Wellness Check!: Upper Body Stretches

I carry a lot of tension and stress in my upper body (neck, shoulders, and upper spine) and post-babies (three boys 6 and under) I found that I needed to realign myself.  My playing posture had taken a huge hit. I was slumping forward and with how close my head was to the stand, you might think I was blind. But that was not the case at all.  Instead, I had become unaware of my body mapping and it could be heard in my playing. Carrying tension in any part of your body and/or being out of balance can greatly impact your playing.

To address this all too common problem, I decided to make a video introducing a flow of stretches and poses that I use every day to release tension and keep myself aware of my body alignment.  I am excited for you to watch, or even better, participate, in this flow with me. If you are new to these stretches and poses, remember that yoga and even basic stretches are part of a practice that you choose to do.  It takes time and commitment to see improvement. Move at your own pace always. I hope that this flow helps you address tension you may be experiencing and leads to more fruitful practice sessions and performances!  Check it out:

Sight-Reading: Top Five

I know, I know.  I already did a blog on sight-reading.  In my previous post, I quickly listed the various aspects of music to observe prior to playing.  In this post, I am going to make a numbered list of the top five aspects to consider when preparing to sight-read.  This is how I tackle sight-reading for auditions/chair placement.   I find it to be a clear strategy and I hope it will help you too.

1.  Time/Key Signature.  If this isn't the first thing you look at, my goodness, what is?!  The first thing I want to know is what meter I am in and what key I have been gifted.  Meter will impact phrasing and emphasis of a musical line.  The key signature, well, if you know that you will play at least half of the notes correctly.  Furthermore, knowing the key signature will highlight accidentals and may help you analyze the music from a theoretical standpoint more efficiently (if you are a theory nerd and do that regularly).

2. Tempo/Rhythm. This may seem like two things.  It is not.  Often, the tempo you take will be dictated by the most inked-up measure.  Look at the tempo marking, be it a number next to a note value or a musical term.  Acknowledging the written tempo is important as it guides the overall performance due to its relationship to style.  However, you may not end up playing at the written tempo which is okay.  Believe me, as someone who has judged sight-reading and has been judged, a judge would rather hear a slightly slower tempo with perfect rhythm than a hot mess at tempo.  That said, try to stay within ten clicks (I am talking metronome tempos here).  If you slow it down too much, that isn't good either.  When observing rhythm, look for rhythmic patterns/themes, look for tricky or out of place rhythms, and look for the measure that will rhythmically destroy you if you don't slow down (this last one will dictate how fast you should play).

3. Style/Articulation.  Again, looks like two things - sorry.  Once you have a mental hand on the notes and rhythms, you should consider the style of the piece.  Look at articulation marks and really try to bring them out. If there are no special markings but you recognize the music to represent a particular musical style, say a march (which has distinctive stylistic practices), make sure your playing demonstrates your knowledge.

4. Expression/dynamics.  I almost hate to list this so low; honestly, I hate prioritizing these items, but having a strategy on how to tackle all the musical elements is helpful.  Anyway, this is somewhat similar to the style idea.  If dynamics or expressive terms are written, it goes without saying that you should observe them when playing.  However, it is possible that dynamics may not be written in, depending on the music.  In this case, use your musical intuition and make smart choices as to how to play the line.  Adding dynamic contrast that demonstrates your understanding of the music can make you stand out from your peers.

5. Phrasing.  I put this one last because in most sight-reading situations, the judge will be thrilled if you have done the first four items well.  This, this is a bonus.  When you are looking through the music, consider where you are going to breathe.  Make sure that your breaths support the musical line and don't interrupt or halt it.  Often, phrases are 4 or 8 measures.  If it is helpful to you, and it is not immediately apparent in the music, sing the line in your head while fingering through.  If you were singing, where would you breathe?  That is more than likely the place you should breathe.  Beyond breathing, and still part of phrasing, ask yourself if the phrase is a question or an answer.  Music is a conversation and a lively one at that.  Consider this, how quickly do you zone out when someone is talking in monotone?  If it is not within a sentence or two, you have the attention span of...a person who is really gifted at paying attention.  Well done, you.  Most of us prefer animation and inflection in conversation - this is also true for music.

There they are, my top five for sight-reading.  This may seem like a lot to consider in a short span of time (usually a minute or less).  The best way to become efficient at any skill is to practice it.  I like having my students sight-read in the last five minutes of a lesson.  The more you do it, the better you get.  You will learn from mistakes such as not spending enough time in one of these five areas.  In my previous post, I listed ways to get music to sight-read.  Those are still valid.  You can also always ask your director or lesson teacher for appropriate music to sight-read.  Believe me, they will not turn you away.  You will make their day.  Besides, those people will have a good idea of what excerpts are commonly seen in auditions.  The more literature you see, the better; you may even walk into sight-reading to find that you don't have to sight-read at all.

What I Am Listening To/Working On: Nicole Chamberlain Music

As promised in a previous post, I would like to take the time in this post to highlight the work of flutist-composer Nicole Chamberlain. I discovered her music about a year and a half ago.  It all started with Percolate (and this specific recording!):

After that, I scrambled to find where I could purchase this music - everything is on her website (click Nicole's name above) and many of her pieces are also sold through Flute World.  Once on her website, I got lost in an array of music I wanted to own and learn how to play immediately!  I loved her use of extended techniques and the sounds/moods of her pieces.  Did you catch the quote of Mission Impossible in Percolate?

At this point, I have performed Percolate, conducted Railroaded, recorded Chatter, worked on In Cahoots and Asphyxia, and am currently working on Acrophobia.  Clearly, I am obsessed.  But seriously, this music is challenging and so much fun to play.  The use of pizzicato tonguing, beatboxing, jet whistles, multiphonics, and stomps is a delightful workout (no, really, my abs hurt when I am first learning a piece and building up endurance).

Chamberlain seems to be a fountain of new music at the moment and she is writing for a variety of flute ensembles.  Her CD Three-Nine Line, featuring her compositions, was released earlier this year.  That said, recordings of her pieces can be found on her website along with videos posted by the composer or other experts demonstrating the extended techniques in each piece.

You should definitely check out Chamberlain's website and music.  Then find some friends who want to step out of the traditional realm of playing to play these pieces.  You will be glad you did.

Here is the recording of Chatter I mentioned earlier.  I am playing with my good friend Elaine.