Favorite blog posts, May 2016

  • Saxophonist Michael Shults advocates a thoughtful approach to musical versatility (doubling, playing jazz and classical music, etc.).
  • Wistam Boustany discusses power vs. economy in flute playing.
  • Oboist Jennet Ingle compares methods of ensuring playable performance reeds.
  • Saxophonist Sven Seebeck suggests tips for trying out mouthpieces.
  • Rachel Taylor Geier explains the flute’s C-sharp trill key.

Please stop telling your clarinet students to tighten their embouchures

Good clarinet playing requires a high voicing. That’s why your clarinet section is flat and tubby-sounding.

Things you need to cover in woodwind methods class

If you are teaching a woodwind methods course, you might be interested in my book.A few years back I posted a rant about non-mission-critical information in woodwind methods textbooks. This is a course primarily for instrumental music majors, who will go on to become school band or orchestra directors, and who need a crash course … Read more

The role of tone exercises

Tone exercises are useful, sort of. Read last month’s post about tone for a reminder why tone exercises are only part of the process. Here is what tone exercises do: Excellent tone exercises demand solid fundamental tone-production technique, providing a chance to habituate useful muscular actions. Trevor Wye’s “Flexibility I” flute exercise is a perfect example. (I suggest you buy the whole Trevor … Read more