Class Notes MUS 733 Flute. Craig Heydenburg

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1 Class Notes MUS 733 Flute Craig Body Mapping and Balance (CP 10 & 11) Alexander Method mysterious but hands on Don t get in your own way Barbara (& William) Conable developed Body Mapping Makes playing easier Avoids injuries Standing Weight through arches of feet Don t lock your knees Spine connects to skull in center A.O. joint Want spine to hold head up. Arms hang don t need to over-roll shoulder Roll shoulders, then let hang Halfway point (top to bottom) is hip joint sitting bones Use this information to diagnose/correct students Take time to teach Relax Jaw and back/ribs The Face Open teach / relaxed Air pockets in upper cheeks hand on chin & blow Below nose should not puff Produces good resonance (CP 88) (CP p cc ) Outline to teach lesson w/ headjoint only Voicing High to low tongue moves down Breathing Exercise Hand on ribs under shoulders, deep breath, note rib expansion Air Angle Arm in front, blow to top and bottom Lips change direction Change vowel from oooo to oh Finger on lips (like shh ) changes angle Use a Blocki device Flute Position Toward the bottom of the lip ** No smile embouchure ** pout Page 1 of 7

2 Use a mirror essential Lips cover 1/4 to 1/3 of the emb. Hole (range) Place hole against chin, roll UP to playing position (don t move vertically) (not kiss, roll, blow it pins lower lip) Bring flute to your head (not vice versa) Flute is parallel to the embouchure, not floor Aperture is smaller Focusing exercise rabbit open mouth, close and blow Don t do this too much as it leads to puffing each note Find the sweet spot in the tone for resonance Lower lip becomes a long cushion along the lip plate Pitch of headjoint alone (covered) is A Center of the face Suggests doing four sessions on headjoint alone Exercise in too far/out too far to find sweetspot Octaves Higher pitch faster cycles per second Smaller aperture = faster air Change aperture & angle (chin moves a bit) DO NOT BLOW HARDER Exercise: two notes: lower=covered headjoint, higher=uncovered headjoint Finger in place of flute do oooo and oh Fingers on corners of mouth oooo and oh corners come forward Slide whistle w/finger in headjoint Warm up: imitation (ear training) Ex: low low high (echo) Make up slide whistle tunes Parts of headjoint Lip plate, crown (w/ cork), embouchure hole, bore (inside of tube) Special Embouchures *teardrop lip condensation on lip plate is split 1. try moving right hand slightly forward or back 2. try moving headjoint L or R slightly * Overbite blow up move angle * Inverted teardrop (center of top lip valley) stretch lips across lip plate maybe move L or R * Huge lower lip higher up on lip * Very thin lower lip lower on chin Dynamics Louder 1) more air (goes sharp) unless 2) larger aperature (oooh oh) Softer opposite Lip Care lip stuff (non-numbing?) Page 2 of 7

3 -most are sealants, not moisturizers need to seailnt he moisture, so wet first - wipe off the stuff (& lipstick) before playing Flute Assembly Foot joint long rod aligns with the center of the holes in the body Keep connections clean Head joint don t put it in all the way (1/4 1/3 out) Align emb. Hole with main keys, then 1/8 roll to me Called Rocksto position Hand Position Right Hand Drinking glass turn on side curved fingers Fingers move from first knuckle Pads of fingers Pinky doesn t need to push hard Left Hand Bend wrist 30º back Bend first finger back candy can shape Lay flute on Joint (1 st finger) First Note Teaches 4 th line D first for balance, most fingers and middle embouchure Keep lips relaxed rabbit Check Points CP p. 15 Breathing (CP p 12) Lungs are big Diaphragm can be involuntary Intercostals and abdominal muscles used Rib cage expands out and up Air goes into you LUNGS (not your stomach ) Don t hunch your shoulders Than can rise naturally Make sure head not bent down Exercises: 1) hands on ribs (thumb in back) under shoulders 2) hand on chest and stomach both expand 3) yawn to feel the openness 4) expand to side knock friends off the chair 5) Exercise run up and down stairs move! 6) Breath in & lift arms, put arms down but stay expanded 7) Breathing gym? Devices: - Spirometer (Voldyne Exerciser) o Measures amount of air you can take in comes w/ book - Ping Pong Ball thing Breath Builder - Tuba (paper towel, etc) breath IN through it Breathing in: OPEN YOUR MOUTH (don t sip air through the flute embouchure) Page 3 of 7

4 Blowing Out Blow paper against wall go as long as possible breath support steady air behind your note candle bend the flame keep it bent ** Don t push real hard w/ stomach, just let the air flow out don t collapse body hold breath with mouth open timed notes Article in CP by Fabrizzo emphasizes diaphragm We push with our abdominal muscles (not diaphragm) When breathing in on flute REALX your abdominal muscles Exercises: Speaking say alphabet or read text 1) say 2) project voice 3) not monotone make air travel somewhere Intonation CP p R-V Basic chart on p. S DON T ROLL the flute affects tone use air angle & oooh vs. oh Articulation Tooo or Dooo just behind top teeth long vowel ** End of the note is the beginning of the next note Problems: Tongue moves too far Tongue too far back Tongue between teeth Endings of notes Stop with tongue *** taper Oh oooh (practice in middle register) lift push w/ air at end (fast Oh oooh) accents use abdomen & clear tongue staccato means separated Player Development Harmonics 1) don t change fingers make aperture smaller and simply play harmonics we did this starting on low F Don t blow harder. This is to learn air angle and aperture size 2) DO blow harder learn how to play loud and in tune Tone Marsaile Moyse The flute is as beautiful as the human voice Sonorité (tone) Get each note great compare note to note Go chromatically (or stepwise for younger students). Long tones Galway has exercises on his website Trevor Wye Practice Book for the Glute Vol. 1 Tone Page 4 of 7

5 Flexibility Octave Slurs Low Middle, Middle High, Low High Harmonics Pitch bends don t roll Tongue position oh & oooh Technical Miracle exercise from Tom Nyfenger (CP p 17) Down/release (not down/up) Purpose become efficient Scales tonic arpeggios just as important The Simple Flute from A Z (Debost) possibly controversial Patterns Mel Bay Indispensable Scales Filas Top Register Studies Problem Solving (CP p 22) Performance Health (CP p 30) ** DO NOT play in pain send them to a doctor (I am not a doctor) Hand/wrist/etc hard to diagnose When practicing, take breaks on the hour Arm under cool water, then warm Fingering Chart & Trill Chart FingerFax from Flute World Do down/release Non-Flute Topics Much in CP (p 32+) College Auditions Follow directions! It is competitive audition 30 and take 4 Get special help Call the professor Auditions Check sound levels in recording Practice SR Create SR book fragments by category SR = rhythm Musical interpretation need more 24 little melodious Studies Moyse Tone Development through Interpretation Moyse Resume have one adds to audition Vibrato (CP p 20) Vibrato tends to raise the pitch a little Teach after establishing tone Vibrato produced in the throat (not diaphragm) Method #1) quarternote=60, crescendo 4 beats, decrescendo 4 beats Repeat with 2 & 2, then 1 & 1, then 1/2 & 1/2, etc. Page 5 of 7

6 Difficult to transition from abdomen muscles to throat Method #2) ho ho ho w/o saying it glottal stopping of air Method #3) using little melodies w/ more vibrato on peak notes Speed exercise eighths, trips, 16ths, 5-tups, repeat Resources Flutists Handbook, a Pedogogy Anthology from Nat. Flute Assoc. Windplayer.com (also magazine) Tone Development in Low & High Register Don t put head down Open mouth focus down oh Foot joint out of adjustment? Do sonority exercises or alternating notes back to tonic High Register: Octave slurs Harmonics Rabbit Filas book Intonation Tuners tool to learn how to play in tune, octaves, etc Just intonation vs. equal temperament Difference (resultant) tone Intonation Trainer (software) Sitting & Standing Comfortable BALANCED Chair facing slightly to the R of stand Resources Websites CP p 66 Larry Krantz Canadian Flte player Repertoire in CP Buying a Flute in CP Beginning Flutes ($369-$495) Yamaha YFL-221 (best) Jupiter 507/511 Gemeinhardt 2SP Emerson DFI (don t get sonoré) Intermediate Yamaha 600 series Miyazawa silver head joint Powell student (not handmade) A silver headjoint has the most dramatic change in tone Quicknotes from Saturday: Earplugs if playing a lot of piccolo, using earplugs is a god idea. Buy prescription. Performance Issues (CP 73) Page 6 of 7

7 (CP 57) Baroque trill note begins above the note Eighteenth Cent. cadenzas Nineteenth Cent. grupetto (turn) in Rubank Intermediate method Twentieth Cent. CP 58 Odd Meter Duets (and Etudes) by Gates recommended for rhythm study Alternate Fingerings CP 22 Blend affected by internal mouth shape (focus) For intonation listen down to tuba For blend, listen to first chair match intensity/vibrato Alto Flute only flute not in C (it is in G) There is lots of flute choir music Page 7 of 7

Tips for Flutists Katherine Borst Jones Professor of Flute, The Ohio State University

Tips for Flutists Katherine Borst Jones Professor of Flute, The Ohio State University OPENING EXERCISE: Breathe in and out - reach to the sun; swim; embouchure variables; trombone breathing ex.; Darth