Saxophone, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and world and electronic woodwinds
Good stuff from the woodwind blogs in May:
The chin is much-discussed in clarinet pedagogy. Keith Stein suggests a “stretching” of the chin, making it feel “long and pointed” and “rather hard.” David Pino, a student of Stein’s, echoes this. Jane Ellsworth describes a chin that is “drawn downward” (while the jaw provides a “controlled” “upward pressure.” Michele Gingras advocates a “flat” chin. … Read more
As my students get better at reading more complicated rhythms, often it is the “easy” notes that emerge as the ones still lacking in precision. Master the technique of subdivision for greater precision and control of tempo.
I think many aspiring musicians pass through a phase in their development where they have “learned” fingerings, music reading skills, and other fundamentals at a basic degree of mastery, and turn their attention to developing sufficiently fluent technique (mostly finger technique) to tackle the instrument’s standard literature. Once they acquire that fluency and tackle that … Read more
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, April 2015 edition.
It’s tempting sometimes to see my students as either left-brained or right-brained players—either the precise, technically-oriented type or the creative, intuitive type. The reality, of course, is that they are all some of each, but may have greater strengths in one area or the other. And good musicians need both. Trying to get the more … Read more
I gave a presentation at last week’s Mid-South Flute Festival on blogging as a means for enhancing a performing/teaching career. The handout says “flute” on it, but I think the advice really is pretty generally applicable. Blogging to Build Your Flute Career (PDF)
Woodwind players know that the way a reed plays is subject to factors like elevation, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. My new web application, ReedCast™, helps to eliminate some of the guesswork. (Or does it?)
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, March 2015 edition.
I have written about voicing here before. I find it to be one of the most neglected topics in woodwind teaching, and when it is taught, is is often taught without a lot of clarity. This is a shame because voicing is crucial to good tone production, affecting response, tone, and intonation.