Andre Jones

Applied Flute

Dr. Andrea Loewy

December 1, 2016

Why we practice?

1. We practice to get the ability to do what we imagined

2. To lessen the limitation that compromise our technique on the music we want to play
3. Practice exercises to strengthen technique so that we only think about the music when
we practice and not the weaknesses in our techniques

How to Practice

1. Create a daily regiment to track and improve your technique.

2. Ensure that your practice regiment include all the fundamentals to a good flute
technique such as vibrato, intervals, long tones, intervals, and scales.
3. Practice repertoire, excerpts, and different flute exercises to develop a sense of style for
the various genres of music. Use the lessons learned from exudes and exercises to
eliminate weaknesses in the repertoire

Using tools

1. A metronome is not just to keep us on the right beat, the idea that the metronome will
help us understand the relationship between each note
2. Think about what you have to do in order to have each note accurately on the beat at
varying tempos
3. A tuner will not give you good pitch sense.
4. The tuner will help you you to approach each note and also in understanding the
interval which you are playing

Learning music

1. Make sure you understand what the directions of each piece of music is saying.
2. Translate and try to relate to all the tempo directions before you begin performing or
practicing the music.
3. When learning something new, always start really really slow to ensure that all the
directions and requirements are being met so as the tempo increases, mistakes will be
noticed immediately
4. Practicing slowly will secure the notes in your fingers and your mind before you start
moving it up.
5. Learn music correctly to avoid mistakes and re-teaching yourself something you've
already gone over

Position

1. Be relaxed as possible. Avoid being tight and avoid joints being in un natural positions
2. Avoid elbows being at marching band standard when performing or practicing.
3. The wrist should never be bent, keep the left thumb in a straight line with the elbow
4. Shake right hand free from tension and apply to the flute and keep the thin in line with
elbow to avoid bending
5. Keep fingers above the keys and avoid pushing down but instead thing of lifting and
maintaining constant contact with keys
6. Ensure that knuckles stay bent
7. Use the mirror to monitor your posture and overall position. Also, use the mirror to
monitor your fingers

Breathing

1. This is the most crucial technique for a flutist because the flutes is the closest
instrument to the voice and so needs to ring and resonate as such
2. Breathe as low as possible and never from your chest
3. Do not count on breathing through your nose, it only results in tension in the upper
lungs.
4. Breathe through your mouth to fill the lungs and then if needed breathe through the
nose to fill the upper lungs to build the reserves for long passages

Intonation

1. Play up to the pitch and keep the flute head joint rolled out.
2. Support is vital when playing soft.
3. Tune the flute and pull out or push in the head joint to the tuning point

Phrasing

1. Help us to convey the composers meaning to our audience while performing.

2. Think of Phrasing like a sentence that requires the words to have different accents that
could shape the entire sentence.
3. Not all rests indicate the end of a phrase. Approach rests by lifts instead of a landing so
that the audience does not think the sentence has ended but instead paused.
4. Find the important note in each phrase and lead to it and depart from it with less
importance.