Favorite blog posts, March 2019
- Everything Saxophone (Ben Britton): Basics of Voicing
- Jennifer Stucki, oboist: Three Common Mistakes New Reed Makers Make
- Recorder Jen: Breath control: How to cure unintentional vibrato
Similar Posts
Favorite blog posts, July 2019
- oboeinsight (Patty Mitchell): Acknowledge the Listeners!
- Sam Newsome’s Blogspot: Soprano Sax Talk: Teachers Versus Role Models, and The Note Onion Theory
- Jenny Maclay: Common Clarinet Emergencies and How to Fix Them, and Questions to Ask Yourself for a More Productive Practice Session
- Jennifer Stucki, oboist: How does the altitude affect your reeds?
- Recorder Jen (Jennifer Mackerras): How to take apart stuck plastic recorder joints
- Angela Lickiss-Aleo: IDRS Class on Contemporary Techniques
- eflatclarinetproject (Jennifer Fraley): Getting Back to Practicing
Favorite blog posts, August 2015
- Clarinetist Michael Dean examines some resources available for better-informed preparation of the Cyrille Rose “40” and “32” études.
- David Erato compiles some piccolo tips by some top working flutists and doublers (and also me).
- Saxophonist David Freeman shares some settings for the kinds of electronic filter sounds used by Michael Brecker and Jeff Coffin.
- Josh Johnson shares in exhaustive detail the flutes he tried out at the NFA conference. For gear junkies only.
- Heather Roche demonstrates some extended techniques specific to the “paperclip”-style contrabass clarinet.
- Saxophonist Bill Plake discusses some benefits of practicing with a drone.
- The unnamed mom at How About Oboe? gets her 10-year-old oboist to practice difficult things for just two minutes at a time.
- Cate Hummel brings things back to Earth about the flute and the so-called lip “teardrop.” (I also hinted at that topic in a recent post.)
Favorite blog posts, November 2015
Lots of interesting woodwind blog posts this month. Here are some favorites:
- Flutist Roderick Seed is doing a nice series offering commentary on the Andersen Op. 15 etudes.
- Michael Lowenstern addresses the idea of bass clarinet as a college major. (This one is from very late October but I didn’t catch it in time.)
- Saxophonists Sam Newsome and Ben Britton each offer exercises for improving low register tone production.
- College freshman flute major Hannah Haefele shares what she is learning in her transition from high school practicing to college-level practicing.
- Clarinetist Michael Dean shares his pre-performance checklist.
- Oboist Patty Mitchell distinguishes between knowing your music and knowing your music.
- Flutist Rachel Taylor Geier explains the practicing technique of chunking.
- Cate Hummel recommends against the old flute “kiss and roll” trick.
Favorite blog posts, April 2025
- earspasm – read. (Michael Lowenstern, bass clarinet): Spit happens.
- Tammy Evans, flutist: 5-Minute Flute Warm-Ups to Instantly Improve Tone
- Kessler & Sons Music: Tariffs on Music
Favorite blog posts, May 2019
- Sax Spy – Blog: 3 Low-Note Exercises From the Masters [update: link dead]
- Trent Jacobs, bassoonist: On forming blanks and cracking cane
- ProneOboe (Jennet Ingle): Psychology of the Oboist and Transitions
- Jenny Maclay: The Complete Guide to Developing Great Technique
- Sam Newsome’s Blogspot: Soprano Sax Talk: Websites: Relevant or Relic?
And, as always, this is an excellent way to get your blog post selected as a favorite:
- Joffe Woodwinds: Bret Pimentel
Favorite blog posts, December 2017
- Betsy Sturdevant brainstorms some (tongue-in-cheek) reasons not to sharpen her bassoon reed profiler blade.
- Woodwind doubler Ed Joffe shares some practical advice about subbing on gigs.
- Flutist Nicole Riner explores some lessons about focus learned during an artist retreat.
- Joan Martí-Frasquier lists some repertoire for baritone saxophone.
- Oboist Jennet Ingle considers some ideas about motivation and doing difficult things.
- Clarinetist Michael Dean offers some small but useful performing tips.
- Flutist Jessica Quiñones shares some ways to build a private studio.
- Saxophonist Larry Weintraub recalls a day spent with Michael Brecker.
- Khara Wolf suggests solutions for oboe reeds with too-wide tip openings.