Favorite blog posts, September 2021
- The Flute Examiner (Kelly Wilson): A New Practice Strategy to Try
- Jennet Ingle | Oboist: Glorified Long Tones
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Favorite blog posts, January 2016
Some nice work from woodwind bloggers in January:
- Some good advice on Matt Stohrer’s Open Source Saxophone Project on inspecting a used saxophone.
- Bassoonist Barry Stees suggests using multiple senses to improve technique.
- Joan Martí-Frasquier shares a thorough altissimo fingering chart for baritone saxophone, including quarter tones.
- Some good stuff from the D’Addario Reserve Method Program blog, including one from clarinetist Nick Councilor on some basics of ensemble etiquette and one from clarinetist Bradley Grasl on being your own teacher.
Don’t see your favorite blog here? (Your own, perhaps?) Make sure I know about it.
Favorite blog posts, October 2015
Lots of great woodwind blogging this month!
- Ben Britton shares some tips on jazz saxophone section playing. In a sort of related post, Bob Reynolds discusses note endings in section playing.
- Roderick Seed gives advice on getting a good middle E on the flute.
- Pauline at Cleonide discusses the (non?-)influence of instrument materials on tone. Unsurprisingly, the naysayers were quick to respond in the comments section with their unsupported arguments (as they have been on my own posts on this topic).
- Bassoonist Barry Stees offers some ideas for playing pianissimo.
- Clarinetist Jenny Maclay believes there is more to life than All-State auditions.
- Flutist Helen Bledsoe has a request for composers about articulation markings.
- Bassoonist Mike Macaulay shares thoughts on preparing orchestral parts.
- Saxophonist Peter Spitzer muses on the “bis” key.
- Bassoonist Jessi Vandagriff suggests raising your lesson fees.
- Saxophonist Bob Reynolds (again) relieves stress by practicing fundamentals.
Favorite blog posts, September 2015
- Bassoonist William Short explains his method for evaluating reeds honestly.
- Cleonide, an interesting new blog on musical acoustics, offers some insight on response issues in the saxophone’s low register. (Somewhat technical/mathematical.)
- Ed Joffe pays tribute to Al Block, a distinguished woodwind doubler who passed away recently.
- Cate Hummel discusses a timeline for teaching flute dynamics. (I agree wholeheartedly about waiting to teach dynamics, for all woodwinds, but respectfully disagree about how dynamic changes are produced.) In another post, she discusses teaching students how to practice.
- Flutist Rena Urso-Trapani shares her experience with a recent orchestral audition, and offers some tips.
- Clarinetist Jenny Maclay offers some ways to improve your playing from outside the practice room.
- Jennet Ingle teaches a young oboist a new fingering. (Great minds think alike.)
Favorite blog posts, June 2013
Some of the best woodwind-related stuff I’ve read this month:
- Clarinet professor Adam Ballif shares some thoughts on going paperless as a musician, and takes an easily-digestible look at voicing and the clarinet.
- Flutist Catherine LeGrand gets super-methodical about interval practice and note shapes.
- Oboist Patty Mitchell attends the IDRS conference and provides a sneak peek into pedagogical sessions with Peter Cooper, Carolyn Hove, and David Weiss (and friends). Jealous.
- Bassoonist Cayla Bellamy tries playing like a superhero.
- Rigid saxophone harnesses seem to be popping up from several makers lately. Barry Caudill tries one on for size. (Inclusion here isn’t an endorsement of this particular model; I’m just glad to see a nice thoughtful review of this type of product. I would like to see Vandoren sending some of theirs out for review—hint, hint?)
- Woodwind doubler Steve Moffett passes along a good clear approach to determining how far in or out to roll the flute.
- Saxophonist Ben Britton clarifies a few things about reed strength.
Enjoy! If you or one of your favorite woodwind bloggers writes something especially awesome in July, drop me a note and I’ll give it a look for next month’s list.
Favorite blog posts, February 2025
- International Clarinet Association (Alexandra Doyle): Performance Anxiety: Not Just for Students
- the Operatic Saxophone (Mary Huntimer): Saxophone Mythbusters: Ibert’s Concertino da Camera is NOT Bebop
- Joan Martí-Frasquier (saxophone): Should I Change my Neck?
Favorite blog posts, March 2023
- International Clarinet Association (Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr and Jean Raines): Reprints from the Early Years: Music for Clarinet by Women
- HeaneyMusings – Joshua Heaney (saxophone): More than a Rough Draft: Debussy’s Rapsodie Pour Orchestre et Saxophone
- The Babel Flute (Lea Pearson): Myth-Conceptions about Breathing
- Nadina Mackie (bassoon): Talent Drills for Orchestral Excerpts
- Julie A. Linder (clarinet): Clarinet basics: pinkies
- The Flute View (Lindsey McChord): Making a Headjoint – A Fusion of Science and Art
- oboealli (Alli Gessner): Do you know the 3 elements of fast articulation?