Favorite blog posts, November 2023

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Just one post to share this month:

See the woodwind blogs I’m following, and suggest others!

Pedagogy appropriate to students’ level

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little boy playing his flute on red background

I remember as a young college student attending a masterclass by a world-class musician. He was scornful of students spending a lot of time in practice rooms playing scales. He urged us instead to get outside and watch a sunset, and then “play the sunset.” Advice like that has its place. But I was doing … Read more

Woodwind technique and conservation of energy

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windmill farm against cloudy blue sky

That people prefer to move in energetically optimal ways has been established for decades and now represents a central principle of movement science. … Energy optimization may also occur over the course of a lifetime, as years of experience could allow people to learn the optimal way to move in familiar situations and allow training … Read more

Using electronic harmonization with woodwinds

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In a recent recital I performed my own arrangement of Ravel’s Boléro for multiple woodwinds soloist using electronics, with piano and snare drum. I used electronics to try to approximate some of Ravel’s harmonies (and timbres), and used what in my mind are three different techniques, which I’ll try to outline here. In performance, I … Read more

Recital videos, August 2023

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I’m pleased to share videos from my recent Delta State University faculty recital.

The future of woodwind instruments

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shallow focus photography of microscope

Here are a few predictions (or wishes) about the woodwind instruments we might be able to buy in the future. Personalized ergonomics With the amount of worry musicians expend over repetitive motion injuries and other playing-related ailments, it’s truly baffling that instruments are still almost entirely a one-size-fits-all affair. For just one example: for generations, … Read more