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2012-13 NCBA Central District Middle School Solo

2012-13 NCBA Central District High School Solo

Catherine

Anatomical Flap-Up Pictures from 1901 Reveal Many Truths

Greetings,

I hope you enjoy this post by Maria Popova of Brain Pickings.

Some truths the images make clear:

• Tongues are huge.
• The jaw is an appendage of the skull.
• The spine extends into the skull.
• Finger bones extend far into the hand.
• Flutists use the "muscles of expression" to create expressive sounds on the flute!

What else do you notice?
--Catherine

2012 TX All-State Etude Practice Hints

Greetings,

I just posted last minute 2012 TX All-State Etude practice hints for all three etudes!

I hope you find them useful!

Catherine

MyFlutorials is here!

Greetings,

MyFlutorials is now live!

MyFlutorials is a growing library of flute teaching videos based on my 30 years of experience teaching flutists of all ages and levels.  Whether you are a beginner seeking guidance, a student seeking help for an audition or a contest, a teacher seeking inspiration and solutions, or you just don’t have time to take private lessons, MyFlutorials provides affordable, immediately available video lessons for you!

New Flutorials are created frequently and can be based on your requests.  Please make your requests by email or on the MyFlutorials Facebook page.  These are YOUR Flutorials!

You'll be receiving your login credentials for the new site soon!

Meanwhile check out the Free Sample Menu. See you soon!
–Catherine

Honeycomb Arms

Greetings,

During Halloween, I was amused by seeing vintage honeycomb decorations--skeletons and witches with honeycomb arms--which reminded me of decorations at school when I was a child.

Then I had an idea...
Retracting (shortening) your arms in difficult passages, or when you are nervous, is a typical fear response and actually causes fingering and breathing problems. To keep yourself open and the notes flowing, think of your arms as honeycomb arms--expanding rather than retracting. Also think of your hands as large, easily able to cradle the flute.

Hope this image is useful!
Catherine

Fall Focus

Greetings,

While students are busy learning their music for Region, District, and State Band Auditions and other competitions this Fall, be sure to include sight reading as a regular part of practice and lessons. Sight reading skills are an important part of being a proficient musician. 

Here are my tips for better sight reading. Hope you find them helpful!

Catherine’s Steps to Better Sight Reading

There are also some great sight reading websites and apps I wrote about in January. In case you missed the post:

Websites and Apps for Improving Sight Reading

I also suggest including Constructive Rest as a part of your daily practice, to integrate good physical orientation into your music-making (unlike the photo!)

Here is a post about Contructive Rest.

Best,
Catherine

Keith Underwood Masterclass 8.11.2012, Part 1: Paired consonants

Greetings,

This post is so long I am dividing it into 3 installments. I have included links to all materials referred to in the class. You can still pay to watch this class online.

Here is Part 1.

Best,

Catherine

Keith Underwood Masterclass 8.11.2012

Paired Consonants, Double Tonguing and Multiple Tonguing

Part 1: Paired consonants

[My comments appear in brackets.] when using “Keith’s exact words” they appear in quotes.

Keith exalts the virtues of his “main man” Quantz who wrote On Playing the Flute in 1752, and his “other main man” Johann George Tromlitz who wrote The Virtuoso Flute-Player in 1791.

Of course, these flutists played on traverso, which is played in a more delicate fashion than modern flute.  Keith has been practicing on traverso for the past few years and certain things about articulation have become more clear to him because of it.  When practicing quick, multiple tonguings Keith wonders, “Should I single tongue it?” Bart Kuijken [famous, awesome traverso player] suggested to Keith all single tongued notes.

In his treatise, Quantz mentions 4 types of tonguing with alternating syllables

One of these is “tiri tiri.”

•  Keith states it is useful to pair consonants.
• The anglicization of “tiri tiri” is “teeter totter.”
• Try practicing a scale using the metronome set at 108. Single tongue, then use “teeter totter.”
• Then at 120 single tongued, then with “teeter totter.”

Also, Baroque oboe player Bruce Haynes wrote The Eloquent Oboe: A Historyof the Hautboy from 1640-1760, (and also History of Performing Pitch:The Story of "A") Haynes talks about “turu or not turu”—using paired cosonants in the 18th century.

Keith has everybody play Giga from F Major Handel Sonata using these syllables:

• teeter tee
• tee teeter 
•  turditee

Now 4 of each on the first phrase: 

• turditee turditee turditee turditee 
• teeter tee teeter tee teeter tee teeter tee
• tee teeter tee teeter tee teeter tee teeter

IMPORTANT: When saying paired consonants, tongue is striking 2 places in your mouth but from 2 different directions. [This keeps your tongue from stiffening up and allows for faster movement.]

Keith plays the first phrase of Mozart G Major Concerto using the syllables “today-yesterday.”

Back to Handel Giga: You can change/alternate the pattern-like scat singing. 

• turditee turditee turditee turditee
• teeter tee teeter tee teeter tee teeter tee
• tee teeter tee teeter tee teeter tee teeter

[I call this scat tonguingJ]

Rachel Brown in her book The Early Flute: A Practical Guide calls it “motivic tonguing.”

Learning Baroque flute has explained to Keith many things... 

In the Julius Baker recording of the first movement of B Minor Bach Sonata Baker uses such “super infected tonguing.” Keith suggests appyling this not only to triplets , but also to pair eighth notes. [You can buy this recording here. PDF of manuscript!}

[OK. Part 2: Double Tonguing coming soon!]

The Alexander Technique and Marching Band

Greetings,

This is the time of year many marching bands have their summer camps with long, hot hours practicing marching drills and incorporating recently learned music. This is a great opportunity to practice good body awareness and body balancing!

Addressing the subject of correct use of the body provides physical relief for members of marching bands.

In my experiences as a clinician with marching bands, I have noticed other huge bonuses of correct self use (or even improved self use!):

• Good body mapping results in economy of motion for more precise and better unified movements-It looks sharp!
• Good body balance allows for better breathing and air efficiency, resulting in better tone and intonation.
• Morale of the ensemble quickly rises due to the noticeable improvement!

I encourage band directors planning their Fall programs and shows to reap the benefits of including some Alexander Technique training or a Body Mapping Workshop to your rehearsals this season!

For more information about the Alexander Technique, how it might help you, or to locate a teacher in your area, please visit: http://alexandertechnique.com/

Happy summer!
Catherine

Flutorial: Just Add Lips! Singing while playing to improve your embouchure.

Greetings,

Hope you find this video useful.  I have been amazed at the results some of my students have been getting from practicing octave slurs while singing: less tight embouchures, relaxed throats, improved vibrato, improved tongue position...WOW!

Best,
Catherine

Duke Voice Care Center "Care of the Singing Voice Workshop: How to Make Your Voice Last a Lifetime"

Greetings,

This post is intended to supplement the linked PDF of the Powerpoint presentation used at the “Care of the Singing Voice” Workshop presented by Duke Voice Care Center at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh on 4.14.12.

The pdf of the presentation was provided to me to share with you by Leda Scearce, MM, MS, CCC-SLP, at the Duke Voice Care Center. It is full of great information on this topic!

I have bolded pages to major topics to serve as an index and included highlights, referenced videos which won’t appear on the PDF, and some additional notes and comments [in brackets].

Thanks, Leda! It was a great workshop! Thanks, also,  to Yuri Yamamoto for organizing the event.

I hope you find this useful! Please let me know!

Best always,

Catherine

Highlights, Additional Notes, Comments and Referenced videos

from

“Care of the Singing Voice” Workshop presented by Duke Voice Care Center at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh on 4.14.12

Page 9-17: Normal Voice Production

In human voice production, lungs are the actuators of the power supply.

Page 12

Excess, prolonged pressure on the vocal folds causes damage to the vocal folds.

Page 15

The consistency of healthy vocal folds is like Jello.

Video of healthy vocal folds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv4evDGLgjQ

Page 17

Stroboscopy: video of female vocal cords at high and low pitch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpOXecWC5Dw

Page 18-30: What Happens When Things Goes Wrong?

Page 21

Caffeine, alcohol, smoking and second hand smoke are all harmful to the singing voice. Drink LOTS of water all day! At least eight 8 oz. glasses of water each day!

Page 31-55:  Management (Behavioral, Medical, Surgical)

Page 33

Vocal Hygiene: The things we do to keep the voice healthy

·      Taking care of the body

·      Using the voice well

Page 56- 68: Vocal Pacing

Page 57

Vocal Pacing Golden Rule!

Warm up your voice before singing, cool down your voice after singing.

Page 67

Special Considerations for Music Directors/Choral Conductors

•Warm up your voice before rehearsal

•Use amplification for your voice during rehearsal

•Use printed signs or hand signals to communicate messages that you say over and over

•Minimize using your voice to teach the music

Recommended use of:

Spokeman Personal Voice Amplifier

Can be purchased here.

Page 69: How will I know if I Have a Voice Injury?

Page 72-81: Singing Styles and Techniques

·      Mechanics of Singing  (General, Classical, and Belting)

Page 82-89: Acoustics of Singing/ Physics of Sound

Page 91:  Speaking and Singing Voice Exercise

Emphasis of proper skeletal alignment and good body use. [I recommend study of the Alexander Technique and/or Feldenkrais to improve ease and quality of singing and playing!]

Page 86

Referenced video: Joseph Callejo: Nessun Dorma

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn16xQxo0vc

[I prefer this perfermance: Jussi Bjorling "Nessun dorma" Live 1958]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdL483b4kao&feature=fvwrel

Page 87

Referenced video: Adele: Rolling in the Deep 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ckIulg1DfQ&feature=related

Page 90-111: Vocal Exercise for Singing

[Lots of great suggestions. We spent 30 minutes in the workshop practicing these.]

Flutorial: Vibrato Help

Greetings,

This video demonstrates exercises to improve vibrato by pronouncing consonants, singly and in combination before playing, to improve tongue position and internal mouth shape. These exercises help the vibrato be more pronounced and better defined. An exercise is also demonstrated with the BreathBuilder to improve integration of vibrato with tone.

Best,
Catherine

"Singing Outie-Innie" Exercise

Greetings,

Here is a video description of my "Singing Outie-Innie" Exercise exercse which removes throat tension, improves flute tone, and better integrates breathing into music.

Four steps:
1. without flute
2. single notes with flute
3. integrated into a tone study
4. integrated into a piece of music.
Hope you find this useful!

Best,
Catherine
P.S. If you have never studied this exercise with me before and have questions, please post a question and I'll reply.

"Sunrise" Exercise

Greetings,

I call this simple, quick exercise to properly balance your head on your spine the
"Sunrise" Exercise.  Your head is the "sun" rising above the "horizon" of your shoulders. Shoulders release downward and neck lengthens. Great short break from practicing --from computer time, too!

 Best,
Catherine

Wider is better...

Greetings,

More today on articulation...

Quantz suggests restricted vowel sound use in flute playing. For tonguing, he suggests using an “LL” syllable alternating with “d.” Because of the width of the tongue in the mouth, “LL” feels like air in cheeks, but without any embouchure instability. A wider contact area results from using a wider tongue, also improving control of articulations.

The “LL” syllable passes air around the tongue rather than straight over it. In Linguistics, this sound is called an “velarized alveolar lateral approximant” (pictured).

This “Dark “L” sound --as said in the words "tell", "dull", "bold", "bell"--is great for flute playing. The tongue is shaped like the back side of a spoon, with the back of the tongue raised and curving downward in the front. This position helps keep air moving through (around) articulations and also makes it possible to maintain a stable tongue position.

According to Keith Underwood, “When using the double ‘L’, the tongue is less rigid and hinged in middle. It feels like the next tonguing is already in place.”

Also according to Jerome Callet (of Tongue Controlled Embouchure fame), it is best to not blow through a vowel sound because it creates too much tongue movement. Buzzing off the top of the tongue prevents this problem. Try buzzing wider in your mouth. Use a wider portion of the inside of your upper lip against a wider tongue. Some air will come sideways through the teeth, pressurizing the air. This results in more ringing in the sound without distorting the embouchure.

To sum up: the wider your tongue, the less it moves, the faster you can articulate, the less your airstream (tone) is affected by your articulations, and the more stable your embouchure will be. It’s a win, win, win, WIN!

Happy Fluting,
Catherine

Notes from Wissam Boustany Masterclasses

Notes from Wissam Boustany Masterclasses
UNC Chapel Hill, Person Hall
March 15-17, 2012

1.
Bozza Image
• “Face the thing that scares you.” For this student it is opening eyes and looking at the audience members while playing from memory.
• “Your most beautiful playing makes the world a better place.”
• “We are just an attitude away for the best or the worst of us.”
• “Be an alchemist. Turn the music into something you did not even know it could be.”
• In speaking, some words flow, others are slow. Then there is the silence.
• When we speak and there is silence, it is important because it lets the listeners think. Without silences, we speak noise, not words.
• “Learn to love the phrase more than the sound”
• In speaking—every single word; in music—every single interval.

2.
Bach Partita, Sarabande
• It is important to be authentic in our playing. It’s about our intent, not about doing the instruction we’ve been given.
• The dynamic we choose to play in is a personal thing.
• However we practice, we are building habits in our playing.
• Don’t allow embouchure to be too open for low notes. Makes it difficult to go up in tune.
• Don’t allow physical movements to interrupt phrases; count in larger rhythmic units.
• “The aim of breathing is to restore energy. For ‘breathe’ substitute ‘recover’.”
• “Let the silence speak. It’s called ‘thinking’.”
• “The musical significance of a breath can be lost if it always fits into the texture of the piano.”
• “I’ve got time—I’ll fit it in somehow…”

3.
Reinecke, mvt 1
• “What is learning: memory +discovery.”
• “Not looking at the pianist is a lost opportunity.”
• “I am violently against metronomes because they don’t have ears.”
• How do your reveal what the rhythm conveys?: with character. Example: Short pickup notes might be played very late and close to the beat showing where they are headed.

4.
Mozart G Major
• “You don’t need to know a lot to know a lot.” Instincts count.
• Student played Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by ear. Please do it slow enough to think, as if you are trying to communicate with a baby. Be aware of the intervals when playing. Learn to hear the note and instinctively go to it.
• “Delayed gratification is useful—if you get it right away, there is nowhere to go but down.”
• “Overcome your fears. If we don’t push ourselves to that point and resolve it, it will haunt us.”
• Practice types:
1. Details
2. Run throughs to prepare emotionally, find weak spots. When rehearsing with piano you learn what to focus on in a run through.
• Make a practice plan and stick to it!
• Wake up when you practice and identify the one note you are missing in a passage.
• Build confidence slowly by really WANTING the note.
• Wissam recently performed with 85 year old jazz pianist Claude Bolling who seemed feeble, physically and mentally, but when he got into his groove at the piano it was if 20 years had been removed from his age. His body became agile and fluid.

5.
Hindemith Acht Stucke
• “Controlling the transitions between the notes is what is important.”
• It is good to warmup with improvisation. Then we “taste” creativity and get a feeling for what it is like to be a composer.
• Try not to get the fingers ahead of the brain. Stretch the silences in imagination.
• The longer you wait, the more the audience comes to you.
• Improv is a gateway to approach____________ with an open mind.
• “Poetry is not in the words we use, it is in how we look at life.”
• Moyse improvised and then he wrote it down. Improvising creates a connection between hearing and opening____It trains the inner ear in relationship to the music.

6.
Gaubert Sonata
• Re. piano lid on short stick: “ It is like inviting a guest to dinner and telling them to shut up!” When lid is on short stick, detail is lost, as if the piano ahs a mute on. Often pianist ends up actually playing louder and working harder to make a sound.
• “It’s not the words (music, dynamics) that are important, it is the feeling behind them (it).”

7.
Widor-Mvt 1
• When we [flutists] practice alone 95% of the music is missing.
• “Until we make a change, nothing is going to change.”
• Try to avoid modifying descriptors in your descriptions like “kind of”, a’ little.” It sounds wishy-washy.
• “Avoid pouring air into the flute.” Example: like filling a drinking glass with a water hose. Way too much force to fill the glass.
• “Practice off the piano bass line. It’s like weeding the garden. It’s like the tune is living within the bass.”
• “Crystalized ideas help us economize on air.”
• Wissam laid on the floor and compared an octave slur to birthing a baby—a long process employing all the overtones.

• “Most of the time we fall short of what we aim. Sometimes we exceed our aim. We hardly ever achieve exactly what we want. AIM HIGHER—ESPECIALLY IN PRACTICE!”
• “Push yourself to the limit—the place of DISCOVERY.”
• “Walk through your fear.”

8.
Doppler
• “How fast does a family of ducks walk? As fast as the slowest duck.” He is playing to his strengths, making his weaknesses more vulnerable.
• 1.He sets up headjoint for the louder sections and sags in the soft sections.
• 2. He practices too long, too strongly. Pay attention to the amount of time you spend practicing in the zone of whatever you want to improve.
• Wissam suggests improvising.
• When driving in rain and you skid, the worst thing is to brake.
• Develop flexibility of lips. Overuse of neck muscles to adjust pitch not a good idea.
• If playing soft, adjust lips, play even softer. Lift head as last resort.
• “Quite a lot of time, the music is in the links between the ideas.”

9.
Chant de Linos
• Chant de Linos is a difficult piece to shape. Difficult to create the inevitable conclusion (ugly, violent, dramatic).
• p. 2, 1st 2 sections have too quick a change. Use the accelerando. Be completely with the piano.
• Easy to lose the sound in the low register. Don’t go for the kill too soon. This passage foreshadows the 7/8 danse.
• Come WAY DOWN on the flutter.
• “Create color by finding the space.”
• “Drive, don’t be driven.”
• Keep your body fluid and active. If you are playing in the same position for a long time, you will become stiff. Keep small movement going so you are always adjusting, keeping active.
• The way we practice helps us in our rehearsals.
• “Your tempo sounded a touch defensive. Don’t sacrifice the flow of the movement in order to nail all the passages.”

10.
Godard Idylle
On pitch and hearing correct pitch:
• Habits are formed by repetition. If you are too relaxed in low register when practicing, it creates a false sense of security.
• Do not disassociate pitch from the quality of the tone. Learn to make the sound you want at the correct pitch.
• Play the right pitch; then play the right sound to go with the context.
• When tuning, HEAR the note first. Play in tune when tuning, then adjust note.
• Focus more on the sound of your partner than on the sound of your flute.

11.
Villa-Lobos, Bachianas Brasilieras with bassoon
• Practice standing up. Helps with breathing and in using whole body to play.
• When practicing orchestral excepts, practice both standing and sitting. Standing when preparing for an audition. Sitting when preparing for a concert.
• Some string quartets now perform standing, surrounding the seated cello.
• Set up so the sound goes out to the audience and you also have good sight lines to your partner.
• Don’t play metronomically when your partner holds long notes.
• “Metronomes do not have ears. They no not adapt.”
• If you depend on the metronome when practicing, you will not develop your own sense of rhythm.
• “Take responsibility for the rhythm. Metronomes abdicate responsibility”
• Practice improvising as a duo. To cross both zones of leading and listening is fantastic.

Flutorials™: "Balloon" Flute

Greetings,

This Flutorial™ uses a balloon as a prop for learning how to rest your arms on your ribs and minimize effort to move fingers while playing.

Best,
Catherine

The Pez Dispenser vs. The Nutcracker

Greetings,

The images represent 2 distinct "mappings" of the jaw.

"Pez" throws his head back using his neck muscles to open his mouth. This puts extreme stress on his vocal cords, throat, and upper back. "Nutcracker" drops his jaw open from it's natural hinge.

So...breathe more like Mr. Nutcracker, avoiding the "flip-top head" syndrome demonstrated by Mr. Pez. Even better is to breathe most of the time from the sides of your mouth, leaving your jaw in a neutral,natural position.

Happy Breathing!
Catherine

Beginner Studies Sheet Demo

Hi all,

This is a demo of my Beginner Studies Sheet. Hope this is useful.
Best,
Catherine

Fluteachniques™: "Up for the Count": New Use for Your Instrument Peg

Greetings,
I hope you find this useful, or, at least, amusing!
Best always,
Catherine

Chromatic Exercise: 2 Octave F Chromatic Scale

Greetings,

By using the formula outlined in the "Chromatic Exercise" document posted in the LeGrand Virtual Studio, you will master your chromatic scale staring on each pitch.

Practice well!
Catherine