Fast forward to the flute solos! And oops... don't spill your beverage on your keyboard as your jaw drops open in wonder! Is that not the shortest flute headjoint you've ever seen? And played beautifully too!
I'm a flute teaching neighbour of Richard Volet of the Victoria Symphony and wrote to him to ask about the headjoint that seems to be cork-less AND crown-less.
Richard replied:
Hi Jen:
Here's the story. I made this headjoint between fifteen and twenty years ago. I made two of them. The idea is simple. Everyone fools around with different stoppers and crown assemblies, which do indeed influence the sound.
My thought was that all of that hardware (including the diamonds and rubies) is extraneous and interfering, so why not do away with it and simply end the tube with no extra apparatus and weight.
I can't tell you if it is better, I would have to have made tons of them, and even then, it's the same old impossible comparison as different metals.
My intuition and my sense playing this headjoint is that it is better.
Back to the story. For fifteen or twenty years the headjoint has been sitting on my window ledge in the basement. A year or so ago I picked it up, played it a bit, looked at it, and thought I could improve it, so I recut it. I guess I didn't like it so I put it back on the window ledge.
A month or so ago, I noticed it there one morning, took it upstairs to practice and have been playing it since. When I initially made it and cut off the north end where it should be, I got confused when measuring and trimming the south/tenon end, and I cut that off too short by around a centimeter, so it's short on both ends!
Feel free to post my story and a link to the video, on your website or FB. It will only be up for streaming for 30 days.
Thousands of flute and piano pieces are now being made available in midi and pdf on disc and thumbdrives from the Clarinet Institute of Los Angeles.
One well-loved teacher on our Flutenet discussion group has been telling us how good this HUGE flute sheetmusic collection is. (Naturally, neither of us has any relationship with this company. We just like heaps of cheap-per-score classic flute sheetmusic in pdfs that are screen readable and/or printable!)
Well, the same sheetmusic company has just started putting out Midi accompaniment tracks for their Flute sheetmusic Volumes 1-4 too!
So far, they have made available the midi soundfiles on disc/drive for playing along with the sheetmusic of flute/piano collection in Volume 1, with more to follow.
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About the matching playalong midi tracks - from the site's text (quote):
"Sound Files work on both PC and Mac. There are two types of files in this archive:
1. MP3 Files - These files provide high quality sound and can be played by your computer, your home stereo system or even through your phone or tablet.
2. Midi Files - These files are played with a midi player. A midi player can either be built in or connected to your computer. It can even be a standalone keyboard.
There are many different ways to play the music files in this archive:
1. Play either the disc or the thumb drive on your computer and use your computer speakers or headphones for the sound.
2. If your sound system has a USB port, you can play directly from the thumb drive.
3. Load the files to your phone, tablet or cloud. You can then broadcast the music via bluetooth or wifi to your bluetooth speakers or sound system.
4. Load the midi files onto a midi keyboard
5. Load the files onto your computer and play them anywhere using your home network.
These are just a few suggestions. Getting the music from the MP3 or MIDI files to your speakers is limited only by technology and your imagination. This is computer generated music rendered with high quality software that makes it sound like the real thing."
That's a heck of a lot of future sheetmusic even if 70% of it turns out just to be for amusement, and you'd never actually perform, or even print it.
And, note: Many of these old editions of sheetmusic are full of erroneous dynamics, slurs, and missing whatnots that are not urtext (!) etc. etc.
So they aren't GREAT printed editions in the first place; in fact they're so quirky, they're in public domain.
ie: Don't believe the slur/staccato/dynamic markings in the Bach!!!!!
But it's a great little rabbit warren of music to play through if they're going to make good affordable midi accompaniments for those zillion of us who are in hobbity lockdown!
Enjoy this resource!
Folk say the midi playalongs audio sound is of surprisingly good quality!
The free flute films that are on Principal Chairs (featuring the excellent Michael Cox among other great flutists), has been a pleasure to follow all through our "hometime". One of the interviews that I enjoyed the most for the honesty and truth about the life of fluting was the one featuring London Symphony Principal Flutist Gareth Davies:
Link to Interview: (no Facebook membership is required to view this film)
Additionally, in searching around Gareth's extensive internet presence I also found a fun film of "A Day in the Life in the London Symphony" (video) by Gareth as well. And if like me (or like all of us during these times), you like to live vicariously, you might enjoy it. :>)
During lockdown, he's also playing duets with the best player he can find, who he's known all his life: Duet video.
And for an extra added bonus, Gareth's LSO co-principal, Adam Walker, has a masterclass up to view as well. (video)
As you can hear and see, Rachel is performing on a Beethoven-period flute (video demo of that historical flute) and she mentions that the flute of that time does not play A3 easily (takes extreme stamina and feels like a fifth higher!) and as a result, Beethoven avoids it by dropping the octave in the flute part for third octave A, Bb, & B.
On one of the flute discussion groups, Rachel asked:
In symphony orchestras with modern instruments do you automatically extend the phrases up to Bb (where the 1st flute is the only one to drop down), for instance in the Scherzo of the 9th symphony, and if so, where do you stop? Do you go up to B natural, for instance on the last page of the ninth? Do certain orchestras or particular conductors have their own traditions with this, or do you stick faithfully to what Beethoven wrote, even though it would be easy, in fact sometimes easier, to extend the range and stay in the high register?
Super interesting question when you can actually hear the tessitura of the period instruments in her most recent performance! (I remember asking myself the same question when playing Beethoven Symphonies!) Well, dive in. (flute parts at imslp). Use the comment button! :>)
Hope everyone is well in this seventh month of darn weirdo-time-bending lockdown.
All is well here in hobbity-land.
October has been beautiful for us here on the coast. (photo by my neighbour)
Yes, we have deer here. And freighters. :>) Hoooooooooot!!!!
As I happily retire this autumn from teaching at our Music Conservatory for 27 years, I am passing my students on to a fresh, contemporary, younger flute teacher. One or two of my adult students said "Oh no, no, no...I can never start, online, with a younger, newer teacher if I can't have you!"
And I said: "Well.......don't miss any possibilities for magic!" :>)
I had been imagining all the fun they would be having in the future, playing pieces such as this one:
Emma Resmini plays Ian Clark's "The Great Train Race" (video)
Description of sheetmusic:
Techniques include; residual/breathy fast tonguing, multiphonics, singing & playing, lip bending, explosive harmonics and an optional circular breathing section. A forward with explanations of the techniques is given along with fingerings in the score. The multiphonics used are of the more friendly variety; seven multiphonics from only four different fingerings.
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HUGE panache! What a great performance! Just love it! I say "Go for it Gurrrllls!"
Honestly......good storytelling just rocks!
(you can tell I'm hitting sixty by the way I say 'rocks' ha ha!)
Principal flute of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and 2019 winner of the Carl Nielsen International Competition, Joséphine answers questions about her practice routine (minute: 41:00), preparation for competition, orchestral situation in Rotterdam, studying at the Paris Conservatoire, warmups, articulation, and myriad other topics. See the whole Q&A video here. (Note: you don't need to belong to Facebook to view them)
This excellent free video series from Principal Chairs has also added more masterclasses with Michael Cox. Find all videos here and enjoy!
Note: You do not need to join facebook to view these videos.
______________________
And:
From three months or so ago:
See: The International Piccolo Festival (videos)
Update July 21st, 2020:
Principal Chairs now has even more Masterclasses with Michael Cox on their Facebook page as well as the Q&A sessions ongoing every second Tuesday. You can view the recorded videos on that Facebook link even if you don't belong to Facebook. Free and open to the public in replay.
_______________________________
The very kind folk at Principal Chairs have made seven hours or more of Michael Cox's teaching free, with live masterclass coverage, and Question and Answer sessions that were recorded over the past month or so and ongoing.
Scroll down to see the extra videos below when you arrive at the URLs.
Enjoy these free resources! Absolutely fascinating and delivered by the most experienced flutist!
Scroll down when you arrive at: https://www.principalchairs.com/flute/ to see multiple interview videos featuring Michael Cox, (all free) where he tells the most incredible information! Wowza!
All Facebook Live videos are also available after live events at both the Facebook and the website links above.
For students studying Orchestral Excerpts go straight to the free July 2020 Masterclasses (and there are many full length ones available if you join Principal Chairs) at: Masterclass July 4th; Michael Cox
(and every two weeks after that) including the most recent on Bartok Concerto for Orchestra and L'Apres Midi is here:
Walter Auer, the first flute of the Vienna Philharmonic, will be answering your questions in a live Q&A on the Principal Chairs' Facebook page on Tuesday 7th July at 7:00 pm (BST).
(Note: check your local time zone; Europe is 8 hrs. ahead of Pacific time.)
Question: Getting Back into Shape; How to proceed?
Colleen wrote in the comments: Q:I've only just discovered your You Tube videos on embouchure work* and I have a question. I've only recently started playing again after 40 years. I was a flute major in college, and so I have some background and am not a rank beginner (although sometimes it feels so).... But I am back to working on my embouchure (and *everything*) and am keen to get better control but am not sure exactly what the best strategy is. Of course I worked those many years ago with Marcel Moyse's de la Sonorite and so forth, but now am sort of starting again but am having trouble loosening up. I can manage a quite lovely sound for awhile, but when I apply it to solo work, and especially with intervals, everything goes increasingly tight and the registers fall apart. At your suggestion, I've just ordered Werner Richter's "Conditioning Training for the Embouchure." But so my question is, how long do you suggest I work strictly on the embouchure technique before moving on to etudes, solo pieces, etc. Do you recommend a strict regimen of only the embouchure work for several weeks alone? Or a graduated approach. Am not sure how to proceed now, and would appreciate any suggestions you can offer. Thank you so much.
A: Dear Colleen,
This sounds typical of what happens: we tighten up when we try to play pieces or larger intervals. It's the kind of topic that I've been working with for years. Probably deserves an article of its own! Basically you "relax completely" (your face/lips/throat etc.) every three minutes, like you've put an egg-timer on, and every three minutes it reminds you to check in with your tension level and reduce it from 10, 9, 8, 7, 6......down to about a 0, 1, 2 or 3 out of 10 in tension. If you keep doing this every three minutes, you'll catch yourself before your facial muscles start tightening without your knowing it.
Here is a link to my article "How to get back in shape after a flute-playing hiatus:
And lastly, "Technique with a Purpose" about setting up two music stands to alternate between; one fun, one technical work (done in short, poised sessions of 5-10 minutes.)
You ask: What order should I practice in when coming back to the flute?
And that deserves its own answer:
Whenever you're out of shape with the flute, the first thing to go missing is abdominally-assisted air compression.
We used to call it "support of the airstream" or "diaphragmatic support", but what I see it as is:
Pre-compressing the air so that it leaves the body in a fast and precise stream of air. The "pre-compressing" is the action of the abdominal muscles, the lungs, the open throat and the nasal pharynx.
The air becomes ready to exit the body at "100 miles per hour".
This requires a certain co-ordination and balance of internal air-motion systems inside your body:
So whenever you're "out of shape", no doubt, you are not yet doing the above air speed improvements.
Instead, what happens is that you accidentally tighten your throat, lips, upper chest, face, jaw, tongue, and other body parts, in order to control the air-speed right at the exit-end of your air production.
This shows itself as "pinching" for the high notes, and over-manipulating the embouchure and squeaking in the low register.
It is easily corrected if you stick to low register only for the first few weeks back when you haven't played for years. Get your air moving freely first, and don't expect much from your embouchure (wide leaps or high register need careful stepwise practise first.) over the first few weeks.
So, low register tunes of all kinds are your friend. I especially love old slow airs from the Irish/Scottish/ stuff, or self-created duets of Celtic tunes, played really low, all-slurred, take your time, with lots of colour and lots of air. I would do that for at least two weeks, if not longer.
I would also use your first few weeks back to play "headjoint only" and "right hand on the barrel" so that you get your lip placement just perfectly poised and balanced, for YOU.
There's nothing like taking it slowly and with precision and constant, flexible experimentation to get your best embouchure, (covered in Vol.2 of Mather's book) based on a really good placement of the headjoint on the chin!! Many people overlook the benefits of mirror work at this stage.
For set-up, watch James Galway's video on the simplicity of lip work done with headjoint only: (link to video)
The above Galway embouchure exercise is unbelievably useful for EVERY flutist, not just those starting back after a hiatus!! It reminds us about where the contact on the chin is, and how to release the jaw, and how to make the embouchure effortless, and work without working, because it's ergonomic.
And don't forget to get your flute mechanically checked over by a technician before you blame yourself for slow fingers; pad leaks are real on every flute, no kidding. (Flute care & repair article link.)
If you haven't played for years, you'll very likely need oil added to your flute too, or you'll grit-score the insides of the dry rods. Not good.
Oiling should be done once a year, and if it's dried out, you shouldn't play on it yet.....
Also, get your own posture and playing ease assessed by a good flute teacher via a video lesson or two online, to make sure your posture and holding position hasn't become "awkward".
Do yoga, tai chi, streching exercises, and make sure the tension isn't starting elsewhere in the body (and don't play statically; walk around for sure!)
I'd take it slowly, and stay in the low register, then middle register for at least a month or two, and stabilize all the best things you can do at those octaves, before sailing confidently into the high register.
The worst idea is to try and play complex pieces right away, when you're rusty.
That kind of over-challenge on a possibly leaking-pad flute can CAUSE tension.
And our ears always demand great tone, so remember: don't tighten to get great tone, send fast and accurate air while opening up your throat and chest. You need to release the air already at a fast speed, so that you don't need to compress your upper body to change the air-speed.
I know; it's complex. :>)
Anyway, hope this helps,
Best, Jen
ps. Beware practising Werner Richter's "Conditioning Training" when you're out of shape.
It's far far better to work on breathing and releasing sound with beautiful resonance for at least a year before concentrating on difficult wide-interval leaps.
Stay with simple things at first; don't push push push yourself; it does not help. :>)
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Questioning your practising motivation while stuck at home with no rehearsals or performances? We all are!!!
This husband-wife team, the violin-performing LA Philharmonic members (see their at-home duet video), take a good honest look at their motivation during stay at home practise:
Stand Partners For Life Podcast - audio (listen here)
I really enjoy this couple's "stand partners for life" honesty, professionalism, and candour about how it feels to be a working classical musican!
Listen to the questions posed at the Summer Motivation podcast above, and also enjoy the free Bach Violin Sonata video lessons too! Flutists can learn the violin sonatas by Bach and how and why he wrote in the manner he did! Check out all these videos on Nathan Cole's playlist:
Nathan Cole's Violympics & Bach on the Road lessons (All youtube videos)
____________________ Notes:
Violin Duets that were mentioned on the podcast that may be worth a look for flutists to record at home. Just play both parts of any duet onto a multi-track recorder (change key if necessary for violin morphed to range), or play one part recorded with a metronome going, and one part live:
Mentioned on the podcast and may be worth checking out for flute:
Bach Violin Sonatas (imslp free pdfs) for studying along with Nathan Cole's Bach series.
__________________ Bonus - Flute Related! Inspiration: A new transcription of the (difficult to obtain) Waxman Carmen!
(not yet offered on his website, though.)
Denis Bouriakov plays the Franz Waxman
(Bouraikov Arrangement of) Carmen Fantasy:(video)
I attended an online masterclass/interview with Julien Beaudiment today (sorry no replay) that was gloriously provided for free by one of our dedicated University flute teachers. My notes are below from that talk.
Then, just to round out having been at the 90 minute online class, I listened to Bach, (video) played by Julien Beaudiment
Sarabande from JS Bach A minor Sonata:
Then I went and listened to his interview (in which he explains how he was asked to play for LA Phil, and why he left after only a short time):(video)
And finally, after hearing the above interview, I was super excited to see the exact Mozart Concerto innovations that Julien added, that resulted in his being invited to join the LA Phil. (video)
What a super interesting day, flute-wise! :>)
Hope to hear from others who attended his classes. Comment button below.
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Here are my notes (there were more):
Flute Zoom Class with Julien Beaudiment:
- in the lessons he teaches at Lyon Conservatory, there are three one hour lessons in flute per week for each flute student at the Conservatory;
ie: 3 hours in total each per student per week:
1. One hour lesson with Julien himself and a pianist for solo repertoire
2. Then one hour with a talented flute colleague who teaches only flute technique to the same student
3. Finally, one additional hour per week with a talented flute colleague who teaches only piccolo technique to the same student
(I have told my Canadian students who study one hour per week that REAL Classical Music Students frequently take two hours per week, for example both Tuesdays and Friday flute lessons, but none of them usually believe me. :>)
Julien prefers Moyse's "Chromatic Mechanism" book to Taffanel and Gaubert.
He feels T&G is far too easy in its chromatic scales for him now, and that since his weakness is finger speed and accuracy, that chromatics work best for him.
(Note: There were free pdfs at the class of the above super expensive book running around online left and right, so don't spend $40 too quickly!)
For every student there are different things to be worked on. For Julien it is fingers, not tone. He says even after a week of not playing, it's never his tone that has suffered. And, at his level, naturally, he's looking for technique books he's never played thoroughly before.
- His fave way to practice pairs of longtones is twice each pair, all slurred. The first pair is played forte, then slur into the second pair and repeat at dynamic of piano.
(click on jpg to enlarge; use back button to return here.)
He says this version of the Moyse longtones (Fake Moyse) keeps you in shape because you are:
a) working on matching intonation (same pitches at contrasting dynamics)
b) giving air vs. saving air (air speed awareness becomes super important)
c) quickly checking all your angles and air speeds to stay in shape or get warmed up quickly
- His pet peeve is people who buy tons of books and then say "I'll practice 10 minutes each out of 15 different books."
He says: "It's better to spend 15 minutes on one bar of one book until it is perfect. This is about the focus and the slowness of perfection, and HOW you practice, it's not about covering pages and pages badly." If there was one single point he'd like to make, it would be about the incredible focus it takes to learn something well (one bar, or one inch of music). If you just "play" around reading music, that is not practicing; practicing is really truly honing a skill by going slowly and carefully, and maintaining awareness and accute focus on the specific task for the sake of perfecting it.
- He also really dislikes electronic tuners for working on intonation: "Tuning with the eyes is the wrong way to go." Since each private lesson hour he is always provided with an accompanist for every flute student's lesson, he insures that the student listens to and matches an actual live instrument (the piano) rather than a tuner, in order to develop their ear. He says that the ear has to be ready for all the pitch changes that actually occur in real-life orchestral situations (Brass play sharp, French play at A-441, German cities play at A-444 etc.)
-All his articulation choices are based on many many varieties of tonguing both forward and back in the mouth, depending on colour, dynamic, and style.
He says not to get stuck in the "heavy tongue" headset; but for the flute student to pre-hear lighter sounds in their inner-ear, in order to fit lighter musical situations, rather than think that every "Tu" is the same: TU, TU, TU. Not so.
The tongue is not a separate organ.
It depends on the air-speed and the shape of the mouth, so has a slightly different at every dynamic, and in different tone colours/styles.
In Forte the mouth cavity is very large, and so the tonguing will be different than when the dynamic requires the mouth cavity to be smaller.
In the same way as there are many syllables for tonguing, there are many shapes of the mouth and tongue to produce tone colours; the main thing is to remain flexible and learn all kinds of sounds. He likes to take risks, and play every performance slightly differently; he says that makes the performance truly alive.
Julien pointed out that dynamics are dependent on where you are playing and whom you are playing with. Almost every flute solo in orchestra that is marked "Piano" for example, is not ever played softly. The mood may be soft, but to project the flute, you will be playing with a great deal of energy in "piano".
There are no absolute dynamics. Most students need to play much larger and with much more projection than they think.
"Table-Work":
He also said: "After 4-6 hrs. of flute practice you cannot do more on the flute. So now you have 'Table Work' where you study the scores and really listen to the works you are learning. Listen to a great deal of music everyday. Remember to always do your 'table work' without the flute in hand, to develop your listening skills.
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The above is some of what I learned from him today. Really corroborates my teaching!
These past few weeks I've listened to my excellent adult flute students "practice time and how they spend it", when they recorded their flute warm-up and run-throughs of various flute pieces/etudes/excerpts and emailed them to me as mp3s.
And because of the extra time we have right now, I just sat down and audio-recorded my entire philosophy about practicing flute at the higher intermediate level (Grade 9 to 10 Royal Conservatory level) and how it differs from the old days, when the student was a novice playing in the earlier grades on flute.
These three audio clips of me speaking (un-edited, as usual, ha ha) are my flute philosophy, how and where it derives, and how to benefit from it, after 25 years of teaching and working with all kinds of intermediate to advanced flute players of all ages.
Enjoy listening to my non-editing self (hope it's okay) and do join in the conversation! I'm philosophizing from a cabin in the woods, and I'd love to hear from experienced players and teachers. Corroborate, for sure!! :>)
Here are the audio recordings of....... Jen's philosophy (mp3s):
__________________________ Part one: An introduction to the topic of high-skill flute practice
5.8 mb mp3; 5 min audio: http://www.jennifercluff.com/01philosophyflute.mp3
Dear Flutists,
Flutetalk magazine has once again made this month's May 2020 issue free, and there are some interesting articles to read!
Best, Jen
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This month's Flutetalk online
Dear Flutists,
A few quick articles today! Firstly, I have students sending their lessons to me attached to emails as mp3s. Today a student had trouble converting her recorded wav files into mp3s to make them small enough to work well as email attachments. For those of us who are technology challenged due to being in our 50s and 60s, here is the basic information on changing wav files to mp3s using Audacity.
How to change WAV to mp3 sound files in Audacity software.
Open Audacity program from your computer.
Open the wav file you wish to convert, from inside of Audacity: FILE -- OPEN
Once the file of sound is on your screen, simply convert to mp3 by using the menus on top left of Audacity screen:
File - Export - Export as mp3
Then name and save the new mp3 where you can find it again.
Here are the steps in pictures:
Hope this helps. More to follow on interesting flutey stuff.
Dear Flute-Lovers,
With permission given by the authors, a reprint of a question and answer from yesterday's flutey conversations on the internet. Enjoy, Best, Jen
_________________ Question:
Head joints, embouchure cuts, metal alloys, metal resistance, weighed crowns, hard vs. gentle blowers, etc. - and it all comes down to one, most important aspect of flute playing - S O U N D.
I’ve being playing the flute - for nearly 33 years now and still have plenty of questions like: “what’s a great flute embouchure?” or “is there a way to consistently (!) have a good sound?”
One never really stops learning. Ever.
But seriously; what is the definition of a great flute sound?
Can you learn it, or can you only push your natural abilities so far?
Does the right choice (a thesis topic in its own) of a head joint metal and embouchure cut really make a difference? Or is it all a gimmick?
Why is it seemingly impossible to completely eradicate “bad flute sound” days?
At age 40 I can never yet say that I have come close to being a master flute player. I guess some of us will never get there...
Thank you for your input. A
__________________________
Howie (a flute teacher in his 6th-to-7th decade) answers:
Well, this is a great question, even though it's premise is wrong, I feel. Wrong, because it leads one to be unhappy and to developing unattainable desires. Ashkenazy (the pianist) said that to strive for anything in music other than how a piece of music goes is a wrong direction.
In answer to your question more directly: let's concentrate on loving the music more deeply, loving our neighbors more fully, our partners, friends, family, world and Beauty, and you'll experience your sound becoming more expressive.
Take part in health-supporting activities: Eating, sleeping, hugging and listening (to name a few) and your sound will become noticeably more beautiful.
Be devoutly generous and genuinely caring - care! - and your sound will reflect this, too.
Don't compromise this love
and your tone will become uncompromisingly loving.
Master flutist? Just be a loving, giving, caring, generous, healthy flutist.
This should be enough.
Love, Howie
______________end delightfully deep and light conversation
Jen adds; To wit: Here is a superb performance of the Schubert Octet (video)
These musicians are speaking from the heart of what they love about music:
PS. Update July 2020:
If you love the intensity and kindness of the players in this film of the Schubert Octet, then hold onto your hat, and check out this documentary about the cellist: Click on: Cellist documentary on DailyMotion.
This week there was a question from an intermediate flutist:
________________
Dear Jen,
Loved the free reprint of the Rampal interview from 1972, but am confused by his "don't move the embouchure at all" advice.
Can you help figure out what he means by that? My teacher has always told me that I have to move my lips (although very tiny movements) for large interval leaps.
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Re: Quote from the interview:
Q: "What about the difference between the lower and upper registers on the flute? Do you make any changes in the mouth? Rampal: No, not in the mouth, only in the direction of the blowing, and this is not the same thing. If you change the mouth position, you lose the homogeneity of the tone. To produce a beautiful, homogeneous tone, so there is not a stop or a jump between notes, you must think always of the passage from note to note, even in rapid music. And you must retain the same mouth position. Otherwise you have a flutist for the low register, a flutist for the middle register, and a flutist for the high register. You have three flute players, and you must be only one — always the same."
_______________________
Above quote is from Flute Talk Magazine interview with Jean Pierre Rampal from November 1972: link to read article.
________________________
Dear Student,
So often the professional flutist has played flute so long their motions have become unconscious, and they are only aware of it when their students are over-doing the motions. It is great advice to make the motions very very microscopic.
To wit: Here are some pretty visible micromovements of lip corners in Rampal's Faure Fantaisie: (video that is set to start at the Faure.) Watch the whole piece to see extreme leaps from low to high, and observe his lip corners.
When there are extreme register changes, high E slurred down to low C or low D for example, Rampal pulls the lip corners back to narrow the lips and retract them for low C and then, later, moves them forward again for middle and high register.
When playing scale-style passages you cannot see any lip movement for long periods of time. He indeed makes very few changes for the middle and high register at mezzo forte.
But again, when he makes an extreme register change, or extreme intensity change in dynamics, he moves his lip corners forward and back.
He has perhaps simply not observed these movements; he has done them so well for so long.
I think overall though, he's the master of not moving the embouchure unnecessarily. :>)
Take note that in the opening B-natural of the Fantaisie, he's playing mezzo-forte to mezzo-piano with a hairpin, and not attempting to begin that first note softly! He achieves the pure first B natural by air speed alone! That eliminates one embouchure change right there: trying to play softly when you start the whole piece! ah HA!!
But I hope the video, with front and side camera work, helps to see what he truly does with his embouchure when he plays. Naturally, it's challenging to put into words and be flute-embouchure-exhaustively-specific in general interviews.
Undoubtedly moving one's embouchure too much is a problem in students, and it does make it sound like there is no homogeneousness of tone between the three octaves if there are radical embouchure changes.
Jen
PS:
Another great reprint article from Flutetalk magazine this weekL Walfrid Kujala on "shifting the beat for great technique".
This is a truly good one! Thanks to Flutetalk for all the sharing!
Here is great documentary film entitled "Composed" that delves into classical musician's stage fright from all angles. Very informative and up to date. Check it out! Love the pace; relaxing soundtrack and understanding professionals.
I have some articles about living gracefully with normal stagefright too. Enjoy!
Best, Jen
PS.
Talk about confidence on stage! (see violinist's video).
Watch this clip to witness what happens when a confident soloist needs to switch instruments when theirs breaks during a huge concert solo:
As most music teachers are now teaching online, here are three helpful and quick resources with all details and links provided below:
1. A fabulous Nathan Cole vimeo interview on successful online teaching of "master courses" for instrumentalists
2. Using simple mp3s attached to emails for lessons by Jen
and 3. Using Zoom Conferencing for live music teachers, and how to set the Audio controls for the flute specifically.
Here you go; everything I've learned this week:
1. Nathan Cole on Teaching Online using his Master Course in Violin(vimeo)
Behind the Scenes of the Virtuoso Master Course with Nathan Cole (Concert Master L.A. Philharmonic) April 4th, 2020 with host: Jennifer Rosenfeld (Redesigning Classical Music Careers)
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And if all you have is a recording device and email:
2. Jen's Simple Online Teaching using email and mp3s:
My own online teaching uses a recording device, and a desk top computer, where I make mp3s in Audacity to send to the student in reply to their mp3s.
I've taught seven hours to intermediate flutists this past week in this manner, and am waiting to hear my students send feedback. So far HUGE positivity all around! And I'm enjoying it because I have the time to be truly expansive and specific, because of the all the free time during Covid.
Here's what I've been doing for the past few years and what's still working really well now:
1. The student sends me 1-4 short at-home recorded mp3s with a specific passages of music or etudes/scales/longtones or a specific technical passages, attaching it to an email. They can use any home recording method that gives a basic good quality sound.
2. I listen to their mp3 and make written short-hand notes. I plan out my response in a quick, short-hand lesson-plan so that I can introduce and follow my own pointers, and stay cohesive as I record my reply to that particular student.
My notes then stand as a reminder for what was covered in that lesson (otherwise I'd have to re-listen to the mp3s the following week, which is time-consuming.)
3. Next, later in the day, typically, I set up and use a recording device with good quality sound, press record to record live,check my levels (I use 64/100) and then either play short segments of the student's mp3 live in my living room over the computer speakers, using the pause button to pause it, and then talk and demonstrate on the flute, with suggestions and corrections,
or, if I know the student well, I simply record my response. If they wish to re-hear their own performance they of course have their own copy of their original performance mp3 still on their own computers or phones, to re-hear what I heard in their playing.
4. All is recorded in step 3, both with and without the student's audio coming through speakers and my new audio in the live room, so it is now a "mini-lesson".
I use a Zoom H4N digital recorder to record my response on. The H4n also has a multi-track function for four tracks for recording quartets/duets/trios/orchestral works, which is super useful where there is no pianist in house. :>)
I then transfer this audio recording to the computer via "line in" or USB and send it as an mp3 attachment back to the student. If it's a huge number of mb I use a file-share service so they can download a zipped folder at their leisure.
5. When recording, when I reach one hr. of my time (and I am SUPER fast and efficient and take very little time!), I bill for it through my Conservatory (which is still operating through E-commerce).
In a one-hr. lesson for, example, if the student sends about two to four short mp3s, and I use one hour in total to listen and respond to each one with recorded teacher's mp3s, then I bill for one hour. Any additional material will be held for the next lesson, so they can build gradually upon each other.
6. The student may also wish to work a corrected performance and send an additional mp3 as a follow up to the same hour lesson.
I can then listen and comment on their success with my recommended improvements.
This has worked great for me. It's super easy sending Sibelius Notation scores and worksheets, saved into easily emailed pdfs too that display what I'm talking about and how to practice it.
I can send handouts as pdfs and add these to the mp3s that I send by return email, in a zipped folder with the lesson's date on it for easy storage on the student's computer. The student can move these mp3/pdf files to their practice room or tablets on a thumbdrive.
=============== 3. Zoom Conferencing for Live Online Lessons:
See: https://www.zoom.us/
Our Conservatory Music Teachers also tried Zoom Conferencing (cloud based multi-person video conferencing platform) this week:
Here's all my new found knowledge on that experience:
How to Use Zoom Conferencing for Teaching Music:
Jen's collection of info. See below for flute Audio specifics.
Download a FREE "Zoom" interactive group meeting platform for free (no obligation) at:
Zoom platform is cloud-based, the download is 9mb only, and it works for PC, Windows, Apple, android, iphone, cell-phone, desktop, laptop.
Quick 5 minute set-up. Very easy to use for novice computer users.
____________________________ ZOOM Quick learning guides:
All topics shown in short, friendly, easy-to-comprehend videos
Time limit: 40 minute time limit restriction for 3 or more people for Zoom free version, but you can just re-start a new meeting if you reach the limit, by sending a new URL to your student.
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Flute Sound Quality on Zoom:
In general, make sure you pre-test your microphone volume levels, so that you can stand the right distance from the mic when you play, so you don't blow it out on the high register, extra-loud playing. Improving the High Notes
Tweaking your sound on Zoom for flute high register:
The "tweak" to the audio that makes the flute's high register best on Zoom conferencing is found on the main home page startup of Zoom, where the SETTINGS gear wheel is.
You click on Settings (gear wheel in upper right corner) and then choose:
AUDIO settings from the left column.
Then choose Advanced Settings in lower right corner of Audio settings window.
Then change the settings on Background Noise Suppression from Auto, to DISABLE.
Save and continue on to your Zoom lesson or meeting. Click on this jpg to see the steps as they appear when you're inside Zoom conferencing app:
Click on jpg to enlarge and use back button to return here.
The above sound suppression disable instructions worked on PC/Windows here at home with me. If you're successful with Mac/Apple, please comment on the audio setting tweaks you used in comments below.
No Dynamics? If your dynamics all sound the same, you need to change the Automatic Volume Adjuster, under settings, under Audio as shown above. Un-check this box as shown:
Soothing music from around the world....... Wow! We can do this!
Amazed at the editing, at the togetherness, at the caring and at the soul of the musicians!
Update July 2020:
How to make multi-track Videos with multiple players: (video)
(and do check out this young man's Jupiter by Holst for all-one-bassoonist-dude!!)
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And for those who loved this song all fifty years they heard it:
The Weight (take a load off Fanny) - Robbie Robertson & Friends Around the World on the song's 50th Anniversary: (video)
Let's get through this together with more love and caring than ever before!
Enjoy the soulfulness.
Update: And not to forget, great human togetherness was once available with only live rehearsals, a boom box that played CDs or tapes, and a whole lot of spirit!
Dear Flute-lovers,
In these uncertain times, it's good to know why we're here as fluteplayers.
We bring the songs of the heavens down to earth, and dance within the breath of life. It is a joyous thing to bring these sounds to our communities.
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Update here in Canada:
Music buildings have been closed as have restaurants and libraries.
I'm at home, realizing the important things in life, and thinking of phoning half the people I know.
We're still a bit stunned here in Canada, as everything closes down around the world. But we remain ever grateful for our medical teams and their devotions toward ending the pandemic.
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If you want distracting:
Personally, I'm not so much as fluting but knitting!
For flute news, scroll down.
I'm creating an entire small wardrobe in forest colours for a much loved niece (a former flutist, and now graduating in health care), and am enjoying the uninterrupted knitting, counting and planning time.
works completed in collections by colour (click to enlarge)
It's so lovely to work with yarns and colours and plan by making little sketches of the layers of the clothing. Sleeveless vests have matching cardigans that float over them, and cabled sweaters have matching or contrasting cowls and shawls.
I'm doing this because wool really works in so many good ways to make your clothing work functionally and well.
When I started out in the working world more than 30 years ago, I was basically wearing raggy bits, as I recall; mostly second hand clothing, and many borrowed or donated coats and sweaters. We had a saying: "Can you tell from my costume that I am from SLOBovia?
I sewed my own clothing when I moved to the westcoast and joined a Symphony and the faculty of the local University.
But then I took up knitting in my '50s, and now have a woolen wardrobe (and so do some of my flute students and family members) that looks less like Slobovian national dress, and more like this:
The wool makes a huge difference in warmth in such a damp place as the "wet coast".
My niece's choices will be for a young person who loves westcoast forest camping, and so will be in entirely new yarns for me; everything from silk to alpaca, to rough hand-spun feeling yarns that are 100% organic. Some are local, some are from distant lands, but everyone of them makes you think of hobbits. :>)
With the leftover forest-colour/silk/ yarns I'm planning on making brilliantly coloured fairisle "leftover" hats, cowls, and thick and complex socks for winter. I have months and months to do this, and enjoy finishing each piece, blocking and photographing it, and then mailing the pieces to my niece. It's all slow fashion and very exciting.
One day I'll put some photos here of the complete young-forest-wardrobe, but, it's, of course, completely un-flute-related. ha ha.
So this blogpost is only to distract us and remind us all to keep creativity effervescent!
Every now and then I get up and practice (or eat, or cook, or go for a sunny walk.)
Flute:
We're "home alone", so I'm currently bopping up and playing everything from JS. Bach (the "Well Tempered Flutist" by Robert Stallman is a treasure trove) to Stravinsky. I love two music stands and and endless supply of different quality items to play.
For company, I even played along with Beethoven's Pastorale Symphony when the Vancouver Symphony did their live broadcast this past weekend (still avail. on their website.). I just set up the music stand with a copy of Flute 1 on the stand, and had a blast (you can fast forward the video to the good parts) playing the Sixth Symphony with them all. So fun! Try it; choose an A-440 recording from youtube (not one where you have to push your headjoint all the way in; that way lies sharp futures.)
But then back to planning the young person's "forest coloured" wardrobe and putting on another dozen rounds (circular knitting, what else?)
Most engaging.
I dearly hope everyone out there is well and staying calm and engaged in their projects. Comments welcome.
(Knitting is ALOT like music making; but this is likely the only knitting post I'll ever post here, actually. Good to take your mind off things, though.....)
Peace, calm and hope to all of us,
Jen
P.S. Sister Mary Anna in the comments wished to know what exactly is hanging over the flute player's shoulder. I've found the painting, and lightened it and done an enhancement. It looks like a hunting horn with a complicated set of tassels slung over his shoulder. Take a look here. :>)
