I. Among thirty reed bushes, where is the moving eye of the nymph Syrinx?
II. The music has glanced him; Pan breaks the branch, makes his song.
III. I am of many minds. Many flutes sit in my many minds.
IV. Rumi’s reeds sigh. He must write the pantomime.
V. Charon’s flute, sidelong gaze, the souls crossing the river Styx, Hades ahead.
VI. Marsyas’ body/flute realizes that’s it’s not a good idea to mess with Apollo.
VII. Athena’s flute, laughing, looks up from the water where she has thrown it.
VIII. Socrates’ dismissed flutes: what an insult, they hiss; narrowed keys.
IX. Hotteterre: try yet another fingering, or instead have a nice glass of wine?
X. Platinum in Georges Barrere’s hands: density is involved in what he knows.
XI. Severino Gazzeloni’s flute whispers the multiphonics.
XII. Jean-Pierre Rampal smiles out into Carnegie Hall; his gold flute winks at him.
XIII. Frederick’s flute gives lilting accents before the battle; noble men will die.
XIV. A fife trembles as the drums and the guns begin.
XV. Audition: flute keys stare with damp round faces.
XVI. A voice vibrates in the tube; will it escape and mark the edge of many circles?
XVII. An adversary, a broken key, a torn pad, reproach.
XVIII. A closed flute case waits.
XVIX. A closed flute case and a stack of music wait.
XX. An opened flute case beckons.
XXI. An opened flute case and a stack of music beckon. The river is moving.
XXII. A bamboo flute speaks of cherry blossoms.
XXIII. A cedar flute speaks of the plains and the sky.
XXIV. Julius Baker’s stolen flute: is it waiting in a glass coach somewhere?
XXV. Do the birds know that they are good teachers?
XXVI. William Kincaid’s flute sound, reflected in his shining hair.
XXVII. A contrabass flute waits like a bull at the gate.
XXVIII. Marcel Moyse’s flute makes an eternal sound.
XXIX. On a dark winter afternoon the flute weaves a sunlit ballade.
XXX. It flies into the trees and beyond to the innermost stretches of our souls.

The post Thirty Ways of Looking at a Flute appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    A friend and I were talking about the coming work week, and I mentioned that I was writing an article about the 30 best piccolo pieces. Although my friend is a musician, I was shocked when he stated in all earnestness, “I didn’t realize there were 30 piccolo pieces.” In the music stacks in my studio I have 378 piccolo pieces, and that number does not include the piccolo and band type polkas and theme and variation pieces I have uncovered.
    So with my friend’s statement in mind, I offer here a list of 30 piccolo pieces I believe to be the best representation of the music of the last 30 years. All works are listed alphabetically, and the list does not represent a ranking of any sort. If you believe that I have missed some good pieces, please contact me with the name of the piece, composer and any contact information you might have.

Piccolo Solos
    Samuel Adler, Canto XIII is the 13th in a series of solo pieces written for instruments of the orchestra. This fine piece is based on a Gregorian chant and is a theme and variations with the performer moving across the stage to three different stations each time the chant is played.    
    Martin Amlin wrote two very lovely pieces for Regina Helcher called Ephemeroptera I & II. Hard name, easy pieces. Good to start a program. 
    Lowell Liebermann was commissioned by Sarah Baird Fouse to write a piece for bass flute. When I saw the manuscript to Eight Pieces, I asked if he would mind if the piccolo also had it in our library, and he agreed that the entire flute family could play it. Each movement is a jewel. This piece should be in all flutist’s repertoire.
 
    David Loeb spends half of each year in Japan and has become a master at writing Eastern rim melodies for piccolo. I have picked three that give the best representation of his work.
        Six Preludes: Studies on East Asian Pipes for solo piccolo has eight melodies, each one from a different country in the Pacific Rim.
        V Preludes for Solo Piccolo, Vol III has six pieces, all fantasies and melodies created by Loeb.
        The Three Tibetan Fantasias are yet another style and as interesting as they are different.

    Vincent Persichetti’s Parable XII for solo piccolo was one of the first new pieces written for piccolo (1973). It is the 12th of his Parables, and like Sam Adler, he carrys on the tradition of Paul Hindemith of writing at least one piece for all the instruments.

    Karlheinz Stockhausen has written a very long opera called Saturday, from Light. In it is the Tip-of-the-tongue Dance, a very difficult and avant-garde piccolo solo.

    Will Gay Bottje’s Concertino for Piccolo and Orchestra is the first piccolo concerto since the Vivaldi concertos. Written in 1955 for Walfrid Kujala, it is harmonically in the tradition of post-romantic American music. Almost forgotten, piccoloists should rediscover the piece and give it its place in the history of piccolo music.

    Bruce Broughton is a very successful composer. His best known film score is Silverado. His Concerto for Piccolo and Chamber Orchestra is the first major concerto written for piccolo and has been played by many professional performers. A band adaptation of the orchestral score is also available and has had at least 15 performances. A very lovely second movement in Baroque style is flanked with fast and technical outer movements.
    Lowell Liebermann has written seven pieces for flute/piccolo/bass flute. The Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra, Op. 50 is the most popular of the piccolo concertos and is one of Lowell’s finest efforts. It has had close to 75 performances with major orchestras throughout the world and numerous performances by regional and college orchestras.
    Martin Amlin’s first flute sonata, recorded by Leone Buyse and Amlin, is an excellent recording showing how his rhythms can be performed flawlessly. The Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra was premièred by Carl Hall and received with cheering applause. Another great success for Martin Amlin.
        Amlin has also written a Sonata for Piccolo and Piano and a Sonatina Piccola. The Sonata’s first movement is the most sophisticated rhythmic work I have ever played, and although it is very difficult, it makes complete musical sense when each performer plays the rhythms seamlessly. It is a must for any repertory list.
    Robert Beaser’s Souvenirs is a six-movement work that incorporates his well-known free transcription of the mountain song “Cindy” and an homage to 911. It is a little-known piece of immense musical passion.
    Zart Dombourian Eby of the Seattle Symphony sent me a recording of Ken Benshoof and an unknown piccolo player performing his piece Spindrift. Benshoof is mostly a jazz player so the entire piece was improvised. Benshoof and I worked long hours to get the right sound and style put into written music. We were successful and now there is a jazzy piece that is a hoot to play.
    Laurie Skoloff of the Baltimore Symphony commissioned Michael Daugherty’s The High and The Mighty, which is a modern work with melodies and special effects, especially the simultaneous humming of the tune while playing. A fun piece, it is very difficult but well worth the work to get it performance ready.
    Daniel Dorff’s Sonatine de Giverny was inspired by the painting of the garden area of Giverny where Monet painted his famous Water Lilies. The work is an excellent example of French writing and is in the Paris Conservatory style, with the exception of its being three delineated movements rather than the usual French one- movement piece.
    Stephen Kujala wrote a very jazzy, rhythmic, difficult piece called Eurhythmionics. Years before he had written Take Your Picc, which his father asked him to expand into a piece he could play at an NFA Convention. Eurhythmionics was the result; it doesn’t sound much like its first attempt, but it is extremely fun to conquer and play.
    Mike Mower’s music is fun, happy, jazzy, and easy to understand. This Sonata for Piccolo and Piano is in the same style and is a good piece that isn’t too difficult or serious.
    Peter Schickele is just plain zany. In his Sonata Piccola he uses the performers as actors doing funny skits, such has having the pianist put her fingers in the piccoloist’s ears as she tries to hit a high C. Schickele is a genius at the musical gag and this piece is ours. It would be excellent for a young people show or to just break the ice at a stuffy recital.
    Stephen Hough, the extraordinary pianist, is also a fine composer. At the request of the piccoloist of the Berlin Philharmonic, Hough wrote a piece for piccolo, contrabassoon and piano that is tonal, somewhat fast in parts, but enjoyable. The hook of course is the difference in octave, timber, and sound of the two extremes from the woodwind family.
    Ken Benshoof piccolo quartet In Shadow, Light (piccolo, violin, viola, cello) is the only quartet for piccolo that I know, and like Spindrift, is somewhat jazzy, but in general much more mainstream and extremely well-written. It has a wonderful sound and is great fun to work with string players in a traditional form.

    My wife, a world-class clarinetist, suggested a recommended list of one piccolo composition for each of Flute Talk’s 30 years.

1980: J.J. Werner, Nachstuck and Bun-Ching
1981: Bun-Ching Lam, Bittersweet Music I
1982: Michael S Horwood, Birds for piccolo, piano, and colour slides (A must for any flute/piccolo player)
1983: John Adams, Songbirdsongs Book I & II
1984: Masanoro Fiujita, Hagi-no-Soyogite for piccolo, alto flute, vibraphone, marimba
1985: Paul Agricole Genin, Fantasie sur “Il pleu, il pleu, Bergere”
1986: David Loeb, Four Preludes: Studies on East Asian Pipes, Vol. 2
1987: Josef Alexander, Three Miniatures for Two Extremes (picc and tuba)
1988: Trevor Wye, Patricia Morris, A Piccolo Practice Book. (The best of its kind.)
1989: Jay Vosk, Aerobatics for two piccolos
1990: Shelley Foster Gurin, Sentiments for Piccolo (also for band and piano)
1991: Donald Erb, Drawing Down the Moon (the best piece for piccolo and mallet percussion)
1992: Alan Ridout, Farndale Dances for piccolo solo
1993: John LaMontaine, Sonata for piccolo and piano, Op. 61
1994: Marilyn Bliss, Rima
1995: George Tsontakis, Il Fervore
1996: Wolfgang Witzenmann, Sonata for piccolo and piano
1997: Robert Cronin, Portraits for piccolo and piano
1998: Jessica Daniels Kozlowski, Acrobatics: A Suite for Piccolo and Piano
1999: Roberto Casado, Elkarrizketa for 2 piccolos and tambourine
2000: Stephen Mager, Illuminations: Middle English lyrics for soprano, piccolo and harp
2001: Regis Campo, Le Pic-Vert pour flute piccolo et piano
2002: Aldo Kumar, Graffiti for piccolo and piano
2003: Yoram Meyouhas, Bagatelles for piccolo solo
2004: Peter Kopac, Animula Vagula Blandula for piccolo, bassoon, and piano
2005: Daniel Kelley, Suite for piccolo and piano
2006: David Loeb, Nightcolors for Piccolo Solo
2007: Daniel Felsenfeld, All Work and No Play
2008: Stephen Hough, Was mit den Tranen geschieht (What happens to the tears)
2009: Eric Ewazen, Wildflowers, trio sonata for piccolo, clarinet, and piano
2010: Eric Ewazen, Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra (band)

Have fun learning all these pieces and performing them, because the piccolo repertoire is growing, and by the time you are finished learning these 30 works, there will probably be 60 more.

The post 30 Piccolo Pieces from the Past Thirty Years appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Memorable People
I walked down a Washington, D.C., street, chatting with Igor Stravinsky following a recording session of his works.

Aaron Copland, during the rehearsal of a new work for orchestra, asked me how fast he should conduct the difficult flute variation. My response, “Whatever your desire,” brought a smile to his face and a quiet groan from my colleagues.

I played an Easter Sunrise Service at Walter Reed Army Hospital while sitting eight feet from the Rev. Billy Graham in his prime.

I chatted with President Dwight Eisenhower at the White House after a state dinner performance. He told me how much he enjoyed the music and then went on to explain how difficult it was for him to shop for his wife, Mamie. He noted that streets had to be closed and the store opened for him and the Secret Service. This blew my mind, having grown up poor during the Great Depression — here was the President of the United States telling me his troubles.

I was thrilled to be invited to play duets with Verne Q. Powell when we first met in Boston, Massachusetts, in his small office/shop.

Judy Garland kissed me ­– on stage. When asked what it was like, I remember saying, “All I saw was Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.”

I performed for President John F. Kennedy a few months before his tragic assassination.

I met William Kincaid for the first time at The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., where he was performing with the Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet.

I loaned 1950s pop singing star Eddie Fisher money to pay his cab fare following a performance. He did not carry money with him, because his specially designed trousers had no pockets. And yes, he paid me back.

During a break from playing for a banquet at the Statler Hotel in Washington, D.C., I chatted with a gentleman in the lounge area of the men’s room. I was a sergeant playing with The United States Army Orchestra. It had been a long day, and I groused about having to play that evening. The gentleman wasn’t terribly happy to be there, either. As he got up to leave, he introduced himself – it was the Secretary of Defense! Oops!

I performed for the King and Queen of Nepal.

I greatly cherish my life long friendship with Jean Pierre Rampal.

At a children’s concert in Washing-ton, D.C., with then First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and her children in the audience, TV children’s star Captain Kangaroo asked me if I could make my flute “sound like a bird” before we performed Peter and the Wolf.

Via the flute, I met my wonderful wife, Judith – we’ve been married for 46 years.

Memorable Performances
I played the premiere of Paul Hindemith’s Symphony in B Flat with the composer conducting. The symphony was written for The United States Army Band. My flutist colleagues were Sgt’s. Taylor, Cromwell, and Winkler.

General Jonathan Wainwright commanded the American forces at Bataan in the Philippines at the start of World War II. He survived the Bataan Death March and five years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. His heroic stand during the battle of Bataan gave the American forces at Pearl Harbor time enough to recover after the December 7, 1941 attack. He became my personal hero throughout the war. Years later, in the 1950s, I was assigned as the only flutist to play in an augmented Army Band detail for a special funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. When I asked, “Who is being buried?” I was told that it was General Jonathan Wainwright. This was the only funeral I ever played there. What an honor!

As I was moving to the front of the stage in Carnegie Hall to play the piccolo obbligato of The Stars and Stripes Forever, the E-flat pad fell out of my piccolo and rolled away. Somehow I survived…barely!

During an orchestra performance in Washington, D.C., I experienced a mild problem with the right hand section of my flute. As the second movement began, which was tacit for the flutes, I felt my flute slowly sliding across my lap into the lap of my second flutist, Carl Tucker. To my horror, he removed the entire right hand section in an attempt to fix the problem. Unable to say anything due to the ongoing performance, I tried to maintain my composure. The downbeat of the third movement began with the principal flute – me. As the second movement was ending, I felt my flute slide slowly across my lap. My flute reached my lip as the downbeat was given. I still shake thinking about that moment.

We were on a Midwestern tour with the Army Band sitting tightly together on a too small stage in Terre Haute, Indiana, with no room for the piccolos to play the Stars and Stripes Forever at stage front. I noticed a stairwell offstage that led to the auditorium level in front of the stage. At the appointed time, I had the flute section with piccolos follow me down the stairs, only to find the door at floor level locked. Needless to say, we played the famed part trapped in a stair well!

I performed the world premiere of the Concerto for Flute and Orchestra by Emma Lou Diemer as guest soloist with The Omaha Symphony Orchestra. The composer dedicated the work to me.

Memorable Places
On tour, I saw Crater Lake in Oregon. Wow, what beauty!

In Milan, Italy, during a performance, I was given an armed guard. They did not want me to be kidnapped or assassinated by the Red Brigade, which was terrorizing the area at the time.

Other Interesting Events
I had the honor of being selected as the American soloist for the first joint convention of the American Bandmasters Association and Japanese Band Directors Association, which was held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The National Flute Association became a reality during a west coast tour in 1972. I booked the first convention for Anaheim, California, in August, 1973. The rest is history!

Following a summer concert, we were leaving the famed Watergate concert barge shell that sits in the Potomac River near the Lincoln Memorial, when two elderly ladies stopped us and said, “The symphony concert was just wonderful, but what do you all do for a living?”

When I was a member of the United States Army Band (the oldest service in the military) we always led the inaugural parade and marched in front of the President’s motorcade, so when we passed in front of the White House reviewing stand, the commander-in chief wasn’t there yet. Consequently, we were the only group that didn’t get to actually see the president!

I was honored to have been personally called at 11:00 p.m. by a noted symphony orchestra conductor and offered the principal flute position of a first-rate orchestra without having to play an audition.

I feel privileged to have helped so many students, from beginners to professionals, learn about the wonders and beauty of the flute.

I had the honor of playing a recital for the famed New York Flute Club.

Thanks to a lifelong association with the flute, first as a student, then as a performer, recording artist, and educator, I have met many interesting people and visited many parts of the world.

The post Unforgettable Moments appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    In 1980 I was in my sixth year as a member of the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” in Washing­ton, D.C.. I had joined at the age of 20. Being a part of high-profile events in the nation’s capital was both an honor and a joy; however, I never really considered it as a career choice.
    While in the Army I also worked hard to complete bachelor’s and master’s degrees, as well as most of a doctorate at Catholic University. I studied with Bernard Goldberg for four years, driving to Pittsburgh about every other week. His meticulous regimen prepared me well for life after the Army.
    My commanding officer stared at me with wide-eyed amazement when I turned down his offer of promotion upon reenlistment to pursue studies in France. I had met Michel Debost the previous year, thanks to my friend Penny Fischer, and played for him during a masterclass sponsored by the Flute Society of Washington. During the following year I maintained contact with him and eventually applied for a scholarship from the French government. In August 1981 I departed for Paris for a two-year adventure of study and introduction to a larger world.
    Michel Debost held classes in his home in the Parisian suburb of Levallois Perret. The students were mostly Americans, with the exception of an Argentine and a Briton, who happily maintained a close friendship, in spite of the 1981 Falkland Crisis between those two countries. There was little association with actual French flute students that fall, a situation that was remedied in the spring when Debost filled in for the indisposed Jean Pierre Rampal at the Paris Conservatory. Debost invited us to audit his classes there and hearing those young superstars was truly inspiring.
    Debost’s teaching style merited its renown. We studied in the European class format. Each student was assigned a time to play, though all were required to listen to the others. Debost insisted that each student play the week’s materials front to end “nonstop,” as he would say, at the beginning of each lesson. Only by this technique could one know how much of the material was truly learned. The faults determined the practice agenda for the lesson or for work at home. I still use this technique as one of my primary teaching and personal practice tools.
    At the end of the year, Debost rented a bus and took his conservatory class and private class on a picnic. We each were responsible for part of the day’s menu, though he insisted that Americans prepare the brownies.
    My scholarship was administered by a French government agency called CROUS (Centre régional d’œuvres universitaires et scholaires). CROUS also organized various excursions that the scholarship recipients (called boursiers) could sign up for at little expense.
    I spent my first Christmas vacation on a trip to Cap d’Ail in the south of France. I was the only music student and the only American, so I had the opportunity to meet students from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities. I became close friends with several Lebanese students (Lebanon was in the throes of a civil war, and France with its historical ties became a refuge for numerous displaced Lebanese students).
    At the end of the first year CROUS organized a musical tour of the Lot and Limousin regions for the musician boursiers. We arranged ourselves into various small ensembles and presented a half-dozen concerts over 10 days. We appreciated a region of great physical beauty and culinary delights—especially the paté de fois gras.
    Pavel Foltyn, from what was then Czechoslovakia, was one of my fellow flutist boursiers. He was studying with Christian Lardé, and we became good friends, playing together during the tour and on several other events. Hearing about his difficulties securing travel visas from the then communist regime in Prague made me appreciate the freedom that Americans often take for granted. Pavel went on to have a successful career as an orchestral musician and solo artist in the Czech Republic.
    CROUS arranged for many of us to attend the Académie internationale d’été at Nice in summer 1982. There, I participated in Alain Marion’s classes. I continued to study privately with him at his home the following year.
    Living situations in Paris were difficult. I spent the first year in the suburb of Clichy living above an air conditioning company and the second year in a little apartment near the Porte de St. Martin that never saw the light of day, right across from the Marcel Marceau School of Mime on Rue René Boul-anger. Daily life was occasionally tough, but it was the experience of a lifetime.
    Studying with world-class artists aside, there are compelling reasons to make study abroad part of your professional formation.

A New Language
    If you choose to study in a foreign country where English is the primary language, then obviously learning a new language is not a major reason to study abroad, though becoming familiar with other dialects of English is in itself an important experience. Americans are all too often encapsulated by their native language and dialect. Learning a different language not only serves the practical purpose of communication; it permits you entry into different modes of thought and expression. Learning a new language also gives you a heightened awareness of your native tongue.
    I remember the Christmas at Cap d’Ail, a teacher of French from Greece leaned over the table one evening, fixed his eyes on mine and said, “My young American friend, always learn the languages of your enemies.” Well, I didn’t think I had any enemies, but I interpreted his advice to mean that,  through learning another’s language comes understanding, not only of the practical, but also the inner thoughts, cares, and aspirations of people from a very different part of the world. With language comes empathy and affinity. As a college educator I highly encourage foreign language study, even when it is not a requirement.
    As far as language  in flute lessons, I spoke mostly English with Michel Debost, as he was perfectly bilingual, most of the class members were American, and I was still relatively inexperienced in daily French. However, by the time I studied with Marion I was fairly proficient in French. The Nice classes were conducted in French, and I naturally continued work with him in that language. I remember being very surprised when I heard him speak in English at the National Flute Association Convention a number of years later. I asked him why he never told me he spoke English. He responded, “You never asked.” I believe it was more likely that he accommodated my desire to improve my French. In either case, I soon learned that it’s respectful to respond in the language in which one is addressed when in bilingual situations.

Culture
    French culture is extraordinarily rich. Visual art, music, literature, and architecture are all overwhelmingly present in Paris. Students were a privileged class and received free or greatly reduced admission to almost everything. Interacting with the French people was a new and sometimes challenging experience. French culture is generally more formal than American culture. It was difficult, if not impossible, to know all the social customs and sensitivities, and small gaffes were inevitable. For instance, though chrysanthemums are common for all sorts of occasions every fall in America, in France they are the official flower for remembering the deceased on All Saints Day on November 1st. You wouldn’t casually give chrysanthemums to anyone in France. This and countless other social discoveries were sometimes slightly embarrassing but always interesting. Debost was great at giving us a heads up on customs, upcoming events, and celebrations.

A Change in Perspective
    A new objectivity toward your own country develops when you study abroad. In the 1980s Paris had two major newspapers, Le Monde (left leaning) and Le Figaro (right leaning); there were also a slew of smaller papers – the Herald Tribune (in English), the politically satirical Le Canard enchainé, and many more. With the exception of Sunday when there was no newspaper – another cultural curiosity – the French react to any news event in a variety of political flavors. They loved politics and reading their reaction to events back home was often revealing.
    I remember that the French were apprehensive about the recent election of Ronald Reagan (he had been wounded by John Hinckley, Jr. the previous spring), especially when he fired the air traffic controllers (that, unfortunately, was about the time I was departing for France). However, his appointment of Sandra Day O’Connor as the first woman Supreme Court Justice was very appealing. I recall Debost commenting that most French found political refuge in being “extremists of the center.”

Interesting Experiences
    My daily life in France was probably harder than what most Americans experience when they visit France. Other than Debost’s class, I intentionally made decisions that avoided Americans and immersed myself in the mundane aspects of French life. Rather than live in a dorm full of other Americans, I chose to live in an apartment, and mechanical things went wrong with it on a daily basis.
    I remember numerous trips to the nearby quincaillerie (hardware store) and the challenge of describing  in a foreign language what had gone wrong and the possible solutions. Luckily, I was able to hang around the workers at the air conditioning company quite a bit and their patient explanations of all things mechanical and identification of everything from a screwdriver (tournevis) to a faucet washer (rondelle de robinet) armed me with an experience and vocabulary far beyond that of my compatriots.
    Living and studying abroad requires some courage, a sense of adventure, and the willingness to not always have it your way. It requires a sensitivity to the customs of others, an interest in other cultures, and a desire to broaden your life experience. Study abroad is not for everyone, but it was a life-changing experience for me, and more recently for my son Andrew. The opportunities have never been more numerous and easier to find than they are right now. Check with your college or university’s foreign studies office, and visit the ISEP International Student Exchange Program website www.isep.org for a start.

The post The Benefits of Study Abroad appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

1. Keep a journal. A simple spiral notebook or word document on your computer is a good way to start. Be honest. This journal is only for you. If you are studying with a teacher, you may want to share the information, but that is your choice.
    Start by noting your long term goals. A long term goal might be taking an audition or entering a competition that is six months away. Or, it might be memorizing the Ibert Concerto.  Note short term goals. A good short term goal might be to learn two new etudes this week or to fix your hand position.

2. Plan your practice. Each day write your practice plan in your journal. A good practice plan will encompass stretching, warm-ups (including scales, arpeggios, tone work etc.) etudes, solos, chamber works, and orchestral works. If you have an exceptionally good practice day, note it in your journal, and later when you reread your entries, you may discover why you were more successful one day than another.

3. Treat yourself to a COA. This stands for a clean, oil, and adjust on your flute. Many of us put checkups off until a few days before a performance and then realize that some of the problems that we have practiced so hard to eliminate were actually caused by a poorly adjusted flute. Most professional flutists treat their instrument to a COA every six months.

4. Audio or video record your practice. Many of my college students share good practice days with a practice buddy by sending the recording as an attachment in an email. If you are having difficulties solving a problem, a practice partner may have the answer for you. Most of the time you are your own best teacher and you will be able to figure out what you should do once you view or listen to your practice.

5. Stand as if serving in tennis or volleyball. The flute should be parallel to the music stand (or the end even slightly a bit more forward). This means that your body is turned 45 degrees to the right and your left foot is in front and your right foot in back.

6. Hang your arms and hang your jaw.

7. Spend more time on just the headjoint. Be creative. How many things can you practice with just the headjoint? (Hint: articulation, vibrato, dynamics, embouchure flexibility)

8. Try to keep the embouchure hole level or parallel to the floor and ceiling. This is difficult for many flutists because the embouchure is not fully developed. At first you will sound airy, but with work, your tone will be fuller and you will have fewer intonation problems.

9. Practice some counted vibrato. Vibrato generally spins in uneven numbers (5) per pulse in simple time. To develop a fluid vibrato, practice counted vibrato, keeping the pulses high in the vocal folds. Try HAH, HAH, HAH, rest played staccato and then repeat letting the HAHs slur together. Keep it simple. Remember that vibrato speed has a lot to do with the internal rhythm of the music you are playing.

10. The left hand thumb should be straight and pointed to the ceiling. The bottom of the thumb key should touch the left hand thumb at about the first knuckle.

11. All finger movements (except that of the left index finger) should come from the third knuckle back from the nail. Keep the right hand third knuckles at the same level as the key pad.

12. Think separate your vocal folds, rather than thinking open your throat.

13. Think of tonguing as being a horizontal stroke rather than a vertical one. The tongue should move through the teeth, touching on the top lip.

14. Place the aperture on the left of center if you have a tear drop embouchure. Remember to tongue in the center of the aperture no matter whether your aperture is centered or off-centered.

15. Practice playing your best sounding note with the tongue positioned in the following ways: long A, short A, long O, short O, long U and, short u. You may find a position of the tongue that gives you a sound that you prefer.

16.  Do not practice when you are exhausted.

17. A regularly set practice time each day will help you remember to practice.

18. Buy new editions of the Bach Sonatas and Mozart Concerti because the latest scholarship will be reflected in them. Be informed. Keep up to date.

19. My favorite book on style: Franz Vester On the Playing of Mozart for Woodwind Instruments.

20. When playing a three-octave chromatic scale (required for many auditions), most flutists naturally move forward onto the left front foot when beginning the scale. Try moving back to the right foot. Then your body and your pinky will be moving in the same direction and your slur will be smoother with no jerking or bumps.

21. Counting is not just feeling the pulse. Counting is counting: 1 e + ah, 2 e + ah. When you count well, you have a great sense of power because you know where you are.

22. Intonation is not optional. Neither are dynamics.

23. Subdivision (counting the internal parts of a beat) is necessary for accuracy.

24. A metronome and a tuner are your best companions.

25. Buy a music stand that allows you to have good alignment. Many stands do not go low or high enough.

26. Reading about music, studying theory and history, listening to music, and attending concerts should be catalogued under the heading of Practice.

27. Chunking (playing in one inch segments with a rest in between each segment) is the greatest advance in practice techniques in the last 25 years.

28. Practice for 25 minutes, then rest for at least five or ten minutes. During the rest, perform some stretching exercises.

29. Practice what you cannot do, rather than playing what you can.

30. Read Flute Talk for the many great playing and teaching tips.

The post Improvement in a Month appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

1-3 Breathing Exercises
    These breathing stretches will help you to take time to focus. I call this Healthy Completion and Healthy Depletion.

1.    Inhale solely through the nose to fullest capacity while feeling the back and rib cage expand. Exhale rapidly making a hissing sound through the teeth, thrusting the airstream forward by pressing inward with the abdomen. Empty completely and repeat once again.

2.    Inhale again solely through the nose to fullest capacity while feeling the back and rib cage expand. Exhale rapidly, this time singing and putting the lips into vibration simultaneously, as brass players do a warmup brrrrrrr. Start at the top of your vocal range and descend vocally with a massive glissando. Empty completely and repeat the process with a generous inhalation through the nose.

3.    Repeat again with the deep inhalation through the nose, and this time exhale rapidly saying AH-H-H-H-H – not meekly, but with poise and full vocal projection. Empty and repeat again.

4.    Flute swings: Hold the flute below hip level as if you were going to play it. Instead swing the flute up high, arms extended, and back down again, feeling the natural weight of the arms swinging like a pendulum and the subsequent lightness of the flute. Do many times to loosen up.

5.    Neck stretches: Place the palm of your hand flat against one side of your head. Let the weight of the hands pull the head to one side. Do the other hand and other side.

6-7. Side Stretches: One arm over the head and one at your side—stretch as far as you can to one side, then do the other side. Then with arms above the head, hold your wrist with one hand and bend to the side. Stretch up and to the side, deeply. Repeat on the other side.

8.    Making a face: Squish your face as tightly as you can: tight, tight, and then release opening the face up as widely as possible, eyes wide open, saying ahh, similar to the Lion face in yoga.

9.    Reach for the sky: Standing on tip toes, extend one arm up to the sky or ceiling, reaching for the light, as high as you can. Repeat on the other side.

10.    Pelvic Rolls: Hands on hips, bending the knees, keeping the shoulders steady and level, stretch as much as you can by rotating the pelvis, from left to right, to the rear and to the front. This should feel very good. Repeat.

11. The Scissors: I got this stretch from a former student at Indiana University, Alain Barker, who learned to do it in his native Durban, South Africa. Let the arms swing like pendulums, feeling the natural weight of the arms falling and lifting. Continue to swing back and forth, back and forth. On the count of 3, swing one arm forward and one backwards, simultaneously until the arms meet at the bottom. It should appear as though you are a human scissors. Repeat, this time swinging in the opposite direction.

12.    Leg Stretches: Extend your leg on a chair as shown below and bend sideways – toward the leg and away from the leg. This position is similar to a ballet dancer stretching at the bar.

13.    Spinal Stretch: While seated, turn your torso toward the back of your chair and grab onto the sides of the chair to get a spinal twist. Then go in the opposite direction.

14-18. Upper-arm warm-ups: These stretches are for the hands ultimately, by doing a simple balletic port de bras, or arm positioning.

14.    Forward: First lift and move the arms together 10 times forward.

15.    Backward: Next, try 10 times backward without forcing the arms to go too much to the rear.

16.    Stretch your arms to the sides with the palms down. Then rotate the hands in very small circles, clockwise and counter clockwise; repeat many times.

17.    Stretch your arms to the sides again, but make a fist this time. Rotate both hands clockwise and counter clockwise. Repeat many times until you start to feel the burn in the upper arms.

18. Repeat with the hands open and bent at wrist and like a paddle. Again rotate the hands clockwise and counter clockwise.

19 – 30: Repeat stretches #7 to the end. Enjoy and feel the pleasure of each stretch. It doesn’t matter so much what stretch you choose, just that you do it.

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    The Concerto #1 in G major, Op. 30 for flute and orchestra was composed around 1805, the same year as his D minor, Op. 31 flute concerto. He wrote two other flute concertos: Concerto #3 in D minor, Op. 42, and Concerto #4 in D major, Op. 43, both of which were composed in 1812.
    Concerto #1 is an elegant and lively composition that provides a showcase for well developed technique and musical phrasing. Edited by Peter Anspacher, the 15-minute work is published as an arrangement for flute and piano by Heinrich-shofen. The edition doesn’t specify dynamics in the solo flute part, but the piano score has dynamics markings for the flutist to review with the accompanist. Advanced flutists looking for a musical challenge will enjoy presenting this lesser known, audience-pleasing concerto on a recital.

I. Allegro
    The first movement is in cut time, and the flute takes center stage, executing demanding passages featuring wide intervals, and extensive 16th-note arpeggios and runs. Following a 58-measure introduction, the solo flute echoes the same theme presented in the accompaniment’s opening bars.

    In measure 59, make a soloistic but not overpowering entrance, in keeping with the light chord texture in the accompaniment. It’s important to have accurate timing on the trilled C in the first measure so it doesn’t slow the tempo at the beginning. The first theme has a Mozart-like quality so play it in a light, clean style.

    The next flute entrance in measure 76 occurs off the beat. Anticipate the entrance to avoid being late on the B and cleanly execute the D grace note before starting the triplet figure in measure 77. This section requires good flexibility to negotiate a series of triplets and scale passages that begin in measure 82 and continue to the high A in measure 90. Dedicating practice time at a slow tempo for the 16th-note runs and arpeggios will pay big dividends in this movement, and also for the third movement. Focus on checking for correct intonation and articulation accuracy while practicing the sixteenths quite slowly before speeding up to a performance tempo.
    Danzi often uses a pause to set off a new theme. The fermata over the quarter note rest in measure 90 is an example of this. A brief one- or two-bar cadenza at the fermata on the second beat would be appropriate before beginning the second musical idea presented through bar 98.

    The secondary theme has the quality of an aria and should be played with a lyrical and expressive, but not overly dramatic, quality. Measure 99 begins a passage of 16ths that extend through measure 106. Practice this passage slowly to ensure that the rhythm remains consistent, the first note of each 16th-note grouping is clearly articulated, and the repetitive A-F#-A sixteenth-note pattern beginning in bar 99 is not rushed.

    Maintain forward motion all the way to the G in measure 110. It would be beneficial to record your practice session for this section, as well as the other technical passages, to listen for evenness in tone and fingering transitions.
    Bars 107-109 each begin with an octave drop from the first quarter to an arpeggio and scale run. Listen at the start of each measure to the accompaniment to fit the upper octave quarter note into the chord with correct intonation. The main theme returns briefly after the trill from E to F# in measure 18. The piano part sets up the next section providing an 11-measure rest until bar 137 for the flute. Watch intonation on the numerous C#s sprinkled throughout the next eight measures until measure 150. This section is somewhat exposed and there are numerous C#s in the piano part that should match with the flute pitch.
    Pay careful attention to the accompaniment in measures 166-169. The piano has a 16th-note passage on the second beat while the flute rests in measure 166 and 169. The accompaniment then returns to the main theme during the eight-bar break in the solo flute at measure 190.
    The rest of the movement playfully displays the flute’s technical capabilities with the flutist rapidly switching from double to triple tonguing during extended runs. It’s time to show off and have fun as the first movement comes to a close. A few measures of cadenza may be added at the fermata in bar 206 before the second theme returns in bar 207.
    Danzi again prefaces the return of the second theme with a pause at bar 226. Consider using the B-flat trill key for the repetitive B to A# figure in bars 223-224 and 229-230. The trill fingering is a possibility for the tricky repetitive D to C# in measures 225-226 and 231-232. Start with the standard D above the staff to C# fingering for the first interval, and then switch to the trill fingering. Work with a tuner to bring the pitch in line with the standard fingering if you elect to use the trill fingering. 

II. Larghetto

    The second movement is typical of the Sicilianos found in Mozart concertos and sonatas. Its slow  68  meter in G minor is a pleasant contrast to the energetic first movement. In the orchestral version, the accompaniment is mostly strings with occasional wind entrances, so keep the character of the movement light and flowing. Rhythmic accuracy is essential in order to keep the eighth-note pick up to the dotted-eighth note rhythm consistent and not bog down the tempo from the flute entrance in measure 5 through measure 20.
    The solo flute then winds through a passage of intervals and arpeggios until measure 36. Note the interesting 32nd-note figures in bars 28 and 30; they have an ornamental quality and the rhythm should not be rushed. There is a tendency to hurry down the chromatic scale starting at measure 37 that leads back into the main theme at measure 40, but this is a suitable place for a ritenuto before measure 40.

The second movement is attacca into the third movement so prepare for the final movement’s tempo while holding the fermata on the last note.

III. Allegretto moderato

    The opening theme of this movement is deceptively simple, so take care with establishing the tempo and base it on the difficult passages that occur later in the movement, such as those beginning in measures 41, 74, and 192. In rondo form and 24 time, the movement requires a light tongue to maintain the sophisticated, elegant feel established in the earlier movements.
    The extended passage from measure 30 through 47 poses a significant breathing challenge. Catch a quick breath after the A in measure 34. Some flutists may be able to last until the next obvious breath spot in measure 42. Most players will want to take a supplemental breath before that to ensure proper support on the high notes in measure 37 and the intervals from the high C#, A, and E to the low As in measure 40. One breath possibility is after the D#3 in measure 37. Carefully planned breaths are also required for measures 120 through 133. Consider a quick breath after the first eighth in measure 123 or possibly leaving out the first eighth note B because the piano also plays that note. Grab another quick breath after the high E in measure 131 to set up the chromatic run up to the E minor chord in measure 34.
    The third movement is demanding and requires meticulous practice of the technical passages from measures 30 – 47, 64 – 82, 120 – 142, 152 – 164, and 192 to the end. Develop a practice plan in advance for these sections by breaking down the larger passages into smaller groups of measures, and identify duplicate or similar patterns, such as the E minor sections in 120-134 and 152-166.
    The main theme returns in measure 91 and continues through measure 103. After the 8-bar accompaniment that starts in 112, Danzi brings his concerto to a flashy close with 121 measures of continuous virtuosity, including the coda at measure 192.

The post Danzi’s Concerto 1, Opus 30 in G Major appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    A long-running feature of Flute Talk that has not changed much through the years is the New Music Review section. They  first started appearing in 1987. Stacks of newly published pieces arrive from music publishers during the year, and our dedicated reviewers plow through the scores, sometimes playing them with their pianists or sightreading them with their college choirs.

Columnists
    During the past 30 years, Flute Talk has had several columnists whose articles have enriched the magazine and become highly valued by students and teachers alike.
    Michel Debost first appeared in Flute Talk in a column titled Flute Expectations in the September 1990 issue. That would grow into Debost’s Comments, a series of commentaries that have run for more than 20 years.
    Jan Gippo created the piccolo feature “Let’s Talk Picc” that began running in Flute Talk in December, 1988. He single-handedly changed the volume and depth of piccolo repertoire through commissions, lobbying for N.F.A. support, and writing articles every month for over 15 years. He turned the column over to Cynthia Ellis, who continues his work.
    More recently Patricia George has joined the Flute Talk staff, writing about teaching and performing for the past nine years. I like to think that I discovered her, but that is just a bit of egotism. In truth, she often posted to the FLUTE LISTSERV, and I just had to learn more about this person who kept suggesting such creative solutions to everyday flute problems. She is a voracious reader and is largely responsible for keeping Flute Talk readers up to date on the latest research.
    There have been some articles that shook the walls just a bit, such as the Jawboning debate between Walfrid Kujala and Michel Debost that ran for several issues. More recently Trevor Wye wrote an article on intonation that was fun to print because I knew it would ruffle some feathers. The general premise was that American flutists don’t play in tune. Well, he called it as he saw it, and for the most part, I agree with him.
    Two other aspects of the magazine stand out for me. One is the music that we print, and the other is the diversity of the artists featured in interviews. While music has been included from the beginning, we now have jazz duets three or four times a year composed by the gifted jazz flutist Marc Adler. They are offset by the occasional Baroque flute duet provided by Michael Lynn, who has an extensive library of unpublished 17th and 18th century gems that he shares with Flute Talk readers.
    Who knows what the future will bring, but looking ahead, my best guess would be more technology and expanded repertoire with 21st-century techniques that require us all to keep learning and growing.
Victoria Jicha, editor since 2001

Editor’s note: To celebrate Flute Talk’s 30th year, watch for more articles in upcoming issues and reprints of great past articles on

The post Flute Talk Turns 30 appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Flute Talk has been fortunate to have Debost’s Comments in the magazine for more than two decades. For this 30th anniversary issue, he shares this collection of his insights on the flute.

Interpretation
1.    Listening to recordings is good, but don’t get addicted to someone else’s interpretation with its quirks and mannerisms.
2.    Study the piano score as much as your own.
3.    Many elements (structural and harmonic) are in plain view in the score, ready to help you.
4.    Find your own meaning for each movement. Joyous? Triumphant? Happy? Peaceful? Sad? Loving? Longing? Desperate? Tragic?
5.    Espressivo does not mean slow. It means to put something there. It’s up to your sensibility, your intelligence, your imagination.
6.    Find the meaning of foreign indications. Aperto? Ma non tanto? Mesto?
7.    Vary your interpretation (tone, dynamics, vibrato, pacing, silence).
8.    Learn to play subtly and tenderly.
9.    When you have two notes slurred, 90% of the time the second one is a softer resolution of the first, which is a bit different than saying the first is loud. Don’t slam the second note.
10.    Phrase with your fingers, not with your jaw.

Breathing and Blowing
11.    Keep your shoulders low and open your throat. Feel the colder air on it and drop your tummy.
12.    Breathe and stand (or sit) like you’re waiting for the bus. Naturally. Yawning is the perfect breathing: your whole body relaxes and your breath goes way low. It feels so good.
13.    Sneeze (or cough): feel the point of energy deep in the abdomen. Blowing is somewhat like a sustained cough.
14.    If you don’t need a big breath, don’t take one. A middle/average breath is easier to focus.
15.    If you do need to play a long phrase, at first, save your air by barely blowing, thinking only of focus and appogio (tenuto, sostenuto, ritenuto), and then blow what you have got left at the end.

Tone, Tuning and Vibrato
16.    Develop a clean attack, French (or whatever).
17.    Vibrato is an essential part of your playing. Listen, use your ears, and train them to control your vibrato.
18.    In forte, don’t force the vibrato: it’s already there. In soft passages, use the speed of vibrato to keep the sound alive.
19.    Embouchure stability is the key to tone and articulation.
20.    If you are going to use vibrato, then tune with it, slightly. Same thing for long tones. What’s more boring than a dish of dead tones?
21.    In ensembles, tune with the lower notes around you: oboes, bassoons.
22.    Don’t feel guilty. You’re not always the culprit of a sour chord.
23.    Don’t blast away all the time. I know it’s the fashion but it’s boring. Don’t compete with the brass section or the piano. You’ll lose.
24.    No pain, no gain applies to contact sports, not to our delicate art.

Technique and Fingerings
25.    A noisy technique is a bad technique. Don’t slam-and-squeeze fingers. It slows you down.
26.    Be creative with your fingerings. If there is more than one way to play something, chose the most musical. It’s usually the easiest.

Repertoire
27.    Play pieces you like, especially things you are ready for: the French Book (Schirmer), Griffes, Burton, etc. Save the biggies for when you are ready. Early bad habits are hard to eradicate. Have pity on Mozart and Bach.

Flutes
28.    Flute and head joint makers follow the trend. The louder and buzzier sell better, so that’s what they make. Playing piano? That’s passé European style.
29.    A brand new flute looks great. Consider also a second-hand one.
30.    Don’t buy a flute until you have played it in your normal surroundings. Ask the seller for three months and settle for one. Relationships are like that. You’re going to live with it for a long time.

Final Thought
At the end of the day, a flute is just a tool for your art, and an expensive piece of plumbing.

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