Baroque Flute Meditation

Have I mentioned how easy it is to transport yourself to a calm state of mind by practicing long tones?

Pick a note, any note, preferably one from the middle register of the flute, take a relaxed breath, and start playing. Count to ten while playing this note. Play it a few times, trying not to think about its quality. Focus instead on the breathing and blowing ("Breathing in, I calm my body; breathing out, I smile;" or "I count to ten"). After a few times on this note, go to the next note, 1/2 step away, higher or lower. It doesn't matter. What matters is maintaining the calm feeling of breathing in and blowing out. Calming, to be sure, but energizing at the same time. The essence of Baroque flute playing, at least for me, is exactly this contrast of energies. Soft fingers, calm mind, intense musical energy, sharply focused breathing and blowing. Move quickly, don't hurry. Deliberate, organized practice will set you free, musically.

Long tone practice is not drudgery, It is the core or your flute playing. It is the path to good tone, secure intonation, stamina to play an entire recital, and the control of your instrument in the event that your mind temporarily wigs out when you realize everyone out there is listening to you (and ENJOYING what they hear; remember that).

Long tones are your friends.

Long tones. Not just a good idea, it's the law.

Feel free to visit older posts on this blog regarding practice, long tones, and more long tones.

The 20-minute workout

20-minute workout testimonial

Long tones

Practice techniques

It Herz So Good (or, the Baroque Flute Low Down)

And by low down I don't mean a song by Boz Scaggs from the 1970s. . .

No, I'm talking about one of my favorite things about playing Baroque flute. The ability to play at 392 cycles per second.

With this in mind, I draw your attention to the BFBC XIV schedule, particularly on Monday night. IF you have an instrument (or two or three) that plays at a=392 Hz, please try to find room in your luggage to bring it/them along. We should be able to do this, or, at the very least, have a system of alternating players so that everyone gets the opportunity to play in a flute ensemble at this pitch.

Kathie will likely have at least two flutes at this pitch. If you are bringing 392 instruments to the boot camp, please let everyone know through the wiki.

Have fun playing in the deep end!

Baroque Flute Festival (or, time to make some more observations)

Hello Everyone,

Instead of Practice Pieces of the Week, I present here some videos of people playing Baroque flute. As with the earlier posts of this nature, found here and here, please feel free to discuss your observations here on the blog or over on the Boot Camp wiki.