What I'm Listening To: How to Train Your Dragon

I recently took my two-year-old son to his third movie in a theater.  In case you can't guess from the title what movie we saw, it was How To Train Your Dragon 2.  Well, he LOVED it.  So we went out and bought the original.  The next morning we sat down and watched it.  Now, I am obsessed with the musical score.

Naturally, I went out looking for any kind of arrangement of the music I could find and I stumbled upon the following:

I found the second one to be nice since it had more time to "dig in" to the original score.  From what I understand, this arrangement is, unfortunately, not publicly available and though multiple people have tried to attain a copy directly from the composer/arranger, he is not responding to emails.  What a shame.  I can only hope that it will become available soon.

By the way, the Hal Leonard youtube channel is fun to explore.  Look what else I found there!  I am currently petitioning the Columbia Community Band director to add it to our December concert.  Way fun for the players and the children that will flock to the concert just to hear "Let It Go".  Something for the cheap seats?  Absolutely.  Worth it?  ABSOLUTELY.

Missouri All-State Band Auditions: Set III (2014-2015)

My goal in this post is to provide recordings of the 2014-2015 Missouri All-State Band Audition materials.  It is my hope that with my recordings and also my many thoughts, that people who stumble upon this post will find it of use either to themselves or to their students.  There are ways to prepare for these auditions, mentally and physically, and, of course, I think taking the preparation seriously is what leads to any success.  I apologize in advance for portions of my recordings as you will probably hear, on occasion, a small child making colorful additions.  They are also less than perfect, use them as a general guide - what did you like vs. what you didn't like.


Scales
You should be playing these everyday; one, doing so makes them familiar and extremely easy to memorize and two, you should be playing scales as part of your everyday warm-up anyway... so, there's that.  Furthermore, if you plan on auditioning on piccolo, don't wait to start playing the scales on your piccolo.  There will be some surprises that would be better not being surprises.  Work through them earlier on so that playing on your piccolo is second nature.

As for practicing each scale, I would practice at slower tempi (not quarter note = 88, maybe quarter note = 60) until you can play the scale perfectly (no wrong notes, even sixteenths, clean tonguing, etc.) a healthy number of times in a row.  Slowly click your metronome up - because, of course, you are practicing your scales with a metronome, always - until you reach your desired tempo, which may or may not be faster than quarter note = 88.  I would also like to recommend practicing your scales with more than the two required articulations (all slurred, all tongued).  Try, slur two - tongue two, tongue two - slur two, or even tongue one - slur two - tongue one (note that doing this might mean you have to alter the rhythm to all sixteenths on the major and minor scales, which is also not a bad idea).  If you plan on double tonguing, make sure you are working on lining the tonguing up with your fingers - I know, an obvious thing to say.  Finally, if you find you are having issues with a scale, try and figure out where exactly you are having issues.  Is it that your fingers aren't moving evenly?  Then do some rhythm work: dotted eighth - sixteenth, sixteenth - dotted eighth, eighth - two sixteenths, reverse that, eighth - sixteenth triplets, and reversed, etc.  Doing rhythms helps work the kinks out of your fingerings.  You can also oscillate tricky passages like, oh, I don't know, the top of the c melodic minor scale.  You would play the high F up to the high C and back down to the high F over and over again (see below, where I have also written out the rhythms).

Once you feel you have mastered playing the scales and you think you have them memorized, cut up some paper into small strips, write a scale on the strip (i.e. chromatic scale or f# minor), dump all the scale-labeled strips into a cup or a bowl, and start pulling scales out blindly.  Switching up the order, as in not playing them in the order they appear on the sheet, will test how well you actually know each individual scale as opposed to memorizing a pattern.  If you make a mistake, keep that scale strip out or make a note of it so that you can practice that scale further at a later time.  The goal is to get through the bowl of scales in a timely fashion with minimal, if any, errors.  Aim to create an overarching sound from the beginning of the scale to the end of the scale; basically, try not to sound like you hit an "accent" on every beat or on 1 and 3, the strong beats.  I think the judges would like for it to be one long gesture.


Common Chord   (Click me for the recording!)
As with your scales, you should try to make this one long gesture instead of 9 individual moments.  Also like the scales, it even sort of looks like an arch - so make it happen.  I think the fact that one of the worst notes on flute, in my opinion, is in this short excerpt is what makes it hard.  You have to prepare for the F#'s  well before you actually play them.  The name of the game is air support (doesn't it always seem that way).  You want all the tones to sound evenly and equally beautiful; you don't want the F# to sound strained and "all of a sudden" or unprepared because then it sounds like an unmusical accent.

I would practice this slowly, much slower than you might think necessary.  Perhaps, instead of eighth notes, they are quarter notes or even half notes.  Don't rush, treat it like a lyrical and melodic exercise.  The goal is to have your high F#, and A for that matter, sound as easy and relaxed as your first and last low F#.  Your air support should be solid and continuous so that by the time you get to the high F# it is no big deal.  There shouldn't be a sudden spurt of air to get any of the notes out and your embouchure should not experience drastic, if any, change.  If you are into whistle tones, this would be a fantastic time to use them.  If you are unsure what your embouchure is doing, grab a mirror or go stand in the bathroom.


Scale in Thirds (Click for recording)
I'm going to say it again because I like being a broken record - long gestures here, although, I prefer the word phrase in this particular sense.  The first line is one phrase and the second is a response.  Other than getting a good-sounding low Db at the beginning, the true test of this little doodad is the last measure.  Yay pinkie rolling!!  At least it is tongued, making it easier to avoid hearing all the moving around your pinkie will be doing - sometimes slurs give it away.  Honestly, the best thing to do here is to practice that last measure slowly.  Make sure that your pinkie is curved and in a comfortable position.  This may make you question your footjoint alignment.  Now is as good a time as any to see if you actually have it in the best position for you.  Unfortunately, you really have to be careful not to over-practice this measure (and rolling around the lowest notes of your flute in general) because it is very easy to strain your pinkie if you are too gung-ho about getting it right immediately and you aren't taking care of your little pinkie joints.  Just take care of yourself; if you start to feel strain, stop for the day and come back tomorrow.  Avoid the possibility of teaching your pinkie bad habits.

If you audition on piccolo and you haven't mastered the supposedly possible low Db/C# (by putting your right pinkie halfway-or-so over the hollow end of the piccolo) but you still want to play all the notes, I guess the best you can do is raise up the three low Db's  and the low C up an octave.  To me, there doesn't seem to be a suave way to play all the notes otherwise, but I am open to and interested in any suggestions!


Page 50 Number 3 (Click for recording)
If this isn't about articulation and playing even sixteenths, I don't know what is.  I suppose figuring out where to breathe without interrupting the flow is also a bit tricky; although, I recommend breathing after the downbeat sixteenth in the fourth measure and the beat-three sixteenth in the following (fifth) measure.  Then you are only playing 3 measures at a time.  If you only need one of those breaths, more power to you!

Because the articulation is constantly changing, I would (unsurprisingly!) practice this slower than your goal tempo and slowly click up the metronome (that you are, of course, still/always practicing with) as you continually play it perfectly.  There aren't really any tricky fingering maneuvers, but if you feel you need to apply rhythms, no one will judge you.  Just play all the sixteenths evenly and you should be golden, technically speaking.

There are no dynamics marked here so I would suggest you give that some thought.  Even short passages like this are infinitely better when they are interesting to listen to.  Remember, the judges will listen to every auditionee play this.  Make yourself stand out.  You can do the age-old "follow the line" practice or add in some contrast of your own.  Just make sure it makes sense and that you are doing whatever it is you are doing convincingly.  You may have ideas and think you are getting them across, but you might not.  RECORD YOURSELF.  No one likes listening to themselves play...at least no one I've ever met, but it does a world of good and can be eye-opening.


Page 56 Number 20 (Click for recording)
Forte, slurs, accents, staccatos and the best note ever on flute, an E, at the end.  That is what I see in this exercise.  Oh yeah, and the problem with breathing again.  So breathing, just try not to interrupt the flow of a phrase or the continuous rhythmic feeling.  A breath following the downbeat eighth note of any of the measures not starting with a slur seems safe.  You are given a forte at the beginning so I would mostly stick to that - a full, beautiful forte sound that is even/equal throughout the registers.

Make sure you know when there is a slur three or slur two, otherwise, this seems fairly straightforward as well.  There are a few accidentals to note, so do that.  The last note is a quarter note, so make sure it is a full quarter note after you get in the zone of playing a bunch of eighth notes.  The staccatos need to be separated, not short - think space, and the accents must sound different from all the other notes.  Furthermore, when you get to the arpeggios from measures 17 to the end, don't accent the high notes...well, because they aren't accented.  Musically, there are a lot of visual waves in the music, so I would let them be your guide.


F Major: Lento e cantabile (Click for recording)
Okay, this etude is a great time for you to play like the diva (or divo, as the case may be) you are.  Treat this like an aria that any soprano would milk for all it is worth.  Yes, you have to stay in tempo, for the most part, and you have to make it clear that you know the subdivisions of all the little notes; however, take your time and make sure that you don't rush the grace notes or any of the little note flourishes.  If there is a tenuto (the line over the note), give it its due time to be.  As an Italian professor or mine once said (with a slight alteration), "appreciate every note".  He said syllable, but I mean, the point stands.  The expression text at the top of the page says it all, "slow and singingly".  See, I'm not crazy! Sing like a soprano on this one.

Like any good aria, there is a more intense section...the un poco animato.  If you are thinking of this as an aria, make sure you portray a new emotion when you get here.  To me, it is a little less lovey-dovey day dreaming and a lot more emotional action.  A mood swing of sorts.  Maybe I found out my lover is cheating on me or unattainable in some way...yes, I occasionally write myself a story to inspire my musical genius.  Then in the last measure before the return of my "day dream" musical idea, I, for whatever reason - perhaps I think of a solution to my love problem - relax in my state of mind so I can be less intense and more whimsical.  I'm not saying this is what you will be thinking, but it wouldn't be the worst idea to have something going on; even if there are just random words or visuals you place throughout the piece.

If you haven't guessed my feelings on this one yet, I will spell it out for you.  This should be the definition of musicality and expression via your playing.  Dynamics, articulations, and all the musical gestures - make them happen.

Food for thought: does the un poco animato mean a slightly faster tempo or just a different style in playing?  Figure out what you believe and sell it to the judge.


Vivace (Click for recording)
Triple tonguing, anyone?  You certainly don't have to, but it does make it easier.  I think what is most important in this etude is not the tempo.  What?! But it says "Vivace".  Well, yes, good.  You can read.  However, anyone can play fast.  Not everyone will be sticklers about rhythmic accuracy.  What do I mean?  Well, what might seem rather easy on the first go-through is actually a really, really mean test to see if you are differentiating the eighth note or sixteenth note pick-ups from the triplets they lead into.  Don't be careless.  This etude is NOT all triplets.  There is a mix of duple and triple meter action going on simultaneously (because clearly the double sharps weren't bad enough).  One of the first things, once you are past the notes stage, I would recommend you spend a good deal of time working on would be the rhythmic aspects of this etude.  Why, because after the aria you just performed, this is the technical bit of the audition.   Tip of the day: subdivide.

Of course, you can't ignore the dynamics - and there are a lot of contrasting dynamics that you must bring out - or the sforzandos, and the other various articulations.  Work on all of those as well.  Note that there is also a brief mood swing in this etude as well - starting in the pick-up to the seventh line you have a dolce section.  It goes without saying that this should be drastically different stylistically from the rest of the etude.  I would also like to point out, before concluding, that there are times in this etude where it sounds like you are having a conversation with yourself (i.e. the tongued vs. slurred threes in the second and third line, the half notes vs. the sixteenth pick-up to a quarter tied to an eighth in the seventh line, and the tongued idea from the beginning vs. the sixteenth pick-up to a quarter tied to an eighth in the eighth line).  Maybe, think of this etude as a crazy person just rambling in a corner and you hear them seemingly having a conversation with themselves?  I don't know, but it's an idea.


In Conclusion...
As you get closer to the audition date, start recording yourself running through the materials without stopping - you know, as though it were the audition.  I would also recommend, from the beginning of working on these materials, that you practice them as you will audition - standing.  Even if you normally play sitting, because that's usually how it works in band, you play differently sitting vs. standing and your body functions differently when you stand than it does when you are sitting.  Think about it; your posture is different, which impacts your breathing and stamina.  Going back to self-recordings: as I said earlier, it may make you aware of something going on in your playing that you otherwise would not notice.  Make sure you have a steady tempo since you cannot audition with your metronome.  You may hear that some of your pitches aren't quite where they need to be or that an idea you thought you were clearly presenting is half-baked or unclear to the listener.

I hope you found my thoughts and recordings helpful to you as you prepare these materials. Good luck on auditions later in the school year!

Fixing my dizi

Previously, on Flutey Things and How to Play Notes:
My husband brought back a dizi (Chinese flute) from San Francisco, and I proceeded to immediately break the membrane that gives it its distinctive sound. I ordered supplies to apply a new membrane.

And now, the thrilling conclusion:
The supplies from China got here!!!!

So now I will show you how I fixed my dizi.  It was an interesting experience for me.  We will go step by step.  Here is the link I used to help me ensure I was doing this correctly.  It only took me three attempts to actually get the membrane on and have the dizi sound, as far as I know, correctly.  So, yes, I am pretty pleased with myself.

The first thing I did was remove my temporary "membrane" of scotch tape so that the hole was clean and ready for surgery.

Then I pulled out a piece of membrane and cut it so that there would be room, generous room since this was my first time doing this, on all sides of the hole.

I gently rubbed the membrane between my thumb and middle finger so that the membrane would open into a roughly cylindrical shape.

Once it was open, I cut along the length of the cylinder to form a rectangular shape, so that the membrane would be ready to be glued to the dizi.

I dipped my finger in water and rubbed the glue (the small black block in the image below) - it is my understanding that a little goes a long way in this process when it comes to glue - and rubbed the water-glue mixture around the desired hole.

I wiped off excess glue, particularly right around the hole and the inside, so that the membrane would attach but be flexible enough to move around.

I placed the membrane carefully over the hole.

Then I rubbed, gently (because the membrane is super sensitive! Not being gentle is what got me into this adventure in the first place!), up and down on both sides, attempting to make wrinkles in the membrane.  The wrinkles in the membrane are what give the dizi its unique sound.

And, voila! My dizi is fixed.   I made a short recording of the before and after sounds so you can hear the difference, I hope.

Before: with the scotch tape.   After: with the wrinkled membrane.

What I'm Listening to: The Liebermann Piccolo Concerto

More piccolo!  I have heard some people say that they think this piece is cheesy.  They might be right.  Perhaps I appreciate its cheesiness.  No, I definitely do.  But I also just really like the piece for what it is.  It is a piccolo concerto that doesn't sound anything like the standard orchestral audition requirement:  Vivaldi's Concerto in C (not that I dislike Vivaldi or his concerto).

1st movement:

2nd movement:  Sort of reminds me of Old Hollywood movie music.  A little.

3rd movement: Do you hear anything familiar?  Liebermann quotes Beethoven 3, Mozart 40, and Stars and Stripes.  And, much to my frustration, I cannot find the video in Blogger's youtube search.  So here is the link directly from youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xHmfjAg--I

Happy listening. :)

Foss' Renaissance Concerto

As stated in a previous post, How to Find New Music, I came upon Lukas Foss' Renaissance Concerto by having a conversation with another flutists in which I was given a list of pieces to listen to.  After listening to the Renaissance Concerto once, I was sold.  I featured it in my recital program, and below is an excerpt from my program notes pertaining to the piece.

Lukas Foss, a Renaissance man in his own right, received a well-rounded education from multiple big-name music scholars in America, Germany, and France.  A prodigy, at fifteen, he left his birth country of Germany in order to study at the Curtis Institute of Music.  Foss had already begun composing, eight years prior, under the supervision of his piano teacher in Berlin, Julius Herford.  After his family fled the Nazis, moving to Paris, he studied with Lazare Levy, Noel Gallon, Felix Wolfes, and he even studied flute with Louis Moyse, still considered one of the greatest flute players ever.  Foss also studied composition with Paul Hindemith at Tanglewood Music Center (summer festival) and Yale University.  In the end, his studies would include piano, flute, composition, and conducting.  In 1953 Foss succeeded Arnold Schoenberg as Professor of Composition at UCLA.  He also worked with many professional orchestras includuing Boston, Chicago, and London Symphonies, the Santa Cecilia Orchestra of Rome, and the New York, Berlin, and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras.

 The Renaissance Concerto for Flute and Orchestra is a four-movement work that was commissioned by and for Carol Wincenc.  Each movement recalls a specific composer, and piece, from the Renaissance and Baroque musical periods.  Foss himself considered the piece a “handshake across the centuries.”  Because it is easy for an orchestra to overwhelm a solo flute, Foss thought carefully on how to construct the concerto and was particularly inspired by the idea of early music and the importance of the flute in the Renaissance and Baroque eras as well as Ancient Greece.  Therefore, the Renaissance became both the goal and the starting point for the composition of the concerto.  In fact, the Renaissance concerto not only quotes themes from the early composers, it transforms them; the concerto is “the invention of a Renaissance sound that never was.  It’s not modernising the Renaissance, but dreaming yourself back to it and making a piece out of that.”   Among the works quoted are Byrd’s The Carman’s Whistle,  Rameau’s L’Enharmonique, Monteverdi’s aria “Tu se’ morta” from the opera Orfeo, and Melvill’s round for four voices titled “Musing.”

So let's take a look at this piece a movement at a time.

Intrada:
Although the rhythm is altered, it is pretty clear where the melody of Tempo II (which follows a very free cadenza-like opening;  the "cadenza" and Tempo II alternate throughout the movement, i.e., ABAB...) came from.

Baroque Interlude (After Rameau):
First of all, someone once commented on how this movement sounds like a creepy "Happy Birthday" and now that is pretty much all I can think of when I play it.  However, again, this quote or inspiration is straightforward.

Recitative (After Monteverdi):
This movement is really neat.  The solo flute line sounds the mournful aria Orfeo (from Monteverdi's opera titled... Orfeo) sings after being told his love has died (from a snake bite no less!).  In this movement, Foss  distorts the rhythms and pitches a bit.  But if you compare, you can line up the lyrics with the notes...which I did because that's just how I roll.

And in case you are interested: the libretto and historically accurate score:

Jouissance:
Again, Foss' "handshake across the centuries" is laid out simply.  In fact, as this is a four-part round (originally), he also has the melody played in a round between the right and left hand of the piano and the solo flute line.  The solo flute also gets to do some flutter tongue which is always a blast.  It kind of seems like a drinking song; perhaps the flute's eighth-note-early entrance is a sign that the soloist has been having a bit too much fun (it would explain the flutter tonguing, various other extended techniques, and the cadenza!).  As you will see below, I again put the lyrics under my part, although I apparently didn't feel the need to include all the words...oops.

Sometimes even a simple comparison, like what I just did, can make a piece all the more exciting to perform.  Knowing the history or stylistic background that inspired the composer should, in theory, inspire the performance as well.  Isn't it sort of cool to see that music is a universal language that can transcend time?  That was corny, but seriously, people still want to play and/or hear the same music that was all the rage centuries ago.  Kind of an obvious statement, though, right?  Composers like Monteverdi are still just as relevant as Mozart, Beethoven, Alan Menken, and Hans Zimmer...okay, scratch that last guy.  We still study these guys in music history because they still have an impact on us today.  Old isn't quite so old.  As Foss proves, it can be quite new.

Finally, below is a recording of the Foss Concerto performed by the flutist for whom it was written: Carol Wincenc.

Making A Case For NFA Conventions (because it's necessary - note sarcasm)

Despite being a native of the Chicagoland area, I did not attend the National Flute Association (NFA) convention this past weekend.  And I do regret not being able to go.  I had the opportunity to go the past two years and the experiences were eye-opening.  If you don't know anything about the NFA or the annual convention, I highly recommend going to the NFA website and exploring the organization and all that it offers.

Besides being an excuse to go to some really interesting places, such as Las Vegas and New Orleans - yes, the convention was also a vacation for me and my family - the convention gives flutists the opportunity to see live performances by big-name professionals and average Joes alike, presentations by extremely knowledgeable persons, and masterclasses/competitions.  You can also network, and there are so many interesting people there to meet.  But probably the most fun activity to partake in is the huge "market" where vendors of flutes, flute music, and flute accessories set up their booths so that you can stop by and chat with them.  And, you know, buy stuff if you are so inclined.

Stolen from the NFA Facebook Page

Can you imagine being able to listen to amazing performances in venues such as the one pictured above?!  Remember what I said about finding new music two posts ago?  One of the best ways to find new music is to go to concerts.  Well, the NFA convention has a ton of them and they range in content.  For example, there are recitals performed by flute ensembles/choirs from all over the United States.  In this case, if you are in a flute choir, trying to start one, or just like hearing a new medium, you can find some great music at these recitals.  No one plays the same piece and some groups premier newly-composed music.  There are also recitals dedicated to the performance of new music, which can be arranged for all sorts of ensembles involving flute.  There is a concerto gala, and, oh, the listening possibilities are endless!

The presentations are very enlightening too.  The NFA sends out a schedule, or at least posts it on their website, well in advance of the convention so it is, in theory, very easy to plan out your days.  However, at least with me, I find that there are often two events I want to go to that are occurring at the same time.  Ah!! Not fair.  But, shortly after the convention closes, the NFA does post some of the handouts received at the various presentations on their website.  So you don't totally miss out.  The presentations range from performance practice, how to practice, how to memorize, how to get the career you want, academic papers, to specializations, i.e. baroque flute/music or beat-boxing.  Everyone can learn something from these ample opportunities.

Now, remember those competitions I mentioned?  There are a variety of competitions for which flutists of the under-the-age-of-30 variety can audition.  Here is the link to the 2015 competition audition flyer.  I would say the "big deal" competition is the young artist competition.  However, the high school-level young artist and orchestral excerpt competitions are interesting as well.  You can see up-and-coming talent and observe, essentially, a masterclass on orchestral excerpts.  Double win.  They also rotate baroque, piccolo, and jazz competitions too, if memory serves.  So whether or not you audition and win a spot or just show up at the convention and watch the competitors, you can learn a lot and hear some great music.

Shopping, anyone?  Looking for a new flute?  New music?  The convention is as good of a place as any.  And there are experienced people there willing to help you figure out exactly what you are looking for.  Brannen Brothers, Powell, Pearl, Flute World, Flute Specialists, they are all there and waiting to sell you something.  They also raffle off some pretty nice stuff; Brannen Brothers raffled a Lafin headjoint last year in New Orleans.  Wanted it, badly... :(

Where will the next few conventions be? - Check it out.  Get excited and consider going.

What I'm Listening to: "Stars and Stripes Forever" and "The Chimes of Liberty"

I've been playing Sousa's Stars and Stripes since I was in 6th grade thanks to my junior high band director, Mr. Janusek.  We played it at the end of every concert.  So it is not surprising that it is one of my absolute favorite marches (my favorite is National Emblem - if you have never heard it, go listen to it. Now!).  I also played it almost every summer in junior high, high school, and college when the community band gave a brief patriotic concert outside on the Fourth of July.  

I cannot remember if I played Chimes of Liberty at any of those concerts, but I have the part, so it must have come up at some point.  However, I know that I played Goldman's march a month or so ago with the Columbia Community Band.  When we started rehearsing it and I began to play the piccolo solo, I thought, "Hmmm...this seems eerily familiar." 

So was it familiar because I had played it before?  Maybe.  Or...was it familiar because it appears to be inspired by Sousa's Stars and Stripes?  Maybe.  Probably both.  Sousa composed his march in 1897.  Goldman, according to the Wikipedia, composed his march prior to 1922; although I found somewhere else that it was composed in 1937.  Either way, it would be safe to say that Stars and Stripes came before Chimes of Liberty.  No judging here, by the way.  Stealing is the highest form of flattery, right?  Unless you are in high school, college, or something similar writing a paper.  Then that's plagiarism and completely against every school's Academic Honor Code.

Anyway, take a listen.

Stars and Stripes:

Chimes of Liberty:

They seem to have some similarities, don't they?  For instance, they are both super fun to play!

Finding New Music

I love finding new music.  While some may think that it is a lot of work, I think it is an exciting adventure.  Whether you are just looking for something new for fun or you are trying to create or complete a program, there are multiple ways to begin your search.  Two of the easiest ways to find music are to either ask for suggestions from a knowledgeable source, i.e. your lesson teacher, or to stumble on to a new piece at a live performance, i.e. a recital or concert.

When I was in seventh or eighth grade, I heard Griffes' Poem for the first time at my studio teacher's end-of-year recital.  I had been pretty pleased with myself having played the third movement of Mozart's Concerto in G, but when the eldest student (I think she was a senior in high school) began to play Poem I was transported to another plane of existence.  I was so captivated by the music, and what must have been a pretty decent performance of the music - Brava, to whoever that senior was/is - that I still remember the feeling I had, mostly chills running up and down my spine, listening to Griffes' piece for the first time all these years later.  I also have a distinct memory of demanding that my mother buy me the piece immediately the next day (I would have quadruple-underlined that if I could).  Obviously, being so young, I had many experiences like this, and I continue to have them because there is so much unknown out there for me.  But Griffes' Poem holds a special place in my heart as one of the first pieces I "discovered" and fell head over heels for.  Moral of this story, going to recitals and concerts (you know, the live ones with real people in front of you) is important and may change your life.  There is a reason that colleges have "recital attendance" requirements that factor into your grade.  Anyway, if you somehow have never heard this piece, allow me:

While receiving my Master's, I had the opportunity to take part in the search for a new flute professor because the previous flute professor was retiring.  It was a very interesting experience that I feel fortunate to have had, but to the point!  Early one morning I was sitting in the Music Office and one of the candidates happened to be sitting in there as well.  We started talking and she was asking me about my favorite flutists to listen to and what pieces I have performed.  Apparently, she found both of my lists lacking because she instructed me to pull out some paper and take down some names of professional flutists and flute pieces she insisted I must listen too.  There were a lot of names and pieces on that list.  However, I went home and did as she said.  A year or so later, I was performing one of the pieces from her list on my Master's Recital: Lukas Foss' Renaissance Concerto.  Not surprisingly, this candidate was offered the position, and accepted.

So, outside of being at a concert or asking someone for recommendations to broaden your horizons, how can you find new music?  Well, I start off with the unbeatable combination of Flute Worlds music catalog and listening to recordings via Youtube, Pandora, Naxos, etc.  If you have some sort of idea as to what you are looking for, what instruments are involved, or what "grade level"/level of difficulty you want, then Flute World is a great resource since they have already organized a great deal of flute literature into its proper categories in alphabetical order by composer!  I have often browsed their lists taking note of any interesting prospects - it could be that the composer or title or the opening page of the score (if provided) catches your eye.

This is how I found another piece I performed on my Master's Recital.  In the second year of my master's I took a History of Opera class.  This is relevant because one of the operas studied in the class was Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz.  While trolling for new music on Flute World, I saw that Paul Taffanel had composed a Fantaisie sur le Freischütz.  Well, I loved the music in the opera so I had to find a recording and check it out.

The recording I found was by Emmanuel Pahud - so it was, of course, amazing.  But it wasn't just the great performance, I really liked the use of the opera music, the variations, and the overall construction (and drama) of the piece.

Similarly, I found a Damase Trio by browsing Flute World for pieces for two flutes and piano.  I am part of a trio and we had just given a recital and were in need of new music to begin working on.  In the case of Damase, a composer I had never heard of, I looked at the provided opening page of the score and went on youtube for a recording.  Long story short, I loved it, ordered it, and it will be performed in the next month.

Finally, the most adventurous search for music!  I was listening to a Pahud CD on Naxos and was really captivated by a Telemann Concerto.  I looked everywhere I could think of for the piece, including but not limited to Flute World, J.W. Pepper, and IMSLP.  Then I came upon an article that suggested that the concerto might have originally been composed for oboe.  Ah.  So then I went to Trev-Co and searched their catalog of music.  Alas, they did not seem to have it either.  I emailed them asking for help and for suggestions on where to find this music because Pahud must have found it somewhere.  The nice Trev-Co worker told me they would look into it and not but a few days later I received an email saying that they had found the concerto!....in Germany.  They would be willing to order a copy for me if I were interested.  Yes!  I am interested!  

I guess the moral of this story is to always be willing to ask for help - this is one of my favorite baroque concertos and it has some pretty interesting backstory involving the one and only J.S. Bach stealing melodic content from this Telemann Concerto in G (there is more than one...) for his own Concerto in G. Oh my...

Stay thirsty for new music, my friends!  And always be on the look out - you never know what you will stumble upon.

So how exactly do you pronounce "dizi"?

Welcome back!

On this blog adventure, I will discuss my newest flutey hobby: the dizi.

Short back story:  My husband went to a conference in San Francisco and brought me home a dizi.  He did this because he knows I love collecting flutes from all over the world (Mexico, Italy, Hawaii, etc.).  The end.  Oh, and in a matter of seconds of holding the Chinese flute, I broke the membrane that gives the flute its unique sound quality.  I have since ordered some items on Amazon to remedy the situation.  The items will arrive in September...ugh.

I am currently working on figuring out how the instrument plays via the fingering chart that is not in English that the people who sold the dizi to my husband were kind enough to include.

I have dabbled a little bit in recorder, traverse flute (of the baroque variety, of course), and ocarina.  But the dizi is throwing me for a bit of a loop.  The notation, all of it, is completely foreign to me.  There are numbers and dots and at first I had no idea what to do with them.  Can I also throw in that these flutes come in various pitches and I did not know what my dizi was pitched at?!  My initial guess were either C or G.  Seems reasonable considering western flutes...except that this flute is not western.  I discovered that my dizi is pitched in D.  Which maybe I should have guessed from the "D" carved into the side of my dizi??

I read that the letter carved into the flute is the pitch heard when you play with all three of the left holes covered.  This is also, according to my fingering chart, "1".  So that solves that.  Next mystery!

My modified fingering chart.

The piece below is called "Liu Yang He" and other than the dynamics, bar lines, breath marks(?), and what I am thinking are slurs, I could not read this.

Liu Yang He

So, I went to the Wikipedia and did some reading. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numbered_musical_notation)  I also went to this youtube channel and found this woman very helpful: https://www.youtube.com/user/hulusi2008#g/c/39849143E3F86F2B .  And now here are my findings as I begin my amateur career as a dizi-ist(?).

Translation of "Liu Yang He" into Western Notation.

Although I made a "translation" from the Numeric Notation into the standard Western Notation, and it was a great experience because it definitely made me figure some things out, I think going forward I would like to treat the Numeric Notation as a foreign language.  Meaning, I am only going to get better at it if I actually practice reading it and playing from it.

But again, I did learn a bit from seeing it.  And of course I look at the rhythm from as much of a mathematical perspective as possible.  A single line under the pitch number indicates a eighth note, two lines a sixteenth.  Straight forward enough.  Dots are used the exact same way, it seems, as in the musical notation I was brought up with.  Cool.  So now, the dashes ( - ) after the pitch number.  As of right now, I treat them like quarter note lengths.  So, a 5-, for example, is a half note (the pitch number counts as a quarter and any dash following it as a quarter note length to it).  Therefore, 5-- is a dotted half note, 5----- a dotted whole note, and so on.  Again, if I treat the dots the same as I always have, a 5. is a quarter note with an eighth, so a dotted quarter.  Seems straightforward enough...so far.

I think the rhythm will come easy enough.  I honestly think the numeric pitches are going to be what throws me the most in the beginning.  But as I said before, it's just a foreign language I have to get used to.  I need to get over fixed "do" for sure though, because my "1" or "do" is a D, not a C.  The register system, a dot below to signify the lower octave, no dot signifying the middle register, and a dot or even two above to signify the upper registers, is simple enough to follow.  I think the best way to start going about this is just playing scales so I master the fingerings and learn to control the different registers better than I am at present.

Who knows, maybe I will put up some recordings in the near future! Wouldn't that be interesting?  I hope you found my initial exploration of the world of dizi, pronounced "DEE-tzuh" (in case you were wondering), as fun and intriguing as I did.  :)

What I'm Listening to: 12 Girls Band

Every so often it is nice to take a break from listening to the pieces you are working on and listen to something that, in some way, is completely different.  12 Girls Band is one of my break groups.  I remember "discovering" them in high school via an infomercial.  At the time I thought I was so cool because I was listening to "exotic" music on unfamiliar instruments.  In reality, especially in the case of the video posted above, I was listening to a different sound ideal.  12 Girls Band plays some extremely familiar music, such as "Take Five" and "Clocks".  Obviously, they also treat their audiences to some Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach.  At the end of the day, their musical performances are just fun to listen to.

Finding new music to listen to is so easy with the use of tools like Pandora and Youtube.  You may start searching for one specific piece and end up somewhere else entirely by the end.  Personally, I think this is one of the best things you can do as a musician.  You may find a new artist, a new piece, an unfamiliar composer, or revisit an old piece that has been transformed and broadens your understanding and appreciation.  All good things.  Explore on with open ears!

Warming-Up

"A lot of guys ignore the warm-up, and that's about standards."

Okay, so I stole and modified a quote from Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog, but my point stands!  Besides, it seems appropriate that my first blog entry should be about warming-up.  It sets the tone for your entire practice or rehearsal session.  Unfortunately, many younger flutists either don't have the patience or, sadly, haven't been told about the importance of warming-up not only their flute, but themselves.  I will try to keep this brief, but will make no attempt not to be preachy.

Musicians really ought to take their warm-up as seriously as any athlete would; let's say a gymnast. If you have "The Paula Robinson Flute Warmups Book", this should sound very much like her analogy to a ballet dancer. That is a great book, by the way, if you are in search of your own warm-up. Use it as a guide.  Now back to our gymnast!  It would be insane and irrational for a gymnast to start flipping, twirling, and bending in very, very odd ways without a proper warm-up. So here we go.

Stretching is key to a gymnast.  They slowly wake up their bodies doing basic stretches that, well, warm up their body.  What is a great stretch for a flutist?  Long tones.  And there are a multitude of ways to do them.  My personal favorite is starting on a low G and working my way chromatically down to a low B.  My goal is not only to have a beautiful sound, but also to make sure my air support exists and is consistent.  This also serves as a wake-up call to my lungs.  I can usually tell what kind of a "breathing day" I am going to have in just hearing the first few notes.  But, as with any good stretch, the result is that my breathing improves and becomes (dare I say) more flexible as I go.  Next?  I start on my low G again and go down chromatically to my low B in gradually bigger leaps (G-F#, G-F, G-E, G-Eb, etc. down to G-B).  This is another good air support stretch.  Don't let the bigger leaps slow your air, sounding hesitant.  Long tones can go up the range instead of down.  Use these ascending long tones to control a soft, but full upper register.  Borrow a tricky pattern from a solo or ensemble piece and work out the kinks (more on incorporating music you are actually working on later).  Long tones are flexible.

After a gymnast sufficiently stretches, they should start doing the real simple tricks (cartwheels, handstands, front and back walk-overs...occasionally forward and backward rolls, no joke), though it is tempting to skip these.  So what do flutists have that we often want to forget about, skip over, ignore the existence of?  Hmmm.....SCALES!  I know, I know.  How could I go there and do that to you?  Honestly, I avoided scales as long as I could, only playing the ones necessary to get me through my lesson or through an audition.  Yet now that I am in my "wiser" years, I have to admit that I would really like to go back and slap some sense into younger, lazier me.  Scales are the stepping stones to success.  Practice all major and minor scales sooner rather than later.  Switch up the rhythms and tempi.  Hopefully you know that the knowledge of scales is also essential for any jazz improvist.  Jazz Improvisation classes will spend weeks and weeks playing blues scales to the riffs of jazz pieces.  Practice your scales people!

Often gymnasts will be asked to do a variety of combinations of flips and twirls that they never actually end up doing in a routine -- why?  Because these combos are hard, and if you can hack your way through etudes you can do anything.  Kind of just threw you into that one, huh?  Well, those dreaded etude books are much like scales, they never disappear.  They keep coming up one way or another. So get 'er done.  It may seem odd that I am including etudes in the warm-up category, and some people may and are welcome to disagree, but the etudes only improve your playing and tend to contribute greatly to the success of whatever piece you are working on.  Why are they so hard if they seem so basic?  There is always a method to the madness of etudes.  They are composed to make you, whether you are aware of it or not, work on cleaning some of the dirty clothes in your laundry.  Is it dynamics?  Articulation?  Breathing?  Rhythm or style?  I'll bet if you gave it a good enough look, you'd see it and realize that your lesson teacher isn't just giving you tedious, busy-work (yes, redundant).

Finally, there are the really hard tricks that gymnasts only actually do in performance, or a cold run, and break down into its simpler components during warm-up.  Back flips, the ones with no hands, they are all about the set.  A set is actually pretty much exactly what it sounds like in generic terms.  Have you set yourself up to successfully flip and not break a bone in your body?  A set is the strength of the spring you get out of the previous move going into the flip, the height you get from your spring, and your posture (straight back/body, arms above your head, head facing straight forward) prior to the flip.  I can't tell you how many times I did a round-off, back hand spring, set in practices in high school.  And my coach always seemed to be able to tell how my flip would go based only on my set.  So what is this in music?  Picking a tricky passage in the music you are working on and warming up, slowly, the tricky pitches, working out the rhythm, or going back to the basics of an extended technique, is a great start.  If you can figure out why a passage is hard, break it down, see it for what it is, and get some serious warm-up done on it you will be amazed at what will happen the next time you play it as written.  Remember, the key here is taking what is hard out of context.  Don't waste hours playing the same measure over, over, over, and over again.  That's just frustrating.  Work on the "set".

Why am I going on about this?  So far, every student I have had in the last half decade has ignored warming-up.  And they don't seem to take me seriously when I first talk to them about the importance of warming-up.  Remember, this is a benefit to you, your instrument, and your relationship with your instrument.  Many students seem to think practicing is just "cold runs" of all the music they are playing.  A cold run is, in other words, a run-through.  You don't address any problems, you just play.  Having said all I have said, cold runs can be beneficial after a certain amount of time spent on a piece.  You should probably still do some long tones and scales, but basically picking up your flute and playing does have one benefit...you know, without a doubt, what you are and aren't capable of doing on the fly.  Save the cold runs for a couple weeks before a performance/audition and actually take the time leading up to said performance/audition to do a good warm-up so that you can launch into a healthy practice session.

Since I said I would keep this short and I have already failed, miserably, I will forgo listing all the wonderful warm-up books out there.  If you are in need of one, ask your lesson teacher, your band/orchestra director, or a friendly neighborhood flutist.