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Here's a breathing exercise which I learned in my very young years when I first started out playing the flute. It'll train stability and longevity in your airstream, and train your body muscles for a type of controlled breathing which we don't normally do in daily life, but necessary in flute playing. It's also a great way to relax and to remove nervousness in the body. I recommend this to all levels of players.
You can either count or have a metronome beating at 60. (I prefer to use a metronome, that way I can totally concentrate on just the breathing aspect, but it's also great to do this while on a bus or waiting in line anywhere without a metronome!) 1. Breathe over a certain number of beats. Be careful to start easy if you're not sure where you are in terms of physical fitness. This exercise can tire one out, especially as we lengthen the number of beats. Perhaps start at around 5 beats and observe how you feel after each round. 2. Hold your breath over that same number of beats. Make sure you don't close or clamp on your throat. 3. Breathe out over that same number of beats. You can also form a embouchure as if you're playing flute. 4. Hold your breath again over that same number of beats. This completes one round. Repeat a couple of rounds, always observing yourself and stop if you feel uncomfortable in any way. When this number of beats becomes rather easy for you, increase it by one and continue forward. But also, reduce the number of beats if need be! The point is to develop from whatever level you're at. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
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 Here's a screenshot from my last workshop where I was explaining one of my favorite passages in the Corelli Allegro. The key here is not to gloss over the 16th notes with a fast tempo, but take the moment to have fun with sculpting the notes with varied articulation.
In this particular passage, we see two different types of passages. In the first line last bar and ongoing, the 16ths indicate a passage where we're moving by harmony and not by melody. In this case, we'll want to use a gentle "tu-ru" and not clipping the notes too short. This is to create an acoustical effect which imitates the arpeggiation on a violin and is most suitable here. We want to refrain from focusing on individual notes, but rather on the movement in harmony which requires focusing on groups of notes. In the last two bars of the second line, I show how the pattern suddenly breaks up with the leap up to G2 and then something new starts. Here, we can create a sense of swing in this gesture by clipping the G2 short, almost dotting it before going on to the rest. In the last bar, try to accentuate slightly on the little off-beat notes to further create a cheeky, playful gesture. (g C# d / F# e / D c# / E d). Here, you'll want to clip the last note of each group. With practice, it is possible to create this space and expression even within a fast tempo. However, our intention needs to be discovering and creating these fun gestures and not aiming for speed. Speed is only one of many tools in the service of expression! In this way, it makes playing fun for YOU as the player. Many players starting out often feel overwhelmed by the myriad of traverso models available, not knowing how to invest in one's first or next instrument. There are so many great makers making all different models of flutes now, and that is truly a wonderful thing! Resin or composite materials aside, if you're thinking about investing in a wooden traverso, here are some of my thoughts on the choice of models and wood types:
- Since flute makers back then made instruments according to the time that they lived in, the instruments will always reflect the current musical fashion and tastes of its time. Combining that also with personal preferences and playing technique, there will be hardly an instrument that's "perfect". This is most challenging for people starting out, and I get it. I usually advise people that, if you're not especially in a hurry, to just try as many different flutes by different makers as you can. Often times early music festivals are a great place for that with their instrument exhibitions. Many traverso makers exhibit at places like Utrecht, London, Boston, or also smaller festivals like Bad Kissingen or Regensburg (EVEN at the National Flute Association's Convention, plus for sure many others which I just can't think of right now!), and it's just a great way to try flutes back to back to get good comparisons. Also, makers will often have flutes directly for sale at the exhibition, so you'd be sure to get the instrument that you tried. Make a trip out of it, enjoy all the exciting concerts and programs, and hopefully pick up your next dream flute that way! - Irrespective of your playing level, you'll get a sense of two things when trying out instruments - how the flute sounds and how it feels to play it. You have to like BOTH OF THESE criteria in order for the flute to be a truly good fit for you. I understand it might be difficult, but try to set aside any pre-notions such as the popularity of a model or what you hear other people say. The flute has to work for YOU. - Most people hope to, understandably, have an instrument which can play a wide range of repertoire. If you're looking for a baroque flute, keep in mind that flutes from the earlier part of the 18th century will tend to favor the lower and middle register, whereas later flutes will have a stronger, "easier" upper register. However, an earlier flute should still allow you to play solidly up to E3, and the few notes above that may require a bit of technical finesse and know-how. I see that as actually a GOOD THING for our technical development, and often times this slight trade-off is really worth it because you'll have a flute which is truly representative of its time, and there's tremendous satisfaction to be gained from that. Realistically speaking, those few upper notes will hardly be encountered in much of the repertoire, and we will only deepen our flute-playing skills by learning from these instruments. - A related aspect is, of course, what's the purpose of acquiring a traverso. There are so many possible reasons, think about what's realistic in your case and which flute will serve that purpose best. - A personal suggestion I'd like to offer is, say if you want to have that mellow warmness of an earlier flute but still have a certain brilliancy, inquire whether the model can be made with ebony or grenadilla. Most of these earlier flutes exist originally in boxwood, but there are some which also exist in other woods, or that the maker offers to make it as such. However, be aware that ebony tends to crack, and we seem to be in a time where it's very difficult to find good-quality ebony these days. BUT ABOVE ALL, it's IMPORTANT THAT YOU TRY THE FLUTE YOURSELF FIRST and make your own judgement! These heavier woods will have more resistance compared to boxwood and not everyone likes that either. For low-pitch flutes like a Hotteterre and others, I actually find that boxwood again is more suitable (for me!) to counter balance the low pitch (392 or 400 etc.) with flexibility and ease of play.  In my recent interview with Eva Legêne, we mentioned the drawings of Charles Le Brun illustrating the "passions of the soul".
This is a great way to understand the concept of affect in music, baroque or otherwise. When we play music according to an affect or emotion, every interpretive decision will be based on delivering just that, whether in terms of articulation, dynamics, sound color etc. And this is just like in drawing or painting, every stroke of the brush/pen/pencil will be in service of showing that particular expression. Notice the shadows, the lines of the face muscles, the eyes....nothing is just random! For those interested in seeing more of those highly expressive drawings, you can view them HERE. (leads to the scan of Le Brun's book "Méthode pour apprendre à dessiner les passions", hosted by the Digital Library of Munich, MDZ. Follow link to view or download).
Let me see if I can describe an ideal way of sound production: Instead of thinking about flute-playing as BLOWING air into the instrument, imagine it as being able to freely RELEASE and REGULATE the flow of water from a faucet. Sometimes a bit more water is flowing, sometimes less. It can be a very strong flow, but we mostly want to avoid having too much water that it's splashing out from the edge of the faucet. That's like having the noise around our sound. And a slender flow is highly concentrated, precise, and attracts a lot of attention in a quiet way. It's about moulding and working with energy and not simply putting out energy. Here's a demonstration video I did for someone's lesson, with Boismortier's G major Prelude from his Op. 35. For specific purposes, I've played it quite slowly and at times very deliberately, so this is not exactly how I'd play it in a performance. It was also done first thing in the morning without warming up! But I thought of using this clip to show the effect of freely "adjusting the water faucet". This is especially important as we have all these intricate ornamentation, strings of little notes which need to sound light and subtle, but nevertheless with shape and form. It's not just about playing piano - we need to get ourselves to a specific way of tone production, and it's not blowing. If blowing can be compared to holding on to an edge of a canyon, then we should try to let go so that the descending little notes feel like a gentle free fall, only catching ourselves again at the next point to gain control for the next passage, and the process repeats itself over and over. Imagine internally around your inner abdomen area to gently release or let go of the air. I say gently because of course you can't let go completely, otherwise everything will just collapse and that's when it'll sound like the faucet is way too open. Signs for that will be too fast of an airstream, embouchure not focused or precise enough, noisy sound and poor tone quality etc... At first it'll feel like you're losing control and may feel uncomfortable. Your lips or anywhere else in your body may tremble, and you might be inclined to go back to the way you're used to playing because it'll feel like you'd have better control that way. But just keep doing it, take the time to let your body acquire the muscles and strength to produce sound in this way. Keep observing internally and listening to your sound. Practice in short segments of a piece of music, and/or practice long tones at a moderate tempo with messa di voce (crescendo & decrescendo). Using a drone in the background can also help create that "floating" sensation and a more enjoyable acoustic. There are many possibilities, you may want to start with either the note itself, the octave, or the 3rd or 5th (above or below the note). Can you achieve the maximum with the minimum? Does it feel like your air flows naturally and freely or do you feel like you're generating a force and pushing through the instrument? Can you create the difference between blowing and releasing? These are all very subtle observations, like holding a mirror to look inside yourself, but make absolutely a great difference in sound and musical expression. It's not easy to put this into words, but I hope you can give it a try and let me know how it goes! |
ABOUT THE BLOG:I got inspired to document my own observations in flute-playing and music-making. Also, I thought it's important to pass on the teachings of the great Wilbert Hazelzet, as well as many other mentors who have influenced my artistic visions one way or the other. Enjoy this potpourri of tips, inspirations, and musings. ✨CONTRIBUTE!✨Yes I love the writing that I do! If you love them as well, how about consider showing your appreciation with a personal contribution? 
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