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Mimi, Activities, and the Birthday Box
On
November 2, 2002, I performed a recital and taught a masterclass
as guest artist at the inaugural event of the Flute Society of Greater
Philadelphia. I performed an all-unaccompanied program which included
the Bach Partita in A minor, the only solo flute piece Bach wrote
and one of the staples of the flute repertoire, Katharine Hoover's
Winter Spirits, Debussy's Syrinx, Paganini Caprice #5 originally
written for violin, and a suite of Latin American pieces by Astor
Piazzolla, Paquito D'Rivera, and Zequinh Abreu's Tico Tico. I also
gave the world première of Philadelphia composer Daniel Dorff's
Nocturne-Caprice, which he wrote in just two weeks for me to première
at this event. It is a fabulous piece which I think you will enjoy
playing.
After
my recital I taught a masterclass for four flute students, from
high school to post-graduate level. A masterclass is like a public
lesson. A master teacher teaches students in front of an audience
usually comprised of other flutists.
Having
played both roles, teacher and student, I can tell you it's a valuable
experience. As a student, you have an opportunity to learn from
someone other than your regular teacher. I did a group warm-up session
for all the flutists at my masterclasses as I always do. I give
everyone a chance to play and to work together on exercises because
they are a crucial part of our development as flutists.
Following
the masterclass I got to chat with audience members at a book-signing
of my book, Nuit d'étoiles: 8 Early Songs by Claude Debussy
Arranged for Flute and Piano (Theodore Presser, 2002) which I wrote
about in my summer 2002 Flutewise column. The whole day was a lot
of fun. I was honored to have been invited to launch the flute society
in my hometown and am very excited about the organization.
The
students in my masterclass and some readers asked me questions which
are applicable to all flutists, so I include a few questions with
my answers and a general comment below. I hope you will find my
tips beneficial.
1)
I get nervous when I perform and am finding it difficult to keep
a steady sound.
What
can I do to improve this? It's natural to feel nervous before a
concert, audition, or masterclass. The challenge we face as wind
players is to prevent our nerves from affecting our breathing and
the steadiness of our tone. Here's what to do. First, play long
tones before going on stage to help relax your breathing.
Second,
fight nerves psychologically.Try
hearing the tone you want to have for the piece in your head before
you play - so that you're focusing on musical expression rather
than on your nerves. This works for me, and has worked with several
of my students who have tried it. When you're feeling nervous before
a performance, remember that you love playing the flute and that
your music can bring joy to many people.
2)
Can you recommend practice methods for me to improve my double-tonguing?
The
key to sparkling double-tonguing is not the tongue - it's the air.
The tongue should ride on a fast column of air with strong breath
support. To achieve this, choose a double-tongued passage from your
piece and, with your metronome set at a slow tempo, play the passage
slurred.
Focus
on breath support and a fast air stream. A common problem with double-tonguing
is too hard an attack on the TKTK consonants. Instead, try for a
light articulation so that your tongue doesn't stop the air stream.
Once you have added your light TKTK articulation, keep the smooth
and supported air column you had when you played the passage slurred.
Imagining that you're playing a long tone will make your double
tonguing smoother.
It is also important to work on double-tonguing separately
from the piece of music, as part of your daily exercise routine.
For example, if you play scales and arpeggios slurred, try double-tonguing
them slowly with your metronome. Gradually increase the tempo as
your tonguing improves.
3)
I only want to play pieces of music. Why do I have to practice exercises?
Practicing
exercises is important for our flute-playing because
it is through practice of tone and technique that we develop the
tools that enable us to express the music.
Playing
an instrument is a lot like playing a sport. Before
an ice skater can perform his or her whole routine he
or she spends hours working out every detail of the jumps and spins.
In
a similar way, a Mozart Concerto or Bach Sonata is made up of scales
and arpeggios - our own jumps and spins. So if you know your scales
and arpeggios you will be able to ace them in any piece of music.
And win an Olympic gold medal!
4)
Comment on Playing Unaccompanied: Managing the Timing of Rests
An
issue which I think about for my unaccompanied recital programs,
and which came up when a student played an unaccompanied piece for
me, is that of interpreting silence. Fritz Reiner, the famous conductor
of the Pittsburgh Symphony and other orchestras, told his orchestra
the often quoted "play the rests".
Indeed,
the rests are just as important as the notes. When you speak, you
don't deliver an incessant stream of words but rather a series of
ideas punctuated with pauses for commas and periods. Music parallels
speech in this regard. Look in your music for moments when the rests
represent commas or periods between phrases, and let your interpretation
reflect these pauses.
Sometimes
you need to grab a quick breath and go right on, but often the music
needs to cool off before starting again. Be imaginative, and when
you have a fermata (Ed.: please insert symbol here - the dot with
an arch over it, like an eye and eyebrow) in an unaccompanied piece,
try to make the audience cling to the edge of their seats in suspense,
wondering what will happen next!
Birthday
Box
December means wintry weather, school vacation, and celebrating
the holidays with your family, friends, and flute.
My
birthday is January 11. When's yours? This winter issue I
highlight some VIBs, Very Important Birthdays.
Join
me in wishing our own Sir James Galway the happiest of birthdays
on December 8!
December
16 is the birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), one
of the greatest composers ever. Celebrate by attending a performance
of Beethoven's music or by listening to a recording at home.
Listen for the prominent flute solos in the Symphony #3 "Eroica",
Symphonies #4 and #7, Leonore Overture #3, and other orchestral
works. His flute chamber music includes the Serenade for Flute,
Violin, and Viola and Trio for Flute, Bassoon, and Piano.
Every
year my family and I celebrate Wolfang Amadeus Mozart's (1756-1791)
birthday on January 27. Mozart wrote several masterpieces
for flute: Concertos in G and D Major, Andante in C, Concerto
for Flute and Harp, and Quartets for Flute and Strings. In
addition, there are the gorgeous flute parts in Mozart symphonies,
operas, and piano concertos. There is nothing so exhilarating
as performing a Mozart flute concerto with orchestra. To honor
Mozart on his birthday, I play and listen to his music and
we all eat Mozart Kugeln, which are Austrian candies with
Mozart's portrait on them. Yum! |
Activities
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Try the tips from my Q&A section.
-
Hold Beethoven and Mozart birthday parties and play and listen
to their
music.
- Call
your friends on their birthday to play Happy Birthday for them.
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Continue writing to me with your questions and comments for inclusion
in a
future column at mimi@flutewise.com.
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Have fun playing flute and happy holidays!
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