Category: Woodwind playing and pedagogy
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Abe Weiss on practicing
I mentioned in a post yesterday how impressed I was by Abe Weiss‘s presentation at the IDRS conference. Mr. Weiss is principal bassoonist of the Rochester Philharmonic. Here are a few points from his talk that stood out to me.
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Larry Krantz on not doubling
If you’re not familiar with the Larry Krantz Flute Pages, you need to surf right on over and spend a few hours. Mr. Krantz has been building a major hub for web-connected flutists since back before many of us knew about the Internet. His site is a positively huge repository of flute-related wisdom, including contributed …
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Flutist/flautist
“Flautist” is a pet peeve of mine. I just encountered it again in a message board thread. These are worth a read: Am I a Flutist, or a Flautist? Is it Flutist or Flautist? To summarize: there doesn’t seem to be any good reason for English-speaking people to say “flautist.”
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Bad ideas woodwind doublers get
Some, but fortunately not all, of these are mistakes I have made myself.
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Which is your favorite?
Another question that I am frequently asked as a woodwind doubler is, “Which instrument is your favorite?” My answer to this is simple. If it’s a good day, then my favorite is the one I’m playing. If it’s a bad day, then my favorite is any one but the one I’m playing.
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Essential woodwind literature
I’m spending the summer studying for my doctoral comprehensive exams. One major component of the exams will be woodwind literature, so I’ve been trying to narrow down lists of really essential pieces. It has been an interesting challenge to select a list long enough to have depth and short enough to be manageable (I’ve was …
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New Grove on flute materials
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is widely used by college music students and is regarded by most (for better or for worse) as the unimpeachable source of all musical knowledge. In my studies for upcoming doctoral comprehensive exams, I ran across this in the “Flute” article: Materials used for the tube and …
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How many instruments do you play?
“So, how many instruments do you play?” I get this a lot. The way I prefer to answer is this: I play all of the major modern woodwind instruments, plus some folk and ethnic woodwinds. That answer usually doesn’t cut it.
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Playing in tune
I’ve been working on improving my pitch this summer. Why is it so difficult to play a woodwind instrument in tune? I believe there are three reasons: The instruments are, of necessity, built in a hopelessly compromised manner. A flute or bassoon or whatever that plays perfectly “in tune” doesn’t exist. (“In tune” is in …
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Need a panflute? Woodwind doubling gear woes
A handy “panflute flowchart” from toothpastefordinner.com.