- Khara Wolf (oboe): Musician Health and Wellness Resource List
- The Flute View (Ory Schneor): Ory’s Flute Tips The reasons for your difficulties playing pianissimo on the flute
- Rachel Taylor Geier (flute): Top Flute Blogs
A woodwind player’s introduction to: pennywhistles
The pennywhistle (or “tinwhistle” or “Irish” whistle) is common in Irish traditional music, and has found a home in some other styles such as southern African kwela music. They appear famously in movie soundtracks such as the Lord of the Rings movies and Titanic. Here are some important things to know: There are high-quality pennywhistles … Read more
Pitfalls of giving musical instruments as gifts
Giving someone a musical instrument as a surprise is a generous and thoughtful idea. But getting it right can be tricky. Here are some things to consider: For serious musicians, like a student studying with a private teacher, a college music major, or someone who does any kind of (semi-)professional playing, an instrument is a … Read more
Favorite blog posts, November 2021
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, October 2021 edition.
Shaping a phrase
When a woodwind player plays a phrase like this: …it could have a variety of shapes, depending. But often a rising line gets a subtle crescendo, and a long note at the end gets a little decrescendo: To play create this shape, you blow air that makes the shape. You can imagine playing a single … Read more
A woodwind player’s introduction to: recorders
For a “modern” woodwind player, recorders might show up in “period” classical music performance or in commercial situations like musical theater or studio gigs. They might be used in commercial settings to evoke Renaissance or Baroque periods, to function generically as “world” or folk flutes with robust chromatic capabilities, or (maybe due to their association … Read more
What is my old instrument worth?
If you have an old musical instrument and are wondering about its value, here are a few things to keep in mind: Prepare yourself for the very strong possibility that it has little or no monetary value. The vast majority of musical instruments don’t increase in value over time. For most instruments there’s not a … Read more
Favorite blog posts, October 2021
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, October 2021 edition.
Preparing a focused mind
I find that in performance my mind isn’t always focused on what I would like. I’m easily distracted by conditions in the performance space, audience reactions, or, especially, the ways that my playing isn’t everything I would like it to be. When I get distracted, and especially when it turns into negative self-talk, it’s easy … Read more
How to have a good lesson
I’ve taught lots of woodwind lessons, from beginner to college level. Here are some things that I look for in a good, successful lesson: Has the student made progress since the previous lesson? If things sound the same as last time, that’s not a good sign. I can tell when students are focusing their practice … Read more