It’s going to be okay.

With enough patience and diligent practice, your beautiful sound will sing out once again.

5 Steps to Reclaim Your Tone

1. Be Patient: Don’t try to practice lots of technical exercises right off the bat. For the first week, play lots of low notes. Slow and slurred. Add the middle register the second week. When you’re ready (probably the third week), add the high register.
2. Practice in Shorter Intervals: Start out in 10-15 minute intervals. Take breaks in between to rebuild your embouchure. Do this several times a day for best results.
3. Tone Builders: Don’t worry about sound quality right now. It will improve over time. Just play! Start with the low register, then build higher. You may not want to even try high notes for a few days after you first get your braces on. (see tip #1)
4. Octave Slurs: Add octave slurs when you can play both low and middle register notes. Start with low E. Play low, then high without tonguing. I recommend half notes or whole notes. Repeat several times on each note, then go to the next higher note (i.e.  F, F#, G, etc.).
5. Use a Mirror: Chances are, your aperture location has shifted since you now have a further distance between your lips and teeth. Use the mirror ever day to see how you need to readjust your aperture with so it’s lined up with the center of the tone hole. You may also need to adjust your angle of air down into the flute more.

For some, adjusting to flute life with braces can take a few months. Others, only a few weeks. It really depends on how much you practice, and how smart you practice.

You may have to repeat these steps after future orthodontist visits. Most likely, they won’t be as difficult as the first time. Cool thing is, braces are only temporary. In the mean time, these tips will help your tone sparkle, even with braces.

* For further reading, check out this article on Jennifer Cluff’s Flute Blog. She has a cool idea of how to use masking tape on the embouchure plate to improve tone.

• Flute Student’s Dealing with Braces

Dr. Carlson is currently the professor of flute at Portland State University and a member of the Portland Opera Orchestra. Throughout her career, Dr. Carlson has been on the faculty of University of Houston and Stephen F. Austin. Her students have been accepted for further studies at Yale, Cal Arts, the Curtis Institute, Rice, Baylor, the Paris Conservatoire at Versailles and the Boston Conservatory. She has performed with various orchestras and chamber groups around the world, including 15 seasons with the Houston Grand Opera, and holds music degrees from the Eastman School of Music, East Carolina University and the University of Houston. In addition, she has studied flutists Byron Hester, Bonita Boyd, and David Shostac, and performed in the master classes of Julius Baker, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Robert Aitken, Samuel Baron and James Walker. She has recorded on the Mark, Delos, Albany, Guild, CIEM, and Urtext Digital labels.

What is the difference between a university music program and a conservatory program?

Both have advantages. At a conservatory, you are immersed in a highly charged musical atmosphere. Universities can have more varied opportunities and allow students to change majors easily. Some universities have highly acclaimed music programs, for example, Indiana University, Northwestern University, Rice University or Boston University.

What are the advantages of local music school programs?

Instate tuition and local auditions cost less. You can also meet the teacher and see the school very easily.

Does attending a summer music program have any advantages for prospective music majors?

When you go to summer programs (like flute symposiums or workshops), you can talk to other students about their plans and the teachers they like. You can also get a feel about the teacher and how they feel about you. You will be spending a lot of time with this person, so be sure you “click”!

You may want to take a trial lesson with the teacher as well. Make sure to thank them with a card or email afterwards if you do.

If a flutist is auditioning, what do they need to know?

An in person audition is always best. However, taping the first round audition can save you money in the long run. If you go this route, plan early, secure a location and pianist if necessary, and work with a professional recording engineer. Allow yourself at least two sessions to record your audition.

After your audition, following up with a thank-you note or email to your prospective teacher is a great way to build a positive relationship.

What preparation tips do you have for prospective flute majors?

• Take private lessons all year. Get used to practicing!
• Take piano lessons in high school.
• Take the music theory courses offered at your high school.
• Participate in your school band and orchestra programs.
• There are community programs, such as Youth Symphonies, Solo and Ensemble contests and studio recitals you can participate in.
• Research prospective schools during your Sophomore and Junior years.
• Attend Summer Programs and trial lessons during your Sophomore and Junior years.
• During the summer going into your Junior year, choose schools and plan your audition repertoire
• Start learning your audition repertoire during the spring of your Junior year.
• Remember, you’ll have auditions early your Senior year and recordings to make, so early is better.
• During the fall of your Senior year, make audition tapes and perform your repertoire with your pianist.

Full Biography
Highly sought after as a performer and teacher, flutist, Sydney Carlson joined the faculty of Portland State University in 2008. Currently a member of the Portland Opera Orchestra, she has appeared with the Oregon Symphony, Portland Ballet Orchestra and Portland Chamber Orchestra. She is a former member of the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra. While in Houston she performed frequently with the Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet Orchestra, and contemporary ensemble, Musiqa.

Dr. Carlson was previously on the faculty at the University of Houston and Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas. Her students have been accepted for further studies at Yale, Cal Arts, the Curtis Institute, Rice, Baylor, the Paris Conservatoire at Versailles and the Boston Conservatory.

She has served on the faculties, of the Texas Music Festival and the American Festival of the Arts as a chamber music coach, flute teacher and recitalist.International appearances include concerts in Mexico in the cities of, Xalapa, Veracruz; Mexico City and Merida She was invited to join the American Sinfonietta as principal flute on a tour of Europe and at the Bellingham Festival in WA.  In 2009 she made her recital debut in Guangzhou China.

Sydney holds degrees form the Eastman School of Music, East Carolina University and the University of Houston. She was privileged to study with Byron Hester, Bonita Boyd, and David Shostac. Additionally she has performed in the masterclasses of Julius Baker, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Robert Aitken, Samuel Baron and James Walker. She has recorded on the Mark, Delos, Albany, Guild, CIEM, and Urtext Digital labels.

Long tones are the key to building muscle control and developing your sound. If you want to have that sparkling sound of great flutists like Galway or Pahud, you have to add long tones into your daily drill.

Preparing for the Race:

Building the embouchure muscles will help develop pitch control as well. If you’re just skipping long tones and technical exercises, diving right into the music, you’re setting yourself up for bad intonation and little endurance. It’s like training for a marathon and deciding to run a lap or two around the track the days proceeding the race, and then being frustrated when you can’t run more than a mile or two of the marathon on the day of the race.

You have to prepare and train those muscles just like an athlete would prepare for their sporting event.

Tips for Successful Tone Building:

* Use a metronome set at 60-72.
* Practice the long tone exercises with repeats.
* Practice with your best sound all the time.
* Use a tuner as you practice tone builders.
* Practice to control your vibrato. Practice in triplet pulses, evenly.

Check out Trevor Wye’s Practice Book for Flute, Volume 1, Tone, or Marcel Moyse’s De La Sonorite for some great long tone exercises.

The Challenge:

Stop making excuses for not having time to practice tone builders. The only way to develop a beautiful sound, brilliant intonation, and sparkling vibrato is to work at it everyday. With focus and intentionality.

Try if for a week. See how much your sound improves, and you may find long tones become fun!

These vague instructions can be confusing, leaving a flutist to wonder how to play in tune. I call these phrases the “band-aid” approach to tuning. While they provide temporary help, they don’t fix the long term reasons why a flutist is struggling with their tuning.

To truly play “in tune,” you must work at it every day, with a tuner. Here are my tips to help you grow in your ability to play “in tune.”

• Keep about 1/4 to 1/3 of the tone hole covered with your bottom lip. If you can see the back edge of the tone hole while you’re playing, you’ll need to adjust the angle.

• Generally speaking, the cork should be 17.3 mm from the center of the tone hole. Use the tuning rod to check. And resist the urge to tighten and loosen the crown.

• Pull your headjoint out about 3-5mm. (Some flutes may require more, but most beginner flutes are designed to be set here.) If you’re pulling out an inch on the flute (yikes!), most likely, you are angling your air too high across the tone hole. Blow down into the flute more and see if that helps.

• Make sure the tone hole and the closed “C” key are aligned center to center.

• Then leave it alone! If you’re “out of tune” try adjusting your angle of air into the flute. If you’re flat, try raising the airstream. If you’re sharp, try blowing down into the flute more.

There may be other issues that are causing your intonation problems that I will try to cover in future posts. For example, if you’re constantly readjusting the placement of your flute on your chin, there may be a balance issue with how you’re holding your flute. Also, the size of your aperture and speed of air will cause tuning variations. Check with your teacher to help you with these issues.

In order to have your best tuning, use the tuner in your daily practice. You’ll begin to form the correct angle as you practice. Tuning on the flute can be difficult. So, be patient. Don’t expect perfect pitch all the time. Keep practicing and see how much you improve!

Our Next Myth #3: Long Tones are Boring and Don’t Do Me Any Good!

* Note: Over the summer, I will be posting every other week rather than every week. Hope you have a great one!

Big Myth #1 – I only tune when my band director tells me I need to.

Students will often say to me they tuned their flute last week at the beginning of class. Or they checked their tuning cork and they’re in tune. These comments made me realize there are a lot of misconceptions about what it means to play “in tune” on the flute. Generally speaking, you don’t “tune” your flute the same way a string player would tune their violin. Flute players take their instrument apart every day, so that affects our setup and intonation. Weather conditions, physical ailments such as congestion and fatigue, and the temperature of a room can all affect a flutist’s intonation as well.

Ideally, you’ll find your optimal flute set up in regards to headjoint alignment and distance pulled out from the barrel (more on these two areas next week), and then make adjustments with your aperture size, your angle of air into the flute, and even the setting of how open your throat should be. These techniques take much practice and require a trained teacher to mentor students through the growth process. Ultimately, you have to constantly evaluate your pitch as you play, and tune each and every note – every single day! This will allow you to play the flute with your best intonation, as well as enhance the beautiful sound you are working on.

Solution: Practice daily with a tuner to train your ear. This will also allow your embouchure to develop the muscle memory required to produce the perfect pitch when you need it! Try practicing long tones, octave slurs and pitch bending exercises to develop a flexible embouchure. Remember, it takes time to be consistent with your pitch. It may take months, even. But be patient, and make the tuner your best friend during your practice sessions!

Next Week’s Myth #2: To adjust your tuning, just roll in and out as you play. We’ll tackle headjoint alignment and flute angles.

Texas Flute Festival Info:

http://www.texasflutesociety.org/FESTIVALINDEX.htm

1. Right hand wrist should be straight: There should not be any bend or dipping in the wrist. Some band directors inadvertently teach the incorrect right hand position without realizing it limits the ability of a flute player to facilitate technical passages with ease and fluid motion, and that it can cause long term physical damage to the wrist. A bent wrist can equal long term pain down the road.

2. Marching Band Position (or that’s what I call it): Sorry, I know this one may stir up anger in the marching band community, but the parallel flute with flute pulled back to be in line with the shoulders is one of the most damaging positions a flute player can use to hold the flute. Because of the transverse (out to the side) nature of the flute, the marching band position causes back, shoulder, and neck strain that can lead to long term physical pain. Trust me, I’ve spent many, many years in marching band and remember the constant strain. And, this position does nothing to benefit your sound.  Not only does it constrict the air passages and your ability to produce proper vibrato, but it contributes to a closed throat and sharp tone for flute players. (Note, you can correct the pitch but, your sound will not be your concert sound).

My recommendation is to gently push your right hand forward until the flute is slightly in front of your body. For most people, it creates an approximate 45 degree angle with the flute and shoulders. I also recommend a slight downward angle of the footjoint so that the flute is not quite parallel, but I would speak to your private lesson teacher to help you find the best angle. Every one is a little different. Keep in mind, you don’t ever want your right arm to touch the side of your body. It should be away slightly. Check out this video clip from a Mary Karen Clardy (professor of flute at the University of North Texas) for some great tips on flute angles and sitting.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qdCCohdfcw

3. Moderate Exercise and Stretches: These will help you stay healthy and be able to withstand the muscle strain playing flute may put on your body. Stretches are very beneficial for flute players, so make them a part of your daily practice routine. These can include shoulder stretches, arm stretches, neck stretches, etc.

4. Balance the Flute: Make sure you are balancing, not gripping the flute. The three balance points I teach include the right hand thumb (slightly behind flute body – not sticking out in front!), left hand crook of the index finger and the chin. If you can balance the flute without the rods rolling back using only these three points, you will alleviate improper gripping and pressure as your fingers switch from note to note. It takes a while to develop the correct balance, so practice over a bed or couch so you won’t harm your flute if you drop it. Practice third space C to fourth line D slowly and with as little finger movement as possible.

My rule of thumb is if you are experiencing tension or pain while you are playing, then you are probably holding the flute in an awkward position or putting too much tension on some part of your body. Listen to what your body is telling you and work to fix it during EVERY practice session. If you allow the incorrect habits to continue, the pain will continue.

For more articles on Flute Pain Cures, check out Jennifer Cluff’s flute website at http://www.jennifercluff.com/deathgrip.htm

1. No procrastination. If you wait until the week of, you won’t be prepared.
2. Set a practice schedule and stick to it. Try practicing the same time of day and on the same days of the week for best results.
3. Practice difficult scales or portions of your music for a longer time frame. Try 5-10 repetitions for each difficult scale, or 5-10 extra minutes on that difficult passage.
4. Turn the TV and cell phone off while you practice to limit your distractions. Texting can wait.
5. Relax! Sometimes we’re our own worst enemy. Don’t demand perfection – allow yourself the freedom to make mistakes and keep going. If you start dwelling on the bad stuff during the audition, you’ll wind up making more mistakes.
6. Get a good night of rest the night before.
7. On the day of the audition, take a walk beforehand. This will help get rid of some of the nervous energy and get the oxygen flowing.
8. Eat a healthy breakfast and drink water. Avoid caffeine and sugary meals.
9. Dress in comfortable clothes (professional if necessary) and bring a sweater.
10. Allow yourself plenty of time to warm up before hand.
11. Have fun and enjoy the music!
12. Did I mention practice????

“Failing to prepare is like preparing to fail.” ~Sir James Galway

A lot of young musicians have the dream of performing on the stage as a solo performer or as an orchestral musician. While these are great goals to pursue, I have to make sure my students understand that these “jobs” are not always the easiest to get. So, if you are serious about this goal, talk to your music teacher or band director and find out if this is truly the best route for you. Most musicians go into education or some other career while trying to land performance jobs or while they compose music, etc. Some examples of teaching careers include elementary music, band, orchestra, choir, college, and private and group instruction. This is a great way to inspire young musicians while make a living at the same time.

Of course, there are dozens of other fields. This is just a short list.

• Administration (in education, local community arts programs, performing arts centers)
• Composition/Arranging
• Education
• Instrument repair
• Movies/TV
• Music Business
• Music Copyright Law
• Music Retail and Sales
• Music Software Development
• Music Therapy
• Performance Fields
• Private Studio
• Publishing
• Public Relations
• Radio (disc jockey)
• Recording Business
• Sound Engineering
• Technology
• Theater
• Voice Therapy
• Worship Ministry in Churches
• Writing (books, journalistic, etc.)

Regardless of the field you’re interested, you’ll want to spend time researching careers and how to go about getting your education for that field.

A great website to help you get started is: http://www.menc.org/careers

If you want to earn potential music scholarships, make sure you audition early. If you wait until the summer to audition, most likely, all the scholarships will have been handed out. Most auditions take place in the early part of the year (January or February) for the upcoming Fall semester. Preparation ahead of that is vital to a successful audition.

Most Universities Require:

* All Major Scales plus Chromatic for the range of the instrument (Some universities require memorization of scales)

* Two Pieces or Movements in contrasting style from standard repertoire (includes UIL Solo list). Examples include solos you’ve worked on from previous years. (Most require accompaniments.) Some Universities require specifics works such as the 1^st Movement of the Mozart Concerto in G Major. Other lists to choose from include movements from the Poulenc Sonata, Hindemith Sonata, J.S. Bach Sonatas, or solo from the “French Music by French Composers” book. Check the school of music website for specific solo requirements.

Not as commonly required, but some Universities do ask:

* Minor Scales

* Etudes

Next week, my post will concern careers in music. What can I do with a music degree and what kind of degree should I get?

I wanted to share my thoughts on a new product that’s come out for embouchure conditioning. It’s called the P.E.T.E. and it’s manufactured by Warburton. Recently, they’ve released a woodwind specific version. I’ve been using mine for a few weeks now, and it’s been amazing how much better my embouchure has been. It’s helped strengthen the right side of my face that has been weaker for some reason as I’ve gotten older. And I’ve been able to play for much longer periods of time without tiring. I’ve also gained much more precision in my embouchure. And it did it in such a short amount of time. Literally 30 seconds a day.

Here is a link to the instructional video if you’re interested in purchasing one. I have the silver plated one.

http://warburton-usa.com/index.php/pete

Any music retailer that carries Warburton products should be able to get one for you.

Auditions for high school band are coming up soon (April/May depending on your school), so it’s best to prepare for them now. Here’s a scale practice plan to help you. I mixed up the scales so you wouldn’t have all of the difficult scales on one day. If you have more time to practice, try combing groups to practice two groups of scales a day. For best results, play each scale 5 times or more.

For a 5 Day Practice Week:

Group 1: Full Range Chromatic, Gb Major, Ab Major, Db Major

Group 2: Chromatic, B Major, D Major, G Major

Group 3: Chromatic, C Major (3 Octaves), Eb Major, F Major

Group 4: Chromatic, E Major, A Major, Bb Major

Group 5: Chromatic, Review your 3 Most Difficult Scales (My guess is C, B, and Gb)

Always use a metronome as you practice. Each week, try increasing your tempo by one click, and you’ll be amazed at how fast you can play your scales!

Since it’s Solo and Ensemble time, I’ve come across a lot of trills and tremolos in our music. I thought these charts would be helpful to you. If you’re not sure of the best way to trill to a particular note, always consult the trill charts.

Flute Trill Chart:
http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/flute/fl_tr2_1.html

Flute Tremolo Chart:
http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/flute/fl_tr3_1.html

Five Tips to Successful Trills:

1. Practice trills slowly and evenly to begin with. Use a metronome to play sixteenth notes at say 100 and click it up gradually to 200.

2. Start on the note that is written before you begin the trill. Example: If you are trill F to G, play F and then start the trill. (Note: Depending on the time period of the music or grace notes preceding trills, the rules can vary. Consult a teacher for more advanced help.)

3. Make sure to keep your flute still and balanced as you trill. Small finger movements work best.

4. Write the trill fingering into your music so you always play it the same way and to make sure you are practicing it correctly.

5. Record yourself playing the trill and then listen back. You’ll be able to hear if your trilling is even, uneven, too slow, too fast, etc.

Sir James Galway:

Try practicing his method this week with your Flute Flips and Octave Studies. Make sure to use a mirror so you can see what your embouchure looks like and if you are doing these exercises correctly.

The most common mistakes I see:
1. Rolling In/Rolling Out to make notes go higher or lower
2. Forcing high notes out with more (or faster) air
3. The dreaded “Smiley Face” embouchure

Avoid these at all costs!! Good luck!!

This question always brings up strong opinions on the correct way to play Bb on flute. We each have our preference. My suggestion is to get outside of your comfort zone. Why not branch out and try the opposite way? If you always play scales with 1 & 1 Bb, try playing them with Thumb Bb instead. Or if you’re a Thumb Bb person, try with 1 & 1 Bb. Go slowly at first. It’s hard to change a habit you’ve had for years. Try this with F, Bb, Eb, Ab, and Db scales. (Note: You should neveruse Thumb Bb on Gb scale nor on Chromatic). See how much your technique will improve if you have more options.

Play only two octaves of the chromatic scale at a time. Start on low C and slur up two octaves to C on the second ledger line above the staff, and then immediately back down to low C. Play all slurred, all even eighth notes. Play 5 times every day, slowly at quarter note = 80-100. Work on fingers staying close to the keys and always get your best sound.

After one week, do you see improvement? I’ll bet the answer is yes.

Week 2: Play low C# and slur up two octaves to C#(second ledger line) in the same method as above.

Week 3: Play low D and slur up two octaves to D above the staff. Continue this pattern each week until you reach third space C.

After a couple of months or so, your chromatic scale will dazzle. Try speeding it up as your fingers are able to play smoothly and evenly. Also, you might vary this by proceeding to the next higher note after two or three days instead of one week. It’s up to you. Have fun!

If you have long fingers, you may find it difficult to balance the flute properly.  The right hand fingers may curve too much or even hang over the keys.  To help, check out the Solexa Thumb Port.  It snaps onto the back of the flute to provide better balance and comfort, and enhances finger agility.  They cost about $20 and can be purchased at many flute stores or online.

I recently handed out solos to my students for the Solo and Ensemble Contest. Some took the music, excitement shining through their eyes at the upcoming challenge. Others pushed their chair back, afraid the music would hurt them somehow. “That’s a lot of notes,” they told me.

So what do you do to learn a new piece? There’s no doubt it can be an overwhelming task. Learning a new solo can be like putting a puzzle together. The box has a beautiful picture full of the promise of beauty and enjoyment. But when you open the box, there are hundreds of tiny squares, all shapes and colors and you wonder if it will ever look like that box. Where do we start?

Piece by Piece.

Strategy #1:  Set Attainable Goals – If I know that I have three months to learn my solo, I need to set a goal of how much I should learn week by week in order to pace it out. Let your teacher help you set these goals if you’re not sure how to do this. Make sure your weekly goal is not too high. Otherwise, you may get frustrated if you don’t achieve it. For example, instead of saying “I’m going to learn half of my solo by Friday,” say “I’ll learn two lines of my solo by Friday.” For beginning flute players, this may be four measures by Friday.

Strategy #2:  Mark Your Music – Always mark accidentals, key signatures, and counts for difficult rhythms straight into your music. You may even want to use highlighters to color code your dynamics or other markings that you are likely to miss during the actual performance. As you are learning the piece, if you miss a note, mark it.

Strategy #3:  Break Solo into Learnable Chunks – I’ve found that if I break my solo into learnable chunks first, it’s not so overwhelming. This also includes the difficult passages. Work on them first. Many people procrastinate when it comes to learning the runs or technical passages because, let’s face it, they are the hardest parts. The problem with this approach is that runs take the longest to learn. So if you start them early on, your fingers will develop enough muscle memory to sustain you through the pressure of the actual performance.

After you learn all the pieces of your solo, then you’re ready to start piecing the chunks together. You might add two parts together, then three, etc., until you can play the entire length of your solo.

Strategy #4:  Use a Metronome – Always learn your solo under tempo. As a general rule, I teach my students to start out at half speed, and then work the tempo up slowly. Once you can play the entire solo at the slower speed, including the runs and technical passages, then you are ready to move the metronome up to the next tempo setting.

Strategy #5:  Polish Your Solo – Allow yourself a few weeks before the performance to polish the piece and perfect it. It’s during this stage that you can continue to build speed if your solo requires it, and enhance the musical elements such as style, dynamics and vibrato. This is where the musical magic takes place.

Strategy #6:  Don’t Procrastinate – There’s nothing worse than putting an entire puzzle together, only to find the last piece is missing. If you wait until the week before your solo to learn it or work on the challenging elements, you’ll be nervous when you go into perform and won’t know what’s going to come out of your flute. That beautiful picture you wanted to create in the beginning will most likely be a blurred version of the original and the musical magic will not take place.

Whatever strategies you choose to learn a solo, we have to start piece by piece until that musical image comes into view. Best of luck to you as you put together the musical puzzle of your solo.

When I first began my journey of learning to play the flute, I thought if you just played a lot, you’d magically get better. I’d spend hours playing and playing and playing – but I never went back to work on the hard parts – I’d just skip right over them. Then, when it came time for my lesson, I still couldn’t play the difficult parts. It wasn’t until many more hours of practicing that I finally figured out these secrets to practicing efficiently. And that’s when my flute playing abilities began to take off.

Secret #1
You don’t have to play the whole song every time you practice: Great musicians never practice their pieces by playing straight through the piece until they are ready to perform it. They always work to fix the problem areas first. For example, if you start at the beginning of your two page solo, read through it, then put it away, you’re only reinforcing the incorrect things: the sloppy runs, the missed notes, the incorrect rhythms, etc. It’s like practicing bad habits – they’ll never go away!

Tip: Work your music out in sections. It may begin with small section, like one or two measures, or even only one or two notes. When you practice, try learning a small chunk, say two or four measures, or anytime you struggle with a group of notes.

When you sight-read a new piece of music or a new line in your band book, do the following first:
     1. Mark any flats, sharps, natural signs throughout the section.
     2. If you are learning how to count – always write the counts below your music. As this becomes easier, you can reduce the writing in to the most difficult sections or groups of notes.
     3. Say AND Finger through the notes in rhythm. Always use a metronome!
     4. Finally, try playing that section only with a metronome.

Secret #2
You don’t have to play the entire scale every time: When I hear students play their scales, the part they struggle with the most is what I call the “Scale Pyramid.” In a two octave scale, the pyramid consists on the highest three notes played up and back down. They are always the trickiest fingering patterns, so if you practice them in a group before adding them into the scale, you’ll find those high notes aren’t as scary as they seem.

Scale Pyramid Technique:
For this example, I will use the second octave of the Ab Major Scale.
     Step 1: Use a metronome set at 80. Play the following in half notes, all slurred until you can play it smoothly with no mistakes.
               Play: High F, High G, High Ab, High G, High F
     Step 2: Gradually increase your tempo by one click on the metronome (usually three or four beats per measure), until you can play the pyramid at quarter notes = 80 with no mistakes, all slurred.
     Step 3: Increase your tempo with the metronome slowly so that you can play the pyramid in eighth notes = 80. Remember – no mistakes and all slurred.
     Step 4: Now try playing the scale and see if you’ve improved.

Note: This may take several weeks or months to work up to the eighth note tempo – it varies on length of time you have played the flute.

If you are a beginner, try this approach on lower scales, such as Eb, F, or G major. For more advanced players, try this technique with the three octave C Major scale, the B Major scale, or the full range Chromatic scale.

Secret #3
You don’t have to play fast all the time: Our brains learn at a much faster rate than our muscles. I like to use the example of training for a marathon. In order to run the race, I understand that one foot has to move front the other, back and forth for 26.2 miles. That’s the easy part. Our muscles, however, have to be conditioned through constant repetition in order to complete the task. If I don’t train purposefully and daily, I’ll never be able to run that marathon.

Learning to play fast on the flute is the same thing. When we practice our scales and arpeggios – all those pages of technique and long tones really do have a purpose. We have to train our muscle memory, which includes all of the muscles in our fingers and embouchure, plus all of those other muscles that help us breathe. When you practice slowly, you give those muscles time to remember where they need to go so that way, when you are ready to play that particular passage or run faster, you’ll be ready.

Tip: The more time you spend practicing your exercises slowly, methodically, and with a metronome, the faster you will be able to play with an amazing, beautiful sound.

When was in P.E., I understood quickly that I needed to get the basketball through the hoop. Without the purposeful practice throughout the week, I’d never be able to score the points when the game came.

Enjoy practicing and see how much time you save. Remember, always practice playing beautifully and you’ll achieve beautiful results.