- International Clarinet Association (Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr and Jean Raines): Reprints from the Early Years: Music for Clarinet by Women
- HeaneyMusings – Joshua Heaney (saxophone): More than a Rough Draft: Debussy’s Rapsodie Pour Orchestre et Saxophone
- The Babel Flute (Lea Pearson): Myth-Conceptions about Breathing
- Nadina Mackie (bassoon): Talent Drills for Orchestral Excerpts
- Julie A. Linder (clarinet): Clarinet basics: pinkies
- The Flute View (Lindsey McChord): Making a Headjoint – A Fusion of Science and Art
- oboealli (Alli Gessner): Do you know the 3 elements of fast articulation?
Woodwinds: Saxophone
Experiments with electric woodwinds
I’ve been having fun with woodwinds enhanced with pickups or microphones. (If you’re interested in natively-electronic instruments like wind controllers, I’ve written about those elsewhere.) I still have a lot to learn about working with electronics. But here are a few observations in case anyone finds them helpful. Which instrument(s) to use? I find lower-pitched … Read more
Favorite blog posts, January 2023
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, January 2023 edition.
Favorite blog posts, December 2022
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, December 2022 edition.
What kind of ligature should I get?
I’m on record as believing that clarinet and saxophone ligatures make little if any actual difference in how you sound. You’re welcome to disagree, but you might want to watch Michael Lowenstern’s video about it first. So, assuming the ligature has little direct influence on sound, what is the best kind to buy? Consider the … Read more
Why doesn’t my new mouthpiece work?
So you bought a new mouthpiece! How exciting. But wait—it’s not playing as well as you hoped. Maybe it squeaks, or some (or all) notes don’t come out very well, or the tuning is weird. Let’s consider some possible reasons why: A good rule of thumb is that a mouthpiece can’t give you skills, talent, … Read more
Favorite blog posts, September 2022
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, September 2022 edition.
Recital videos, August 2022
I’m pleased to share videos from my recent Delta State University faculty recital, featuring the compositions of Yusef Lateef. A few are my own adaptations for altered instrumentation.
Favorite blog posts, July 2022
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, July 2022 edition.
What to listen for (or ignore) in cane vs. synthetic reed comparisons
With the recent release of the second-generation Venn clarinet and saxophone reeds from D’Addario Woodwinds, there’s a new rush of YouTube videos and social media posts comparing them to cane reeds (and/or to other synthetics). Here are a few questions raised by those kinds of comparisons that you should be cautious of: “Do synthetic reeds … Read more