Saxophone, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and world and electronic woodwinds
I’m pleased to share videos from my recent Delta State University faculty recital. I performed for a very small in-person audience due to COVID-19 precautions.
All the repertoire is unaccompanied. The program begins with multiple-woodwinds repertoire by Samuel Adler, Kyle Tieman-Strauss, and Nicole Chamberlain (a world premiere of a commissioned piece), followed by some odds and ends on recorders, clarinet, and tinwhistles.
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, August 2020 edition.
There’s a common idea with woodwind players and teachers that it’s important to keep your fingers close to the keys. Keeping the fingers within a certain reasonable distance does have benefits: It’s easier to keep track of where the keys are and not “miss,” especially for beginners Allowing the fingers to rise too far can … Read more
The question of whether the clarinet should use vibrato has been argued to death, and I won’t pursue the question further here. Suffice it to say that it’s a matter of taste and a matter of tradition. American and European classical clarinetists usually don’t use it. Why that particular quirk of taste and/or tradition has … Read more
Should you buy a “step-up” or “intermediate model” woodwind instrument? In most cases, I think the answer is no. For flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, or saxophone, I think the wisest course, if you can afford it, is usually to start with a high-quality, best-in-class student-model instrument. The advantages of this are: Lower price range (though … Read more
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, July 2020 edition.
For me it’s an ongoing challenge to start a piece of music at the right tempo. Here are a few tricks I have used.
Here is a version of a handout I provided recently to graduate students at the American Band College, a summer program for school band directors. Band directors, don’t say this to your beginning oboists: “Shh.” As a university oboe teacher, I routinely meet young oboists who play like they are terrified of making a sound. … Read more
In a recent blog post I offered a few personal thoughts on wind playing and the COVID-19 crisis, and began listing some articles and resources related to the topic. I have now moved those to a separate and freshly-updated page. If you are aware of other resources, feel free to bring them to my attention … Read more
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, June 2020 edition.