World woodwinds Archives | Bret Pimentel, woodwinds

There are many Native American flute traditions, but the one commonly called the “Native American flute” today is the endblown Lakota-style flute, native to the Dakotas. It is a duct- or fipple-type flute, which means it easily produces sound, like a recorder or pennywhistle, though the construction is different. Many of the commercially-available flutes are … Read more

A woodwind player’s introduction to: pennywhistles

December 24, 2021December 12, 2021 by Bret Pimentel

The pennywhistle (or “tinwhistle” or “Irish” whistle) is common in Irish traditional music, and has found a home in some other styles such as southern African kwela music. They appear famously in movie soundtracks such as the Lord of the Rings movies and Titanic. Here are some important things to know: There are high-quality pennywhistles … Read more

A woodwind player’s introduction to: recorders

August 26, 2022November 16, 2021 by Bret Pimentel

For a “modern” woodwind player, recorders might show up in “period” classical music performance or in commercial situations like musical theater or studio gigs. They might be used in commercial settings to evoke Renaissance or Baroque periods, to function generically as “world” or folk flutes with robust chromatic capabilities, or (maybe due to their association … Read more

Recital videos, August 2020

March 27, 2023September 2, 2020 by Bret Pimentel

I’m pleased to share videos from my recent Delta State University faculty recital. I performed for a very small in-person audience due to COVID-19 precautions. All the repertoire is unaccompanied. The program begins with multiple-woodwinds repertoire by Samuel Adler, Kyle Tieman-Strauss, and Nicole Chamberlain (a world premiere of a commissioned piece), followed by some odds … Read more

Favorite blog posts, October 2019

October 31, 2019 by Bret Pimentel

Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, October 2019 edition.