21 year old Adam Walker wins LSO Principal

Dear Flutists,

I noticed this post on the London Symphony's Blog today:

News from The London Symphony Orchestra Blog:
The eagle eyed among you will have noticed another new addition to the flute section which at last makes us complete. Adam Walker (21) joined us this week and he is even younger than Phil Cobb who is now 22 I believe. We had a lot of great players auditioning for us, but when Adam came in and played with us it was quite obvious that although he was young he had something that others didn’t. Let’s call it the x factor ----

Jen: I say WOWZA! I'm sure that he'll have the education of a lifetime, training with the LSO. For young flutists who've played 7 to 10 years, though, here are some sound samples of young Adam Walker, to inspire you.
Adam Walker Sound samples:

Prokofiev & Schubert

Doppler Air Valaques (at age 16)

Bach G minor sonata with harp and
Piazzolla Histoire du Tango with harp

And here is a biography for those interested in reading about Adam Walker's studies and performances:

Adam Walker
Born in Retford, Nottinghamshire in 1987, Adam Walker taught himself to play the flute at the age of 9. A year later he entered Chetham's School of Music, where he studied with Gitte Sorensen. In September 2005 he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music where he is currently studying with Michael Cox and in 2007 he was selected for representation by Young Concert Artists Trust (YCAT). In 2002, at the age of 14, Adam became the youngest ever winner of the British Flute Society Competition and in 2003 won the Royal Over-Seas League prize for the woodwind player with the most promise. The following year he was a Concerto Finalist in the 2004 BBC Young Musicians Competition performing Nielsen's Flute Concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ilan Volkov at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. He went on to give debut recitals at Wigmore Hall, St. George’s Bristol and to tour the Middle East. He has given numerous radio broadcasts, including appearances on BBC Radio 3 and made his Proms debut in 2008.

Over the last year Adam has made his debut at the Proms with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields at the Barbican, performed Joe Duddell's Flute & Harp Concerto at Presteigne Festival and given recitals at Wigmore Hall, Mozart BathFest, Spitalfields and Isle of Man Festivals, the latter broadcast by BBC Radio 3.

In 2009, at the age of 21, Adam Walker was appointed principal flute of the London Symphony Orchestra and received the ‘Outstanding Young Artist Award’ at the MIDEM Classique Awards in Cannes, in partnership with the International Artist Managers' Association. Engagements during the 2009/10 season include appearances as soloist with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra at the Konzerthaus, the Solistes Européens at the Philharmonie in Luxembourg and with Northern Sinfonia conducted by Janusz Piotrowicz at the Ripon International Festival.

On youtube, the middle portion ( approx. 2 minute mark) of this video shows him and harpist partner playing outdoors and laughing it up: GREAT spirit!



Congratulations young sir!

Best, all the flute news all the time, (ha ha)
Jen

Altering the Pitch to Play Along with a CD

Hi flutists,
This week someone was asking about the difficulties in playing along with recordings that are not at A-440.

I answered:
You can change the pitch of a CD recording so that you can play along with it. You simply create an mp3 or wav file, and open the music tracks in Audacity, or other freeware that can change the pitch; then click on Edit, then, "Select-all" and then Effects to change the pitch in the effects menu to A-440.

Doing this darkens the recording, of course, and can sound oddly electronic on playback, but then you can use the new flatter version as a playalong recording. I've done this with a few pieces, and burned my own playalong CDs from them, especially when rehearsing remotely from other chamber musicians, and wanting to hear the chords and other features of harmony for practise.

If you simply want to know what pitch centre a given recording is being performed at, use an electronic tuner that has a pitch change mode button, and, in that way, you can find out what pitch center your recording is in.

I have an inexpensive palm-sized electronic tuner has a button that moves the main pitch center from A435 step by step up to A445 and then one can switch function to indicate the pitch of every semitone at the new pitch centre.

By singing or playing an A-natural from the original CD that perfectly matches, pressing pause (so you can re-check) and then simply singing or playing it INTO the handheld electronic tuner,you can discover what pitch the whole track has been recorded at.

I used my handheld tuner to determine that the "A" in the Beethoven Serenade opus 25 Galway recording is at A-446 in the Adagio movement.
(Note: I can see that the original questioner must have had a very difficult time trying to play along without an A-444 flute. This confounded me years ago, when I first started playing along with recordings too!)

Many European recordings are pitched at A-442 or even as high as A-444. Older reel-to-reel tape recordings made into LPs can even have pitch changes between movements! (Rampal's Bolling Suite for example; very useless for students using it as a Music-Minus-One! Doh!)

( Listening sample 2.2 MB mp3 no longer available.)

I'd love to hear more about reel-to-reel speeding up for "brightness" and other facts from the past recording industry from those who might know more. I'd also like to know what pitches the piano tuners use in recording studios in various geographic regions; as far as I've heard, Germany has the highest pitch, whereas most other countries try to stick to A-440 or A442, both of which are easier for A-442 flutes being made today.
Best, and I welcome input.
Jen

Flutes at outdoor and beach weddings

Flutist's Question about a beach setting for background flute music.
I've been asked to play a beach wedding, and want to be prepared. It's likely to be flute and guitar, or perhaps two flutists. What special requirements do beach weddings present to flute players? Is the possible windiness the biggest problem? And will the flute need amplification? Or will the flute sound carry well outdoors? Should I worry about the salt air corroding my good flute?

Jen's answer:
Note: Do help yourself to the wedding flute duet book I have in pdf, in case it's useful to you.
Now to answer:
I have played at least two dozen beach weddings with every type of terrain from deep sand, to slanting rocks, tricky to stand on, to having to climb up narrow paths to hilltops overlooking wind swept beaches, with pointy thorn bushes ruining our nylons before we even reached the location. :>)
Hopefully you will not experience all the hazards in one wedding. :>) Most outdoor flute weddings go extremely well. Flute carries on the wind, far better than strings, holds up to the challenges and the sound of two flutes creates a delightful ambiance.

Firstly, I believe that it is a bit of a myth that salt does anything particularly corrosive to the flute. I live within 60 yards of the ocean and my flute has not had any sand or salt-related problems in 15 years.

Secondly, you are correct that the direction and ferocity of the wind *is* the primary problem with beach wedding ceremonies.

To combat possible wind problems our flute duo now does the following:

We arrive 30+ minutes early, to meet with those setting up the wedding, in order to walk around and scout out the best location for the musicians. We require, in the wedding contract, that we will place the musicians in the most wind-free location, in the shade if possible, and on level ground.
Often this means relocating or re-orienting the placement of the wedding party prior to commencing the service, if it is a particularly windy day.

We always look for a flat place to stand or sit. Playing music for an hour on a slanting surface can truly charley-horse your muscles, which you will only realize later.

Each of us takes two clear 8x11 rectangles of plexiglass to use as sheetmusic covers (rather than clothes-pegs or music clips) to cover the sheetmusic. I keep my plexiglass in a folder with a cardboard piece between them so they don't scratch eachother during storage.

We gently alert the wedding planners that if the wind changes direction, that the musicians may then have to turn and face another direction, briefly, to allow the flutes to still speak. Wind silences the flute. So listeners can disregard any angle changes by the musicians. Yes, flutist will have to keep the wind to your back, but doing so also helps carry the flute sound farther, which is a bonus.

Our flute duo does request (in the contract) that if the musicians are to be performing for any longer than 30 minutes, that they require to be placed in the shade (sunburn at mid-day CAN be a problem when musicians are stationary.)
It's also important to know the address and driving directions to the alternate rain location, so you can specify a space for that on the contract also.

Also: remember to take sunglasses. White sheetmusic pages can really glare in bright sunlight, and there are even times when you have to face the sun in order to keep your back to the wind. It can look a bit like a "blues brothers" moment, so remove your sunglasses, if possible, for photos.
Also take water, sun-screen, and tie hair out of the way so it doesn't blow into the embouchure.

Amplification?
With a duo of classical guitar (nylon string) and flute, we almost always have to have the guitar slightly amplified or the guitar (but not the flute) becomes inaudible at a distance. This means running an electrical cord out to a small, lightweight amplifier which is placed under the guitarist's chair. If the guitarist uses a footstool, he/she may need to bring a board to place it on to get it level.
If using an amp, the need for power-cord availability is specified in the contract
The guitarist in my case always brought his own very long extension cord, but be aware that you may need more than one, depending on the distance of the power outlet. And that too many linked extension cords may not carry sufficient power. A pre-viewing of the beach area for these electrical cord considerations may be required.
If the location is too remote for guitar and amp, switch to two flutes, or flute and another string family member.

Weighting the music stand: In gusty wind conditions, even a manhasset stand may be blown over and may need weighting at the base. We use available rocks in situ, if possible.

Fifthly, do watch your step and do not wear difficult-to-walk-in shoes; wear flats with some grip. Spikey heels sink into soft sand and soft sandy lawns.

Also, keep your gig bags very well organized and close to hand so you can unpack and re-pack quickly when finished.

Sheetmusic:
Yes, you'll want all the sheetmusic in a binder, already in order, and you'll want to pre-practise moving the plexiglass sheets (there will be two of them, left and right) one at a time with one hand, for page turns.
There's a trick to this, in that you slide the right hand plexiglass to between the next two pages with one hand, (your flute or guitar is in the other hand) prior to lifting the left plexiglass and turning the page and weighting it with the second plexiglass.

If the wedding planners choose a location that is fairly wind-protected in the first place (and you can visit it in advance to see what it's like during 'typical' weather) then everything becomes easier.

You can also put a clause or caution in your contract that you do not perform on valuable instruments without a tent for the musicians if the weather on the day of the wedding is too severe or rain begins.


One bonus, I might mention, is that at one string and flute trio wedding we did on a cliff top above a beach, the weather turned fabulous just an hour before ceremony time, and right in the middle of the wedding three Orcas spouted and surfaced just off the point we were standing on. (See above photo at top).
These beach weddings can be very memorable. :>) Enjoy!

Best,
Jen Cluff

High C fingerings & Mahler's 5th Symphony

Dear Flutists, there was a question this week about good fingerings for high C4 for use in Mahler's Symphony No. 5, the second mvmt. at rehearsal number 24. Here it is:



As I checked over all four flute parts for this symphony I see that it's four flute playing high C in unison. I immediately think: Danger Will Robinson, DANGER!!!. hahahhaa. :>D

But here's how one goes about figuring these things out prior to the first rehearsal.

Firstly there's a great Alternative Fingering Chart online for free at the Woodwind Fingering Guide.

Using their chart for high C (which flutists call C4 as it is the fourth C ascending on the flute), I tested all the fingerings there. Result?
For my open-hole B-foot flute, at a piano to mezzo piano dynamic, and aiming upward in angle with fast blowing speed, I found that the final fingering from the WFG chart (outlined in pink below) worked best for me.



But none of these fingerings is particularly easy for community flute players without the requisite embouchure and high register practice, and as all four flutists are playing it simultaneously and in unison, it appears that it is going to be quite an ear-clanger if every flutist used a different fingering.

So I tried all B-foot open hole fingerings in the Mahler second mvmt., playing the C3 to C4 octave leap and using the dynamics piano crescendoing to mezzo-piano, and came up with the results that I illustrate below.



The above high C fingerings were tested with the tuner at A-440 and again, using a B-foot open hole.

John Rush of the Tulsa Symphony also commented below, and suggested this fingering:



Thanks so much John, and will try it out. So appreciative for your input!

You know....great bonding time could be spent at a flute sectional over this. But do take ear plugs! :>) All four flutists would have to have b-foot open-hole, and use the same dynamic, the same upward blowing angle, and the same fingering if they were to survive. hahhaha! Danger Will Robinson, indeed!

Finally, being the thorough researcher that I am, having watched this portion of the Mahler 5th on youtube to make sure I didn't see some piccolo shots at minute 6:00 where this passage occurs, I copied the passage in sound on a tiny mp3 clip for your convenience - 10 second clip listen here.
As you can hear, if there were four screaming high Cs that clanged together horribly, would not be the best idea to let the conductor know that. It would be far better for two piccolos or just Fl.4 alone to play it one octave down on piccolo, thus blending beautifully with the strings and lulling the entire orchestra into a sense of its own beauty (grin!). Flute 1 and Flute 2 could play in unison down two octaves at the correct dynamic which is, I reiterate again, piano to mezzo piano.

Afterall, if Mahler wanted his work faithfully interpreted, why did he also write impossible things like low B-flats below low C in the first flute part of this symphony? Ha! He must have needed our expert re-interpretation.

So there you have it.
I know some players might consider it a worthy challenge to have all four flutists play a perfectly in tune high C at mezzo piano, but as you can hear from The Berlin Phil's filmed performance, even the professionals are not likely to have taken that risk.
I say: make beauty not ear-splitting horror noises, yes, that's what I say. hahahahha! :>D

But this also serves as a good example of a question for which there are several answers. You now know a good place to look up fingerings at Woodwind Fingering Guide, and, may I also recommend that all flutists, especially those who play at a high level in community ensembles, get ahold of an excellent fingering alternative book like Nestor Herszbaum's.

I think all flutists should own the Herszbaum Alternative Fingering Guide and print out the additional free fingering charts found on the net, and keep them in their orchestra folders.
And of course, my advice always tends toward in tune piccolo substitution in really difficult cases such as this.
Opinions welcome.

Best,
Jen Cluff

Marcel Moyse's embouchure instructions

Dear Flutists,

These drawings and explanations come from the first five or so Suzuki flute books where Marcel Moyse was the advisor. They are no doubt copyright, so I'll leave the jpegs up for a week or two, and then take them down, while you go and purchase the Suzuki books or library-order them to see the original drawings and explanations.

Meanwhile, this may help to explain several aspects of the flute (like headjoint line up and how to play pianissimo while staying in tune etc.) that many flutists don't realize have been explained by Moyse himself with pictures!

I haven't tried embedding a link to web-albums before, but if you click on the picture below, you may find the slide show plays itself. Or try the picasa web album I made from these pictures, and click on SLIDE SHOW.

Moyse Suzuki pix

Best, and hope this helps the discussion we've been having on Galway Chat this week about possible errata in De La Sonorite.
I am using these Suzuki-Moyse pictures to cross-reference the De La Sonorite text.

Best, Jen