Tension, & Relaxation
   Avoiding unnecessary tension helps musicians take on technical demands and avoid injury. Because the piccolo is small and light compared to the flute, there is an opportunity to address relaxation of the torso, shoulders, arms, and fingers while playing long tones and other warm-up exercises. It is also a great time to pay more attention to posture and body alignment, and taking relaxed breaths in a supported manner. When you switch back to the heavier flute, keep that same level of awareness to ward against unwanted physical tension.

Embouchure
   Lip strength and flexibility are the key to strong tone production throughout the range on both flute and piccolo. Due to the smaller but faster airstream needed on the piccolo, especially in high register, greater lip strength is required to prevent the air from blowing the embouchure out of shape. Thoughtful, measured and regular practice of the high register on piccolo (being careful not to strain the lip muscles) will help develop this lip strength and allow for longer stamina and ease of tone production for high notes on the flute. In addition, the smaller size of the aperture and more refined control needed on piccolo lead to greater awareness and control over the primary muscles in the lips used to form a properly shaped flute embou-chure. Remember to wear earplugs when practicing in the high register on piccolo.
   Squeezing or forcing the lips together tightly to get a smaller aperture is incorrect and is what leads to the often-heard complaint that playing piccolo ruins a flute embouchure. (Incidentally, it is probably also a sign that there is squeezing or forcing on your flute embouchure as well.) Use a mirror to help you see visually what needs to happen. The goal is to form a very small aperture between the lips without straining the lip muscles. That being said, the muscles will have to work harder since air will move faster through a smaller opening than a larger opening. Be sure to take frequent breaks to prevent the lip muscles from getting overly tired which can lead to forcing or squeezing.

Resonance & Support
   Because the piccolo is a small instrument, it does not have as much natural resonance as the flute. This means that producing a full, beautiful sound on the piccolo requires a greater reliance on an open and relaxed throat and inner mouth shape to provide additional resonance from inside the body. This must simultaneously be accompanied by greater effort from the support mechanism, especially in the soft dynamics. This additional support and openness on the piccolo will greatly deepen and enhance flute sound when you switch back. While playing a favorite long tone exercise, imagine the sides of the throat moving apart from each other and form an ah shape inside the mouth. Adding a subtle crescendo shape can help to open up the throat more in a relaxed fashion. Additionally, imagine that the air and sound are filling up an imaginary balloon from the top of the chest and into the nasal cavities.

Articulation
   The smaller airstream used on piccolo is less forgiving of disturbances, so an overly heavy tongue can be a problem. Lighter articulation generally sounds better on piccolo. A basic but effective exercise is to simply practice daily scales with different articulation patterns, thinking of brushing the air with the tip of the tongue rather than attacking. Practicing this will translate to the flute when a lighter articulation is called for in all kinds of repertoire from Bach to Berlioz to Bozza.

Soft playing
   Mastering soft playing on the piccolo, especially in the upper register, will greatly help finding the focus and control for the same thing on the flute. After becoming comfortable with the very small aperture (without forcing the lips), work on attaining a sufficient piano dynamic on a high G on piccolo (not easy to do). Then try playing a high G on the flute with the same embouchure. You will be amazed at how easy it feels to get a really soft high G on the flute.

Intonation
   Learning to play the piccolo in tune may not seem to have any obvious direct benefits to playing the flute in tune because the pitch tendencies are very different. However, ultimately good intonation is about active listening and adjusting when needed. It can be all too easy to get used to hearing one’s flute sounds as in tune and stop actively listening to pitch.
   The embouchure adjustments needed to move a note up or down on piccolo are the same as on flute, but the piccolo is more sensitive to these adjustments. The act of making those adjustments in the context of the different piccolo scale is a great ear training and embouchure coordination exercise. Additionally, a number of alternate fingerings that help you play the piccolo more in tune can be useful on the flute in certain situations, such as the 3rd octave C# (tends to be flat on both instruments), and 3rd octave G# (tends to be sharp on both instruments).

Vibrato
   Just about everything about the piccolo is smaller, and vibrato is no exception. A vibrato that sounds great on piccolo is attained by using much shallower vibrato waves than on the flute. When you use these same shallow waves on the flute, you get a quality to the vibrato that adds a slight shimmer to the sound that is useful in soft dolce passages.

A Good Instrument
   Many flutists have a negative opinion of the piccolo because they initially play on an inferior instrument that has not been well-maintained. While a professional-level piccolo may be financially unrealistic for everyone, it is important to have the best instrument possible in your budget. There are many well-made instruments available at reasonable price points. Talk with your teacher about what would work best for you and try several options before buying anything.

Professional Flutists
   Students who are seriously considering a career as a professional flutist absolutely should own a good-quality piccolo and be proficient at it. Do not delude yourself that you can avoid it. It is a rare professional flutist who has the luxury of never playing piccolo.
   Nearly every flute audition for an orchestra that is not for a principal job (in other words, most flute auditions) ask for some piccolo on the repertoire list. When I won my audition in the Minnesota Orchestra (for a mainly principal job), the round before the finals was a piccolo-only round. Even though the audition committee was looking for a principal flute player, the standard they expected on piccolo was equally high. After the piccolo round there were only two candidates left, including me.
   Playing piccolo well is equally important for freelance musicians. A student who refuses to play piccolo or does not play it well is eliminating future jobs, networking opportunities and income. Not every flutist needs to be a piccolo specialist, but every serious flutist should be comfortable with the instrument, be able to make a nice sound, play well in tune, and know how to negotiate the soft dynamics when needed.

Add Piccolo to Your Practice 
   Piccolo practice need not be more than 10 minutes per day, although those on track to be a professional should plan on 20-30 minutes per day. If you practice more than 30 minutes, split up the practice sessions to give yourself breaks. If you are concerned about not having enough time to cover flute material, set a timer for the piccolo portion and move on when the timer goes off.
   I have found it helpful to start the day with piccolo practice. The lighter, smaller size helps me begin in a more relaxed manner, which in turn makes my flute warmup go much more quickly. However, if you initially find it difficult to form a piccolo embouchure without squeezing or forcing, give yourself a 10-minute break before switching to flute to give the lip muscles time to rest. I do not recommend playing piccolo at the end of a practice session because your lips will be tired, and you will need additional lip strength to have an effective session with the piccolo.

Other useful tips
   In general, a good quality sound at  mezzoforte can be attained by resting the piccolo higher on the lower lip than on the flute, and by using less air. Think of the instrument as wanting to float away from the lips rather than smashing it into the face.
   Swabbing out the instrument more often is necessary as water more easily accumulates around the smaller tone holes in the piccolo causing bubbles. A piccolo flag is the quickest and easiest way to swab, but it will not dry out as quickly or remove as much moisture as a silk cloth on a cleaning rod.
   Wear earplugs, especially when practicing in the high register. I cannot stress this strongly enough.
   Practice swapping between flute and piccolo to get used to the change in feel between the instruments. Practice a scale or a simple melody on flute, then the same scale on piccolo or vice versa. Give yourself enough time to make sure you feel properly set up on the new instrument when switching.
   While the solo piccolo repertoire has greatly expanded in recent years, any repertoire you are working on for the flute can be played on the piccolo too. This is a quick and easy way to get in a little quick piccolo work and have some fun at the same time.   

* * *

Practice Exercises
   The following are exercises I do on piccolo, both to get in shape and to stay in shape. They are listed from most basic to more complex. When starting out, just do steps 1-3. As you progress, and if you have more time to spend, add in additional exercises. These can be modified to suit your particular needs or tastes. There are dozens of ways for piccoloists to warm up and stay in shape, but these are some of my favorites that I have found work well and address the areas discussed in this article.

1. Long tones in the low register at mezzoforte, starting on B, moving down chromatically. Play once or twice, listening for sound quality and openness, then repeat 1-3 times with a tuner.

2. Slurred octaves, starting on low D, moving up chromatically going up to middle D (with tuner or drone). Use the minimum amount of lower lip movement required to achieve the octave without blowing harder (a mirror can be helpful for this). Repeat each octave jump 3 times or as many times as needed to get the octave in tune.

3. Long tones in the high register, starting on B above the staff, moving up chromatically, taking care not to force or squeeze the lips (with tuner). If you have difficulty getting notes to speak, support the airstream more rather than blowing harder.

4. Pick 1-3 notes in each of the low, middle, and high registers. Hold these notes out for about the length of a whole note at mm=60. Repeat 4 times (with a relaxed breath in between each whole note) at a forte dynamic, and then 4 times at a piano dynamic (with tuner). Pay attention to a supported note ending each time.

5. Same as number 4, but use 8 repeated quarter notes with a brief pause between each note. Pay attention to the quality of a clean and clear start to each note.

6. Same as number 5, but add a crescendo shape during the 8 repeated notes. Then repeat with a diminuendo shape. Then repeat the crescendo and diminuendo shapes but holding the note for 8 counts for each shape.

7. Pick 2-3 scale exercises in different keys and articulate with a different pattern each day, paying attention to using a light articulation and a strong support mechanism. Use a metronome and vary the speed.

8. Additional technique exercises, and playing some favorite melodies or orchestral excerpts.

Note: Exercises 4-6 are an adaptation of an exercise developed by Norman Hertzberg for controlling pitch at different dynamic levels. Although he had the bassoon in mind, I have found they work very well for both flute and piccolo. (Hertzberg taught bassoon at the University of Southern California, and this exercise was passed on to me by Heather Clark, principal flutist with the LA Opera.)

The post Piccolo Cross-Training Benefits for Your Flute Playing appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Left-Hand Position
    Since the left hand position may feel awkward for young flutists, demonstrate the following steps before having students give it a try. 

1. Make a fist to organize the hand. Place the left-hand middle finger on the A key, the index finger on the C key, and ring finger on the G key. The pads of the fingers touch the center of the keys.
2. Once the fingers are in place, turn the flute over so the thumb key is on the top and the other keys are on the bottom. Bring the index finger to the tube, touching on the soft tissue of the index finger just above the third joint back from the nail. Drop the thumb onto the thumb key. The thumb should be straight with the first joint back from the nail even with the bottom of the thumb key.

3. After setting the left hand, the flutist places the right hand on the barrel. The early lessons are played with the right hand on the barrel to help balance and support the weight of the flute.

Introducing the First Fingerings
    With the left-hand fingers in place and the right hand on the barrel, have students rest the headjoint on the left shoulder to practice fingerings for B, A, and G. In this position movement of the fingers can be observed.

    Students should be comfortable with left-hand position and changing fingerings before playing the first notes. Start with fingering B, and practice adding one finger at a time to play A and G. Next, finger G, and practice lifting one finger at a time to play A and B. Remind students to keep their fingers close to the keys.
    Students should say the note names as they practice fingerings. Practice notes in sequence several times, then in random order. Saying note names aloud and watching fingers change notes reinforces the connection between notes and fingers, particularly to students who are visual and auditory learners.
    A mirror, either a wall mirror or a small mirror on a music stand, is helpful for self-assessment of tonguing, embouchure, and hand position during the lesson and for at-home practice.

Playing BAG
    Flutists should turn their bodies 45 degrees to the right of the music stand and then turn the head slightly to the left as they bring the flute into playing position. A flutist’s aperture, embou-chure hole of the flute, crease in the left elbow and the left big toe should align with the center of the music stand. Students should place the flute in the chin so the back side of the embouchure hole is placed at the point where the lip skin and chin skin meet. The keys of the flute are level, and the thumb is straight and points to the ceiling. The teacher plays B using the spitting rice tonguing technique and students echo the teacher ping pong style. Repeat with A and G fingerings.
    When first learning, most students will play first octave G, A, and B, but some students will naturally play notes in the second octave. While playing in the second octave is preferable, either is fine. Students who play in the second octave first usually develop a more soloistic sound. It may take a week or two for students to control the octaves. The goal at this point is to learn these three fingerings, practice starting the notes with the tongue, and using fast air.

Follow-the-Leader
    Teach students to tap their feet with the toes (not the heel) lifting from the floor. Count out loud in fours (one, two, three, four). Then the teacher plays a four-beat rhythm pattern using quarter, half-notes and whole-notes on a B. Students mimic what they have heard. Repeat this dialogue on an A and a G and eventually create patterns that change pitches. Further expand the activity to use written notation for quarter, half, and whole notes and rests while playing a note designated by the teacher.

Rote First Songs
    After reviewing fingerings for B, A, and G, teach the notes for the song Hot Cross Buns by saying each note name for the written number of beats, while fingering the correct note. With the right hand on the barrel, and the headjoint resting on the left shoulder, have students finger and say the note names in rhythm for Hot Cross Buns. Repeat several times before playing the song. There are numerous three-note songs that may be taught in this fashion.

Transition to Reading Music
    Introduce students to the staff and treble clef, along with mnemonic devices for the position of note names on the staff. Explain the seven-letter musical alphabet and it may help to use the sayings for the line and space notes on the treble clef staff. (E-G-B-D-F can be Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge or Every Good Band Deserves Flutes. For the space notes F-A-C-E, I use the saying Space = FACE.)
    After a general introduction  introduce the written notation for B1, A1, and G1. Start with B’s location on the middle line of the staff and write out four-beat rhythms using B and rests. With the right hand on the barrel and the flute resting on the shoulder, finger and say the note names in rhythm, then play. Do the same with A and G and combinations of B, A, and G. Many beginning method books have examples of these types of activities.
    To continue music reading practice, present students with a written copy of Hot Cross Buns or another three-note song already learned aurally. The following practice method serves as a method of learning to read and play new music:
1. Say the note names 3 to 5 times or until accurate.
2. Say the note names in rhythm 3 to 5 times or until accurate.
3. Finger the notes while saying the note names in rhythm 3 to 5 times or until accurate.
4. Play the song or exercise 3 to 5 times or until accurate.
Before moving to the second octave, introduce the fingering for C and include it in both aural and notereading activities along with B, A, and G. Practice sequences such as G, A, B, C and C, B, A, G, as well as other patterns. With intervals larger than a second, fingering practice with the headjoint resting on the shoulder helps students coordinate moving multiple fingers together before playing. Students continue to hold the right hand on the barrel when playing to provide support and balance.

Introducing the Second Octave
    When introducing the second octave G, A, B, C, remind students that the fingerings are the same as the first octave, but the opening in the lips becomes smaller and the angle of air changes.

Directing the Air Stream
    Practice directing the air stream by placing the palm of the hand approximately six inches from the mouth. Using a flute embouchure and starting the air stream with a spitting rice tongue, direct the air into the middle of palm. Then without moving the head or hand, direct the air stream up to the tips of the fingers and then down to the heel of the hand. Discuss what a flutist can do to change the direction of the air. Eventually students will discover that the lower lip controls the angle of the air. For the high notes, students should blow the air higher on the wall of the embouchure hole at a slightly faster rate with lips pursed as if saying Pooh as in Winnie-the-Pooh. Repeat the pattern several times with G and then with A, B, and C. Play Follow-the-Leader exploring register changes such as low, low, high; high, high, low etc. Then play three-note songs in each octave.

Building a Technique
    Several activities can be introduced to students at this stage to develop fluency and faster fingers in the first and second octaves. One of the best is to have them trill between G and A, A and B, and B and C. This exercise teaches students to play more notes on one long blow of air. To practice the technique, have students wiggle between two notes followed by a rest in the rhythm “I am go-ing home.” The wiggle is slurred and the inflection or stress should be on the I and not on home.

    Practicing fast scale patterns slurred on one blow of air helps the notes flow like ocean waves. (GABC, rest, CBAG, rest) When E and F are learned, this activity can be expanded to (E F G A B C rest) and (C B A G F E rest).

Right Hand Position
    Students should leave the footjoint in the case at this stage. Have them  make a fist with the right hand, placing the middle finger on the E, the index finger on the F, and the ring finger on the D. Place the right hand pinky on the tenon of the body of the flute. Eventually when the footjoint is added, the pinky will be placed on the D# key. Bring the thumb forward to touch the back side (not underneath) of the flute. The thumb may be comfortably placed under the F, between the F and E or under the E. Have the student pick up a soda can to find this natural thumb position.
    Many students tend to bring their right thumb too far forward, often jutting past the side of the flute, especially when they have long arms. To correct this, push the end of the flute forward until the thumb is in the correct position. Most flutes actually sound better when the end of the flute is forward in front of the player’s nose. Sometimes it helps to place a tactile aid, such as a small piece of masking tape, on the flute in the correct position for the thumb. Introduce the E and F in both octaves repeating the pedagogical suggestions listed above.

Introducing Second Octave D
    After introducing the fingering for the second octave D, the challenge is executing the fingering between the C and D where every finger moves in the opposite direction. Notice the left index finger and the right hand pinky are lifted for the second octave D. With the headjoint on the left shoulder, finger the D and point out that these fingers are the first and the last on the flute. When these two fingers are raised, they resemble football goal posts. These are also the only two fingers used for C2. To change from D to C, suggest that students move the goal posts to isolate which fingers should move. Emphasize that the fingers should move as a team, at exactly the same time. Repeat many times both aurally and with written notation. When students are successful with this fingering combination, repeat the process with D2 to B1.
    Once students have reached this point, they are ready to play the C major scale as well as many more songs and exercises to practice their reading skills, and to learn more fingerings. Enjoy the journey.   

The post First Lessons for the Beginning Flutist part 2 appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

The Brain
    The human brain is composed of 86 billion neurons that communicate with each other to enable us do (or not do) something (Azevedo et al., 2009). The way neurons talk to each other is largely through synapses, which are tiny gaps between individual neurons. Essentially, when one neuron wants to send a message to another one, it releases neurotransmitter (a chemical signal) into the synapse. Receptors on the other neuron pick up this chemical signal, which causes an electrical change in that second neuron so it can pass on the message (or stop the message dead in its tracks).
    The brain is also made up of different areas whose neurons are specialized for different types of information. One very important area for learning and executing motor skills is the primary motor cortex. This area is activated for every voluntary movement, whether it is a skilled action like playing the Prokofiev Flute Sonata, or an ingrained automatic action like walking. As a musician learns a new piece of music or a new playing technique (such as circular breathing), the synapses in this brain area change: the synapses that relay the information on how to play something correctly get strengthened, while those that send erroneous or irrelevant messages get weakened.
    To understand how this works, think of a garden hose that someone has punched several large holes in. Some of the water will go down the hose and out the nozzle, but most of it will run out of the holes. This is analogous to the brain at the beginning stages of learning something new: the water running out the holes is all the wrong and irrelevant messages the brain is sending to the fingers or embouchure. On the other hand, when the holes in the hose are plugged, all of the water goes out the nozzle. In the brain, this is analogous to the synapses that relay the right messages being much stronger than those sending the wrong message. The brain accomplishes this through changing the number of receptors on the receiving neuron and/or the amount of neurotransmitter released by the sending neuron. The more receptors or neurotransmitter, the more likely the next neuron will get the message and pass it on.
    These changes are just the beginning, and since they occur on such a microscopic level, they are relatively easily undone. As learning continues, not only do the synapses involved get strengthened, but new synapses are formed between neurons that were not connected before. In addition, when a group of neurons (called a neuronal pathway) continue to communicate in the same way over and over, the brain realizes that this pathway must be important, so it supercharges it, wrapping up a portion of the neuron (called the axon) in a substance called myelin. Myelin is a fatty sheath that allows the electrical signals to be passed on faster, like insulating a wire to enable it to conduct electricity more efficiently. When a pathway becomes supercharged, the resulting action feels automatic. In fact, neuroscientists have found that professional musicians have more myelin in motor pathways (and other pathways related to playing) than non-musicians do (Bengtsson et al., 2005).
    So what all of this means is that every time musicians practice or learn something new, they are actually changing their brains. If a passage is learned incorrectly, to use the hose analogy, it would be as if one of the holes was so big that most of the water was going out of the hole, rather than the nozzle. In order to correct the mistake, the hole would have to be closed before the water would go in the right direction.
    In brain terms, this means one group of synapses would have to be strengthened while also weakening another, rather than simply strengthening the message. That is twice as much work, and unlike a real hose where a patch would solve the problem, in the brain, it is like patching up the hole with mud. Every time water runs through the hole, some of the mud is washed away, making the hole bigger again. Even worse, it is possible to supercharge an incorrect pathway by playing something incorrectly so many times (or playing with poor technique for many years) that it makes the faulty way an automatic habit, which is much more difficult to undo.
    Many students practice by starting at the beginning of a composition, playing until they make a mistake, and then either starting over again or fixing the mistake and moving on. The problem with this approach is that even though a player may know he has made a mistake, it does not matter to the brain. Water has been allowed to run through that erroneous hole, making it that much harder to close.
    Many teachers will tell students that in order to fix a problem, they should play it correctly 10 times. Imagine a scenario, however, in which a student plays a part correctly twice, then wrong once, right once, wrong three times, etc., so that by the time the student has played it 10 times correctly, it has also been practiced 10 times incorrectly. The student has accomplished exactly nothing, and the hole is exactly the same size as it was before. All the student has done is wasted time.
    In order for a passage to feel reliable, it has to be played more times correctly than incorrectly. A much better approach for fixing problem spots is to have a serious consequence for doing it incorrectly. I encourage my students (and myself) to practice a problem spot a minimum of five times in a row correctly, with in a row being the most important part. So, if they do it correctly twice, but then play it incorrectly on the third try, they have to start over again at zero. If they have done it four times in a row, they really do not want to mess up on that fifth time and have to start all over again. Having a consequence for getting it wrong makes them focus in a different way and forces them to concentrate on exactly what they have to do to get it right every time. This plugs up that erroneous hole and also helps them identify exactly what to focus on to play the passage correctly in performance.

Sleep and Learning
    People tend to discount the importance of sleep to learning. Matthew Walker and his colleagues in Boston have done a number of experiments on motor learning during sleep with some surprising results. (Walker, et al., 2002, 2003, 2005)
    Their basic experimental setup involves three groups of people. The first group gets taught a finger-tapping task at 10:00 AM, which they then practice and are tested on multiple times throughout the day. The second group gets taught and practices the same task at 10:00 AM, but they do not get tested on it again until 10:00 PM. Then, they are sent home to sleep and tested the next morning at 10:00 AM. The final group is trained on the task once (either at 10:00 AM or 10:00 PM; the timing does not matter) and has their first and only retest at 10:00 AM the next morning.
    What they found is astonishing. The first group improves gradually throughout the day at a predictable linear rate. The second group shows the same linear increase during the day, but when tested the next morning, there is a large jump in their performance (measured by faster sequence execution with better accuracy). The same result is seen in the group that was only trained once and then was retested for the first time the next day. Both groups get better overnight, even though all they do is sleep. (Everyone was instructed not to practice when they went home.) Even more surprising, there is absolutely no relationship between how much better a person got during daytime practicing and how much better they got after sleeping. Researchers have concluded that this result means that practice-dependent learning and sleep-dependent learning are independent processes.
    This does not mean, of course, that if students do not practice, they will get better just by sleeping. It does mean, however, that they should not underestimate the importance of sleep in learning, especially when something is brand new. Knowing this can help musicians use practice time much more efficiently. For example, when there is a lot of music to learn and not a lot of time to practice it, practicing for 10 minutes a day is much better than wood-shedding for two hours the day before the next lesson or rehearsal. Practice sessions over a number of days means that there are more nights of sleep for the brain to process the new music or skill rather than just one night. This means that fewer hours of actual practice are needed and the result is superior.
    Even when musicians are learning a new piece in which there is ample time to practice, keeping the role of sleep in mind can also help them practice more efficiently. Since the amount of daytime improvement and learning after sleep are not related, spending hours and hours on a challenging fast passage in the first few days of practicing is not as efficient as getting it fluent at a slower tempo and then leaving it until the next day. The next day, not only will they be able to play it faster, but they will spend much less time getting it to a faster tempo than they would have the day before.
    The effects of sleep are difficult to study, but in this case, researchers think they know how it works. Sleep is divided into two broad types: REM sleep and non-REM sleep (or NREM sleep). During what is called Stage 2 NREM sleep, electrical brain events occur that are called sleep spindles. During a sleep spindle, there is a huge burst of electrical activity in a population of neurons that causes massive amounts of calcium to enter those cells. Calcium is what causes all the changes discussed earlier, from strengthening and weakening synapses, to making new synapses. Sleep spindles reach peak intensity late in the night and have been shown to increase following motor learning during the day.
    The study by Matthew Walker and his colleagues also found that the percentage of improvement after sleeping strongly correlates with the amount of time the person spends in Stage 2 NREM sleep in the final quarter of the night, precisely when sleep spindle activity is at its peak. This finding also highlights the importance of getting enough sleep while learning something new. A full night of sleep was defined as eight hours in this study, and it was only the last two hours that were really important for learning. Getting a full night’s sleep may be even more important that people realize.

Mental Practice
    Another way to learn music and improve is mental practicing. Many musicians who have never tried mental practicing often think that it cannot possibly work. It seems unlikely that one could get better at doing something just by thinking about doing it. Alvaro Pascual-Leone and his colleagues at the NIH conducted a study in which they looked at the effects of mental practicing, resulting in very exciting conclusions (Pascual-Leone et al., 1995).
    In their study, they had two groups of people (all non-musicians) learn to play a five-note scale (do-re-mi-fa-sol-fa-mi-re-do) on the piano in sixteenth-notes at quarter note equals 60. Both groups practiced two hours a day for five days, but one group was only allowed to practice mentally. This group was not even allowed to move their fingers. Every day at the end of the practice session, everyone was tested to see how well they could play the scale. This was the only time the mental practice group got to actually play the keyboard.
    As easy as this would be for any trained musician, regardless of instrument, it is quite difficult for people with no musical training. At the end of the first day of practicing, both groups had a very hard time playing steadily, and they would often play their fingers in the wrong order. After practicing for five days, however, the group that got to practice on the piano every day could play the scale perfectly. After five days, the group that only practiced mentally could play it at the same level that the physical practice group achieved after three days. The mental practice group was then allowed to practice at the keyboard for two hours, after which they could play it perfectly. This is amazing if you think about it. No one in the mental practice group had ever played piano before, but after only two hours of actual practice preceded by mental practice, they could play a scale perfectly and steadily, something the physical practice group could only do after practicing for 10 hours.
    That is not the most astounding part of the study, however. In 1995, another group of researchers found that the area of the brain that controls the fingers on the left hand of string players (the hand that plays the instrument) was much larger than in non-string players (Elbert et al., 1995). This was not the case for the right hand fingers (which control the bow) or the thumb of the left hand (which just helps support the instrument). The idea that the brain changes in response to how we use our bodies is now well established (brass players, for instance, have larger lip areas in their motor cortices).
    In the study on mental practicing, the researchers hypothesized that the area of the brain that controls the fingers would get bigger over the course of the study. As expected, they found that in the group that practiced on the piano every day, the portion of the motor cortex corresponding to the fingers got progressively larger. However, they also found that this area of the motor cortex got larger in the mental practice group as well, to an almost identical extent. This means that not only did the mental practice group learn a completely new task just by thinking about doing it; they actually changed the very physical structure of their brains. Think about that for a moment: it is not possible to change the size of a room just by thinking about it. However, practicing by imagining the physical motions involved can actually change the very structure of the brain.
    This finding obviously has major implications for how musicians think about practicing. Often musicians are faced with the problem of not being able to practice as much as they want or need to, either due to injury or because they do not have access to an instrument or a place to practice. At these times especially, practicing mentally could be very beneficial. As a supplement to normal physical practicing, mental practicing can help musicians improve much more quickly. Listening, singing, and moving, as well as just thinking about the music away from the instrument will lead to improvement. Once musicians actually play what they have practiced mentally, it often takes far less time to get it to the desired level than if they had only practiced physically. The more vividly one can imagine all the physical movements, the pitches, the tone quality, and so forth, the more beneficial mental practicing is. If there is no mental representation of how to do something, trying to do it will not be as successful because the body will not have the instructions it needs from the brain.
    The brain is changing all the time, especially when musicians do something on a daily basis as complicated and demanding as playing an instrument. Hopefully, knowing this and knowing the ways in which the brain must change before something can be played well will help in organizing and planning practice time. Practicing is an art, just as much as performing is, and practicing intelligently and in ways that derive the maximum benefit from our brains’ natural abilities will only serve to enhance our artistry as musicians. 

Works cited:
Azevedo, F.A., et al. (2009). “Equal numbers of neuronal and nonneuronal cells make the human brain an isometrically scaled-up primate brain.” Journal of Comparative Neurology 513(5): 532-541.
Bengtsson, S.L., et al. (2005). “Extensive piano practicing has regionally specific effects on white matter development.” Nature Neuroscience 8: 1148-1150.
Elbert, T., et al. (1995). “Increased cortical representation of the fingers on the left hand in string players.” Science 270(5234): 305-307.
Pascual-Leone, A., et al. (1995). “Modulation of muscle responses evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation during the acquisition of new fine motor skills.” Journal of Neurophysiology 74(3): 1037-1045.
Walker, M.P., et al. (2002). “Practice with sleep makes perfect.” Neuron 35(1): 205-211.
Walker, M.P. and Stickgold, R. (2004). “Sleep-dependent learning and memory consolidation.” Neuron 44(1): 121-133.
Walker, M.P. (2005). “A refined model of sleep and the time course of memory formation.” Behavioral and Brain Science 28(1): 51-64.

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First Steps
    The first step in teaching movement is to teach students to pat the foot. While many teachers oppose the idea of foot tapping, I think it is an important skill to learn. Since flutists, unlike pianists and string players, are unable to count aloud, students should learn to play with some structure such as the foot and the metronome. When teaching foot tapping be sure the foot rocks on the heel with the toes lifted from the floor. The heel of the foot is never lifted from the floor as that movement requires moving the entire leg, and the ultimate goal is minimal movement. Care should be taken to be sure students tap their feet to the beat and not to the rhythmic pattern they are playing. 
    Students often lack the body awareness to tap their feet articulately. If this is the case, have them practice an exercise called “shoot your feet.” I learned this exercise from watching a modern dance class for young children. I often use it with older students when they do not move their feet in time or with simplicity.
    In this exercise students sit on the floor with their legs outstretched in front. Tell them to make a fist with both hands and extend their index fingers (like a pretend gun). Next they use both index fingers to shoot their feet at the same time. As they make this motion, they point the toes and then return them to the upright position. After moving both feet together, repeat the exercise by alternating shooting one foot and then the other so that one foot is pointed while the other is upright. This exercise may be practiced with recorded music in simple time (2/4 or 4/4) or with a metronome. This exercise helps students become aware of how each foot moves at the ankle. The movement should be articulate and controlled. Once students can do this, they are ready for normal foot tapping. Have students practice this exercise and normal foot tapping with the voice feature on a metronome. The auditory reminder helps them learn to count silently.

Teaching Intelligent Movement
    Intelligent movement uses the muscles as indicated above, but also helps to clarify the musical line for both the performer and the listener. When movement is taught before students have an intellectual understanding of line in music, it can hasten this development, and young players are able to comprehend tricky phrasing problems much sooner. Movement gestures in the practice room should be quite large, but in performance will be much smaller. 

Compass Rose
    A compass rose is the figure or icon on a map that indicates north, south, east and west. The movement used in playing the flute uses these cardinal directions. Notice there is no southeast or northwest in these examples.

Down/Up or North/South
    The down/up gesture is the one flutists naturally do as cue to another instrumentalist to begin playing with them. When cueing, notice how the flute remains firmly in the chin while the chest and arms lift as the air enters the lungs. Teach students to do this movement to each beat with the metronome set at quarter = 50. The intake of the air is done on the upbeat or preparation beat with the flute lifting slightly, and then on the exhale the flute returns to the starting position. Flutists should learn to use this gesture on each beat for coordination purposes. Later it will only be used for cueing purposes. Have students practice the gesture with foot tapping. Later, omit the foot tapping.  However, when students encounter difficult passages later in their studies, encourage them to revisit practicing both foot tapping and the down/up gesture to assist in their understanding of how to play the rhythmic passage. 
    The down/up gesture is indicated by the down-bow icon used in string performance. This movement is used when a musical idea begins on a beat. Practice the movement on the following musical example. 

    Each chunk of notes is played slurred and on one blow of air. Be sure students are not pulsing the individual beat with the air stream. During the rest, the chest and arms return to a natural position. This exercise may be expanded to play many notes on one gesture. The movement of the end of the flute should be in a straight line, similar to the compass rose N and S markings on a map. At first the movement will be several inches tall, but with practice, over time the movement will be huge in the performer’s mind, but quite small, perhaps less than an inch, in performance. This gesture is primarily used in playing early music. This style of music is based on the idea of dancing and follows the stylistic goal of the beat hierarchy in which the first beat is the strongest and the other notes in the measure are played more softly. 

Forward Flow or East/West
    The forward flow or east/west gesture occurs when flutists shift the weight from the back right foot to the left front foot. When moving forward, this gesture is notated with the up bow string icon adding an F for moving forward and a B when moving back. The flute should remain stable in the chin. Teach students to do this movement to each beat with the metronome set at quarter = 50. When sitting, students move forward shifting the weight from the right bone to the left. This movement is used when the musical idea begins off the beat. Practice this movement on the following musical example.

    Each chunk of notes is played slurred and on one blow of air. Be sure students re not counting the beat with the air stream. During the rest, students may stay in position and then shift the weight back for the next grouping of notes, or if the rest is long enough, return to the right back side. This exercise may be expanded to play many notes on one gesture. The movement of the end of the flute should be in a straight line similar to the compass rose E and W markings on a map. At first the movement will be several inches forward, but with practice, the movement will become quite small, perhaps less than an inch in performance. Eventually most phrases will be played forward flow with flutists shifting weight onto the left front foot. This gesture is primarily used in playing Romantic music, which is based on the idea of singing in which all notes lead to the first beat of the measure.

Putting It Together
Once students can clearly use the down/up and forward flow gestures, they are ready to combine the gestures together. The following example presents four down/up gestures on a forward flow movement.

    In the following excerpt (Sinfonische Metamorphosen by Paul Hindemith) the chunks are indicated by a curvy line. Have students play each chunk followed by a rest moving as indicated (down/up icon or forward flow icon). Notice on beats three, four, five and six of measure two, the flutist moves forward while thinking the down/up gesture on each of the two-note sigh figures.

    Many years ago as I was developing this method of teaching musical line, I read The Art of Practising the Violin by Robert Gerle (E.C. Schirmer, 1983). In the first few pages he discusses bowing strategies and writes that he choreographs every movement he makes. In his case, he was considering where to play a down bow or an up bow, how much bow to use and in which part of the bow to play the passage. I decided to add his suggestion in my own practice. At first I marked each passage with either a down or up bow, but eventually was able to play the passage without marking anything on the page. Remember there is no one way to phrase a passage. The goal is to be sure that you play it a way.     

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How did you get started on piccolo?
    I began playing the flute when I was 10 years old. At 15, I decided I wanted a piccolo. My father took me to a local music store and bought me one. I could not make a single sound with it no matter how much I tried, but I thought I just was not used to playing it. The next week I auditioned for the Cincinnati Youth Symphony Orchestra. After the audition, the conductor asked if I played the piccolo. Even though I still had not been able to get a sound out of the piccolo, I enthusiastically replied, “Why yes I do, and I even own one.” A few days later I received a letter in the mail stating I had won a position in the Cincinnati Youth Symphony Orchestra. When I arrived for the first rehearsal, I looked at the seating chart and realized I was the piccolo player, and we were playing the Candide Overture by Leonard Bernstein.
    I knew I was in serious trouble. After the rehearsal I called Jack Wellbaum, piccolo of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and told him what a pickle I was in. Wellbaum invited me to his flute studio, took one look at my piccolo, and said it was a terrible instrument. He handed me a used professional piccolo that he had just refurbished and told me I needed to buy it.
    This was the start of Wellbaum becoming my lifelong mentor. I took piccolo lessons with him while studying flute with Rebecca Tryon Andres. At one lesson, he handed me Learning the Piccolo: A Treatise on the Subtleties and Problems of Playing the Piccolo in Relation to the Flute (1996) by Clement Barone. He said if I could play the entire book perfectly for him the next week, he would give me the book for free. He also assigned the Vivaldi C Major Piccolo Concerto. The next week my lesson started with the Vivaldi, and we never touched the book. When I asked him about playing it, he said, “I know you practiced it and can play it. It is yours.” I went on to win several concerto competitions and piccolo auditions and soon realized that this is what I wanted to do with my life.

What was Wellbaum like as a teacher?
    Jack Wellbaum was an incredibly warm and encouraging teacher. He was like a grandfather to me. He was demanding and if he did not think I sounded my best, he would say so. I loved that about him because I believe it is important to be honest with your students.
    Wellbaum held a non-credit two-hour piccolo masterclass once a week. Even though there was no college credit, all the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music flutists attended. We played excerpts for each other including those for two piccolos. He talked about what it was like to perform the excerpts in an orchestra based on his years of experience. He was a great wealth of knowledge for us.
    Years later after I had been a professional musician for a while, Wellbaum called me out of the blue and told me how proud he was of me. His comments meant so much to me. I decided if I ever felt that way about a student, I would tell him too. Music is a difficult business, and sharing an honest heart-felt compliment is important.

What are your thoughts on auditioning?
    Winning an audition is hard. Basically it comes down to three things: owning the best instrument possible, total preparation, and luck. When buying a piccolo, ask a professional player to help you. Play excerpts and long tones using a variety of dynamics and most importantly, check the intonation of the instrument with a tuner.
    To be prepared start your preparation early. Practice with a tuner and a metronome. Play mock auditions for friends. If the same comments are said over and over by different musicians, fix the problem. Try to study the excerpts with the leading orchestral players. Read books on how to mentally prepare for competitions such as Audition Success by Don Greene and The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green. Books on sports psychology such as The Mental Athlete by Kay Porter can be beneficial too. The focus should be on how well you can play, not on winning a prize. Get a lot of rest before an audition and eat healthy foods. Bring a water bottle and some snacks. The rest is up to luck.

Why should flutists become proficient in playing the piccolo?
    For years now, I have heard some professional flutists say they do not play the piccolo, they only play the flute. They may not like the piccolo or think they do not sound good playing it. Whatever the reason, unless they have landed a good job as a principal flutist in an orchestra somewhere, I believe this is putting them at a disadvantage. I strongly encourage all of my students to learn the piccolo. All of the orchestral auditions except principal flute require some piccolo playing on their auditions (assistant principal flute, second flute, and piccolo). The audition committee does not care if you do not like to play the piccolo. They are listening for the best playing possible on both instruments.
    When orchestras need a substitute flutist, they do not just want someone who plays the flute well, they also want someone who plays piccolo well. As an example, there are many second flute parts in which the flutist switches to piccolo. If an orchestra wants to save money, they are not going to hire two players to perform this part; they will simply hire a flutist who plays both instruments. Becoming a good piccolo player increases your chances of getting hired.

What is your rehearsal schedule like each week, and how do you balance this with your university teaching? 
    Being a musician, no matter what you do in music, requires some pretty amazing organizational skills. Musicians lead incredibly busy lives. So, my orchestral schedule is like a checkerboard. Services (which are rehearsals or concerts) can happen every day except Monday. Every week has a different schedule depending on what type of concerts we are performing (Masterworks, Pops, Chamber Orchestra, new music, kiddy shows). Monday is our designated day off, so I teach all of my college students on Monday along with coaching the CSU Flute Choir on Monday nights. Other per-service orchestras I play with, such as the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra and Greenville Symphony Orchestra, send out availability sheets before each season starts. You fill them out with your availability based on your schedule. Chamber Music Charleston, a successful professional chamber music group of which I am a member, tries to schedule each musician around all of their other musical obligations. It becomes quite an intricate juggling act, but you get used to it.

Do you encourage students to double degree?
    A student once asked Leonard Bernstein, “Should I go into music?” Bernstein replied, “If you have to ask the question then the answer is no. If you really want to go into music you will and nothing will stop you.” I agree with Bernstein. Music is an incredible passion, but it is not easy. I did not win every job I wanted, and there were times of disappointment and hardship. However, I love music. If you want it badly enough, then you will find a way. This said, I do encourage my performance majors to select the double degree option. It is difficult to get any job, even non-music jobs, and I think students should make themselves as employable as possible. At Charleston Southern University, I teach flutists who major in performance, music education and music therapy as well as in history, nursing, elementary education, and criminal justice among many others.

Why do you require your CSU students to play the piccolo solo from Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever at their juries?
    Whether you are a music performance major or not, I feel it is important for flutists to know this solo, in both the orchestral and band keys. This solo is so famous that I would find it embarrassing if my students could not play it. Most importantly, however, if any of my students are hired to play extra with an orchestra or band, chances are it will be for an outdoor pops concert, and the concert most likely will include this piece. I want them to be prepared.
    My advice in preparing this piece is to memorize the solo in both the orchestral and band keys. Play all of the grace notes on the beat, not before the beat. I suggest that students go to YouTube and listen to how Sousa’s band played it while watching the part. Many of the trills are not exactly the same as they are played now, and it may also be printed differently. Of course, when subbing in an orchestra, play it exactly as the other flutists in the section are performing it.

How do you decide which of your many piccolos to play?
    I currently own four piccolos and seven piccolo headjoints. One of my piccolos, although made by a professional piccolo maker, is a less expensive model, so I play that one for outdoor Charleston Symphony concerts. All of my piccolos and headjoints are made of grenadilla wood. I am not a person that plays different piccolos or headjoints in the same concert. I generally just play one piccolo and one headjoint per concert. I decide which one by whom I am playing with in the section. If I am playing with a flute section that generally plays at a lower pitch (keeps the pitch close to A=440) then I play a certain instrument and headjoint that is easier to play at that pitch level and creates a darker tone color. If I am playing in a flute section that plays on brighter more modern instruments, then I play another piccolo and headjoint that I feel matches them better. It is all about blending with and matching the flutists in the section.

What are your thoughts on playing piccolo in orchestra?
   I love playing piccolo in the orchestra. Not only does the piccolo generally have very cool solos (Shostakovich Symphonies or Tchaikovsky Symphony #4), but the piccolo plays the extremely high notes on top of the orchestral tutti lines so everyone can hear you. It is a glorious feeling. Piccolo playing is not for the faint of heart. When playing the piccolo in an orchestra, there is no place to hide.

How do you prepare for performing the challenges of Tchaikovsky Symphony #4?
    I practice it at various times of the day and in many different ways. I practice it slow, I practice it with the tuner, I practice it without the fast slurred notes, I practice it using just the first two slurred notes, I practice the entire solo as written and in tempo, and I record myself. After all of that, several times a day I will practice it by placing the headjoint on my face and playing it, then taking the headjoint away and repeating the process. I find this to be very helpful. This way I am replicating what it feels like to play it without keeping the instrument there, because that is what it will feel like in performance.

Do you have any other piccolo mentors besides Jack Wellbaum?
    Other mentors include Walfrid Kujala, Lois Schaefer and Carl Hall. Besides private lessons with Kujala, I also studied with him in his summer masterclasses at Northwestern University. Kujala is one of the nicest and most knowledgeable people I have ever met. He knows every alternate fingering possible on the piccolo, and even now, I sometimes email him for advice.
    As a child, I used to watch the Boston Pops conducted by Arthur Fiedler on television. They showed lots of close ups of Lois Schaefer playing the piccolo. One of my dreams in life was to perform at the Tanglewood Festival, perform with Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa conducting, and take piccolo lessons with Lois Schaefer. Eventually that dream came true. One of the most valuable statements Schaefer made to me was, “You will learn most of how to be a great orchestral piccolo player on the job.” She was right. Learning to blend with colleagues and play with accurate pitch is pretty much learned on the job.
    When I was working in Hawaii, I bought the famous recording of the Atlanta Symphony performing all the Rossini Overtures with Yoel Levi conducting. I thought it was the most amazing piccolo playing I had heard in my entire life. When I moved back to the mainland to play in the Knoxville Symphony, I knew I had to meet this piccolo player, even though I did not know his name. I wrote a letter addressed to Piccolo Player, Atlanta Symphony, asking for a lesson. I explained how I adored his playing in the Rossini Overture recording. Later I received a phone message on my answering machine from Carl Hall saying that I could indeed have a piccolo lesson. I adored Hall’s teaching. He has a wonderful ear for details, pitch and musicality. A few years ago Hall sold the piccolo he recorded the Rossini Overtures on to me. I have named that piccolo the “Rossini.”

What were lessons like with James Pellerite at Indiana University?
    I studied with James Pellerite the very last year he taught at Indiana University. It was a wonderful experience. Pellerite was very encouraging, always telling me of the latest competitions he wanted me to enter. He also wanted to coach me on every big solo I was to play in the orchestra. Often he would come to hear our orchestral performances. He was very demanding, wanting all of his students to play their absolute best at all times and to be absolutely prepared. Even though it was never stated as required, all of his students dressed up for lessons. We knew he expected professionalism from us.
    Even to this day, I am happy for the high expectations he held us to. He taught us how to be professionals. He also had a two-hour orchestral class for flutists once a week where we studied excerpts, compared recordings of different professionals performing the same solos, and had mock auditions. To this day, every flutist I know that participated in this class thinks it was an invaluable experience. Pellerite really knew how to train flutists to win auditions and perform wonderfully in orchestra.

What is your practice routine?
    I always start by playing warmups on the flute before playing on the piccolo. I play long tones with and without vibrato, using different dynamics with the tuner. I basically hold every note listening for the beauty of the sound. I practice scales and technical exercises from the Taffanel & Gaubert 17 Big Daily Exercises or one of Trevor Wye’s books. Then I practice the music for upcoming performances on the piccolo. I record myself often. After I practice piccolo, I always warm down by playing the flute.

Besides the three Vivaldi Concertos, what are the other standard concertos for piccolo?
    The two most standard concertos for the piccolo are the piccolo concertos of Bruce Broughton and Lowell Liebermann. These two concertos are wonderful works and are being performed a lot these days both in colleges and with professional orchestras. Some other wonderful piccolo concertos have been written by Martin Amlin and Eric Ewazen.

What is involved in commissioning a work?
    About 20 years ago, I decided to start commissioning works for the piccolo. In the past few decades, piccolo makers have made large strides in improving the piccolo. I wanted repertoire to reflect what the piccolo can now do and to also show that it can be an expressive instrument. If I heard a work on the flute that I liked, I contacted the composer to ask if he or she was interested in writing for the piccolo and how much it would cost. If I could afford it, I sent a contract, paying half of the fee up front and the other half when the work was completed. The contract stated the length of the piece, the instrumentation, and gave me the rights to record within the first six months. My current project is to record the works I have commissioned.

For a flutist playing the piccolo for the first time, what advice would you give?
    Buy the best piccolo you can afford. Practice long tones with a tuner, just like you would to warm up on the flute. Practice the same etudes and exercises that you would on the flute. Compile a list of alternate fingerings for the piccolo and practice them to make them yours.     

* * *

    Regina Helcher Yost, second flute/piccolo of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, piccolo of the Savannah Philharmonic, and assistant principal flute/piccolo of the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, serves as the adjunct professor of flute at Charleston Southern University and core flutist for Chamber Music Charleston. Yost earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (Kyril Magg, Jack Wellbaum) and studied for a Master of Music degree at Indiana University (James Pellerite). She was a member of the National Orchestra of New York (a national training orchestra with a concert series in Carnegie Hall) and has attended the Tanglewood Music Festival, Pacific Music Festival, GRAZ, Chautauqua, and the Sarasota Music Festival. Previously she has performed with the Honolulu Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra. Currently she is also a substitute flutist/piccolo with the Atlanta Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony and Greenville Symphony.

Yost’s Commissioned Works for Piccolo

Sonata for Piccolo and Piano by Mike Mower (Itchy Fingers Publications)
Sonatina for Piccolo and Piano by Jindrich Feld (Alphonse Leduc)
Music for a Low Budget Epic for Piccolo and Bassoon by Jan Bach (Trevco Music)
Farandula for Piccolo and Guitar by Christopher Caliendo (Caliendo World Music Publishing Company)
Portraits for Piccolo and Piano by Robert Cronin (Robert Cronin Press)
Postcard for Piccolo and Marimba by Robert Cronin (Robert Cronin Press)
Ephemeropterae I and II for Piccolo Alone by Martin Amlin (Theodore Presser)
Paying the Piper for Piccolo and Harpsichord by Stanley Friedman (Editions Bim)
Cara Mia by Jeffrey Yost, arranged by D.J. Sparr (ALRY Publications)
This Little Light for Piccolo and String Quartet by Gary Schocker (Falls House Press)

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Practicing
    Practice is an on-going event done by you personally, alone in a practice room. It is a time when you work to perfect basic fundamentals, etudes, solos, and ensemble works. It is a time to strive to do your best. To practice is to repeat specific passages in various ways in order to conquer them. How you accomplish this might be called drilling because you repeat the passage, over and over, until you have taken possession of it.

Drilling with Rhythms
    There are various ways to drill. Some performers apply rhythmic variations to a difficult passage, playing it in as many different rhythmic patterns as they can. Others work from the end of the piece to the front of the piece. For example, you play the last measure 10 times; then play the last two measures 10 times; and then the last three measures 10 times. This type of work ensures you know the end of the piece as well as you do the beginning. You could also use this method from the beginning of a piece, but our problems are rarely at the beginning. Personally, I like starting from the end because the natural instinct is to start working at the beginning.

Chunking
    Some performers like to use the chunking technique when they practice. Chunking is a concept that I did not grow up with, but I have it on the best authority that it is a valuable practice technique. I was exposed to regrouping notes and practicing them in recognizable spurts and view this as a similar method to chunking. We called these Kincaid groups, in honor of the great William Kincaid, who had such an influence on the practice and phrasing of an entire generation of musicians. We regrouped notes so that the last three 16th notes of the beat led into the next downbeat, for example. If you practice the first movement of Bach’s A minor Partita regrouping all the sixteenth notes 2,3,4,1, the outcome is amazing. Not only are the notes more even with increased direction, the overall effect is more musical.
 
What Practice Is Not
    Sometimes it is easier to explain what practice is not. Practicing is not playing something through three times and moving on. Every teacher has had students through the years who have said their band directors directed them to “Play you band piece through three times, and you can say you practiced.” That is absolute rubbish! Students cannot call this practice because they have not fixed any of the problem areas. If the purpose of practice is to improve musical and technical performance, some focused and concentrated listening are going to be necessary in order to hear what needs to be corrected.
    It is also possible to mindlessly practice while thinking about any number of other things, like what you are going to wear tomorrow, or what you need to buy at the grocery store. This is not focused and concentrated listening either. It is mindless, ineffective practice because you are not thinking about what you are doing. Your mind is not in the practice room. You have to be mentally present and able to block out all other concerns in order to practice well and get something accomplished.

Rehearsing
    A rehearsal is a specifically-timed event held in a rehearsal space in which you work with others. These times are not called Dress Practices, but are called Dress Rehearsals and are in effect a trial run for the performance. Ultimately musicians practice in order to learn music so they can rehearse it with other people who have been practicing the same music. At least two players are necessary for a rehearsal. For example, think of a flute choir. Flutists should arrive at the rehearsal with individual parts learned as well as possible. Trying to learn the music during the flute choir rehearsal is a waste of everyone’s time and patience. If everyone knows his or her part, the conductor can actually do something creative with an interpretation of the score, rather than simply teaching notes and rhythms.
    With individual practice, the focus is more on musical accuracy and tempo, but when rehearsing with other musicians, goals change markedly. A simple read-through of a piece of music will quickly indicate where the attention should be.

Ensemble
    Starting and stopping together, performing notes of the appropriate length, and playing together as one musician instead of many is the ultimate goal. I will never forget the first time I heard the Chicago Symphony perform. I was a student at Indiana University, and they came as part of the Artist Series there. The year had to be about 1964. I had never heard an orchestra of the quality of the CSO. I was knocked over by the ensemble; there were 110 musicians on the stage, and the overall effect was that of one musician making a singular blended sound that filled the concert hall.
    Ensemble rehearsals are times to play the compositions while listening intently to the other musicians around you. That allows you to respond to their dynamic level, tone quality, intonation, and phrasing. That kind of listening makes tempo variations possible. Without that kind of listening, we might as well be performing the ensemble piece by ourselves; the other musicians being superfluous. Similarly, rehearsals allow us to become more familiar with the entire score so that when we practice during the week, we can hear the other musicians, even if they are not present.
    I would like to thank the reader who wrote in with the question about the difference between practicing and rehearsing. We love to hear from readers. If you have a question, send it to: editor@flutetalkmagazine.com.   

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