Practicing Flutist is Getting an Upgrade!

Hey all you Practicing Flutists! Hope you are practicing well! Just wanted to let you all know that the Practicing Flutist site will be going through a thorough revamping and upgrade. There will be more posting, more practicing, more of everything flute, so hope you are on board with that! For more Practicing Fllutist goodness,Continue reading “Practicing Flutist is Getting an Upgrade!”

The Number One Thing You Can do to Practice Better

What is the number one thing you can do to practice better? The one technique or strategy you can use to correct mistakes or even out bumpy passages? It is something really simple, as are most suggestions I try to bring to you. If you don’t already do this, you should try it. It isContinue reading “The Number One Thing You Can do to Practice Better”

Language is important

Whether we are talking with teachers or students, fellow musicians, conductors, etc. we are constantly talking about playing. The language that we use is extremely important to how we think and feel about playing. I’m not talking about terminology here; what I’m talking about is much more subjective. The words we use when talking aboutContinue reading “Language is important”

Intonation in Action Exercise

In my mission to help people improve their intonation, I’ve had to come up with exercises that people can do in their own practice. Once I’ve convinced players that notes need to be adjusted according to their context in the music, regardless of what any tuner’s meter says, it helps to have exercises to backContinue reading “Intonation in Action Exercise”

Try Gary Schocker’s trick of using a wine cork to improve flute tone

I’ve been concentrating on improving my tone lately, and came across these videos from Gary Schocker. He demonstrates how he used a wine cork to develop and improve his sound. It sounds totally off-the-wall, but it makes good sense! And since Schocker does have a glorious sound and amazing air management, this technique must beContinue reading “Try Gary Schocker’s trick of using a wine cork to improve flute tone”

Emmanuel Pahud plays Berio and some Bach

An excellent musician must be able to play music from many genres and styles. Emmanuel Pahud demonstrates his mastery of the flute and of one of the classics of the flute repertoire in this video of a performance of Luciano Berio’s Sequenza I for solo flute. To hear Pahud playing something more conventional, listen toContinue reading “Emmanuel Pahud plays Berio and some Bach”

Explanatory notes about Practice Diary

In the Practice Diary, I’ve made some references to exercise books that I use. In the posts I’ve referred to them using mostly commonly known abbreviations, at least for people who had experience with them, but not everyone may know what they mean, so this is a short post explaining what the are. In aContinue reading “Explanatory notes about Practice Diary”

Getting Back in Shape: Intro to My Practice Diary

It is time to get back in shape for the fall performance season! I want to maximize my results while minimizing the wear and tear on my body. Sounds like I’m getting ready to run a marathon, doesn’t it? Playing an instrument for life is like running a marathon, you practice now so you canContinue reading “Getting Back in Shape: Intro to My Practice Diary”

Music camp musings

I’m sitting in a camper near Fargo, ND listening to the sound of rain falling on the roof and on the field outside the window. I am attending my husband’s family reunion and the setting is a lot like most people’s images of summer camp. Except maybe for the whooping sounds of ‘Laughter Yoga’ driftingContinue reading “Music camp musings”

Don’t Practice Bad Tone, or Everything is a Tone Exercise

Everyone wants to play with a terrific tone, right? We spend hours on ‘tone exercises,’ contorting our embouchures, trying to wrap our heads around the concept of breath support and how to make it happen, and agonizing over whether what we are doing is having any effect. Then we finish the tone exercise portion ofContinue reading “Don’t Practice Bad Tone, or Everything is a Tone Exercise”