Helen Bledsoe

Category: Advice for Composers

  • Bass and Alto Flute Resource – a gold mine

    I want to share with you two websites by Carla Reese that just about say it all when it comes to composing for alto or bass flute. Alto Flute Bass Flute What I appreciate are her explanations about the dynamic capabilities and limitations of these flutes. I am often frustrated by composers who write ensemble…

  • Some thoughts on composing jet whistles

    Jet Whistles on the flute can be amazingly effective, but one has to compose them with care. You can hear a sound file here on Mats Möller’s website. He calls it “Strong air stream without tone”. Two composers who use jet whistles effectively in ensemble situations are Helmut Lachenmann (Mouvement, Zwei Gefühle) and Bernhard Lang…

  • Bass Flute ins and outs II – for composers

    Since my last post about composing for bass flute, I’ve taken note of other questions that pop up with regularity. Q: Should I notate the pitches as sounding or transpose up an octave? A: Please transpose them up an octave. Flutists are not used to reading ledger lines below the staff or reading bass clef.…

  • Air & Percussive Sounds for the Flute

     This entry is cross posted on the musikFabrik blog This video gives a brief demonstration of some common air sounds and percussive effects on the flute. Here are some further tips for players and composers: For players, when doing air sounds, it is not always necessary to use as much air as possible. After a…

  • Trouble-shooting problems between composers and performers

    There are several categories of potential trouble areas between composers and intstrumentalists:1) Basic orchstration mistakes2) Unfamiliarity (on either side) with a particular extended technique or effect3) Unclear notation What I am about to say may seem a bit didactic and Miss Mannerish, but really, it’s common sense. And as you may gather, I’ve had enough…

  • Tips for composing and notating aeolian (air) sounds

    Here are some tips on the use of air or aeolian sounds: Be sure to specify if you want these sounds: A. produced in normal playing position, so the air goes across the flute and produces a pitch that corresponds with the fingers (pitched air / aeolian sound), or B. produced inside the flute: i.e.,…

  • Tips for composing singing and playing techniques

    When writing for the flute and voice there are several things to take into consideration. The first may be: where to notate the voice line?For solo pieces: if you have an extended or complicated voice line it is customary and practical to use a separate staff below that of the flute line. On the other…

  • Composers, Common Mistakes When Writing for Flute

    Some common mistakes are: Low C# to D# trill on flute Harmonics in the first octave Low C and C# on piccolo Percussive effects in the second and third octave: key clicks, tongue or lip pizzicati, tongue ram. While these are not mistakes per se, they are not very effective outside the flute’s first octave.…