- Patty Mitchell shares insights on oboe finger placement.
- Betsy Sturdevant gives a behind-the-scenes look at playing principal bassoon on Tchaikovsky’s 5th symphony and Brahms’s 1st piano concerto.
- Sam Sadigursky explains why saxophonists should play the flute. (I would add to his list of reasons that the flute is a lovely instrument and playing it is a rewarding pursuit on its own merits.)
- Jennifer Cluff gives good down-to-earth advice for beginning flutists.
- The new The Clarinet: Online blog, the digital companion to the International Clarinet Association’s print journal, did some coverage of this year’s ClarinetFest® in Madrid, Spain. Here is day one.
- Christopher Jones shares detailed information about clarinet left hand position.
- The Adventures in Woodwindland blog examines the old question about “how many” instruments doublers play [update: link dead]. (Here’s my take from the early days of this blog.)
Woodwinds: Saxophone
Favorite blog posts, June 2015
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, June 2015 edition.
Review: D’Addario Select Jazz alto saxophone mouthpieces
I like mouthpieces that are easy to play, especially in terms of response and tuning. But I also really like something easy to replace; I don’t like the idea of a mouthpiece that is so expensive, variable, or rare that if I drop it I can’t just order a new one, have it in a … Read more
Favorite blog posts, May 2015
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, May 2015 edition.
Clarinet and saxophone embouchures and the “chin”
The chin is much-discussed in clarinet pedagogy. Keith Stein suggests a “stretching” of the chin, making it feel “long and pointed” and “rather hard.” David Pino, a student of Stein’s, echoes this. Jane Ellsworth describes a chin that is “drawn downward” (while the jaw provides a “controlled” “upward pressure.” Michele Gingras advocates a “flat” chin. … Read more
Favorite blog posts, April 2015
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, April 2015 edition.
Favorite blog posts, March 2015
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, March 2015 edition.
Favorite blog posts, February 2015
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, February 2015 edition.
Favorite blog posts, January 2015
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, January 2015 edition.
Interview: Sal Lozano, saxophone and woodwind artist
Lately I have been enjoying Sal Lozano‘s recent CD, Everything’s Gonna Be Great (available from CD Baby and iTunes). The album is 13 charts by Tom Kubis for 5-piece saxophone section with rhythm section, and Sal plays all five of the saxophone parts. It’s a lot of fun, Sal sounds great, and there’s an all-star … Read more