Favorite blog posts, April 2021

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See the woodwind blogs I’m following, and suggest others!

Flute pressure against lip: survey of published opinions

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person playing wind instrument

My own past flute teachers gave me conflicting advice about how much the flute headjoint should press into the lower lip. One would pull on the crown of my flute while I played to make sure it came away from my lip with no resistance. Another would push the headjoint more firmly into my face … Read more

The Great Woodwind Doubler Census of 2021

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mockup of white clipboard with blank paper

Back in 2011 I did a “census” of woodwind players. It’s been 10 years, so I guess we’re due to be counted again. If you’re a doubler of any stripe/ability, you’re invited to take the survey. I’ll share the results as I did last time. It’s a long survey, so set aside a little time … Read more

Favorite blog posts, March 2021

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Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, March 2021 edition.

Note Image Generator, version 0.2

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I’m pleased to announce a new release of the Note Image Generator, my web app for quickly creating images of notes on staves (such as you might use for fingering charts, note identification flash cards, etc.).

Fox bassoon crutch modification

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I use an inexpensive Fox plastic crutch on my bassoon. The shaft has always been a little too short for my preference, and I wasn’t interested in paying for a custom-made one, so I decided to attempt removing and replacing the shaft. I’m sharing this information here in case anyone else wants to do the … Read more

Big dynamics

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If you’ve ever been to a theater production, and then gotten to meet any of the actors up close, you might have been shocked by their makeup. You don’t notice it much when they are on stage, but up close it can be pretty extreme. Stage actors need strange-looking makeup because they perform under bright … Read more

Favorite blog posts, February 2021

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Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, February 2021 edition.

Review: Characteristic Etudes for the Woodwind Doubler by Gene Kaplan

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I’ve previously reviewed a couple of Gene Kaplan‘s publications, sets of duets for woodwind doublers. Recently Gene was kind enough to send me a copy of his latest, Characteristic Etudes for the Woodwind Doubler. Unlike his previous doubling-duet books, this is intended for a lone woodwind doubler to use in developing his or her doubling … Read more