We had a great session with Eve Friedman talking to people about tone development on the baroque flute! It's always refreshing to hear how somebody else explains or approaches an aspect, in addition to feeling a sense of confirmation which reminds me that I'm not just alone and weird in my thoughts and experiences😅....I certainly picked up a number of new ideas and am looking forward to trying them out, whether in teaching or in playing.

In the beginning of the talk, I summarized Eve's first section of the book, which is a summary of various treatises in terms of tone. With the slide shown above, I mentioned that early authors often weren't clear about addressing the difference between the volume of air versus the speed of air used for playing (see first three quotes). The quote from Lewis Granom though struck a bell, as it's very interesting that he uses the expression "retention" [of air]. Neither a lot of air nor fast air contribute to a beautiful, well-controlled tone. 

I'm often telling my learners to slow down with their airstream, the difference is quite significant especially if you're coming from modern flute playing. One imagery that's often helpful is also to think about using "warm air". Compare blowing warm versus cold air, and you'll find that not only the air speed slows down, you'll also naturally lower your jaw and deepen your mouth cavity, which is great for sound. The baroque flute responds so much better when using this approach, whether it's about resonance, purity, improving and stabilizing intonation...the list goes on! If this concept is new to you, do be patient with yourself and don't be surprised that you'll have to keep reminding yourself of this. This is very delicate work that only you can help yourself by constantly feeling and experiencing internally. 

Thus, I would relate to Granom's idea of "retention" as using warm air, not simply blowing, but a kind of a conscious release which uses the minimum to achieve the maximum. This inner resistance against "fast air" is often difficult when you're feeling nervous, and is also something that needs time to develop. (read my blog here about performing in high-pressure situations)
This also happens to correspond to Wilbert Hazelzet's concept of "don't play", which I know can sound so elusive at first! Part of what he means is, again, to discover a way of playing that's efficient and precise at the same time. That we avoid any unnecessary action or movement or energy. I would say though, this idea of "don't play" can also actually cause tension at first, so just keep this at the back of your mind if you're just starting out on the baroque flute. 

The following CPE Bach demonstration video wasn't made to directly address this point, but you can hear the difference between "great deal of wind" versus "retention of wind". Turn up the volume or consider using headphones. You'll hear a loud, rough sound and a softer but more resonant sound. The "retention of wind" in the second version is the type of airstream that will provide a solid foundation for a sound that's consistently pure, flexible, and in-tune. Try it out and let me know how it goes! 

Below is also the video replay of our session with Eve. 

Here's a question from one of my readers which perhaps others may find helpful.

The question is - What's up with the pluses and squiggles?😅 (Boismortier Op. 8)

The signs suggest different types of trills. The pluses tend to happen on longer note values and the squiggly lines on shorter ones. So I would interpret the squiggly lines as a shorter, quicker trill (4 notes), very superficial and played absolutely lightly (using hardly any air at all, in diminuendo). It should just sound like something fluttering in the air. For the pluses, there will be more room for a slightly longer appoggiatura (but with varying lengths depending on the instance), starting perhaps a bit slower and then getting faster as time permits, and overall a longer trill. Lentement does mean slowly, but it is still indicated in 4 (the C) so we want to feel 4 big beats.
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If you're having trouble with this rhythmically, try to see if you can feel both the big pulse as well as the 8th at the same time. The longer trills will benefit from that inner subdivision.

We are once again slowly approaching the Easter season! I thought it would be useful to share one alternate fingering which I feel is an absolute must-know for baroque flutists. Namely, the second octave B-natural fingered as such: xoo xxx x

X means the hole is closed, which means for the key, you must not press on it.

When fingering this B with the standard fingering xoo ooo o, this note can be a little flat. The alternate fingering gives a higher pitch, and also allows us to play it with very little air, which makes blending with other instruments a lot easier. Make sure to bring down the pitch somewhat (using slow air) and since it speaks very easily, it's a great fingering to enable playing pianissimo AND not worry about being flat. The B can sit relaxed on top in delicate situations.

​One such delicate situation is the opening chorus of J.S. Bach's St Matthew Passion, where the first flute part of both orchestras are in unison with the first oboe. We'll look at the bracketed passage specifically. Because of the quite exotic harmony and the presence of notes like A# and G#, this passage deserves special care in terms of intonation and sound color. It works best if you can imagine you're wrapping around the oboe sound or dissolving into it. I've found myself using the alternate fingering for all of the B's here, and sometimes also in m. 6. Practice this passage with a drone on B. If you can play it soft, well in focus, and in tune, you'll be on the good way to playing well with your oboe colleague. Your lips should feel overall soft, relaxed, and no need to squeeze or pinch. I imagine it might be similar to walking on a tight rope with much confidence. If your lips end up trembling (or also your airstream for that matter), it means that you haven't developed the necessary fine muscles yet. Be patient with yourself and just keep practicing to build up this inner strength, your body will need time to trust and internalize all this coordination between embouchure and air moderation.

I would also suggesting using Gb instead of F# when in combination with G#. (xxx oxx o, another great fingering to discuss another time!). This gives you the chance to use similar techniques for groups of notes so that you can play efficiently and not needing to adjust much. We can thus define this passage as generally needing very little air, slow air, drawing the lips forward for focus and bringing the pitch down. You may have to watch that the A# is not too low, it should suffice if you'd aim a little higher with your lips. Due to the nature of this note, keep it soft and diffused so that you're not competing with the oboe on it. It works best to just stay in the background. 

If you substitute the B natural with the regular fingering or use the regular F# along with G#, you'll have to make huge adjustments to compensate along the way, making this passage a clumsy act. We'd lose pureness, homogeneity, and flexibility in sound, which then causes difficulty to blend well with others. We always want to achieve the maximum with the minimum. 

With quick changes between the higher and lower registers, the key to this phrase is letting the air go so that we create that sense of movement. This needs to happen basically in every bar. Lighten up a bit as you play the 8th notes in kind of a bouncy staccato style, and really retract the breath as the notes go up in m. 2. The C should hardly sound and only needs a wisp of air. 

We'll also have to decide what are the various nuances within a dynamic range. The most "energetic" measures are 2 and 4, the two 16th notes really propel the music forward and up into the air. M. 2 is a leap out of our low register and m. 4 goes even higher, plus the rest gives another element of suspense. Thus m. 4 contains the most tension out of all. To create that intensification, make the D sound a little longer and do less of a diminuendo compared to the parallel note in m. 2. We'd still want to retract the breath somewhat, but at the same time there's an intensification of intention which is almost like a crescendo. Also, don't worry about "being on time" after the 8th rest - it's much desired and far more effective to let your listeners hang a bit before the music carries on. The entire sonata has this playful use of rests as a powerful expression.  Keep in mind that all this will also depend on the acoustics - you may need to lengthen notes in a dry location, or stretch the rest even longer in a resonant one. These are all nuances on the micro-level but they'll make a noticeable difference. 

To summarize, I'd say that my intention is to show how the energy bounces around in this phrase. My intention is to create suspense through the phrase and lead my listener from one place to the next. Continuing with my image from last time, each measure in this phrase is like a "strand" of water which makes up this entire waterfall. Each of them has a specific shape, but they all contribute to one form, one gesture, one story.