Long Tone Exercises

From Janet See

Moderate(ly slow), steady 4/4 tempo

4/4 d’-a’-d’’--- d’-d’’----- d#’-a#’-d#’--- d#’-d#’’----- …etc…

Each measure is slurred. Inhale through nose before each two-measure group. At the double bar, wait before proceeding. Continue the exercise up to the G’s above the staff.

From Janet See

Slow tempo

4/4 d’’-d#’’-d’’--- d’’-e’’-d’’--- d’’-f’’-d’’--- d’’-f#’’-d’’--- d’’-g’’-d’’--- …etc…

(continue to high A), then…

4/4 d’’-c#’’-d’’--- d’’-c’’-d’’--- d’’-b’-d’’--- d’’-bb’-d’’--- d’’-a’-d’’--- …etc…

(continue to low D)

Each measure is slurred. Hold the last tone of each 3-note group. Slowly take in a nose breath after each measure.

From Janet Beazley

d’ – a’ – d’’ – a’’ – d’’’ – a’’ – d’’ – a’ – d’

d’ – g’ – d’’ – g’’ – d’’’ – g’’ – d’’ – g’ – d’

d’ – f#’ – d’’ – f#’’ – d’’’ – f#’’ – d’’ – f#’ – d’

d’ – b’ – d’’ – b’’ – d’’’ – b’’ – d’’ – b’ – d’

d’ – e’ – d’’ – e’’ – d’’’ – e’’ – d’’ – e’ – d’

d’ – c#’ – d’’ – c#’’ – d’’’ – c#’’ – d’’ – c#’ – d’

Each line is slurred; pick a tempo that would enable you to play each line in one full breath. This doesn’t take up that much time, so perhaps add a transposed version of this exercise—in the key of the piece you are currently practicing, or any other key that is more challenging. If you have a tuner, have it sound a drone on the tonic.

Variations on Kim’s ten-second long tones (See “Twenty-Minute Workout”)

1) diminuendo towards the end of each tone

2) crescendo towards the end of each tone

3) start soft, crescendo to halfway point, then diminuendo to end

4) paired instead of single notes, slurring to the second note; hold the second note of each pair (d’’-eb’’; eb’’-e’’; e’’-f’’; f’’’-f#’’…..etc…. to highest playable note; then…d’’-c#’’; c#’’-c’’; c’’-b’ ….. etc…. to low d’) (This is from Marcel Moyse’s de la Sonorité, and it is forever imprinted in the brains of modern flutists all over the world.)

5) (from Ingrid Crozman) – with each tone that is held, experiment with the shape of the mouth (e.g., “ooh” vowel sound vs. “aah”) and how that affects the sound, tone color, resonance

Sons filés – from some French flutist whose name I can’t recall

d’-d’’-d’’’-d’’-a’’ (each note lasts 2 seconds; hold the last tone of each set)

a’’-a’-a’’-a’’’-e’’’

e’’’-e’’-e’-e’’-b’’

b’’-b’-b’’-b’-f#’’

f#’’-f#’’’-f#’’-f#’-c#’’

continue through the circle of fifths