- oboeinsight (Patty Mitchell): Conductors and Kindness, Part 3
- bassoon blog (Betsy Sturdevant): Characteristics of a top-notch wind quintet
- Bill Plake Music: Be Mindful of This Very Important Connection When Playing Your Instrument
- Sam Newsome’s Blogspot: Soprano Sax Talk: Teacher and Student: Then What?
- Practice Room Revelations – Jolene Harju: How I Regained Confidence In My Playing (After Becoming Too Afraid To Play)
Bill Plake
Favorite blog posts, December 2018
- Jennifer Stucki, oboist: The Causes of Loose Sides and Why It Matters
- eflatclarinetproject (Jennifer Fraley): Selecting an E-flat Clarinet
- Bill Plake Music: Why “Feeling Relaxed” Isn’t Always a Good Thing To Aim For When Playing Music
- International Clarinet Association (Paula Corley): Pedagogy Corner: Leonard Bernstein’s Sonata, Movement II: A Practice Duet for Two Clarinet
- Rodriguez Musical Services (Justin Stanley): Guest Article: Creating a Compelling Recital Program
Favorite blog posts, October 2017
- The International Clarinet Association blog provides an introduction to Kornel Wolak’s research on clarinet articulation.
- Érik González shares five tips to improve the oboe reedmaking process.
- Saxophonist Andy Austin does postmortem on a disappointing performance.
- Clarinetist Denise Gainey shares a personal experience with anxiety and self-care.
- Saxophonist Bill Plake takes a deep dive on warming up.
- Bassoonist David Pierce reflects on 35 years of growth as a teacher [update: link dead].
- Jennifer Fraley shares some alternate fingerings for E-flat clarinet.
- Flutist Jennifer Cluff reveals a favorite resource for study of ornaments.
- Stephen Caplan examines the connection between oboe playing and some gastric phenomena.
Favorite blog posts, April 2017
- Bassoonist Anna Norris suggests showing up for auditions.
- Michael Shults switches between jazz and classical saxophone.
- David Freeman transcribes recorder parts for Stairway to Heaven (but plays them on an electric keyboard…).
- Michael Lowenstern addresses a bass clarinet reed question.
- Flutist Vanessa Breault Mulvey discusses squeezing’s detrimental effect on flute playing [update: link dead].
- Saxophonist Bill Plake discusses tone imagination.
- Flutist Jolene Harju shares ideas for getting the most out of your lessons. I also liked her “Fundamentals Workout Planner.”
- Jennet Ingle learns something about disappointing performances.
- Saxophonist Jay Brandford shares an Eric Dolphy anecdote about dedication to detail in practicing.
- Matt Stohrer shares his procedure for “setting up” a new saxophone. This is sort of a commercial post, but instructive about what a new instrument might need to play to its best potential.
- Flutist Jennifer Cluff explains anchor tonguing.
Favorite blog posts, January 2017
The flute bloggers have been busy this month.
- Cynthia Ellis offers some ideas on altering flute fingerings with the right pinky.
- Saxophonist Bill Plake provides some clarity on economy of movement vs. economy of effort.
- Flutist Nicole Riner shares some ideas and resources related to the importance of hard work over talent.
- Clarinetist Chastine Hofmeister gives some advice to young musicians on solo competitions.
- Flutist Jolene Harju offers suggestions on rejuvenating your warm-up routine.
- Flutist Nicole Chamberlain suggests prioritizing.
Favorite blog posts, December 2016
- Saxophonist Bill Plake discusses the relationship between strength and coordination in instrumental technique.
- Jenny Maclay lists some important clarinet repertoire, in a festive format.
- Clarinetist Denise Gainey shares a funny and relatable gig story.
- David Pierce offers exercises for upper-register bassoon playing in sharp keys. I also liked this mini-etude for dealing with some common in-the-staff issues [update: links dead].
- Khara Wolf compiles some information on making English horn reeds.
- Oboist Patty Mitchell reminds us about posture and practicing.
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.
Favorite blog posts, April 2016
- Saxophonist Steve Neff shares a Joe Allard overtone exercise. (Read the comments section, too.)
- Clarinetist Diana Haskell shares some results of asking colleagues what are the most important things about orchestral playing.
- Helen Bledsoe shares some flute intonation exercises (could be adapted to other instruments).
- Clarinetist Jenny Maclay offers advice on dealing with the mental baggage of being a musician. (Reminder: blog posts are not a substitute for professional counseling.)
- Woodwind doubler Kelsey Mire makes a case for fair pay for doublers.
- Saxophonist Bill Plake digs into reasons inefficient practice techniques get perpetuated.
- Bassoonist Nadina Mackie Jackson answers questions about gender in the classical music world.
- Oboist Jennet Ingle seeks balance between expression and technique.
- Woodwind doubler David Freeman shares a funny pit experience. There are possibly teachable moments there if you care to draw them out.
- Cate Hummel discusses solutions to third-octave problems, as well as when to introduce dynamics and vibrato to students.
Favorite blog posts, August 2015
- Clarinetist Michael Dean examines some resources available for better-informed preparation of the Cyrille Rose “40” and “32” études.
- David Erato compiles some piccolo tips by some top working flutists and doublers (and also me).
- Saxophonist David Freeman shares some settings for the kinds of electronic filter sounds used by Michael Brecker and Jeff Coffin.
- Josh Johnson shares in exhaustive detail the flutes he tried out at the NFA conference. For gear junkies only.
- Heather Roche demonstrates some extended techniques specific to the “paperclip”-style contrabass clarinet.
- Saxophonist Bill Plake discusses some benefits of practicing with a drone.
- The unnamed mom at How About Oboe? gets her 10-year-old oboist to practice difficult things for just two minutes at a time.
- Cate Hummel brings things back to Earth about the flute and the so-called lip “teardrop.” (I also hinted at that topic in a recent post.)