Seeing again; McGhee CDs; Wye NFA; lip trembling

Dear Flutists,
Well I'm basically back to the land of the seeing. My PRK eye laser treatment has resulted in very clear vision. I still have a few weeks to go until complete 20/20, but can function normally (with some small blurs in the later part of the day.) I start teaching again on Sept. 10th, and have been amusing myself meanwhile with transcribing Bouriakov's mp3 (from his website given several posts ago) of the Chaconne in D minor into G minor, as he plays it, taken from JS Bach's BWV 1004. It's extraordinarily fun playing along with the mp3 recording, and matching note for note. I still have two pages of 32nd notes to re-distribute from the violin/guitar orginals that I'm using, so if anyone has already done this, write and let me know. :>)

Some good questions came up when I checked all my flute groups, so I'll try for some quick answers here. Hopefully they'll broadly smatter all the topics that matter.

The National Flute Assoc (NFA) convention ended and many folk reported that they were blown away by the flute playing of Lorna McGhee. Yes indeed. She's astounding because she's so musical, so alive, and so creative!! In answer to where to find her CDs, just use google. I have three of her CDs. The first was by the Mobius ensemble, in which she plays Mozart Quartet in C+, and Debussy's trio for fl/vla/hrp. Then I purchased two flute & harp CDs by McGhee, the newest one full of seriously gorgeous Canadian music, and several years ago, I raved about her "Taheke" album; and all time top favourite.All albums are easily googled.

Also at the NFA, Trevor Wye gave a "how to practice to improve quickly" class, and once again stated that it's a waste of effort to play difficult repertoire in lieu of practicing standard scales and arpeggios. Yes, this is a common failing. We often see 17 yr. old students playing everything from Chaminade (eeek! (( :>o ) to Ibert, without the finger technique, tone/dynamics, or breath control to achieve them. Wye says that the student is wasting their time tackling these things in the wrong order; scale technique makes tens of thousands of flute pieces easier to play at sight.
So true. Robert Dick then commented that he would personally add listening to CDs, music in general, and especially listening to non-flutists (violin, cello, singers etc), and of course, daily improvising!!!!
No kiddding!! These topics are both hugely important the older you become and the longer you stay in the field of the flute. These are the things that are missing from most younger players. If only we could convince students of the truth and knowledge that we have learned from a lifetime of flute playing. It's with these things in mind that I rush back to working on the sections of my book that integrate improvising with scale technique and tone/dynamics/breath control.
I've integrated all of these items spontaneously in my work, because that is indeed how I practice now that I'm in my 40s. I too wasted time when I was younger just trying to learn the flute repertoire. Now I see how I could have sped all that up.
What happens is that you make exponential leaps in your playing that simply do not occur when you practice by simply playing repertoire. Try it and send feedback.
Note to self: get book finished so others can see how one does integrate it all. :>)
Mind you, to the creative practicer, simply beginning these things yeilds results.
Get started! :>)

I'd also like to thank Susan M. for some truly great NFA reports that included great advice from folk like Peter Lloyd (most orchestral flutists nowadays play too loud!) and other great flute minds. Thankyou Susan. Where would we be without your careful note taking? Thankyou!!

Finally, today on Galway Chat there was a post from a young person who is suffering from lip-trembling. I didn't answer, because the person didn't furnish enough information. They simply said "My upper lip trembling is killing my playing", and left it there. In a subsequent post they mentioned they'd just gotten out of physiotherapy, but doesn't say what for (car accident? Broken arm? Jaw surgery?)
Without that information, we are forced to list huge numbers of things to try to solve the dilemma, but I will make a short list for anyone suffering from flutist's lip-tremble.

First, the overview: The worst nerve damage that can happen to an embouchure is called "focal dystonia". Avoid this level of damage, which can be permanent, by consulting with a medical doctor or music-medicine specialist. Embouchure dystonia has ended several careers that I know of personally. Get proper medical help before the problem becomes more severe and don't attempt to play through the trembling as this can worsen the nerve damage if you have had facial tension over a number of years. Get proper help (not just internet suggestions.) especially if you play music for a living and practice 1-6 hrs. a day.

Now, here are some solutions to also try:
1. Most lip or face muscle spasms that I have seen stem from the jaw hinge. Pay close attention to how you place your jaw for playing the flute. It should be loose and open, with no tension at the hinge. Feel the jaw hinge with your fingers when your embouchure is set. Drop all tension completely. If you had previously played with hinge-tension, you may have to completely overhaul your embouchure formation with the help of an excellent flute teacher. Roger Mather's books "The Art of Playing the Flute" have experiments that can help until you find such a teacher. Basically, you want to go from the density of stone through to wood, water and then air. When your jaw hinge has "air" as its density guide, you will play simply and easily without muscular complaint.

2. Muscle trembling can be caused by medicinal drugs. Look up any medications you are on, or consult your doctor to see whether trembling may be a side-effect. If so, use the time to overhaul other avenues of your musical education until you can change the drug. (ie: some athsma medication for example may be causing your problem.) You can listen, sing, play piano, whistle, or compose. But don't overdo the flute playing until the drug connection has been sorted out.

3. If neither of the above suggestions apply to you, look into the possibility that you are trying to play the flute after a break or hiatus, and you may be trying to do too much too soon. Any muscle trembles if it's in flabby condition (try doing thirty slow-motion sit-ups a day and notice how trembling starts by the third day due to muscle fatigue) and you overwork it. So instead of overworking, play loosely in the low register, listen to music on your breaks, and stretch out and relax between sessions of low register playing. Leave the middle register and high register until your muscles are more toned. Add difficult things gradually. Combine this period of practice with experimenting with loose jaw, looser embouchure, and the other experiments in Roger Mather's "Art of the Flute" books.

4. Learn to let your body find solutions for you. After reading "The Inner Game of Tennis" by Gallwey, I learned to ask my body "How would you do this if I didn't interfere (with my mind)? What is YOUR easiest possible way to do this?"
The body always seems to already know how to do something with the least effort. It is naturally smarter about itself and its functions than our minds will ever be. The body does not want to work too hard and hurt itself, and it seems to know exactly what you are trying to accomplish, and be willing to show you how. It is a biological computer. It has survived millenia!
This is another chief component of my upcoming flute book; how to let go and quit trying 'too hard" and I learned it from the Inner Game books. Very important philosophy indeed for musicians and athletes, and almost always results in a fantastic improvement in the least amount of time.

So there's the wisdom of the month of August for you all.
Thanks for reading to the end; it's a long post, but I'm back and curious!!! :>)
hahhahahhaaa!!!
Best, and please leave comments (especially if you have the Chaconne transcription in G minor or want to help me transcribe the rest of it; I have 85% done!)
Jen Cluff