Favorite blog posts, August 2014

From the woodwind blogs in August:

10 ideas for more focused practicing

It can be difficult to keep practice sessions focused and productive. Distractions, burnout, boredom, and bad habits get in the way of progress. Try some or all of these, see what works well for you, and make the most of your practice time.

ClarinetFest 2014 presentation: The 21st-century woodwind doubler

I gave a presentation at the International Clarinet Association conference (“ClarinetFest”) last week on woodwind doubling, with a particular focus on the rising expectations on woodwind doublers to play more instruments at a higher level (including “world” and even electronic woodwinds). Here is the blurb from the program: The typical working woodwind doubler in the … Read more

Report: International Clarinet Association “ClarinetFest” 2014

I got to attend this year’s International Clarinet Association conference (“ClarinetFest”) on the Louisiana State University campus in Baton Rouge. The conference started on a sad note, as a car accident claimed the lives of two clarinetists on their way to represent Baylor University, and injured two others. In their memory, many of the conference … Read more

Favorite blog posts, July 2014

Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, July 2014 edition.

Woodwind doubling and the “main” instrument

I identify very much as a woodwind player: as far as I’m concerned, if it’s a woodwind, it’s part of what I do. But when I introduce myself to someone that way, I am frequently asked, “But which one is your main instrument?”

Auxiliary instruments and college study

One thing that seems to surprise some prospective college music majors is that we have different views about what I consider “auxiliary” instruments. For example, it’s common for prospects to identify themselves as bass clarinetists, or as tenor saxophonists. Some of these students have never even attempted to play a B-flat clarinet or an alto saxophone, and sometimes show little interest in doing so. Am I old-fashioned to expect my saxophone majors to play mostly alto and my clarinet majors to play mostly B-flat?

12(+) ways to practice a technical passage

Rhythmic variation is an excellent way to keep some variety and interest in your practicing, even when you’re stuck on a particularly frustrating passage.

Favorite blog posts, June 2014

Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, June 2014 edition.

The problem with “ethnic” woodwinds

I am trying to get away from using the term “ethnic” woodwinds, one that I have used frequently in the past as a catch-all for the instruments I play that aren’t modern Western woodwinds. The term was problematic from the beginning, since, for example, I was using it to include instruments like recorders, which fall squarely under the umbrella of Western music traditions, but are arguably period or historical instruments. Additionally, I find that the term “ethnic” increasingly grates on my ear as too ethnocentric and limited a view, and incompatible with my real attitudes concerning music from cultures and traditions other than my native ones.