Ed Joffe – Bret Pimentel, woodwinds

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, December 2017

January 1, 2018December 31, 2017 by Bret Pimentel

Betsy Sturdevant brainstorms some (tongue-in-cheek) reasons not to sharpen her bassoon reed profiler blade.
Woodwind doubler Ed Joffe shares some practical advice about subbing on gigs.
Flutist Nicole Riner explores some lessons about focus learned during an artist retreat.
Joan Martí-Frasquier lists some repertoire for baritone saxophone.
Oboist Jennet Ingle considers some ideas about motivation and doing difficult things.
Clarinetist Michael Dean offers some small but useful performing tips.
Flutist Jessica Quiñones shares some ways to build a private studio.
Saxophonist Larry Weintraub recalls a day spent with Michael Brecker.
Khara Wolf suggests solutions for oboe reeds with too-wide tip openings.

January 1, 2018July 31, 2017 by Bret Pimentel

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.

January 1, 2018May 31, 2017 by Bret Pimentel

Flutist Terri Sánchez blogged like crazy this month, with many downloadable exercises and practice ideas. A few I liked included this one-minute warmup, these harmonics exercises, these 100 ideas for getting “unstuck,” and this advice on creating your own warmups.
Heather Roche shares some clarinet works by female composers. (Check the comments section for more.)
Flutist Jolene Harju does an interesting video experiment with expressive body movements.
Clarinetist Jenny Maclay suggests practicing recovery from mistakes.
Ed Joffe shares his experience with developing a multiple woodwinds graduate degree program.
Flutist Andrée Martin discusses priority scheduling for practicing and for life.
Barry Stees offers some tips and tricks for playing low, soft orchestral bassoon parts.
Flutist Vanessa Breault Mulvey shares ideas on being observant of your own playing.
Saxophonist Sam Newsome recommends slow progress. He also shares some interesting experiments in “prepared” soprano saxophone.
Cate Hummel warns against some small but problematic flute habits.

January 1, 2018September 30, 2016 by Bret Pimentel

So many great woodwind blog posts in September. The flute bloggers are on fire!

Deanna Mathews Kilbourne offers some fingering tips for the flute’s notoriously sharp C-sharp.
Oboist Jennet Ingle explores quarter tones. Also, an open letter to her students about making their own reeds.
Flutist Nicole Riner shares some creative practice tips.
Ed Joffe discusses the history of woodwind doubling.
Flutist Angela McCuiston gets into some nuts and bolts of teaching lessons remotely via internet.
Bassoonist Jolene Mason experiences burnout.
Flutist Andrée Martin warns against mindless, repetitive practicing.
Joan Martí-Frasquier provides an annotated list of amateur/student-appropriate baritone saxophone repertoire.
Flutist Rachel Taylor Geier offers some suggestions on lesson scheduling.
Viviana Guzman reports on the National Flute Association conference.