will help you set the embouchure for a higher note and will add ring to the written notes.

Putting It Together
    Play through the complete melody. Record yourself. On the playback synchronize the metronome with the recording to discover places where you have rushed or dragged. Note these places in the music. Listen for chipped note beginnings, seamless slurs between the intervals, and rough note endings.
    Now the question is whether you duplicate what you have achieved in your practice. The goal is to have played it more times correctly than incorrectly. Your approach to interpretation will continually change as you learn and play more music.

The post Working a Melody appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Courtesy of Portland Flute Spa and Flute Choir Retreat, Phyllis Avidan Louke

    Campers come from all parts of the country or even from other countries. Many have non-music jobs and different experiences. I am enriched as a person and as a musician by getting to know them. Playing together, talking over meals or during breaks, or having serious nighttime discussions are all a part of flute camp. Sometimes my family or friends ask me if I will know anybody at an upcoming flute camp. I usually reply, “Maybe, but everybody there plays the flute. I know we will have that in common. Besides flutists are nice people.” I have made many special flute friends over the years.

Photo courtesy of Interlochen Adult Flute Camp by William Aikman

    Some camps include a vendor who provides an opportunity to try out and purchase instruments, music, and accessories. Even if you do not buy, it is a chance to see what is available and new in the flute world.
    Not all adult music camps include ensemble playing, but the ones I attend do. I live in a small town next to an army base. Over the years, I have sometimes had an army wife as a flute duet buddy, but often I am the only adult flute player in the community. I really look forward to my summer camps as an opportunity to play with other flutists. This is not only fun; it is necessary for my further development. You cannot learn ensemble skills by yourself.
    For those blessed with more opportunities to play in a group throughout the year, ensembles at a summer camp give the chance to play with different players, be introduced to new repertoire, and experience a variety of teachers and conductors in a new environment. Often flute camps offer the opportunity to try the low flutes. I have found fellow campers to be very generous with not only loaning me their big flute, but also with giving helpful hints for playing it.
    Free time in the schedule allows the opportunity to play informal duets or trios. Playing with a more experienced and skilled player is a great challenge and can be a good learning opportunity. Playing with a less-experienced player can be a nice boost to one’s self-esteem and an opportunity to give back by helping another. Being the stronger player has its own ensemble challenges and can lead to growth as a musician.
    Some flute campers look for nearby programs for practical reasons. For me, flying across the country to a new location is part of the appeal. Living in hot and humid Louisiana, I enjoy the chance to spend a few days each summer in a more humane climate. Although flute camp is not a tourist trip, sampling local cuisine and seeing the local sights can extend the learning. I also combine a visit with my sister when I come to her state each year,  and she enjoys attending our performances.
    This summer I will again be heading off cross-country to play with new and old flute friends, learn and develop as a flutist, and of course, get away from the humidity at home! 

The post Summer Flute Study for Adults appeared first on The Instrumentalist.