The score calls for one flute only so there no help possible from a second flute. I occasionally used the harmonic produced by the low Eb fingering overblown at the third partial for a faint pp color like the interminable Bb at the onset of this beautiful Symphony #4 by Beethoven.
    Old orchestra players know that in a slow movement, the greater the conductor – the slower the beat. This example is marked at 66 by Beethoven (Toscanini: 40-46, Bruno Walter: 54-58, George Szell: 49-44) so be prepared to control breath and pitch.
    For this, I would use the low Eb fingering with the left middle finger (A) up. It’s a little sharp (a blessing in itself to match the other winds) and comes out very soft, which allows you to save your air and hopefully not breathe. For some flutists this is one of those bad fingerings, but once you have tried it, you may change your mind. 



    The last note in the Lux aeterna of Verdi’s Requiem is also a Bb, the highest one (pp), to be reached dolcissimo after a problematic diminuendo.


    With the real fingering, this Bb tends to be a bit flat and resistant to soft playing. Try fingering it this way:

Left Hand: Thumb Bb – G
Right Hand: 1st trill key – D (Right ring finger) – pinkie off.

    The connection between high F and high Bb is a little tricky, but the highest note is sweet and angelic which is a blessing.
    This fingering also comes in handy for other examples of a high-flying A# or Bb, such as the last chord of Richard Strauss’ tone poem Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life). It has a perfect Eb major chord that is pp, and diminuendo, with the whole flute section (three flutes and piccolo) hovering one octave above everybody else
    I am not alone in this quest for alternate fingerings. Robert Cole, of the Philadelphia Orchestra, studied with William Kincaid and became a member of that legendary flute section. Cole wrote, “Seated down the line from him [William Kincaid], I would hear him changing the sound of a repeated note, and I would see that he did this sometimes by changing the fingerings for a very subtle, but interesting, difference in color.” Piccolo players also have their own secrets to find the correct intonation together with the right dynamic. The best players are sought by orchestras and conductors for their control of pitch and dynamics, matters that are not found in excerpt books.
    Many people would call easy solutions to fingerings cheating. I, on the contrary, am not an advocate of the “no pain, no gain” philosophy.
    Besides the simplifications afforded by fingering notes differently, I was not ashamed to use them as visual and aural metaphors. “L’œil écoute,” (The eye listens) says a poet. The impressionists gave us “symphonies of colors,” while modern action painting or abstract expressionism are “cacophonies of dissonances”.
    Instead of the universal and international big tone sought by players and flute makers, tone qualifies with (your choice) dark, light, pale, transparent, cloudy, stormy, somber, iridescent, shining, dull, gray, etc.
    With a little imagination we could think of the flute as a painter’s palette, that funny piece of wood with a hole for the thumb where the artist lays down his choice of pigments, squeezing the tubes of pure color oils to be spread with knives, giving life to the ancient gouache or the modern acrylic, caressing the tender watercolors with a soft animal-fur brush from the palettes (same word). The pigments’ names are already poetic in themselves, and almost music: pastel, vermilion, indigo, ultramarine, scarlet, crimson, emerald, etc.
    When we were learning to play the flute, we were told to use only one fingering for each note, the real fingering. Bb was played, always, with the right hand forefinger. Middle C# was always played without fingers. F# in all registers was produced by the right hand ring finger. Middle D and Eb were unacceptable if the first key was down, and so on.
    Basic fingerings had to become automatic. Soon they became second nature. You played them without thinking, without even wondering if there was another possibility. Monsieur Crunelle (my professor at the Conservatoire) used to say that you should read the notes and play without any mental process between the little black signs and the hands.
    As our playing improved, basic fingerings remained the norm. Then practice and experience led to discoveries. New ways to play things again gave spice to practice.
    String players use different positions. The same note played on the D string has a different color on the G string; a passage in the third position can be played on the first with interesting results. The up-bow gesture does not have the same power as the down-bow. Bowing near the bridge can create a harsh sound, whereas the caress of the bow over the fingerboard is more feathery. By the way, this soft quality is called flautando i.e. emulating the flute.
    Different fingerings on the flute produce slightly different sounds. Sometimes they help facility, or they tune better with other instruments, or they change the note’s color for a more evocative character.
    Aside from this long digression, my purpose here is to look at fingerings that enhance or color the sound. By enhance, I mean that they sometimes make the tone bigger and more focused, other times more veiled and fragile. Some of them affect the pitch, obviously, and can be used for tuning purposes. They are not always applicable, especially in a fast tempo or when they contrast too much with neighboring notes.
    For simplicity purposes, the diagram shows only keys activated by one finger.
    Note: A black key indicates a finger down, whether it closes or opens a key.
    For more focus and stability in the low register, time permitting, all notes from low G to low C (or B), put the left pinky on the tube, under the G# lever, as a silent (or dead) key. 

Low G, F#, F, E, D#, D, C#, C (B, when present): examples:


To

Middle C : p , pp , faint

Middle C#: p, pp, faint

Middle B: p, pp, faint

A above staff: resonant, more focused

C above staff: p, pp, faint

C above staff: p, pp, sharp

Db/C# above staff: p, pp, sharp, stable

D above staff: p, pp, sharp, stable

    Inquisitive flutists should experiment with these quirky fingerings. With time and an open ear the flutist may come to view these suggestions as normal options rather than as wrong or abnormal fingerings.
    Finally, try this useful fingering for Middle E which is very focused and crack-proof. The problem here is an awkward need for the right pinky to activate three keys simultaneously.

    For some acoustical reason, this E fingering cracks less than the real E, and it is more focused. If and when there is time to place it, it is a safeguard against the breaking of this notoriously explosive and perilous note. A famous example to try it on is the Es that start three out of the four movements of the Bach Partita: Allemande, Corrente, and Bourrée Anglaise.        

The post Tuning and Coloring Tone with Different Fingerings appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    Looking forward to the dawn of my senior year in college, I find myself reflecting on the past three years wondering, “What if?” What would I have done differently in high school if I could go back and do it all over again? How would this have changed my college experience? I share my experiences about the expectations of college and how to best begin preparations in high school. 

Math Might Matter
    One of the most common misconception of high school students going on to study music performance at a university is that music is the only thing that matters and that academic performance is secondary. Music students are often shocked to find that many colleges do place a heavy value on a student’s overall academic performance in high school and on standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT.
    Many music majors come to regret putting academic performance on the back burner in high school. A number of colleges will not even offer a student an audition until he or she has passed rigorous academic screening. In addition to the admission process, solid high school performance often allows university students earlier class enrollment times, as well as options to study in other fields. A strong high school academic record will pay off in both admissions decisions and scholarship offers. 

Learn from Youth Orchestra
    Many aspiring professionals understand the importance of youth orchestra to their musical development, as well as to their resumes. However, many youth orchestra members do not realize that they are unlikely to get as much orchestral experience in college as they did in high school. While youth orchestras are a nurturing environment, aimed more toward the goal of learning rather than the goal of a concert in two weeks, college orchestras are a much more business-oriented environment. Most youth orchestras rehearse weekly for a few months before each concert with two to four concerts each year, and every member plays on every concert. In most collegiate settings, students are rotated through the ensemble, so you may only get one or two opportunities to play in orchestra each semester. My advice is to savor every moment of youth orchestra.

Make Piano Painless
    From my own personal experience, the number one thing I would change about my preparation for college would be my lack of piano skills. At my university, freshman start piano study in the second year of piano because it is assumed that they have had some exposure to piano. While reading notes and rhythms was not an issue, mastering the use of two independent hands, memorizing various chord progressions, and improvising and sightreading requirements left many of us struggling. My weekends often were spent practicing piano eight hours a day leaving little time for flute and other assignments. Had I known beforehand how strenuous the piano requirements were for freshmen, I would have certainly prepared over the summer. I recommend taking private lessons in high school to ease the transition into a group piano class, where the necessary amount of individual attention is nearly impossible. Had I been more prepared for my freshman piano class and truly gleaned an understanding of the instrument and its capabilities earlier, I am certain that theory and aural skills would have certainly been easier and more enjoyable.  

Musical Preparations
    After completing college auditions in the late winter, I found that my audition music was tired and overplayed. I took a few days off practicing and then decided to reward myself by starting fresh with new repertoire. I picked a piece to learn and began working on several new excerpts. Once I was accepted at a university and sent in my deposit, I contacted my future teacher for repertoire advice. His suggestions included the requirements for seating auditions in the fall and music he wanted me to learn in the interim. 
    To help the teacher plan your repertoire for the first year, make a detailed repertoire list of what you have studied in the past. Indicate on the list if you performed the piece in public or with an orchestra. Also make a list of repertoire that you would like to learn.
    Upon arrival at school, I quickly learned that orchestral excerpts are of the utmost importance because how well you understand and perform these excerpts will determine your seating in orchestra. Since most university orchestras play the masterworks, you do not want to miss an opportunity to perform these works because you were not well-prepared for the audition.
    The best advice I received regarding the study of excerpts is to truly understand the excerpt’s place in the complete work. For example, in order to comprehend the Brahms 4 solo, one must understand that the orchestra does a complete downshift from 34 into  32 time right at the opening of the solo. Without score study and listening to the movement in its entirety, a student would never realize the importance of this shift to the movement overall, and thus the meaning of the flute solo.

Make Friends
    My most valuable knowledge and tips came from other students who already knew the ropes of the studio. For example, lessons at the University of Southern California are scheduled through a community Google calendar, which is a challenge to learn. If someone shows you how the scheduling program works, it can save hours of time and grief. Studio members are also open to giving the inside scoop on the workings of the school plus it is nice to have some friends when you arrive at school. Each year, the USC flute studio holds a gathering at the beginning of the year so everyone has a chance to meet and become acquainted. So if your new studio holds a meet-and-greet, definitely attend. 

Keep an Open Mind
    The most important part of both looking at colleges, choosing one, and ultimately attending one, is to keep an open mind. When I entered my freshman year of college, I never entertained the possibility of changing my major or focus in my college years. Halfway through my undergraduate studies, I discovered musicology. During high school, I certainly did not think I would ever study anything other than just flute performance. However, after taking classes in music history, foreign language, and general European history, I found musicology to be my secondary calling. After discussions with my applied music and music history professor, I decided it is entirely possible to both play flute seriously and study musicology. Had I not kept an open mind, I would have never discovered or developed my love for the academic side of music. 
    The college years are some of the best of your life, and you will get the most out of them if you start your preparation early in your academic career.  

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    In another drama class a professor assigned me to read into the corner of a room for fifteen minutes a day to improve my speaking voice. This idea worked very well too. When I was at Eastman, I noticed Mariano warming up by playing fortissimo octaves while standing very close to one of his studio windows, a modification of my drama teacher’s exercise.
    My sound advice to flutists is to strive for an even homogenous sound throughout the range. Remember that a cushion of air around a well-formulated sound projects best to the back of the hall, and a sound that includes more of the higher partials is more interesting to listen to and blends well with other instruments.        

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    Musicians follow many paths. Throughout her professional life, Linda Mintener has combined her musical skills with her career as an attorney. After graduating from Indiana University with a degree in flute performance followed by a stint in the Peace Corps, Mintener returned to school to earn a law degree from the University of Wisconsin. She continued to perform and teach in Madison, Wisconsin and was instrumental in the development of the Madison Flute Club. A few years ago she became legal counsel to the National Flute Association using her talents as a lawyer and a musician to guide the organization. Since 2007 she has helped organize concerts to raise money for Chinese orphans. Each April flutists from across the globe come to Madison to perform and raise funds for this worthy organization.

    Linda Mintener fell in love with the piccolo as a child in Iowa. After she heard it played at a basketball game, she was determined to play the instrument. She was told, however, that she had to learn the flute first. Reluctantly, she took up the flute. Unfortunately there was no band program in her junior high, so while she took lessons, there was little motivation or inspiration to practice. Since she had studied piano previously, she became good at faking it. When she entered a high school with a good band that had several flutists who played much better than she did, she began to practice in earnest. Her father, impressed with her dedication to the flute, bought her a used wooden piccolo with a silver head and a closed hole model Haynes flute. By her senior year in high school, she had improved enough to surpass most of the others in the band and to consider majoring in music in college.

Where did you attend college?
    I wanted to go away to school but had no idea where, so my parents took me to visit schools in the Midwest. At Indiana University, my cousin, who lived in Bloomington, had lined up an opportunity for me to play for the flute professor, James Pellerite. At the time, I did not know of his fame as a teacher or the strength of the music program at IU. I must have played well, since I was offered a scholarship on the spot. What an honor for a high school student who had only been serious about the flute for a couple of years. That was just too good to turn down. The decision was made. IU it was.
    During my second semester at IU, one of my older brothers came to visit. He was shocked to see my schedule of mostly music courses: flute, piano, voice, fundamentals of singing, orchestra, music theory, and music history. From his point of view, I was not getting an education, but only learning to play the flute, to which he gave little importance. He convinced me to drop the idea of so much music and to take more non-music courses. As a result, I switched to a double major in music and general liberal arts and took an overload of credits every semester. Many years later, that decision played a significant role in my admission to the University of Wisconsin Law School.

What did you do after college?
    I got married, and went with my new husband to Guinea, West Africa with the Peace Corps. Guinea was a newly-independent country that wanted a band to greet foreign dignitaries with their national anthems. I taught flute in the National School of Music in Conakry and also to a group of army men. I cannot say it was the best teaching experience. The high school students were less than enthusiastic, and my French, though fluent, did not include musical terms and expressions. The flutes had open G#s, which I had never seen, and pads that quickly deteriorated in the hot, humid weather. I had no flute repair experience and no screw driver to fix even the simplest problems with the students’ flutes. Added to that, the students were often on strike after days without food other than rice. Playing the flute was not a priority for them. The army men marched to lessons barefooted. Most were illiterate, which made it nearly impossible to teach them to read music. Guinea had a wealth of its own music, drumming, and dancing. I felt it was a shame to impose the American/European style of music on them. It was no surprise that I was not very successful. When I left two years later, I don’t think any of my students had learned enough flute to impress the foreign dignitaries as they stepped off the plane. The work did give me a great opportunity to get to know Guinean students and to understand their culture and educational system. I felt my other Peace Corps work as organizer of the French/English interpreters on the American Hospital Ship HOPE was more successful.

What led you to go to law school?
    I come from a family of lawyers – male lawyers. As a young girl, my father often said I would have made the best lawyer in the family – it was too bad I was a girl. In those days, women simply were not lawyers. Thoughts of becoming a lawyer were far from my mind when I went to college. The idea to go to law school came after I returned to the U.S. My husband and I had settled in Madison, Wisconsin. I was happily teaching flute privately to a large number of students, performing with a flute duet partner, O’Ann Fredstrom, and raising two small children, when my husband left the family and moved to another state. In those days, the collection of child support from another state was problematic, at best. My private teaching income went up and down with the seasons and the economy, and did not provide financial stability or the safety net of health, disability, and life insurance benefits. Additionally, my teaching schedule left little time to be with my children since I taught after school and weekends when my children needed me the most.
    It was O’Ann (who later went to medical school and became a psychiatrist) who gave me the idea of attending law school. Even though she had been denied admission to the University of Wisconsin Law School twice, she encouraged me to give it a shot. It seemed logical since I thought I would be guaranteed a job with my family’s law firm in Iowa upon graduation.
    Having been out of school for several years, I took an LSAT review course. I believe doing well on the LSAT was the key to my admission. None of my applied music courses counted toward the credits or grade point used by the law school admission committee. If I had not heeded my brother’s advice years before to double major in music and general liberal arts, I would never have gotten into law school.

While in law school did you continue playing and teaching?
    Initially I thought law school meant switching careers and giving up the flute entirely. I soon realized that I could continue to teach private lessons to support my family while I was in law school and maintain at least some playing level and keep my finger in the music world.
    Law school was difficult, and the competition was tough. I had always been a good student, at the top of my class. In law school, everyone else had also been at the top of the class. However, I was surprised to find that 1/3 of my class was women. How the world had changed since I was a child. 
    Being a single parent, a flute teacher on evenings and weekends, and a full-time law student was daunting. Even thirty years later, I still shy away from sitting at the desk in my home where I spent countless hours reading law books. With a lot of hard work, I graduated in the top fourth of my class in 2½, rather than the usual 3 years.
    After graduation I had to find a job. I had thought to join the family law firm, but that turned out not to be an option. My father by then had died; one of my brothers had just moved from California to join the firm; and my nephew had graduated from the University of Iowa a year earlier and was a new member of the firm. There was no place for me, so I was on my own to search for a job. Law firms were not exactly wild about hiring women, so applications there got nowhere. I turned to government employment, first in a limited term position as assistant district attorney prosecuting traffic and misdemeanor cases, then as law clerk to a circuit court judge before being offered a permanent position as a tax attorney with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.
    Practicing law was much more fun than law school. Law school teaches one how to think, but not how to actually practice law. On the job training was minimal, so I had to teach myself. I was fascinated by the strategies to organize and win cases. I learned much from my opponents and from studying how others handled cases. Though I had other offers along the way, I enjoyed tax law enough to stay with the Department of Revenue for almost 28 years, until my retirement in the fall of 2010.

Did you continue to play and teach the flute?
    While I practiced law, I kept up with the flute, teaching on evenings and weekends, playing with the Madison Flute Choir, and performing for churches, weddings and recitals. Although I did not realize it at the time, there are some similarities between the two. Both flute playing and practicing law take a certain aggressiveness. Standing up before a judge confidently to plead a case was not so different from what flutists do when they perform as they unravel difficult notes, rhythms, and phrasing to make sense of them and confidently and convincingly communicate the meaning to the audience. Additionally, finding the right words or methods to make a student understand how to play or sound a certain way was not so different from making a judge understand the esoteric provisions of the tax law without being boring.
    My attorney colleagues had no idea I was a musician although once, when I walked into a hearing room for a meeting with attorneys and a tax judge, one attorney gave me a surprised look and said, “You played flute at my wedding 20 years ago.” My students and musician friends similarly were often amazed to discover that I was a lawyer.

How did you become the legal advisor to the National Flute Association?
    A few years ago, the National Flute Association asked me to act as their legal advisor. The NFA is an amazing organization with many dedicated volunteers who give incredible amounts of time to offer a great service to flutist throughout the world. Though I was more than busy with two professions, a new husband, and four teenagers, I felt it was my turn to give back to the organization that had given so much to the flute community. For once, my skills as a lawyer and a flutist met, with both professions useful to the same people for the same purposes. Contract review, document drafting, and providing legal opinions and advice in the flute world were right up my alley. I’ve enjoyed doing it for several years now.

How did you get involved with orphans in China?
    As my children grew and left home, I also found another niche for my flute skills. A long-time friend is a missionary in China who works with orphaned children in poor villages in rural Henan Province. In the 1990s, the childrens’ peasant farmer parents were enticed to sell their blood for small amounts of cash. The blood drawing equipment was contaminated with the HIV virus, and over 10,000 adults died of AIDS, leaving 2,000 orphaned children, most of whom now live in stark poverty with elderly grandparents. My church had been supporting two of those children with some special funds. In 2007 those funds were depleted, so I offered to organize a flute concert to raise funds to support the two children for another school year. The Madison Flute Choir and the First Flutes, a small group of non-professional flutists I had organized at the church, volunteered to perform. We presented a concert with a variety of classical and Chinese music, including solos, small ensembles, and flute choir numbers. Concert admission was free but we asked for voluntary donations. To our great surprise, we raised enough money to support five children for the next school year. The funds paid for their school, book and dormitory fees, as well as providing funds to purchase adequate clothing, school supplies, a study lamp, and food.
    That summer at the NFA convention, I mentioned the concert to my roommate and former IU colleague, Roberta Brokaw, a retired professor from University of California-Hayward. She had heard about the orphan problem in Henan Province and volunteered to come from California to Wisconsin to play in the concert the next year, and has come in the six successive years. The next concert in 2008 produced funds to support 12 children.
    Then the Wm. S. Haynes Flute Company read about our concerts on the Madison Flute Choir website. Since their CEO is from China, their representative, Jason Blank, contacted me offering to donate a Haynes flute for us to sell for the benefit of the Orphan Project. For the last five years, Haynes has given us a flute or alto flute. That has been a huge boost for the project and allowed us to sponsor as many as 10 additional children each year. When Blank left Haynes and started Green Golly, he carried on the tradition by donating a student model Green Golly flute. What wonderful generosity on the part of these flute companies.
    In the winter of 2009, as I was organizing the third annual concert, I received an email from Alexa Still, then teaching in Australia, asking me when the concert was indicating that maybe she could come. I couldn’t believe it. I had worked closely with Alexa when she was NFA President, but would never have thought she would come to Madison to play in such a small venue. She has been to China several times and has an adopted Chinese daughter and so was very interested in the Orphan Project.
    Alexa’s participation that year gave us lots of publicly and attention. Church members and others were inspired to sponsor individual children and donations came flowing in. Then, when Jonathan Keeble was NFA President, he and I spent a lot of time working on various legal issues together. At one point, he asked what he could do for me in return. Thinking perhaps he would like an invitation to perform at our next orphan concert, I invited him and was delighted when he agreed. He and his harpist partner, Ann Yeung, gave a delightful performance at our 2013 concert. The result of all this is that we currently are supporting more than 90 children. Quite amazing, since I started with the goal of supporting just two orphaned children for one year with no idea that I would grow to what it is today. Many generous flutists have contributed their talents to provide an education and bright future for so many otherwise forgotten Chinese orphans. It’s amazing what one can do with a flute!

    My husband and I will go to China this fall to visit the children for the fourth time. We take the rugged journey by public transportation into the children’s isolated rural villages with a translator from the organizing Chinese charity we work with, Amity Foundation. We are greeted by the children joyously as we deliver small gifts, take photos, and listen to the children’s stories of heartache, grief, discrimination, and survival, all of which we bring back to share on our return. I know, without a doubt, that my flute and I have made a difference in the children’s lives when I feel their hugs and see their tears as they express how their lives have changed with the funds we have provided.
    I am grateful to have had two wonderful professions that have allowed me to reach out and touch others’ lives. I feel doubly blessed.    

The post Where Legal Meets Musical, The Unexpected Path of Flutist Linda Mintener appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    Teachers often tell students not to start the vibrato after the beginning of the note. If this has become a frequent comment at lessons, stop and give some serious thought to the problem. Beginning notes without vibrato is a common bad habit for instrumentalists and vocalists alike. Usually flutists either consciously use vibrato as a natural form of energy in the tone when it is produced unless they decide otherwise, or they mindlessly add the vibrato to the tone after starting the note, like spreading gray icing on cake, perhaps while trying to decide which shoes to wear in the recital. To really find out which kind of flutist you are, may require the help of a recorder. The truth may not be pretty.
    If you are in the former camp, read no further, you already know where this road leads. If you find yourself in the latter, take heed. Starting the tone without vibrato is an annoying affectation and a cheap trick when used irresponsibly. It can also be an effective tool in capable hands, but ask any magician: using any trick too often is not only boring, it is bad for business. When people begin to find out how you really create the magic, then it is no longer magic.
    Beyond this, there are more serious implications. Constantly starting a phrase without vibrato implies a lack of awareness. The fundamental purpose of a musician is to communicate; be aware of what you are saying when you play. In speech, if a person repeats the same thing over and over, he is not only at risk of admission to the psychiatric ward, he is a poor communicator. You do not always have to say something original, but to be effective you must be aware of how you say things. Learn how to say the same thing in different ways. To be blunt, if you are a habitual delayed-vibrato-starter, you are not only a seriously flawed instrumentalist; your artistic integrity may be at risk.

A Common Problem
    There is hope, however. With awareness, this tendency is not hard to erase. There are many reasons why this ubiquitous habit of starting the note without vibrato is so prevalent, and indeed, tempting. Perhaps the tendency can be traced all the way back to the Baroque messa di voce, in which a singer would start a note softly, add a crescendo, and then end softly. Why not add some vibrato to that crescendo? Tempting indeed. As with vibrato use itself, the technique was part of the musical evolutionary process away from liturgical accompaniment into more personal and secular idioms. It was a popular device among the Italian castrati, and has remained firmly established in vocal tradition. Pop and jazz singers rely on the vibrato-less attack, partially because of their subject matter. Delaying the release of vibrato in the tone pulls at the heartstrings and heightens that sense of romantic yearning which is the lifeblood of popular music.
    Flutists also take cues from our string brethren, where traditions become firmly established and take on the aura of religion. Listen to any of the great cellists or violinists of the past or present and there are many departures sans vibrato. Realize that those players are great, however, because they are in control of the notes. String students as well as wind students struggle with this problem. In string pedagogy, there is the urge to establish the intonation of the note before vibrating it. Vocalists want to get the vocal chords in vibration and find their note before adding vibrato, just as flutists want to establish tonal focus first. For all musicians it is the same. It is just easier to start without vibrato.

Develop the Habit
    It takes energy and control to pulse the air column directly. There is a risk that the tone may not emerge as planned with the air column activated in such manner. The embouchure also should be ready to accommodate the pulsing air. It takes forethought and proper positioning habits to establish the embouchure comfortably before beginning the note instead of settling in after things get going. Ironically this trait can stem from the admirable practice of long tones. Flutists learn to begin the notes carefully and study the sound. Since it is easier to start notes without vibrato, it becomes a habit. In this case the vibrato sense is asleep but perhaps the imagination is as well. Try to consciously develop the habit of hearing the note before playing it instead of after. Articulation can also be a factor, as tongue use, embouchure placement, and starting the notes can be dependent in odd ways. With some types of attack it is possible to begin with vibrato, but not with others. Tension is a negative influence. The throat should be open and relaxed from the start of the note, just as a string player should relax the hand.
    In appropriate cases, starting the phrase without vibrato implies that there is harmonic or other action which is to come which will inspire the release of vibrato into the tone. Indeed many phrases begin this way, but many do not. Differentiate between those phrases that warrant a clear release of energy at some point during the first note, and those that deserve immediate inflection with vibrato or more sober treatment.

Panting Exercise
    Starting notes with vibrato is a skill, like standing on one leg or riding a bike. The air should pulse immediately when a flutist starts to blow. A great way to learn this skill is to study a puppy. They pant often and evenly to cool their bodies. Skilled vocalists tend to be skilled at a panting exercise that is common in vocal pedagogy as it strengthens the diaphragm muscle. This can work for flutists as well, as it helps with rapidly pulsing the air, a skill needed for the production of vibrato.
    Without the flute, stand or sit comfortably. Pant with the mouth open or closed, although it is easier with heavy panting to keep the mouth open. It may be best to do this when alone as it can inspire unsavory comments from others. Make firm little puffs of air as if saying a silent ha, with no articulated throat sound at the beginning. Start slowly at first with each puff equal to an eighth note at q = 40. Make the puffs identical and rhythmically even. Then speed them up. Do not close your throat or grunt. Once this is comfortable, add the flute. The goal is to pulse the tone simultaneously with the attack of the air column, so remove the tongue from the equation at first. As with the panting, allow the air to generate from a puff, as if saying ha. Tonal focus is important, so the sound responds immediately. These tongueless attacks are great for activating the air column in general, and can improve playing in many ways.
    I like to use the first part of Andersen, Op. 33, No. 2 in A minor, playing at a slow tempo, mf, about q = 60. Each note should get a sudden little staccato tongueless attack. This will work with any passage, but I do not recommend practicing this in the lowest notes because of tone production challenges. Increase the tempo gradually to around q =120. Then practice the same drill on a single note above the staff. When you reach the faster tempos with the separated notes, string the puffs together on the same note, to create sustained tones of short duration, maybe 4-6 pulses long. Later add longer notes with crescendos and diminuendos, and different attacks. It is especially useful to develop a dolce, gentle attack with simultaneous vibrato. Incorporate this into daily long tone practice and warm-up.
    Once this habit of starting notes with vibrato is well established, explore the topic in the repertoire. There are many different contexts in which this practice has direct importance.

A Few Examples
Rossini, William Tell Overture

    Because the harmony is static during the first two measures of the tune, there is no reason to delay the vibrato. Doing so sounds not only self-indulgent; it adds a layer of emotional intensity to an apparently simple pastoral melody. Immediate vibrato also puts the inflection of the phrase on the first note of the measure. This is the best choice in this case, but take care not make an accent. The triplets on beats 2 and 3 naturally send the inflection back onto the first beat of the next bar, so one must reduce dynamic a bit before playing them. This occurs easily with the inflection on beat 1.

Debussy, Afternoon of a Faun

    In the celebrated opening solo of Debussy’s Afternoon of a Faun the natural choice is to make the first note emerge discreetly with the vibrato already active. Note that there is no harmonic change during the duration of the first note. In fact, any harmony during the entire first phrase happens purely in the mind of the listener, since it is unaccompanied. (Debussy harmonizes it differently in each statement following the opening.) Because there is not a compelling musical reason to begin the C# without the vibrato, the most likely explanation for the occurrence would be convenience for the player, which is not a viable musical justification. It is really hard to start the note with vibrato and an inaudible attack. I do think the long note should have some action. Slightly increase the dynamic during the note so it has some motion in space as it approaches the moving notes. As in the Rossini example, the pure simplicity of the statement, without any drama, should rule the day. The fun is just beginning, and there is ample opportunity to dramatize later in the piece.

Poulenc Sonata, 2nd Movement

    Context plays an interesting role when deciding how to start the second movement of the Poulenc Sonata. The famous opening features a short, ghostly, pale phrase, followed by a melody of the most exquisite beauty and sensitivity. These brief, rather directionless-sounding opening bars, played in canon with the piano, do not have passionate content, and are inconclusive as a musical unit. It is best to limit vibrato use here, maybe just enough to color the peak of the line. The phrase has no distinct arrival point. It is only understood after it is heard by the listener, with the beginning of the next phrase. Vibrato can begin directly on the F natural of measure 3. Play it without accent and gently articulated to signal the start of the melody proper. Reserved, balanced, and rather continuous use of the vibrato suits the initial bars of this melody best because of its harmonically restrained nature.
    Flutists should also learn to start internal notes in a phrase discreetly but directly with vibrato. This is not a punch with the air column as in creating a vibrato accent (that was used that as an exaggeration technique in the exercises), but a gentle and immediate start of the vibrato.

Poulenc, Sonata Movement 1

    When beginning the Poulenc Sonata, it is natural to arrive on the E natural with vibrato but without accent. Since the famous 32nd notes function as an anacrusis, or pickup, they need not be emphasized with vibrato or harsh dynamic. Indeed the tone production of the first note in the p dynamic is the goal of all flutists’ practice. The downbeat E natural can receive the vibrato right away because of its natural primary inflection in the structure of the melody. The following structural D# and Dn can diminuendo slightly from the E, with the eighth-note Bn at the end of the bar fitting into the picture with plenty of legato, air speed and no accent.

Bach Suite No. 2, Overture

    Similarly, when incorporating non-vibrato rapid notes into the melodic line, as in the Overture of J.S. Bach’s Suite in B minor, the longer dotted notes must have the vibrato (if one in fact decides to play the piece with vibrato at all) naturally and immediately without accent after each pair of French Overture-style 32nds. The second theme in the first movement of Poulenc’s Sonata is another case in point.

Poulenc Sonata, 1st movement, 2nd theme

    In both examples the vibrato begins without the thrust of air from the diaphragm, creating the illusion of discreetly continuing the vibrato through the phrase. (Actually sustaining vibrato through the 32nds is perhaps not the best choice due to the heaviness of such use.)
    The opposite is the case in the following examples. With the opening of Carl Nielsen’s Concerto, the agitated mood dictates that the opening announcement of the D natural begins with a strong attack, both with the tongue, and with the vibrato.

Nielsen, Concerto, Movement 1

    This underscores the excitement of the moment. Easing into the Dn, which is sometimes done out of habit, seems contrary to the placement of the D natural at the top of the phrase, with the jagged 16th A natural pickup preceding, giving the phrase a softer, more tender, pleading quality in direct contrast to the stormy announcement of the opening.

Hue, Fantasie

    In the initial passage of the Hue Fantasie, it is important to begin the vibrato directly and assertively on the D natural following the G natural pickup. Again, using the direct approach with the vibrato enhances the direct and emphatic quality of the phrase. Later in measure 11 the same motif is repeated in a piano dynamic. Technically, the character of the motif should not change simply because of the softer level. Begin the vibrato directly on the A natural without accent, unless you decide to make the softer dynamic the dominant character. Then perhaps delaying the vibrato would enhance that notion.
    Frequently initiating notes without vibrato, especially in older music, places the performer between the composer and the listener. Phrases become personalized. The player sounds like they are exaggerating their emotions, as if squeezing water from a sponge, superimposing them on the music. Romantic and Contemporary styles seem to tolerate this rhetoric, while the music of Bach and Mozart suffers from it.

Bach, Sonata in E Minor, BWV, 3rd Movement

    In Bach’s Sonata in E minor, third movement, do not squeeze the vibrato into the sound when starting. It sounds too emotionally hyped. Also, the tempo should not be so slow as to draw attention to itself (perhaps q = 60), so that the long notes are of reasonable duration and the 16th-note passages can have linear shape without getting bogged down. The same applies to the opening of Bach’s exquisite aria “Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben” from the St. Matthew Passion.

Bach, St. Matthew Passion “Aus Lieve wil mein Heiland sterben”

    Note that both examples have a very simple accompaniment figure. Vibrate the downbeat En tastefully right from the start of the note. Again, this makes musical sense, as the moving notes which follow lead us naturally to inflect the next downbeat. In both pieces, choose a speed and width of vibrato that do not attract too much attention. With exception of some notable composers such as CPE Bach, try to stay out of the way and resist swooning, it spoils the natural universal beauty of the music.
    While the great works are inspiring, it is most efficient to practice beginning different kinds of notes with the vibrato using simple patterns of your own making. There is more clarity this way, and since you are generating the idea, there is less chance of becoming weary of the classics or formulaic in your approach to them.
    No matter how accomplished flutists are, listening is a primary skill and source of inspiration. Listen before practicing instead of afterwards. Sometimes just sitting down with a recording of a great flutist playing one phrase and trying to imitate it is the best way to learn.
    For examples I take my cue from the vocalists. Some of the operatic tenors are particularly good to listen to for starting their notes with vibrato. Also, the greats can really meld the vibrato to the tone and continue the vibrato through the phrase. I listen to Domingo, Pavarotti, and the popular Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is a model for tastefulness. Some of the operatic singers, particularly sopranos, have a very strong habit of sliding into the vibrato, so I listen to them with an awareness of the trait. I admire the stunning beauty of Kathleen Battle’s tasty and continuous shimmering vibrato, especially in Mozart. Renee Fleming is great to listen to for all aspects. The recordings of Nat King Cole are a joy to study for natural vibrato. On the jazz side, Stefan Grappelli is a master of vibrato use, as is the great rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix.
    For model flute playing I find Jeanne Baxtresser’s recording of the Geiseking Sonatine and the Taktakishvili Sonata (New York Legends Series, Cala Records) positively infectious in terms of the lyrical vibrato use in the phrases. Notes begin with vibrato, particularly internal ones, far more often than not. For consistently energetic vibrato from the start of the notes plus enormous internal energy in the tone, nobody quite matches Moyse. Try to imitate a few phrases, and the hours melt away. Julius Baker was obsessed with the idea of starting notes with the vibrato, and his recordings are a testament to that.
    Give these methods and examples a try and you will be surprised how quickly and easily you can overcome this dreadful habit. Make a short term focused project out of it, or just whittle away at it gradually every day. Mindfulness and awareness going forward are also important for the highly skilled professional, as bad habits have a way of slowly sneaking up. Recording practice is really helpful and efficient. Getting control over your tone in all respects can be very rewarding, and I can promise that your listeners will be glad you did.          

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