Blog for Flutists and Composers
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Double Double Tongue
Working on the Berio Sequenza, I’ve been trying to figure out ways to double tongue faster. Theoretically, I presume, one should be able to double tongue exactly twice as fast as one can single tongue. [1x ST = 2x DT] So if I can single tongue 16th notes at mm.=120, why can’t I double tongue…
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Thought for the Day
Here’s the caption in bigger letters:The planet is asleep and it’s the fault of musicianswho are untrue to themselves. – Sun Ra
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Preview of Solo Concerts June 29th and July 5th
Here I am just keeping tabs on myself again. I’m into the home stretch of preparations for my first solo concerts (not solo appearances, by the way) after the birth of Nikolai, Sept. 14, 2008. Now is the time to appreciate all the energy that goes into the preparation of a solo flute concert. Just…
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Fast or Schnell
On May 9th 2009 I gave a small workshop in Wulfrath, Germany for amateurs on finger technique. I thought I’d put the link to the PDF hand-out here, although it is also on my website. Have a look, in English or auf deutsch, and let me know what you think! Tips for learning fast passages…
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Syrinx – who is playing whom?
Peter Paul Rubens- Pan & Syrinx (Staatliche Museum, Kassel) A thought occurred to me today while playing and listening to several recordings of Debussy’s Syrinx. Most likely, it was not an original thought. We all learn the story this of piece: its role as incidental music in Gabriel Mourey’s Psyche, and the story of Pan.…
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Intonation IV: Our Partner in Crime
By Partner in Crime I mean our most common collaborator in the traditional repertoire: the piano (or harpsichord). Here is some information I’ve gleaned from reading Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics by Arthur H. Benade (standing left in photo, playing homemade flute). To know the acoustical properties of the piano is to be able to deal…
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Practice Motto: Amongst Our Weaponry Are….
Surprise, fear, ruthless efficiency and a fanatical devotion to the— wait a minute —– that’s not my practice motto, that’s The Spanish Inquisition skit from Monty Python! Hmm, well, surprise and fear do come into play now and then. It’s the term ruthless efficiency that’s been running through my head recently. Ruthlessness seems to be…
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Intonation I : Flutonation
Practicing intonation, I’ve noticed a few funny quirks of mine which I know are shared by many other flutists, so I think it is worthwhile confessing and hanging them out to dry.(By the way, barring any live musicians I can scare up to do my nerdy exercises, my partner in intonation practice is my Korg…