After the 2024 NFA competition

What made this year's NFA Convention quite special was that I was asked to judge the Baroque Flute Artist Competition, a competition in which I've also taken part back in the days! I felt honored and although I've also judged in previous competitions, this was the first time that I heard people live. Being in the same room, seeing flutists perform and recalling those emotions which I know so well felt very different than judging a recording.

I feel compelled to write this post to reach out to everyone who played in the semifinal and final rounds. I'd like to take people into my thoughts and talk about some of the common challenges that we face when performing in a pressured situation, perhaps people may find one suggestion or the other helpful. This post is written out of my own wishes and represents only my views. 

Playing the baroque flute requires an incredible amount of nuanced technique in handling the breath. We have to create our own resonance on an instrument which can't take much air and air pressure. I always tell my learners to use a slow, “warm” air that simply activates the instrument just enough to sound and not more than necessary. This is, of course, such a challenge when we're under high pressure – the nerves kick in and maintaining a slow, steady airstream may feel next to impossible. It would be so much easier to just blow! But the baroque flute is about resonance, not loudness. And even if you're thinking about loudness, you'd still have to start with resonance first. 

Also, we don't typically use vibrato and taking care of notes like F natural or G# demand a very particular kind of airstream. Any unevenness in sound (in the negative sense) is quite noticeable. Again when our nerves get the better of us, when we're unable to maintain that slow air to create a “glow” in the sound, everything sounds a little dull and fuzzy and it's very hard to be expressive with this type of tone quality. Articulation, dynamics, intonation, phrasing (everything?!) – they all depend on a specifically centered, supple sound that gives us the technique and flexibility to play expressively. 

Another common challenge is playing in a space with dry acoustics. One problem is that everything can easily sound kind of the same in such conditions. Also, any unevenness or impurity in the sound will be immediately reflected back to us. We then get a little uneasy with that feedback. We stress and it becomes harder to maintain the proper airstream. There can be a variety of issues that robs our resonance, but we keep feeling like we need to do more to be expressive. Ultimately, the whole thing becomes a vicious circle, as the baroque flute cannot take much pressure before the sound cracks, gets disrupted, or intonation goes awry. I've been there so many times so I'd like to suggest something which may seem counter intuitive at first – create expressive contrasts in the soft dynamic range. People will listen differently and a concentrated, attentive piano is more advantageous and effective in such a space.

Keeping these sound issues in mind will ultimately make you a better flutist, competition or not. Really listen and observe your airstream in practice, see if you can use an even slower air to achieve the same result, perhaps also less air. In all aspects of your technique, can you play USING THE MINIMUM TO ACHIEVE THE MAXIMUM? Are you aware of the super fine muscles of your embouchure to bring more center and brilliance to your sound? (again, work with resonance, not loudness). 

We only need a SLIGHTLY faster airstream to play the higher register, so be careful to not overshoot. Again, this happens super easily when we're under stress. And for me, I get stressed even more when I hear my own sharp and scratchy high notes while performing!!😅 To combat that, I like to “think low as I go high”. Lower your lower jaw, open your nostrils, use the slowest air possible....again, use the minimum to achieve the maximum.

Another tip I'd like to offer is something regarding tempo. It's natural to play a little faster when we get nervous. Or maybe a lot faster, to the point that we lose control. All perfectly human. When studying a piece, how about finding ways to bring spirit and liveliness through other means first, and consider tempo as the very last element? Remember that tempo in itself doesn't express much, and what we learned in our young modern years as “tempo indications” were originally indications of affect. Can you show joy with your articulation? How can you let the audience hear and understand that peculiar phrase? And even in fast passages - can you find deepness in them and produce a SINGING VIRTUOSITY? (a concept I learned from Wilbert Hazelzet) Remember also baroque music is about changing affects - are you giving yourself (and the listener) enough space for showing those wonderful changes, or does it feel like the notes are just flying by? 

Speaking of which, not only does the technique of stopping the sound between notes work wonders by making your articulation lively and expressive, it'll also help you slow down and gain security in fast passages. For me, that's a must-have multivitamin.

​It's impossible to cover all grounds, but I'd like to get this out to people while the experience is still fresh. I hope by thinking and working through these concepts, you'll acquire some helpful tools. See if you can get to that place of being where you're able to observe yourself while performing. Direct yourself gently to slow down that air. Go for resonance. Slow down your fingers (and slow down more than you think!), use articulation to help you stay grounded. Keep your air going and going “long” to resist it from getting "shorter" (again due to nerves). And besides all this playing technique - stay in the music! No matter what happens (and often it isn't as bad as you may perceive it), keep telling the story and immerse yourself in your interpretation. That'll help keep you away from distractive thoughts which can make you fall. 

Feel free to ask questions, start a conversation thread here, or write to me directly. Others may just be thinking what you're thinking!

We all keep trying, keep refining, keep PLAYING.