A Flutist’s Focus Sheet
A FLUTIST’S FOCUS SHEET
Personal, Musical and Artistic Goals
You can improve if you set small goals for yourself and listen with focus as you reach them. Below, list your most needed improvement issues within each area. It includes a list for musicians who inspire you. Be as specific as possible. Then, address these issues within your practice session. Keep it nearby while you practice to remind yourself of what it is you are working to improve. Be sure erase the goal when you reach it. A better yet more difficult goal will take its place! I have followed this with some suggested exercise repertoire– all to keep you inspired to stay focused on your goals.
TONE:
1.
2.
3.
Advice: Try to play from the air inside your body, not just the air inside your mouth. Blow the air down through the foot joint.
TECHNIQUE:
1
2.
3.
Advice: Air leads fingers. Feel as if you are using your fingers to push down the air stream, not the keys of the flute. Let the keys lift your fingers. Place right thumb under flute.
VIBRATO:
1.
2.
3.
Advice: Choose which speed of vibrato you will use in order to give a thoughtful performance. Vibrate every note, then choose where not to vibrate.
ARTICULATION:
1.
2.
3
Advice: Try “DiGi” for Double tonguing. Tongue leads air. Understand Ti / Di tonguing in music from the Baroque style as advised by Quantz. Avoid moving the jaw to articulate, don’t chew. Support the articulation.
PHRASING:
1.
2.
3.
Advice: Learn about Marcel Tabuteau’s “Singing Intervals”. When going up, push on the note below. When going down, think of a waterfall. ½ and whole steps must have motion.
BREATH CONTROL:
Advice: Think of the ends of the phrase at the beginning of the phrase. Breathe in the emotion of the phrase. Plan all your breaths. Breathe into your big toe. Fill up!
INTONATION:
1.
2.
3.
Advice: Intonation is not an opinion. It is a fact. Learn to play without vibrato in tune, then add vibrato and do not let it effect the pitch. Don’t be flat in soft playing! Use EEE vowel for a lifted tongue to raise the pitch and AWW vowel for a lower tongue to lower the pitch.
POSTURE:
1.
2.
3.
Advice: Study body awareness. Your life depends on it as well as your musicianship.
PRACTICING:
Advice: Nobody can do it for you. It pays off. It’s fun! When will you practice today?
PERFORMING:
1.
2.
3.
Advice: If you don’t want to be on the stage, get off! Be as professional as possible when you are presenting. Understand proper stage etiquette. Never take a solo bow if you are in a collaborative effort. Don’t forget to SMILE!
AUDITIONING:
1.
2.
3.
Advice: There is an element of luck. Practice to get lucky in an audition. You will know what got you there.
ENSEMBLE PLAYING:
1. Communicating as a collaborator
2.
3.
Advice: Leave your problems at the door. Come into every rehearsal prepared to play and let others know that they can count on you too.
MUSICAL INSPIRATIONS:
1.
2
3.
Advice: They will change – and they are good to have. Always have someone to look up to.
AMY PORTER’S SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE PRACTICE:
TONE:
Harmonics
Amy’s Arpeggio Vocalise
Sam Baron’s Low Register Exercise
INTONATION: always with a tuner
Harmonic Switch
Crescendo/Diminuendo Exercise
Using "The Tuning CD"
TECHNIQUE:
Extended Scales and Arpeggios with alternating patterns and rhythms
Barrere The Flutist’s Formulae
Grouping of Keys (op. 125) by Furstenau/ Moyse
Gilbert Technical Flexibility
Macquarre Daily Exercises for the Flute
Moyse Scales and Arpeggios, Exercises for the Flute
Moyse Daily Exercises
Moyse Technical Mastery for the Virtuoso Flutist
Taffanel Gaubert 17 Daily Exercises
BREATHING:
•Breathing bag: 5 liter black
•Breathing belts
•Voice lessons
POSTURE & RELAXATION:
Learn techniques of Yoga, Feldenkreis Method, Alexander Technique, Body Mapping
PHRASING
Moyse Tone Development Through Interpretation
Moyse 24 Short Melodious Studies with Variations
Songbooks & Opera Melodies
COMPREHENSIVE ETUDES:
Altes 26 Selected Studies (Schirmer)
Andersen Etudes, all volumes
Bach 24 Studies (Southern)
Berbiguier 18 Exercises (Schirmer)
24 Caprices/ Etudes of Boehm/ Moyse (Leduc)
Bitsch 12 Etudes (Leduc)
Bozza Arabesque Etudes
Casterede Etudes
12 Studies of Virtuosity of Chopin / Moyse (Leduc)
25 Etudes of Czerny/ Moyse (Leduc)
Donjon Etudes (Modern Flutist)
Exercises Op. 15 of Fürstenau/ Moyse (Leduc)
Genzmer Modern Studies Book I & II (Schott)
Heiss Etudes
Jean-Jean Etudes Modernes (Leduc)
Karg-Elert 30 Caprices (Modern Flutist)
10 Etudes of Kramer / Moyse (Leduc)
Mower Fingerbusters with CD (Itchy Fingers)
Piazolla Tango Etudes (Lemoine)
Paganini Caprices (International)
24 Daily Studies of Soussman/ Moyse (Leduc)
10 Etudes of Wieniawsky / Moyse (Leduc)
Posted: November 27th, 2018