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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
VibratoVibrato cycles are influenced
by the style period, genre of the composition, individual composer, timber and texture. A good piece of
advice: when playing in an orchestra, watch the concert master and imitate his vibrato speed.
Also: there
are two kinds of vibrato: tutti and solo. If you are playing with a section and you
are playing the same music, tone the vibrato down. It you are a soloist, then you can let it out more.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Shaping the middle of each noteThe middle of the note offers
the chance for four shapes: even diminuendo cresc loop (start strong, get softer and then cresc.) All these choices must be mastered.
Patricia George
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Breath attacksSome note beginnings are best
done with the breath attack....hah.
Patricia George
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Three parts to every noteThere are three parts to every
note: the beginning, the middle and the end.
The beginning is concerned with the attack. Do not chip the beginning of the
note. Remember the tongue releases the air.
The success of the middle of the note will have to do
with even air. Use a tuner and keep the needle still.
The end of the note either stops with the air or is tapered.
Mariano used to talk a lot about the end of one note may be the beginning of the next note.
Patricia George
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Practicing difficult passagesPractice difficult passages
on a broom handle with the hands reversed and the broom on the left. It will take a few tries to do it,
but the results are amazing. (The right hand thumb and 1 will produce a B) Patricia George
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Fingering for F#3On most new flutes (1985+), the third
octave F# will be better in tune with this fingering: Th 1030/0204
Patricia George
Monday, December 14, 2009
SubdivingChris Louba (French horn master
player and teacher): If it can be subdivided, it must be subdivided. Practice with the
metronome set on sixteenths when playing your scales in sixteenths today.
Patricia George
Friday, December 11, 2009
Great flute book for your favorite flutist....One of my favorite books is Michel
Debost's The Simple Flute, published by Oxford University Press. It is organized alphabetically by
topics from A to Z with cross references for more information. It is a must read for every student of the
flute. Holiday want list? Patricia George
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Practicing with the metronomeWhen practicing with the metronome:
For slow passages,
start with a high number and work down For fast passages, start with a low number and work up Turn the metronome around so that you do not know which number you are on. Just keep
moving it one way or the other.
Patricia George
Saturday, December 5, 2009
You can play low with a high embouchureThe legendary Eastman School
of Music flute professor, Joseph Mariano, told me: "You can play low on a high embouchure setting, but not high
on a low embouchure setting." Patricia George
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Relax your toesWhen practicing today,
be sure that your toes are not curled but are relaxed. I had a university student who always wore sandals.
I could see her toes curl up when she came to a challenging passage. It is surprising how the tension
in the toes will affect the tone. Patricia George
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