Review: Multiple-woodwinds works by Darren Lord

I heard recently from Paul Saunders, whose compositions and publications for multiple woodwinds I have previously reviewed. He called my attention to an astonishing number of recent multiple-woodwinds compositions by Darren Lord, a musical director, keyboardist, and more who has worked on London’s West End theater scene.

At the time of this writing, Lord’s music for multiple woodwinds includes:

  • Five volumes of mostly musical-theater-style pieces for multiple woodwinds soloist, with piano or downloadable fully-orchestrated backing tracks (with synthesized orchestra). Most or all of these pieces can also be purchased individually. (I got to look in detail at volume 2 for this review.)
  • Five recital-type pieces for multiple woodwinds soloist with piano.
  • Six pieces for quartets of multiple woodwinds players.

All can be purchased on Lord’s website. There are also extensive audio demos, some played by Saunders and some synthesized.

These are high-quality, worthy additions to the multiple woodwinds repertoire. And the sheer quantity and variety of available material should make Mr. Lord’s website a certain stop for anyone looking for pieces for study or performance.

I’ve made a substantial update to my Music for woodwind doublers page to include these pieces. Please continue to keep me updated on new or rediscovered multiple woodwinds repertoire!

Favorite blog posts, August 2021

Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, August 2021 edition.

How to behave at your first classical music concert, and why it’s so weird

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I hope you enjoy your first classical music performance! Sometimes the etiquette can seem a little foreign. I’ll try to help you understand what to do, and why classical music fans do things that way. The most important thing is not to distract the audience and the performers. Some common concert etiquette “rules” include: Be … Read more

Becoming a professional musician

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Sometimes when my students get paying engagements for the first time, I joke with them that they are now “professional” musicians. That’s true in a sense, but I think there’s more that goes into being a true professional. If you are a college student aspiring to be a professional musician, here are some things you … Read more

Preparing for a fatiguing performance

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If you are practicing and concerned about fatigue during an upcoming performance, here are some (woodwind-centric) things to consider. Embouchure. The embouchure is a frequent site for fatigue, but it shouldn’t be. Embouchure pain or tiredness in a conventional performance situation is usually a sign of incorrect tone production technique. (Not a matter of needing … Read more

Favorite blog posts, July 2021

Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, July 2021 edition.

Voicing for multiphonics

One of my favorite tips for producing woodwind multiphonics comes from J. Michael Leonard’s Extended Technique for the Saxophone. (Mine is an older edition, I think.) The book’s section on multiphonics gives two pages of instruction and and a one-page fingering chart with diagrams like this: The “aha” moment I got from this was the … Read more

When there’s no place to breathe

When you’re working on a new piece and there’s no place to breathe: Re-examine. Are you sure there’s no place? Tonal wind-instrument music usually has phrases. To find them might take some careful analysis, or maybe listening to a recording to check out someone else’s solutions. Once you know where the phrases end, you may … Read more

Favorite blog posts, June 2021

Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, June 2021 edition.

Woodwind Doubler Census 2021 results, part 5 (final): self-identification

Thanks to all who participated in my 2021 woodwind doubling survey, and to those who helped spread the word. I’ve released the results in installments, so be sure to check out the rest. I got 284 responses, an improvement over 2011’s 187. The numbers for each of these questions don’t necessarily add up to exactly … Read more