One of the really nice things about FaceBook is that when it’s your birthday, you get all kinds of fun birthday greetings. One of the best I received is this musical birthday greeting from flutist Mina Ghobrial. It is amazing! I was not only touched because it was my birthday, I was very impressed byContinue reading “A Little Birthday Inspiration”
Tag Archives: practicing the flute
Practicing With Your Eyes Closed
With a title like “Practicing With Your Eyes Closed,” you may think this post is about memorization. Well it is, in a way. It’s not about memorizing pieces, it is about memorizing what you need to do to to make every note in a piece sound great. When I’m learning a piece, rather than playingContinue reading “Practicing With Your Eyes Closed”
Calming Pre-Concert Nerves
Before our flute choir concerts, I like to do a calming exercise with the group so they can play with more relaxed bodies and clearer mental focus. It is a simple breathing exercise that has had good results so far. I have them breathe in through their noses for a slow count of 4, thenContinue reading “Calming Pre-Concert Nerves”
Chasing the Tone
When I haven’t been practicing regularly, one of the things I tend to do is something I beg and plead students not to do. Simply put, I chase the notes with the airstream. I shoot the air up at high notes and dive down to scoop the low notes, drawing the shape of the melodyContinue reading “Chasing the Tone”
Greg Pattillo brings “Bach to the future”
Sorry for the terrible pun, but it fits! If you like what you hear in this video and want to try it yourself, Pattillo has transcribed this version of a Bach flute staple as one of 4 beat-box etudes. Who ever thought they would hear those two terms in the same sentence, beat-box and etudes?Continue reading “Greg Pattillo brings “Bach to the future””
Flute Practice Epiphany 1
I think one of the benefits of getting older is that I have had the opportunity to hear many different ideas and perspectives on flute practice. Every once in awhile one of these ideas will spark an epiphany, a little bolt of intellectual lightning that lights up my brain. The solution to a problem suddenlyContinue reading “Flute Practice Epiphany 1”
Amazing Harmonic and Multiphonic Exercises
I’m doing it again, pointing you away from here to what someone else has done. Of course, when someone else has done something fantastic, there is no reason to keep it to yourself. I’ve followed Helen Bledsoe’s comments on Flute List with interest, but I had no idea that she had put together such fantasticContinue reading “Amazing Harmonic and Multiphonic Exercises”
Wouter Kellerman, wow!
Sorry to be just posting links to what other flutists are doing rather than writing pithy, insightful posts all the time, but this guy just blows me away. He is a wonderful example of a complete musician, he has amazing technique, terrific creativity, and wonderfully engaging musicianship. Since I first heard about him earlier thisContinue reading “Wouter Kellerman, wow!”
Preparing for Intonation Contingencies
At last week’s flute choir rehearsal, we were discussing how often we might have to tune during the concert because of people having to change to different instruments for different pieces. There were several suggestions made about how to peed the flutes warm so they wouldn’t be so flat when they are picked up forContinue reading “Preparing for Intonation Contingencies”
Phoning it in: Practice apps for Smart Phones
It’s amazing what smart phones can do! They not only relay phone calls and email, text messages and Facebook updates, they can also make practicing better and easier. I’ve had a metronome app for awhile (an Android app, nothing against iPhone, just my carrier doesn’t support them) and have enjoyed it immensely. I had beenContinue reading “Phoning it in: Practice apps for Smart Phones”