- bassoon blog (Betsy Sturdevant): Guidance for High School Orchestral Bassoon (and Woodwind) Playing
- Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever. (Zach Sollitto): The Art of Mouthpiece Refacing with Thomas Occhiuto
- Dudukhouse Blog: Mastering the Duduk: Understanding Key and Pitch Options for the Traditional Armenian Instrument [note: commercial site, but good info]
- Jennifer Cluff (flute): A very quiet whistle
- Everything Saxophone (Ben Britton): Achieving Your Best Sound from Low B♭ Through Altissimo
- The Flute View (Morgan Pappas): How To Be Your Own Agent: 5 Tips for Booking Your Own Concerts
Ben Britton
Favorite blog posts, October 2021
- Jennifer Cluff (flute): Top Ten Secrets of Great Flute Playing pdf
- Aaron Lakota (oboe): Reed Knife Sharpening, A Guide For Reed Makers
- The Flute Examiner (Jessica Dunnavant): Lights, Camera, Flute, Action!
- Everything Saxophone (Ben Britton): Learning Altissimo: From Low B♭ to Over Four Octaves Up
- Northwoods Oboe: Avoid My Reedmaking Mistakes: Not Adjusting With the Seasons
- The Flute View (Alan Medak): The ABCs of Music Stand Lighting
Favorite blog posts, October 2019
- Everything Saxophone (Ben Britton): Kenny Garrett & Jazz Articulation
- The Flute View (Rena Urso): Understanding the Connection Between Your Arms and Tongue Can Improve Your Articulation
- Clarinet Divas (Diana Haskell): Female Clarinetists In U.S. Part Two – College Professors/Teachers
- ProneOboe (Jennet Ingle): Discouraging Words
- Practice Room Revelations – Jolene Madewell (flute): How I Practice Vibrato: 6 Self-Awareness Questions [Video]
- Jess Voigt Page (saxophone): Making money as a private music lesson teacher on public holidays!
- Jennifer Cluff (flute): Presto Young Person’s fingerings
- MATTHEW EMANUELSON – Blog (bassoon): 10 Tips for Audition Day
- The Flute Examiner (Keith Hanlon): Modern Piccolo Mechanisms
- Recorder Jen (Jennifer Mackerras): Choosing a new recorder – wood or plastic?
Favorite blog posts, March 2019
- Everything Saxophone (Ben Britton): Basics of Voicing
- Jennifer Stucki, oboist: Three Common Mistakes New Reed Makers Make
- Recorder Jen: Breath control: How to cure unintentional vibrato
Favorite blog posts, July 2018
- Saxophonist Ben Britton offers some hints on overtones. (Related: my review of Ben’s overtone book.)
- Flutist Nicole Riner provides some bullet points on self-auditing your private studio’s business model, in two parts.
- Clarinetist Jenny Maclay reminds us about proper head position.
- Erin Nichols compares available bass flute models. (Sort of a commercial post, but there is useful information.)
Favorite blog posts, June 2018
- Saxophonist Ben Britton explores the connection between tone and intonation. He also gives a nice introduction to the desperately under-taught art of swing articulation.
- Woodwind doubler Ed Joffe compares “part” players and true musical artists.
- John Reeks examines the history surrounding the use of clarinets in the Beatles song “When I’m Sixty-Four.”
- Oboist Stephen Caplan discusses staying comfortable and healthy while sitting for extended periods of playing music.
- Tammy Evans Yonce and Misty Theisen provide suggestions on planning a small flute festival or “flute day.”
- Jenny Maclay gives thorough advice on the clarinet’s altissimo register.
Favorite blog posts, July 2017
- Check out posts by a small army of bloggers documenting ClarinetFest® 2017.
- David Wells is working on collecting the Paris Conservatoire bassoon contest pieces.
- Woodwind doubler Ed Joffe encourages continuing your musical studies beyond school
- Saxophonist Roxy Coss discusses women as an under-represented group in jazz music.
- David Mankin shares a fascinating story about oboists Robert Bloom and Engelbert Brenner in a remarkable recording session.
- Clarinetist Jeremy Wohletz explains the importance of aural training.
- Saxophonist Sam Newsome identifies some issues that lead to rhythm problems (particularly in improvised music).
- Flutist Tammy Evans Yonce explains how she approaches a new repertoire piece.
- Saxophonist Ben Britton catalogs some methods of dealing with sticky G-sharp keys.
- Eryn Oft outlines the history of Heckel bassoons.
- Nicole Riner offers suggestions on making first contact with a potential college flute teacher. (Applicable to other instruments, too.)
- Jenny Maclay dives deep on clarinet resonance fingerings.
Favorite blog posts, November 2016
- Ben Britton looks at some common saxophone tone production issues.
- Flutist Deanna Mathews Kilbourne reminds us to play in tune, even alone.
- Oboist Jennet Ingle provides a peek into a “portfolio” career.
- I mentioned previously this post by clarinetist Jenny Maclay on cueing (and attempted to expand upon it). Jenny also takes a look at the A-flat clarinet.
- Cate Hummel gives advice on what order to teach new notes to beginning flutists.
- Saxophonist Steve Neff explores the question of how much the mouthpiece matters.
- I’m still enjoying Rachel Taylor Geier’s “practice blueprints” for flute repertoire. Here is Bach sonata #4.
- “Ericdano” at jazz-sax.com suggests some essential gig gear.
- Cynthia Ellis offers a brief thought on dynamics and the piccolo.
Favorite blog posts, October 2016
- Rachel Taylor Geier offers a “practice blueprint” for the Poulenc flute sonata. I also liked her post on playing second flute (applicable to players of other instruments, too).
- Meri Dolevski-Lewis makes a case for not hiring woodwind doublers for performing or teaching gigs [update: link dead].
- Flutist Deanna Mathews Kilbourne discusses what an electronic tuner (or tuner app) is and isn’t good for.
- Saxophonist Ben Britton explains his theory about ligature position.
- Chris Hankin lists and comments on classical-period flute concerti by composers who aren’t Mozart.
- Clarinetist Jenny Maclay shares warm-up routines in small, medium, and large sizes.
- Cate Hummel offers suggestions on teaching the flute’s third octave.
- “Quinn the Eskimo”(?) expounds the history of the Mazzeo-system clarinet, with references.
- Eryn Oft discusses bassoons in the less-than-$5000 category. (Fair warning: she appears to have some kind of financial arrangement with one of the makers in question.)
- Bassoonist and historical-woodwinds player Theresa Koenig shares her experience with practicing and Alexander Technique.
- Saxophonist Bill Plake recommends practicing with vision.
Favorite blog posts, August 2016
- The Clarinet Online, the International Clarinet Association’s blog, gives reports on many of their August conference events. Jessica Harrie also makes a report [update: link dead], as does Chastine Hofmeister (two posts).
- Cynthia Ellis shares a couple of third-octave piccolo trill fingerings.
- The “Clarinet Things” blog outlines a method for practicing scales. Saxophonist Ben Britton shares some tips for polishing them.
- Oboist Aaron Lakota gives some advice on breaking out of a “reed rut.”
- Sandy Herrera is running a clarinet audition-prep challenge.
- Woodwind player David Freeman relates an experience playing for a musical.
- Eric Seddon comments on some jazz clarinet history [update: link dead].
- Simon Barker offers advice on how to record a saxophone.
- Oboist Jennet Ingle discusses her experience recording an album.
- “Ericdano” reveals some saxophonists’ favorite electronic effects pedals.
- Saxophonist Bill Plake explores “compression” and wind playing.