- Practice Monster (David Pope, saxophone): Circular Breathing
- Sax ProShop: #WednesdayWisdom: Sanitizing Your Mouthpiece & Instrument
- Trent Jacobs, bassoonist: Bassoon fingering chart and On communicable diseases and buying reeds
- heather roche: “Ultra-Underblow Mutiphonics”: Part 2 of the recategorisation of Philip Rehfeldt’s chart
- Rachel Taylor Geier (flute): Imperfect Balance – Hand Position Correctors
- The Bassic Sax Blog » (Helen Kahlke): Is a vintage sax right for me?
- The Vintage Clarinet Doctor – Blog (Jeremy Soule): mouthpiece porn vs Mouthpiece Monogamy
- The Flute View (Lauren Monteiro): 4 Rules for Recording Your Practice
- International Clarinet Association (Wesley Ferreira): Master Class: Fantasiestücke (Fantasy Pieces), Op. 43 by Niels Gade
- Jenny Maclay (clarinet): 31 Clarinet Compositions Written by Female Composers
- Music Major – Majoring in Music: Music School Decisions When You Can’t Visit
When things get canceled
At the time it seemed like the world was coming to an end. But things worked out. I canceled some things and modified or delayed some others. Some kind prof
Technical limits
If I try to play too softly, sometimes my notes don’t respond as I would like. If I try to play too loudly, sometimes my tone or intonation suffer. I have similar limitations when it comes to things like finger or tongue speed, tone color or pitch flexibility, and more. The way I deal with … Read more
Review: NewMusicShelf Anthology of New Music: Alto Saxophone, Vol. 1
It’s hard to escape the inertia of the “standard repertoire.” NewMusicShelf Anthology of New Music: Alto Saxophone, Vol. 1 is an elegant solution.
Favorite blog posts, February 2020
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, February 2020 edition.
Updated: Music for woodwind doublers
As of February 2020, I’ve made some substantial updates to my catalog of music written for players of multiple woodwind instruments: Music for woodwind doublers There are a few pieces I have listed as currently being researched, mostly cases where I am awaiting responses from composers. And I now have a special section for pieces … Read more
Playing professional whole notes
I have spent many hours of my life absorbed in difficult études and repertoire. Challenging music pushes the limits of my abilities. But when I actually get hired to play music, it’s almost never anything that complicated. Many of my workaday gigs are very easy—on paper. One part of my career is playing with a … Read more
Working less hard
On some level it feels more like teaching if I can tell a student a new thing to do. Assign them an additional task. But the most productive and valuable lessons (or personal practice sessions) are often the ones when I can convince a student (or myself) to do one fewer thing.
Favorite blog posts, January 2020
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, January 2020 edition.
Do I need a college degree for my instrumental music career plans?
While college study may not be the right choice for every instrumentalist, it’s hard to beat for a well-rounded musical education (with performance study, music theory, music history, and more), plus life skills, networking, and enhanced employability in the general job market.