Blog for Flutists and Composers
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Sounds of Silence
When a composer includes silence in a solo work, it cannot tossed off as a neutral medium for spacing out notes or phrases. One has to ask, is the silence an arrested motion, or is it a mere suspension of action? Determining the type of silence one wants to create is crucial. This is why…
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Interpretation of Contemporary Music: Finding the Composer’s Voice
Familiarity with a composer’s style and esthetics is essential in preparation of music from any period. How can we go about learning these essentials when faced with music of a composer who is new to us? First, research and familiarize yourself with the composer’s other works, and perhaps more interestingly, find his/her sources of inspiration.…
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Extended Techniques: Benefits, Applications and Tips
I’d like to open with some inspiring words by Sax player Jack Wright In the early decades of free improv, when new techniques were the mark of a fresh approach to traditional instruments, they were often considered the new standard to be displayed. But at this point I find players using a more integrated technique,…
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Extended Techniques, Blessing or Abomination?
I am astonished by the occasional vitriol I encounter from some prominent flutists when it comes to extended techniques such as multiphonics, circular breathing and so on. They chant the same nonsense: “bad for your embouchure”, “waste of time”, “don’t be one of those players”. After over 20 years of experience with these techniques as…
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Why Augmented Scales Kick Butt
Because of the seemingly innocuous combination of half-steps and minor thirds!It’s one of those symmetrical scales that I just love, although I know nature abhors perfect symmetry, and true beauty (like those lovely Japanese gardens) operates on the principle of slight asymmetry. But for composers, symmetry in the context of tonality is very useful when…
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Nono: a Bass Flutist Prepares
Working on Das atmende Klarsein has provoked a bit of a crisis. Not that I can’t handle a piece for solo bass flute, small choir and live electronics. I eat that stuff for breakfast. Well, ok, I usually wait until after breakfast…. The crisis comes from several directions. One is historical. You wouldn’t think a…
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Flute Multiphonics – Q&A for composers
Q: Should I write in the fingerings for multiphonics?A: Yes. It saves time. It saves misunderstandings. Books go out of print, so please avoid naming multiphonics by number. I know writing or drawing in multiphonics can be a pain. If you have many of them and want to save time and ink, you could write…
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To Honk or Not to Honk: Low notes
Some flutists have a naturally rich low register. For others, high notes come more naturally. Some are blessed with the ease of both. I was a weakey one in the low register for years. The flip side of that was that I could play high and quietly with more ease than many others. What to…