Roderick Seed Archives | Bret Pimentel, woodwinds

Oboist Jennifer Stucki offers some suggestions and resources for keeping a reed log.
Clarinetist Diana Haskell shares ideas on helping students avoid injury.
Flutist Roderick Seed explains a comprehensive method for memorizing music.
Anne Norman reports on the 2018 World Shakuhachi Festival.
Oboist Nuria Cabezas demonstrates hand and finger stretches.

Favorite blog posts, April 2018

April 30, 2018 by Bret Pimentel

The flute bloggers were especially busy in April.

Flutist Nicole Riner shares some research-based recommendations (from 2004) about gender stereotypes and school band programs.
Jolene Harju Madewell prioritizes aspects of flute tone production.
Michelle Barraclough discusses orchestra pit playing for flutists.
Roderick Seed gives tips on improving flute resonance.
Flutist Rachel Taylor Geier offers advice on recital preparation.
Bassoonist Betsy Sturdevant continues her series of orchestral excerpt blog-masterclasses with the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique.
Woodwind player Larry Weintraub explores musical careers on cruise ships and in European publicly-funded ensembles.

March 31, 2018 by Bret Pimentel

Jolene Harju lists some favorite flute recordings.
Woodwind player Larry Weintraub shares information on careers in military bands.
Bassoonist Anna Norris is writing a series of posts on playing John Williams’s Five Sacred Trees.
Flutist Roderick Seed explores issues surrounding cheek puffing and chin pressure.
Clarinetist James Zimmermann discusses the relationship between the clarinet and bassoon cadenzas in Scheherezade.

January 1, 2018November 30, 2015 by Bret Pimentel

Lots of interesting woodwind blog posts this month. Here are some favorites:

Flutist Roderick Seed is doing a nice series offering commentary on the Andersen Op. 15 etudes.
Michael Lowenstern addresses the idea of bass clarinet as a college major. (This one is from very late October but I didn’t catch it in time.)
Saxophonists Sam Newsome and Ben Britton each offer exercises for improving low register tone production.
College freshman flute major Hannah Haefele shares what she is learning in her transition from high school practicing to college-level practicing.
Clarinetist Michael Dean shares his pre-performance checklist.
Oboist Patty Mitchell distinguishes between knowing your music and knowing your music.
Flutist Rachel Taylor Geier explains the practicing technique of chunking.
Cate Hummel recommends against the old flute “kiss and roll” trick.

January 1, 2018October 31, 2015 by Bret Pimentel

Lots of great woodwind blogging this month!

Ben Britton shares some tips on jazz saxophone section playing. In a sort of related post, Bob Reynolds discusses note endings in section playing.
Roderick Seed gives advice on getting a good middle E on the flute.
Pauline at Cleonide discusses the (non?-)influence of instrument materials on tone. Unsurprisingly, the naysayers were quick to respond in the comments section with their unsupported arguments (as they have been on my own posts on this topic).
Bassoonist Barry Stees offers some ideas for playing pianissimo.
Clarinetist Jenny Maclay believes there is more to life than All-State auditions.
Flutist Helen Bledsoe has a request for composers about articulation markings.
Bassoonist Mike Macaulay shares thoughts on preparing orchestral parts.
Saxophonist Peter Spitzer muses on the “bis” key.
Bassoonist Jessi Vandagriff suggests raising your lesson fees.
Saxophonist Bob Reynolds (again) relieves stress by practicing fundamentals.