Enjoy:

Joseph Robinson: Principal Oboe, New York Philharmonic

Find it on: Amazon | iTunes

Repertoire: Saint-Saëns Sonata, Piston Suite, Poulenc Trio, Nielsen Two Fantasy Pieces, Dring Trio, Shickele Gardens, Still Incantation and Dance, Martin Petite Complainte

Anthony McGill

Find it on: Amazon | iTunes

Repertoire: Poulenc Sonata, Debussy Premiere Rhapsodie and Petite Piece, Messager Solo de Concours, Rachmaninoff Vocalise and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Gershwin Three Preludes, Summertime, and It Ain’t Necessarily So

Judith Leclair: Works for Bassoon

Find it on: Amazon | iTunes

Repertoire: Saint- Saëns Sonata, Andres Chants d’arrière saison, Boutry Interférences, Glière Humoresque, Milde Andante and Rondo and Polonaise

Kenneth Tse: Saxophone

Find it on: Amazon | iTunes

Repertoire: Feld Sonata, Muczynski Sonata, Heiden Solo, Morosco Blue Caprice, Benson Aeolian Song, Kaufmann Meditation, Bernstein West Side Story Medley

Related posts:

1. Required recordings, spring 2011
2. Required recordings, spring 2010
3. Required recordings, fall 2010

When a person learns a foreign language, they learn first to repeat some standard useful phrases. Then they learn to rearrange the vocabulary and syntax of those phrases to create new ones. Over a lifetime of study and practice, they may learn the language well enough to speak or write with their own distinctive creative voice. But if a student tries on the first day of French class to be creative and original, they aren’t likely to make much sense. To speak the language, you need to hear it, imitate it, and then repeat over and over. Genuine individual originality comes much, much later.

So I was pleased to read an excellent blog post by saxophonist Bob Hartig:

If you listen to a lot of Kenny Garrett, and if you take it upon yourself to transcribe a bunch of Kenny Garrett solos, and if you steep yourself in those Kenny Garrett solos, then chances are you will come out sounding an awful lot like Kenny Garrett.

Now, if that’s all you aspire to, then that’s where you’ll end up: as a Kenny Garrett clone. But if you desire to forge your own voice, then Kenny will simply become a part of your vocabulary, a vocabulary that includes other influences besides Kenny and increasingly reflects your personal explorations with melody, harmony, timbre, and nuance. You are an individual, after all, and the sheer force of your individuality will direct you toward your own sound and approach.

Bob expands on this in the comments section:

A good writer doesn’t become one by attempting to create a different dictionary. He or she develops expertise by becoming conversant with the existing language, and that happens largely through reading the works of great writers who have gone before. Through careful scrutiny and application of how others have handled the English language, the individual’s personal writing style emerges.

Shakespeare is noted for adding a huge number of words and phrases to the English language—undoubtedly one of the most creative minds working in that medium. But how many of the words and phrases in his works were really brand new inventions? Surely less than 1%. And how much did Charlie Parker or John Coltrane add to the jazz language, that wasn’t already there? Their contributions are staggeringly significant, but what they actually created out of thin air was a drop in the bucket among all the notes they played in their careers. For most of us mortals, our truly original contributions to the language (be it English or jazz) are few and far between; most of our creativity happens when we shuffle and remix the materials that are already before us.

Bob backs up  his ideas about the importance of jazz vocabulary with his Giant Steps Scratch Pad project. The Scratch Pad provides a wealth of tasty and useful vocabulary for playing over the chord changes to John Coltrane’s tune “Giant Steps,” a tune that has challenged the best of jazz players for decades because of its unusual and elegantly symmetrical chord progression. Bob was kind enough to send me a review copy of the Giant Steps Scratch Pad Complete, a new PDF-only (at least for now) edition that contains the same material as the Scratch Pad, transposed into all twelve keys. The transposed material makes this especially good for those who aspire to play Giant Steps in all twelve keys, or who double on instruments of different transpositions.

I took the Scratch Pad Complete for a test drive today. For each of twelve keys, Bob provides a series of 4-bar licks or patterns which can be used effectively over the first four bars of Giant Steps. The next four bars of the tune repeat the same progression transposed, so the same set of licks can be used if desired, just in a different key. For each key Bob also gives a series of 8-bar licks that can be used over the tune’s second half. The material is varied—some is slower and more analytical, tracing the chord progression’s voice leading, but much of the material is virtuosic and beboppish. Bob also provides, under separate headings, Giant Steps vocabulary based on the augmented scale, a colorful and inspiring approach to these difficult chord changes.

I used some of Bob’s material to quickly create my own little etude to practice over Giant Steps. I used the same licks in the first four bars and the second four, transposed appropriately, and an eight-bar sequence over the last half. Here’s what I came up with (if you catch any bad notes here, they are mine and not Bob’s):

It’s a bit repetitive (though, let’s be honest, so is Coltrane’s solo). However, these are chord changes that I haven’t played much, and as of this morning couldn’t have played fluently even at this tempo. But in just a few minutes, I was able to put together an effective quasi-etude and get it under my fingers. Now I have a little bit of vocabulary at my disposal for this tune or any others that have borrowed Coltrane’s harmony. With the sheer quantity of material available in this book, I could play for many choruses without ever repeating myself. And in the stages of preparing to do so, the internalized vocabulary would have already started to recombine into new and creative variations.

Bob is open about this book being a “scratch pad,” not a highly-polished method book. There’s great vocabulary material here, but it comes some-assembly-required (for example, the licks are in no particular order). This isn’t a bad thing in the end, since it means spending some time spent in experimentation and discovery.

I do think there are a few notational niceties that could help to move this book out of “scratch pad” status, if Bob should choose to do so for future releases:

• I would like to see the licks numbered or otherwise uniquely identified—this would aid cross-referencing between keys, and would be useful in an instructional setting.
• Additionally, it’s easy to get a little lost in the sea of licks (over 250 pages’ worth). It might be nice to have a reminder on each page in the header or footer: “Key of A-flat, B section”).
• The chord symbols are provided for the first lick on each page, but not any of the others. I presume this is to keep the pages more looking more clean and minimal or to force users to internalize the chord progression, but since this is mostly a repository of raw vocabulary material, I would find it convenient to have every chord change clearly marked.
• My personal preference is for Aebersold-style chord symbols (triangles for major chords, minus signs for minor chords, etc.), as they are concise and relatively visually unambiguous, and in general I would like to see these become a de facto standard for jazz education. Bob uses “MA” and “MI” for major and minor, which I find a little more difficult to read.
• Nowhere in the book can you find the complete chord progression for Giant Steps. I had to drag out a fakebook to be sure I was putting licks in the right places. Not a big deal, but it’s nice to be able to work from one book instead of two. I would like to see the complete progression provided in each key.

Despite those few very minor complaints, I think this is an excellent resource and a good, efficient way to wade into Giant Steps and Coltrane harmony. Kudos to Bob for his great work!

At the time of this writing, the Giant Steps Scratch Pad Complete is available by instant PDF download for $21.95. Single-key editions are still available as well (for C, B-flat, E-flat, and bass clef instruments—sorry, jazz English hornists) for $9.50 each in PDF or $10.95 plus shipping in print.

The piece is now available for purchase from the Co-op press website. It’s priced at an extraordinarily reasonable $6.95 for a PDF download (at the time of this writing), and U.S. customers can opt for a print copy for a still-affordable $16.95. The individual movements, any of which would make a charming short piece for a recital, are also available at just under two bucks apiece (PDF).

Among the few pieces in existence for multiple woodwinds soloist, this one has, in my opinion, the fewest logistical barriers to performance: it doesn’t require a large or unusual ensemble (just soloist and pianist), and it doesn’t require any unusual instruments, electronics, or other gear. There is also some flexibility in which instruments are used—movements may be selected from:

1. Intrada (flute)
2. Nocturne (alto saxophone)
3. Valse (bassoon)
4. Marche (clarinet)
5. Romanza (oboe)
6. Galop (piccolo/flute/oboe/clarinet/bassoon/alto saxophone, OR just piccolo)

For flute/clarinet/saxophone doublers, the Intrada, Nocturne, Marche, and Galop (piccolo version) would make quite a nice combination.

I find the work to be challenging but not dauntingly so. I would say the individual movements would be quite playable by an undergraduate music major on each instrument. The piccolo version of the Galop calls for some level of confidence and finesse with that instrument. The multiple-woodwinds version has only two measures of optional piccolo, but it is at the very end of the piece, after a very fast switch from flute, and it goes to high G.

The language of the piece is modern, but with one foot planted in tonality; it’s stimulating enough for an audience of musicians, and accessible enough for lay audiences. The writing is witty, and there’s an extra element of visual humor, especially if you play the Valse (which calls for an optional low A extension tube) and if you play the mutiple-woodwinds version of the Galop (which has a few daringly fast instrument switches).

For a woodwind doubler, this is an appealing, playable piece for very little money.

I have added this piece to my list of works for multiple woodwinds. Please contact me if you know of other works, or can offer any additional details on the works already listed.

• The oboists don’t have anything Baroque yet.
• The clarinetists don’t have anything by Weber yet.
• The bassoonists don’t have the Mozart concerto yet.
• The saxophonists don’t have the Glazunov concerto yet.

I think I found some great recordings to fill those voids. As a diversity bonus, three of the four are talented women, and one of those is a native Israeli.

Here are the selections:

Ray Still: A Chicago Legend: Baroque Oboe Sonatas

Find it on: Amazon | iTunes

Repertoire: Bach Sonata in G minor, Handel Sonatas nos. 1 and 2, Telemann Partitas 2, 5, and 6, Vivaldi Sonata no. 6

Sharon Kam: Works for Clarinet and Orchestra

Find it on: Amazon | iTunes

Repertoire: Mendelssohn Konzerstücke, Spohr Concerto No. 4, Rossini Introduction, Theme, and Variations, Weber Concertino

Kim Walker: Mozart/Hummel/Wolf-Ferrari

Find it on: Amazon | iTunes

Repertoire: Mozart Concerto, Hummel Concerto, Wolf-ferrari Concerto

Debra Richtmeyer: Extravaganza for Saxophone and Orchestra

Find it on: Amazon | iTunes

Repertoire: Glazunov Concerto, Strauss Oboe Concerto, Ott Concerto, Rachmaninoff Vocalise

I’ve been to conferences of all the other major woodwind organizations in the US (IDRS, ICA, NASA), and here are some things that I think the NFA did exceptionally well:

• Organization and planning. From what I could tell, nearly everything ran smoothly and according to plan.
• Engaging younger players. There were a number of competitions and masterclasses for high school and college students, and a Saturday “Youth Day” for flutists aged 8-13.
• Engaging non-professional flutists. My sense is that the NFA has a stronger amateur contingent than the other organizations, and that they are working to ensure its future.
• Appealing to broad musical interests. In my opinion, the NFA is doing a better job than anyone, including NASA, of integrating jazz into their convention in a serious way, and is integrating historical instruments at least as well as the IDRS. Ethnic flutes also got some good representation. Thursday night’s big feature concert was Baroque flute, and Friday’s was world music. Saturday’s concert was more standard concerto fare, but with a strong jazz representation. Kudos to the NFA for acknowledging that there is life beyond conservatory repertoire lists, and to its members for seeming to genuinely embrace and enjoy the varied offerings.

Like the other major woodwind conferences, the NFA’s is packed with so many events that it’s impossible to get to everything you want to attend. Here are a few personal favorites among the things I saw and heard (in no particular order):

• A panel discussion by John Bailey, Tadeu Coelho, and Terri Sundberg on tone production. An outlook-changing hour.
• A no-nonsense lecture by Lea Pearson about the anatomical realities of breathing. Can you point to where your diaphragm is? Are you sure?
• Rachel Brown‘s performance of the J. S. Bach solo partita on traverso. Lovely.
• A hands-on introduction to the traverso for modern flute players, presented by members of the NFA’s historical flutes committee.
• Genius/madman Trevor Wye‘s very entertaining performance of The Carnival of Venice on 60 “flutes.” The instruments included modern, historical, and world flutes, and various other noisemakers. Some of the instruments, which I presume are Mr. Wye’s creations, included flashing lights and other surprises.
• Omar Faruk Tekbilek‘s spellbinding performance on Turkish ney and zurna. Goosebumps.
• A very practical, doable approach to Baroque ornamentation on historical or modern instruments, presented by Na’ama Lion.
• Nelson Rangell playing absolutely jaw-dropping after-hours jazz flute. Confession: I enjoy his stellar saxophone playing, but when I’m listening to his albums I skip ahead to the flute tracks.
• A rollicking final concert, featuring some jazz, some klezmer, mass choreography, silly hats, a 10-year-old virtuoso, a low flutes trio, and other oddities and hijinks.

I also participated in a panel discussion on woodwind doubling with a few of my heroes. More details to come in a separate blog post.

I was pleased to meet several of you in person who I have been in touch with by email or Twitter! It was great to match up some names with some faces.

Next year’s conference will be held at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, and NFA President Jonathan Keeble assured us today at the closing concert: “What happens in Vegas, will stay in Vegas.”

View of downtown Charlotte from my hotel room

Group traverso instruction

The lovely Belk Theater, where the evening concerts were held

Trevor Wye playing, I believe, a bicycle pump

Nelson Rangell playing jazz on, yes, a piccolo

Detailed review follows, but here is the quick summary:

Price

Current street price on both the single reed case and the double reed case  seems to be about $20. This includes one Reed Vitalizer pack. If you choose to use the Reed Vitalizer packs on an ongoing basis, they go for about $5 apiece, and Rico says you will need a new one every 45-60 days (so, up to around $40/year, not counting tax or shipping).

Looks

These are basically good-looking cases. They are plastic, but an appealing plastic with a vaguely leather-like finish. The single reed case is black, and the double reed case is a sort of coppery brown. I can’t see any reason for them to be different colors, and I guess I would prefer for both to be black, since I like to keep my accessories low-key on stage, and I’m more likely to fuss with my double reeds than my single reeds during a concert. Both feature a raised “silver” (plastic) badge that says “Rico,” and a raised blue insignia for the humidity control system. The logos don’t bother me visually, but do cause another minor problem (see “Design,” below).

Humidity

I live in a very humid climate, and my instruments live in an older building that tends to be a little on the damp side. I find that I can generally leave reeds sitting around without any kind of case and not suffer any ill effects. I have also lived in very dry climates, where I found it absolutely necessary to use some kind of humidification system, but using any of those previous methods here has resulted in thriving and colorful mold colonies.

I kept clarinet, saxophone, oboe, and bassoon reeds in the cases over a period of several weeks, playing them regularly. I used the “73%” Vitalizer packs that came packaged with the cases (58% and 84% are also available). Rico claims these packs provide a “2-way” humidification system, which I presume means that the packs can either raise or lower the case’s humidity as needed.

As far as I can tell, the humidification system had no effect on my reeds. This includes a conspicuous absence of mold. I do think that it would be worthwhile to test these in a climate where dryness and warpage are real issues, and I welcome comments below from anyone who has tried these cases under those conditions.

On the other hand, the Vitalizer packs are unobtrusive and don’t add any significant bulk to the cases, so for me there’s no harm in keeping them in there. They are optional, and the cases work fine as ordinary cases without the Vitalizers.

The single reed case keeps the reeds on a fluted surface, presumably to allow some airflow around the reeds. The double reed case has fluted mandrels, which should allow some air to get inside bassoon reeds.

Design

While my overall impression of these cases is positive, I do think there are some design issues that  could use a little tweaking.

First of all, if you have to provide printed instructions on how to open the case, then it’s not designed in a user-friendly way. Even having read and fully understood the instructions, I still occasionally (and embarrassingly) fumbled with these cases trying to get them open. It’s not difficult, just not natural or intuitive.

The eight-single-reeds capacity should meet most clarinetists’ and saxophonists’ needs, but a five-reed case will be unsuitable for some double reed players, particularly oboists. Oboe reed cases sometimes have a capacity of two dozen or more reeds, to allow for reeds in various stages of completion plus possibly English horn reeds. (I chose to try the five-reed case as part of a personal quest for more focused and quality-over-quantity-oriented oboe reedmaking, and may continue to use it for that purpose.)

Doron at bestsaxophonewebsiteever.com reviewed the single reed case recently, and complained of a problem breaking saxophone reed tips against the rubber band that secures the reeds in place. While I haven’t broken any yet, I did come close a couple of times. I also find that the case’s latch slightly blocks access to the two center reed slots unless you lift the reed tray.

The raised logos on the outside of the case protrude by a couple of millimeters, which means that the cases don’t stack tidily. I think I would find this vaguely annoying if I were using two or more in an instrument case.

Rico includes a set of labels with the cases, so that you can indicate what kind of reeds are contained within, but for some reason the label spot is on the bottom of the case. (I suppose you can put the stickers anywhere you want, but a clear label-sized area is marked out on the bottom.) And both the single reed case and the double reed case came with this set of labels:

My biggest gripe about the Rico cases is wasted space. I like my reed cases as slim and trim as possible, to conserve valuable real estate in my instrument cases’ accessory compartments, and to slip easily into a pocket before heading out on stage. Rico has designed these cases to fit a variety of reeds, with a result that is unnecessarily bulky. I think these cases would work better designed for individual instruments. (I believe Rico originally offered a clarinet reed case and an alto saxophone case, though now they offer only the multi-instrument cases.)

Here’s what the single reed case looks like loaded up with clarinet reeds:

As you can see, without changing the outer form factor of the case, the inner tray could easily be redesigned to hold five reeds across (ten total), or be narrowed to hold four across without the extra space. There is also significant wasted space above the reed tips, which gets fully used only if you are storing baritone saxophone reeds.

The double reed case suffers a similar problem, being designed to hold either oboe or bassoon reeds:

The mandrels are conical, so they accommodate both oboe and bassoon reeds, but the oboe reeds have to sit up fairly high on them. The bassoon reeds sit lower on the mandrels, but leave unused space beyond their tips. The mandrels are spaced to allow for the width of bassoon reeds, leaving wide gaps between the oboe reeds—at least six, possibly seven oboe reeds could fit here.

I don’t see much use in having multi-instrument reed cases. Although I’m part of the minority of musicians that plays both oboe and bassoon, I would rarely have any reason to store the reeds together—it seems this design is for Rico’s convenience, not for the reed players’. Storing, say, clarinet reeds and E-flat clarinet reeds together, or soprano saxophone and alto saxophone reeds, seems like a slightly more likely scenario, but the single reed case is still too large.

Verdict

I think these cases have a number of positive qualities, and the humidification system seems potentially useful for those that live in a climate that demands it. But the design issues, stemming primarily from trying to make multi-purpose cases, are significant enough that I’ll be keeping my eyes open for some other options.

Coaching on the Poulenc Sonata with Dr. McClellan. Photo by John Coppa.

I’m back from the Clarinet Academy of the South, a weeklong series of masterclasses by Robert DiLutis and D. Ray McClellan. The “Academy,” in its inaugural year, was held at the lovely campus of my recent alma mater, the University of Georgia. Dr. McClellan is the clarinet professor at UGA, and a former member of the President’s Own Marine Band. Mr. DiLutis is the clarinet professor at Lousiana State University, and formerly of the Rochester Philharmonic and the Eastman School of Music.

Around two dozen clarinetists attended. Most were college or graduate-school clarinet students, but there were also some professionals and educators. Many were current or former UGA or LSU students, and some were newly-admitted students looking to get a leg up for the fall.

Although the attendees found time to socialize, explore the campus, and try some favorite local eateries, the overall tone of the camp was studious. Each day’s itinerary began with practice time at 8:00 A.M., and finished after three intensive masterclass sessions at 9:00 P.M. Most of the attendees stayed in inexpensive and convenient on-campus housing.

Some highlights of the week included an opening recital by Mr. DiLutis and Dr. McClellan, sessions on reed adjusting and reedmaking by Mr. DiLutis, a class on phrasing by Dr. McClellan, a mock orchestral audition, and sessions dedicated to the Mozart concerto and the Nielsen concerto.

Both Dr. McClellan and Mr. DiLutis were students of David Weber at the Juilliard School, and the late Mr. Weber’s influence was omnipresent at the Academy. Evening masterclass sessions ended with reminiscences, often humorous, of their time under his tutelage. An end-of-the-week dinner in Dr. McClellan’s home turned into a “listening party” with recordings of David Weber and other fine clarinetists that fell within his sphere of influence.

As the end of the week, Mr. DiLutis and Dr. McClellan expressed their intent to hold the event again next year, and to consider some variations on the format (possibly to include private lessons and more performance opportunities for attendees).

I found it to be an enjoyable and educational week, at a surprisingly affordable price. Dr. McClellan and Mr. DiLutis are artists and educators of the highest caliber, and anxious to share their knowledge. Keep an eye open for it in 2012!

This semester, I’m having my each of my students add a good chamber music recording to their library. The students required to buy these recordings are technically enrolled in applied lessons, which means they study solo repertoire, although I do also coach some of them in chamber music. But even those whose degree requirements don’t specify chamber group participation ought to have at least the most passing of acquaintances with chamber music for their instrument.

For the saxophonists, choosing a format was simple enough—the saxophone quartet is the only significant chamber music setting with saxophones (although I did consider using this recording).

For the other reed players, I considered some options (double reed quartets, clarinet quartets or choirs, bassoon quartets…) but ultimately settled on a wind quintet recording for the clarinetists and double reeders. This may be the only chamber recording I require any of them to buy during the course of their 4-year (well, hopefully 4-year) education—I could possibly choose one more in another couple of years—and I wanted to make it count. The wind quintet tradition is rich and, in woodwind terms, long.

As usual, I was looking for good collections of fairly standard repertoire by exemplary musicians, reasonably priced and readily available. I had to steer clear of some tempting wind quintet choices by outstanding European groups, since I wanted to make sure my students are absorbing American-school ideas about tone. I also gave strong consideration to a great 2-disc set by the Utah Saxophone Quartet (which includes a couple of my former teachers; incidentally, all four members are really excellent doublers and they play some nice clarinet quartets on this recording, too), which I ultimately passed on because it’s not (yet?) available on iTunes and I’m trying to be 21^st-century enough not to demand that my students buy physical discs.

So here’s what I finally settled on:

Borealis Wind Quintet, A La Carte: Short Works for Winds

Find it on: Amazon | iTunes

Repertoire: Rota Petite Offrande Musicale, Farkas Hungarian Dances, Beach Pastorale, Schuller Suite, Grainger: Walking Tune, Turrin: Three Summer Dances, Persichetti: Pastoral, Milhaud: La Cheminee du Roi Rene, Briccialdi: Potpourri Fantastico

This album was nominated for a Grammy award in 2006.

New Century Saxophone Quartet: Standards

Find it on: Amazon | iTunes

Repertoire: Singelee Quartet No. 1, Desenclos Quartet, del Borgo Quartet, Mintzer Quartet No. 1, Torke July

There are a number of criteria that go into these selections, but I mentioned one in particular back in the spring:

So far my two-semester tally, selecting recordings for four different instruments, is six white men and two white women. I’d like to improve on that in the future, though I do think that, ultimately, what comes through the earphones is more central to this project than the colors or genders represented on the CD covers.

I think I did manage to pick out two this semester that add a little diversity, and certainly without compromising one bit on quality: my oboe students are getting a fine recording by Brazilian oboist Alex Klein, and the saxophonists will be enjoying a new release by African-American saxophonist (and one of my teachers) Otis Murphy. On the other hand, I did end up with all men this time around.

One other victory this semester is that all these recordings are available for download on iTunes. I still like having the CD myself, but iTunes is a convenient and, more importantly, economical option for my students.

Here are the selections:

Oboe: Alex Klein, Oboe Concertos of the Classical Era

Find it on: iTunes | Amazon

Repertoire: Krommer Concertos, Hummel Introduction, Theme, and Variations

Clarinet: David Shifrin, Brahms/Schumann Soirée

Find it on: iTunes | Amazon

Repertoire: Brahms Sonatas, Schumann Fantasiestücke

Bassoon: Frank Morelli, Baroque Fireworks

Find it on: iTunes | Amazon

Repertoire: Zelenka Trio Sonata, Vivaldi Sonatas in B-flat major and A minor, Telemann Sonata and Quartet

Saxophone: Otis Murphy, Fantasy

Find it on: iTunes

Repertoire: Maslanka Sonata, Bozza Aria, Tomasi Ballade, transcriptions of Bizet, Saint-Saëns, and Narita.

For less than $8, I decided it was worthwhile to try the Bo-Pep Flute Finger Rest, which is designed to help with this problem. It’s a little plastic thing that clips onto the flute’s body, allowing a more open hand position.

It looks like this…

…and clips on like this. No adhesives or tools required. Installs in one second. Having tried it, I have no concerns for the safety of my flute’s finish.

Works like a charm!

It comes with a little fabric bag, presumably for storage. My flute fits just fine in its case with the finger rest installed, but even if it didn’t, it would be no problem to snap it on or off as needed.

The verdict: a cheap, effective, and dead-simple flute customization. It immediately opened up my hand position and helped a lot with the tension. Now back to Taffanel and Gaubert…

Bo-Pep also makes a Finger Saddle (for smaller hands, I think) and a Thumb Guide.