FLUTE TIPS

I often get asked by young flute players “What can I do to improve?” As I tell those in my Flute Masterclass – There is no one thing that one can do. Playing the flute is a lifetime of continuous learning and improving. When you finish Music College or University you leave with the basic tools to begin working on perfecting your craft. Yes – believe it or not, after 4 years of University “Performers” you have only just scratched the surface. Now, you must begin to learn and listen! The most important of all is “LISTEN”
In order to get to the starting line (an accomplished performer with good tone and technique) there are several methods I fully endorse. It all comes down to basics and your foundation. A correct and regular practice schedule from the very beginning, spending the right amount of time on TONE, TECHNIQUE, SIGHTREADING, REPERTOIRE, ENSEMBLE & SOLO PERFORMANCE. The best exercise of all is – SCALES!!!!! Played slowly theses will help develop tone,played quickly they will develop technique. Learn ALL your scales and you will become a better player. SCALES – SCALES – SCALES!!!!!! The BEST tool in your arsenal. ALL music is scalic!
Check how other flute players perform. How they stand, how they present their programme. How they execute their playing. Below you can compare the stance and position of the music stands of both Sir James Galway and myself. The similarities are there for a reason!

These following tips, developed over many master classes, may help answer many of the questions that seem to arise again and again from performing students.
TONE:
When I was a young player starting out I spent countless hours each day warming up with the Marcel Moyse “Sonorite” exercises. These are without doubt (in my mind) the best studies ever written to produce a great tone. However, they do have one fault and that is – they are completely boring! When playing the Moyse Sonorite it is so very difficult to keep the mind on the task at hand. It is so very easy for the brain to wander and we then forget to LISTEN! If you work the Moyse correctly it will considerably improve your tone (although perhaps not your English).
Tone Production:
· Use the French sound: "Tu"
· Keep your head up!
· The first part of a yawn opens up the throat.
· When playing soft stuff keep your throat. open.
· Never hold sound back
· Relate the flute to singing. "No one would sing it like that, so you shouldn't play it like that."
· "It is much better to be standing still, than to see someone doing the same movement over and over again."
· Don't keep time with your body.
· "Using Vibrato all the time brings the sun out...and it isn't sunny all the time."
It all comes from singing – Sing your parts – vocalize before you play. If you can sing it – You can play it!
· Relate the flute to singing. "No one would sing it like that, so you shouldn't play it like that."
· Play a line on the flute and then sing it.
· You can sing with different colours and different styles. It is the same on the flute.
· Get the song inside you before you start.
· Listen to Singers
Vibrato:
· Say "Ha" through the flute
· You don't have to practice vibrato a lot.
· Set a metronome, and have your vibrato start with quarter notes, then eights, triplets and finally the sixteenth notes.
· Don't do it with your throat.
· Use vibrato sparingly.
Breathing:
· Gaubert once said: "You should breath after a long note."
Music Stand
· Should be a flute lengths from your body
· Try putting it to the left and down a little.
Hand Position: Right Elbow should not be too high. If you do find a problem with your hand position, it will be hard to fix. Set a timer and play for 3 minutes, then check where your hands are and play for another 3 minutes.
Don't squeeze your flute on the keys or the lip plate. If you squeeze your keys gently a few hundred times, then you will damage your computer.
Don't hunch forward while you are playing.
On the right hand, the Knuckles should be parallel to the keys.
Your head, right elbow, and right foot should all be in line.
Listen to recordings of the great flute players to hear how they perform and execute a piece.

Always LISTEN and ALWAYS – ALWAYS HAVE FUN!!!!

And that is "As I See it!"

PERFORMING MOZART.

To play the Mozart Flute Concertos successfully you must become several characters in a mini opera, demonstrate effortless mastery of the instrument, change moods and character in a flash, and do all this within a very ‘classical’ ethos. In short, you’ve got to play squeaky clean with an abundance ‘color’ and expressivity. One of the ways you can really help yourself toward this end, is to listen to his operas. Mozart’s understanding and love for the human voice is remarkable. And he transferred every bit of this affinity to his works.

The Flute Concerti.
The two Concertos, K.313 and 314, and the Andante in C, K. 315, were written in Mannheim in 1778 to fulfill a commission from a Dutch physician and amateur flute player, Ferdinand Dejean (1731-1797). This commission, arranged by the Mannheim Court flautist, Wendling, (Johann Baptist Wendling, 1723-1797), was for ‘three short, simple concertos and a couple of quartets for the flute’ for a fee of 200 gulden. After writing the first concerto, Mozart found that time was running out, so, in order to complete the commission, he transcribed his earlier Oboe Concerto in C into D major to make a second Flute Concerto. Of the two Concertos, the only surviving autographs are of the Andante in C and the solo oboe part of the Oboe Concerto, though there is doubt about the authenticity of the latter. It is likely that the Andante in C was written as an easier alternative to the second movement of the D major Concerto.
Period instruments: The exact kind of flute used by Wendling and Dejean to perform Mozart’s music is not known but it is assumed to be the one-keyed flute common at that time with four joints and an internal diameter of between 18.6mm and 19mm. However, for the Flute and Harp Concerto, The Duc de Guines, a former ambassador to London, surely used the six keyed English flute with it’s foot joint extension down to low C.

Mozart’s ‘dislike’ of the flute: In a letter to his father on 14th February, 1778, Mozart wrote ‘Whenever I have to write music for an instrument I dislike, I immediately lose interest’ Mozart’s remark was coloured by the fact that Dejean had failed to pay him fully for the Concertos and Quartets he had commissioned and perhaps, too, Mozart had less enthusiasm writing for an amateur player. The flute, with its cross-fingered notes, gained a reputation for being played out of tune and that too may have affected his comments. Mozart’s remark has been widely quoted and exaggerated though he wrote some wonderful solos for the flute. His later orchestral works show no signs of his dislike for the instrument he reputedly loved to hate.
Performing Notes
Performing Style. As Franz Vester has pointed out, these works were written in a period when the late baroque style was in vogue..’this is dancing and talking music - not singing music’ Articulation is the language of music and its clarity, together with the use of the slur, is of particular importance to these Concertos. In eighteenth century music, a slur is a diminuendo...except sometimes (always that exception). The slur and all that a slur implies, governs the phrasing to a large degree. Flautists of this century have adopted a more romantic style with ‘long line’ phrases. It is common in these times to hear long, conceivably overlong cadenzas.

Ornaments.
Ornaments serve to link notes together, to enliven a particular note or phrase, and to draw the listeners attention to them. Mozart wrote these Concertos during a change in ornamental style, so that it is particularly difficult for us to know exactly how the ornaments are to be played.
The two ornaments which concern us are appoggiaturas and trills.
Appoggiaturas: Accented appoggiaturas: these usually appear as a small note whose written value does not always indicate the rhythm to be played. In some editions the suggested rhythm is been shown above the stave on its first appearance; the performer should play the parallel places in the same way. Why didn’t Mozart simply write the rhythm he wanted played? Appoggiaturas indicate a special stress or a dissonance, or sometimes they draw the listeners attention to the note to which the appoggiatura is attached. It is a useful device and marks a distinct indication to the performer. How the appoggiatura is played is more important than its exact value. It always steals the emphasis from the note to which it is attached which follows softly. The appoggiatura is invariably slurred to its principal note....and a slur is a diminuendo!
Trills: All trills begin on the upper note...except sometimes! The exceptions are shown either by the omission of an auxiliary note, or by the inclusion of the lower auxiliary. Upper or lower- both are played on the beat. The trill begins on the lower auxiliary when it is approached from below after a scale passage and to give more finality at the end of a long section. When the trill is short one, particularly in the faster movements, it is unimportant whether it starts on the upper or principal note.
Mozart is quite clear about whether a turn should or should not be played at the end of a trill. Where none is written, none should be played. A turn has the effect of giving finality to the trill as in a cadence and in many cases, the trill is simply decorative and is not intended to indicate the end of a section.
Cadenzas.
These generally appear towards the end of the movement and are an opportunity to surprise and delight the audience and to encourage applause. The pause on the six-four chord is suspended and interrupted with scales and arpeggios until the appearance of the dominant seventh leading to it’s resolution. Contrary to popular belief, cadenzas were generally short, the reason is that a flute player can only play one note at a time and would have to break the harmony and melody to take a breath. Cadenzas, therefore, were kept to within one or two breaths to maintain the forward motion of the harmony. For an important competition on the other hand, the competitor would be wise to play the kind of cadenza the jury are accustomed to hear...
*In a short cadenza, it is not essential to quote from the thematic material.
*A cadenza should sound spontaneous.
*A cadenza should contain a surprise or two.
*If there is a cadential trill, then the orchestra, harpsichordist or pianist should play the dominant seventh chord half way through the trill to help carry it forward to the resolution.
*A cadenza does not have to start on the given note, nor indeed to end on the printed trill, or even end on a trill at all in which case, a reentry into the Concerto would constitute a surprise!
*Keep your cadenza simple to begin with and only modulate when you are more experienced in writing them, and only then, no more than two modulations in one cadenza
Write your cadenza with barlines; a cadenza doesn’t strictly need them but you will be more likely to plan it with the correct phrase lengths and with an overall shape.
If you are playing the concerto with the piano, put in the dominant seventh chord half way or part way through the final trill of the cadenza to help to maintain the forward movement. That chord is indicated in the Novello edition.
Play your cadenza spontaneously as if you are making it up as you go along.
Finally, be patient; don’t expect an immediate and brilliant result: only Mozart could do that.
Examples of cadenzas, and helpful hints on writing one are to be found in the Mozart Concertos and Andante, published by Novello

IMPORTANT: You practise to get good, fast! Combine other techniques into your tone, technique and scale sessions, such as vibrato, expression and breathing. The breathing indications in most pieces and studies are there for the amateur, the disabled, the elderly or for small people!. Really fill up your lungs and make long phrases when you practice. It won’t get better unless you do.
Regular practise is the only way. Progress becomes quicker when you practise the same things each day. Progress is greater when you practise at the same time each day too! This works after about two weeks. Get up earlier and start at 8.30 or 9.00. Then you are free to do other things during the day.
Listen to other players, or CDs. This will help develop your critical faculties.

And that is "As I See it!"

World Cup !

So now we know that the 2010 World Cup final will be contested by Holland and Spain. As both are first-time finalists, this means we will have a new winner the eighth in all of the Jules Rimet trophy, joining the elite group of Uruguay, Italy, Germany/West Germany, Brazil, England, Argentina and France.

The legends of the game have made an exit from the World Stage and a new Champion will be crowned, which is probably a good thing. After all, did you really want to see Maradona naked?

The way people go on about soccer at World Cup time is reminiscent of the way people like to talk about politics around elections. People who usually don’t show much of an interest in the sport become armchair analysts once every three of four years, willing to throw their two cents in on the eventual winner and what they need to do to get there. The difference between the World Cup and elections is people actually seem to enjoy having conversations about it a lot more than they do about politics. I am not going to talk about why England left early (embarrassed), or how Brazil and Argentina did not get through. Instead – DID YOU KNOW?

The 'curse' of Nike's World Cup ad
Almost every soccer player featured in Nike's sensational World Cup commercial has bombed out of the tournament. Could the glitzy spot be jinxed?

Didier Drogba (COTE D'IVOIRE): The curse strikes: The Cote D'Ivoire striker almost didn't make the World Cup at all, after fracturing his arm shortly before the tournament began. But even with the Chelsea star playing, his team "collapsed in the group stage." An injury-hampered Drogba scored just one goal in the World Cup.
Fabio Cannavaro (ITALY): The curse strikes: The Italian defender is shown in the ad heroically saving a goal with a backflip kick. If only he had shown such skill on the actual field — Cannavaro's typically stingy "past-it Italian defense" let in five goals in three games, and the world champions failed to get past the group stage.
Wayne Rooney (ENGLAND): The curse strikes: The English striker failed to score a single goal in the World Cup, and "barely ventured into the German area" during England's 4-1 defeat in the knock-out stage. As predicted in the ad, the British tabloids have ripped him to pieces. Our "so-called talisman couldn't even control the ball," said the Sun's Steven Howard. "What an embarrassment."

Franck Ribery (FRANCE): The curse strikes: The sensational meltdown of France's World Cup squad barely needs repeating, but Ribery was also accused of soliciting sex with an underage prostitute before the tournament even started. The winger could not inspire his team beyond the opening stages in South Africa.
Roger Federer (SWITZERLAND): The curse strikes: Even star tennis players aren't immune from the curse. Shown briefly playing Rooney at table tennis, Federer lost his No. 1 world ranking soon after the Nike ad premiered, and narrowly avoided a humbling first round defeat at Wimbledon last week.
Ronaldinho (BRAZIL): The curse strikes: The curse struck the A.C. Milan star early — he was dropped from the Brazilian World Cup squad in May.
Cristiano Ronaldo (PORTUGAL): The curse strikes: The Portuguese striker is the last to be afflicted by the curse. After a lack-lustre begininng, Ronaldo broke his scoreless international run during his team's 7-0 drubbing of North Korea — but Portugal's game against Spain showed that he too could not escape the curse.

VUVUZELA !!!
WIMBLEDON, England — Quiet, please.
Organizers are making sure there will be no racket from vuvuzelas at the Wimbledon tennis championships. The plastic horns which have provided a constant drone at the World Cup in South Africa will be banned from the Grand Slam tournament.

The vuvuzela is fast becoming extinct from its brief relationship with rugby and South Africa could be the latest country to ban the noisy trumpet from its rugby stadiums.
Vuvuzela's will be banned from all Test venues for the Springboks home leg of the Tri-Nations campaign, which includes the Test to be played at the National Stadium (formerly known as Soccer City), where vuvuzelas have been most welcome throughout the FIFA World Cup.
The vuvuzela's existence at sporting events aside from football appears to be in doubt after its ban from Wimbledon and next year's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

And that is - As I See It!