Fake-arando is Not a Thing

Tags

Contest preparation, flute balance, flute fingering, flute pedagogy, flute technique

Sometime last school year, one of my private students was learning the Poulenc Sonata for flute and piano. If you are familiar with the piece, you know that there are at least five 32nd note runs that the flute does together with the piano in the first movement. When she got to the first run, she played the first couple notes, did some kind of faking in the middle of the run and played the last couple of notes. Inside, I was flipping out. What’s this? I never told her she could or should fake this run. It’s not that hard to play correctly, etc.

So I asked her about what she did in the most neutral way I could summon, why she wasn’t playing all the notes in this run, but in fact, faking it. Her answer elicited an even stronger reaction from me than just the fact that she was faking to begin with. She told me that her middle school band director had told her that was how to handle runs as a general rule! She had been told not to worry about the notes in the middle of the scale, just hit the bottom and top and you’re good. And this is a student who, herself wants to be a music educator.

A few thoughts about teaching kids good technique:

• It impacts the quality of the entire ensemble when you let your woodwinds fake fast runs and scale rips.
• It does kids a huge disservice to let them or even encourage them to fake their technique, both in their ensemble playing and when they begin working on solo repertoire.
• If you only ever test kids on playing scales in eighth notes at mm=80, they will never develop the ability to play rip scales that are so much a part of woodwind writing in concert band music
• Include technical work for your students both as a section and individually into your curriculum.
• There are vast resources available through traditional band methods, band technique books and online resources you can use with your students with very little effort on your part

Technique resources that I like from the band world include the huge library of scales, arpeggios and wiggles in SmartMusic. Foundations for Superior Performance and Habits of a Successful Musician both have excellent technical exercises. Then, of course in the flute realm, there are a wealth of great technique books including Trevor Wye’s Practice Books Omibus edition and Complete Daily Exercises, Patricia George’s The Flute Scale Book, and of course the venerable Taffanel and Gaubert 17 Big Daily Exercises

Personally, I’m not a fan of scales that have an 8th note followed by seven 16th notes. I don’t really think this type of scale teaches technical fluency. What I do like are five note scale patterns in every key including sharp keys, scale rips starting on each note of a scale, scales that cover the full range of the instrument (for more advanced players).

As always, if you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics, workshops and performances, click here.

Building Flute Technique

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flute balance, flute fingering, flute pedagogy, flute students, flute technique

Technique is one of the more straightforward aspects of playing the flute, and relatively easy to teach. As with every other aspect of playing, it does need to be monitored carefully as students develop. Probably the most important thing to monitor regarding technique is the student’s set up  with regards to balancing the flute and left and right hand positions. This makes all the difference to long term success for building useful flute technique for kids. And, of course, that the students are using the correct fingerings, i.e., 1st finger up for middle D and Eb, using right hand little finger for everything except D, right hand third finger for F#, correct high note fingerings (they are all different, see The 5 Most Common Fingering Mistakes)

We all know scale and arpeggio exercises are essential. In my own studio, I introduce scales and arpeggios as soon as the student knows Bb and can play all the naturals from low F to middle F. Depending on what flute method I’m using, the first scale students learn is either F or Bb major. I prefer to use method books that introduce flats and sharps equally. (My favorites for working with band kids are the Gekeler Flute Method and the Flute Student books by Fred Weber and Douglas Steensland. There are also really good flute specific methods available now, notably by Kathy Blocki, inventor of the PneumoPro, and Patricia George/Phyllis Louke). So the order of learning scales becomes F, C, G, Bb, D, Eb, A, Ab, E, Db, B, Gb/F#. As students learn the scales, we always review them in circle of fifths/fourths order so kids get functional harmony in their ear, even if they haven’t got a clue about music theory. So, for example, if we are learning Bb, we will play G, C, F and Bb so our ear is grounded in Bb for all the melodies we will play at the lesson in Bb. Likewise, if we are working on the key of D, we will review scales starting on Bb, F, C, G and then D, which nicely sets us up for the D major tunes we are studying.

If you have an organized way of introducing both flat and sharp keys, students can be playing all twelve major scales and arpeggios one octave within the first year of playing. I also strongly encourage you to have students read notes rather than just note names when practicing scales and arpeggios. It really reinforces key awareness to have them also play simple melodies in the keys they study. Depending on how quickly the students assimilate the third octave fingerings, you can expand scale and arpeggio practice to two octaves. It might take two to three years to get to the point where they can play all twelve scales two octaves, but when the students have that kind of technical mastery, they will have tools for dealing with more advanced band/orchestra literature, MEA audition etudes and solo repertoire.

If you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics, workshops and performances, click here

Solutions for Common Third Octave Problems

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embouchure, flute balance, flute embouchure, flute fingering, flute intonation, flute pedagogy, flute students, flute technique

The third octave on the flute is an interesting phenomenon because of the embouchure issues it presents and because of the technical and acoustic properties of the instrument. It is definitely not as straight forward as the lower two octaves in terms of the mechanics of the flute. The reason for all the cross fingerings and venting in the third octave is because each note is combining the harmonics of two lower pitches to reinforce the sound of each note. One of the easiest to conceptualize is the fingering for high E: T12|12(Eb) It is combining the overtone series of both E and A. In fact, if the air speed is insufficient, an out of tune A will sound below the intended pitch with this fingering. You can get to the high E by playing harmonics on either E or A. For E it will be the 4th partial and for A it will be the 3rd partial. The two combined make the standard fingering for third octave E (among flutists it is generally agreed that the E is better in tune without the Eb key).

Be sure your flute students know the third octave fingerings. It isn’t enough for them to just overblow a 1st/2nd octave fingering. They will be playing harmonics rather than the correct third octave fingering. The real fingerings will always sound more solid and will be easier to play in tune. Give them a way to practice these fingerings and test them on the practicing you assign. The kids need concrete ways to build their facility in the third octave.  Here is one way to practice third octave technique.

Then there are the common embouchure issues you see with kids. It is common for students to struggle with buzzing rather than playing the desired pitch in the third octave. What causes the buzzing? Their lips are stretched laterally, from corner to corner. If your kids are pulling their corners, there is a really high probability that they will buzz in the third octave. Have them pay more attention to how they are shaping the aperture in the middle of their lips (like how your lips are shaped to blow a kiss or to drink through a straw), and forget about the corners. Remember to blow!

Another common problem is trying to control the third octave by flattening the aperture, rolling the flute in and pinching. Usually what goes with this is insufficient blowing. Oh no! High notes! Cue the Psycho shower scene music! The results are going to be really sharp and likely unsuccessful beyond high E or F. They will be lucky to get to a G. You have to help unwind them. Flute lower on the chin, roll the flute out a bit, relax the corners, shape the aperture (think of saying “W”) and blow more. Make sure the flute is aligned properly, check hand positions and balance. It seems paradoxical that rolling the flute away from you a little bit would improve the response and intonation of the high notes, but it works like magic. Check out this device (Flute Tutor) that can help enforce this positioning with your students.

If you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly for more flute tips. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics, workshops and performances,  click here.

Transitioning to Open Holes

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flute balance, flute pedagogy, flute students, flute technique, step-up flutes

There comes a time for more ambitious young flute players when they need more flute than their beginner instrument can provide. They need a better headjoint to continue to develop their tone, a lighter mechanism for more technical facility and open holes both for sound and to be able to play more advanced literature. What frequently happens when a student gets a step up instrument however, is they play their new flute with plugs in the holes and never fully make the transition to open holes.

First off, let me say there really isn’t a right or wrong way to introduce playing with the holes open. It really depends on the student. If you have a kid who has good basic hand positions where their fingers are gently curved and centered over the keys, the transition will be relatively quick and painless. You can recommend they go ahead and try playing without the plugs right away and see how they do. Some kids do this quickly and pretty painlessly. They experience a few days of having a little trouble covering everything, but also have a developed enough sense of observing themselves to figure what they need to cover every hole accurately.

It can be more complicated if the student is bracing the flute against the rods with the thumb in front on the right hand or their left wrist is in front of the flute and left fingers straight and on the edges of the keys. What’s great about getting a new flute with open holes is that it is an opportunity for students to develop better hand positions, provided they are properly supervised and encouraged. With a kid like this, I think it is better to gradually wean them off the plugs one at a time. Give them a week per plug to adjust. And slowly you will see that their hand positions improve as they learn to cover each new hole.

What order do I recommend for removing the plugs? F key, A key, E key and then either of the fourth finger keys, D key and G key. The last two are by far the trickiest. It’s actually not such a big deal if the student never takes either of the last two out. A lot depends on the size and shape of the fingers and palm of the hand. Another factor is whether the flute has an inline G or offset G. It is generally easier to learn to cover the G key hole with an offset G.

Finally, encourage your students to use the pads of their fingers to cover the holes rather than the tips. There is much more flesh to cover the hole on the pads of the fingers. If students are trying to use the tips of their fingers, it is going to cause a lot of hand position and balance issues. Make sure the headjoint is aligned between the keys and the rods. Check that the right hand is behind the flute with the thumb under and somewhat behind the flute. The left wrist should be under the flute, not in front and the thumb should be open to the rest of the hand and relaxed. It will likely mean that the thumb engages the thumb key closer to the first knuckle than the tip (that is why the Bb key arm is recessed on most flutes as it travels above the B key).

If you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly for more flute tips. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics and workshops click here.

Flute Balance and the Left Hand

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flute balance, flute pedagogy, flute posture, flute students, flute technique

Several months ago we looked at balance and alignment issues with the right hand and how that can impact the development of solid technique and good tone. Today we are going to look at left hand balance and alignment issues. When you look at how this young man is holding his flute, what do you see?

I see the flute is rolled back toward him, his right wrist is under the flute and his left wrist is in front of the flute, with his fourth and fifth fingers almost completely straight. Also, his head is forward of his shoulders. Can you see that the headjoint is rolled forward more in line with the front of the keys?

What kind of problems will this type of positioning cause? In terms of ergonomics, he’s going to be fighting the flute because it will always feel like it wants to roll back. If you are fighting the flute, developing a fluid and relaxed technique becomes much more difficult. The flute isn’t well supported and always feels unstable. Holding the flute this way can also lead to strain in the neck, left elbow, wrist and shoulder. In extreme cases, I have heard of players developing problems with nerve impingement in the left elbow.

Notice in the second photo how much better the alignment is for this young man. We turned the headjoint back a bit to between the keys and rods. Now the left wrist is under the flute, supporting it. The right hand is behind the flute and the flute is resting on his right thumb. His finger positions are more relaxed. The weight of the instrument is distributed evenly between both his hands. His ears are now over his shoulders. Now that he isn’t fighting the instrument, his technique improved immediately. The other thing that improved right away was his tone. He could place notes in a big interval much more easily and maintain a focused sound.

To put it in the simplest terms; if the flute is balanced between the hands, the player can get on with the business of developing good tone and solid technique. It’s really difficult to do this if you are always fighting to balance the flute in your hands. Biggest clue there is a balance problem with the left hand is that the left wrist is in front of the flute rather than under it. Check the headjoint alignment and make sure the blow hole lines up between the rods and keys, as we’ve discussed in the past.

If you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly for more flute tips. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics and workshops click here.

 

Gadgets and Gizmos

Tags

accessories, flute balance, flute fingering, flute technique

Sometimes flute players can use a little help when it comes to balancing the flute in their hands. This can be to assist young players in developing efficient hand positions or for comfort. One of the easiest and cheapest things you can use is a foam pencil grip cut lengthwise.

You can put it underneath the C key as a left hand cushion or you can cut it in half and put it under the F key as a right hand thumb guide. Because the grip is round, it will stay on the flute really well. However, it can fall off. You could use a little bit of a removable adhesive to make it stick to the flute, while making it easy to take off if necessary.

  

There are also several adaptive devices that are affordable and readily available. For the left hand is the Bo Pep finger saddle. It provides a little more thickness to the body of the flute and a very secure depression that the inside of the index finger rests in. Here is what it looks like on the flute:

If it is properly placed, it won’t interfere with the C key. It’s also really comfortable.

For the right hand thumb there are a couple different devices available. Which one you choose depends on the size and shape of the thumb. If the player has a short to medium size thumb that is nearly straight, I like the Thumbport. It is designed to rest against the ribbing underneath the F key, between the kickers. It provides a little shelf that the thumb goes underneath that helps with balance. It frees up the fingers from holding the flute so they can move more freely.  If you have a very long thumb or one that hyperextends at the first joint, the Thumbport won’t work so well for you.

 

Bo Pep also makes a thumb rest for the right hand that goes directly under the F key. This device can be used by almost anyone, but is especially good for people who have long and/or hyperextending thumbs. It gives a flat and stable platform from which to balance the flute.

We have looked at the pros for these devices. There are a few cons to consider.

• The Thumbport seems to only work well for people with medium to short and/or straight thumbs. Not a good choice for long and/or hyperextending thumbs.
• The BoPep products are made of a hard plastic which can scratch a flute.
• The foam pencil grips can slide even though they do stay in place really well. This is a minor issue for an advanced player but it might be helpful to use a removable adhesive to attach it to kids’ flutes.

Also, I really don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all solution for balancing the flute correctly. These devices can be helpful, but they are by no means necessary in most cases. And providing one device exclusively over others for your students can cause more hand position problems than you ultimately solve for them. Check out the previous posts on balance and hand position, It’s All About Balance and Flute Balance and the Right Hand.

If you find these entries helpful, subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly for more flute tips. Feel free to comment and ask questions. What do you want to know about flute pedagogy? Maybe the answer to your question will be the next flute tip. Find me on Facebook or email me your questions at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics and workshops click here.

Flute Balance and the Right Hand

Tags

flute balance, flute posture, flute technique

Have you ever seen flute players holding their flutes like this?

How about this?

Were you aware that both of these right hand positions have many negative consequences for students and how they can contribute to the flute section of your ensemble? These consequences can include poor tone, poor intonation, and slow and/or uneven technique. In some cases, hand positions like this can lead to physical problems like tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive strain injuries.

If you recall, in an earlier post from last school year, we examined the issue of balancing the flute in our hands rather than holding it. Take a look at the banner photo on this blog and you will see how I accomplish this. If you were looking from the bottom end of the flute, the rods should be at about 11:00, with the mechanism pointing slightly forward. That way, the flute can rest on the right thumb, with the little finger on the Eb key as a counter-balance. My right hand is behind the flute and I am able to move my fingers freely from the joints at the base of my fingers.  It is also important that my wrist is relaxed and in a neutral position, not canted to one side or the other.

Let’s examine the issues in the first photo:

• The rods of the flute are pointing straight back at about 3:00
• The student’s thumb is in front of the flute and she is bracing the flute against the base of her fingers so it won’t roll back
• The base of the fingers are against the rods (this is also bad for the flute because dirt and oil can work its way into the mechanism, causing it to bind)
• Her wrist is canted toward the upper end of the flute
• She has a lot of tension in her fingers, thumb, palm, wrist and forearm

If she continues like this, this student will have a lot of trouble developing her technique. Also, her tone is small, covered and flat. The first thing I would do is realign her headjoint so the blow hole is between the keys and the rods. Then she will need to learn to rotate the flute body away from her so she can let the flute rest on her thumb. She will also need to retrain herself so she extends her fingers and learn to move her fingers from the bottom joints rather than the second joints of her fingers.

In the case of the second photo, the alignment of the flute is not so much of a problem, though it can probably be adjusted slightly. The problem lies in what she is doing with her right thumb. There are lots of kids with so-called hitchhiker thumbs. This hand position is seriously impacting her ability to develop her technique. She’s also putting a lot of strain on both joints of the thumb. In some cases I have seen that this can lead to repetitive strain injuries. The solution is to teach the student to rotate the thumb so the flute is resting on the side of the thumb, by the fingernail and extending the fingers so it is more like holding a ball or a sandwich. Once she can learn to move her fingers from the base joints, she will quickly acquire facility in her technique.

If you find these entries helpful, subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly for more flute tips. Please comment and feel free to ask questions. What do you want to know about flute pedagogy? Maybe the answer to your question will be the next flute tip. Find me on Facebook or email me your questions at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics and workshops click here.

It’s All About Balance

Tags

beginning flute, flute balance, flute fingering, flute technique

Something we have all observed is how tricky it is for young flute students to balance the flute in their hands and finger at the same time. Maybe you, yourself have experienced this learning flute basics in methods class and lessons. Unlike other woodwinds, there is no thumb rest to help with balancing the instrument. Back in the 19th century, flutes were often made with a left hand crutch (in fact, modern bass flutes usually still have a left hand crutch). For whatever reason, the crutch was deemed unnecessary and hasn’t been part of flute manufacture in a very long time.

To understand how to help our students balance the instrument better, it is important to understand that the rods that hold the keys are very heavy in relation to the rest of the flute. If we line the blow hole up directly in line with the middle of the left hand key cups, as is frequently taught, the weight of the rods is always dragging the flute backwards, causing the student to play with the blow hole too covered (which also causes flatness of pitch and a dull tone). It also encourages poor hand positions with over-flexed wrists, right hand fingers against the rods and a right thumb that protrudes in front of the flute.

Here’s what I do with my own flute:

As you can see, I line up my blow hole slightly to the left of center, between the keys and the rods. This puts the weight of the rods closer to the top of the instrument which enables me to balance the flute between the first joint of my left hand, right thumb and right pinky (if needed). The flute also rests against my chin. This gives me complete freedom to move my fingers as needed without having to “hold” the instrument to prevent it from rolling backward. The banner photo on this blog shows me doing this very clearly. There is a wonderful video put up by Jennifer Cluff demonstrating all these points at this link: http://www.jennifercluff.com/blog/2008/04/hand-arm-strain-and-flute-headjoint.html Be sure to check it out.

The last thing I want to say about this topic for now is that this is one of those concepts about which professional flute players can disagree, and sometimes quite vehemently. The argument from the other point of view claims that turning the headjoint back causes one to cover the blow hole too much. This would be true if the keys were tilted slightly back. However, if anything, the keys are pointed slightly more forward than straight up at the ceiling, so one gains many advantages in being able manipulate tone, intonation and color.

If you find these entries helpful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back next week for another flute tip. Your comments and questions are always welcome. Find me on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics and workshops click here.