 Any combination involving the 4th finger is always a bit tricky, as it's the weakest and least independent of all fingers. Here's a visualization I like to do - I think of "extending my 4th finger", imagining they're longer than they actually are, as a way to give attention. When they're tense, the fingers curl up and "become short", this is where I find myself GRABBING the flute, which is not desired. Imagining them "LONG" helps me to relax and also helps to accommodate that big stretch between the finger holes. So the next time you have a thorny passage coming up with G#s, Fnaturals etc., make that 4th finger LOOONG👌
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 I got a question regarding whether I can give any tips regarding awkward trills and trill fingerings. My thoughts:
- If you look up some baroque flute trill fingerings and wonder why some of them sound wide, it's because they were meant to be that way. They sound out of tune to our present-day ears, but for the players and listeners back then, this was an expressive aesthetic. A classic example is the F#-E trill, where you finger F# (xxx xoo o) and then trill with the right index finger and with the key closed (so finger off): xxx Txo x - There are a few more trills that are meant to be played this way. Keep in mind that things were a bit less standardized than today - musical tastes change and there were always some varied opinions about whether the key should be on or off for a fingering. Coming from the modern flute, I do tend to put my finger on the key as long as it doesn't really affect intonation greatly. E (1st and 2nd octave) is no key for me, but I do use the key for notes like G or A for better balance between the hands. - The comprehensive book by Margaret Neuhaus "The Baroque Flute Fingering Book" is unfortunately no longer in print. This is an amazing side-by-side compilation of 18th-century fingering and trill charts. You may try to find it used, or there are various websites or resources out there that give similar information. - Always shape trills, the diminuendo or backing off with the air is especially important. This will also take some edge off of the wide trills. Whether in a brilliant or sweet passage, trills should always sound effortless and letting go of the air is what will make the biggest difference. Don't feel like you need to fill the entire note value with as many notes as you can possibly squeeze in. Often in practice, two "twiddles" are enough. If it's a trill over a relatively long note, it's always good to incorporate a so-called messa di voce, which is a swelling and diminuendo in sound. You may also want to start the trill slower and then accelerate. With some practice in this way, trills will sound more refined, even the wide ones. They should be light, ornamental, but nevertheless highly expressive. These are passages from J.S. Bach's St. John Passion. We often have to play in flat keys in this piece, and should you have problems with the high Bb that it's too sharp, especially when you want to accent it, try using a kind of tonguing that's further back in the mouth to minimize the "explosion". Use a "D" and experiment with how far back you'd tongue and compare the effects. Also, a very slight nudge or "pump" of air would suffice and imagine using "warm" air rather than just sheer blowing "cold" air (the point is to decrease unnecessary pressure). There's no need to make this huge and it's more fun to be in tune with your oboe colleague.👌
Another option might be even using A#, which will be lower in pitch. It'll probably be less useful here, but keep it in mind in other places and find out what works for YOU. Everyone and every flute is different, but knowing your options and finding your solutions is what makes baroque flute playing so exciting!🥳  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.  Here's that (in)famous Nr. 26 in Bach's Christmas Oratorio III - so what's happening here is that the shepherds say to each other "Let us now go to Bethlehem to see what God has made known (the birth of Jesus)." It should show the joyful expectation of the people. The general performance tempo can vary quite a bit here and there are some very tricky passages for the flutes, which are in unison with the strings. So here are some of my tips for all flutists playing it this season, which I hope can help one or the other! - It's not a solo, but a musical backdrop that shows the excitement of the people. I personally don't think it should be super fast, but you may not have a say about that. There are many nice details in the entire passage, beautiful and surprising turns both in the harmonic and melodic material, which would be a pity to just rush and gloss over. The dynamic should be a very exciting piano, using articulation to delineate and carve out the fun shapes. Think of it like people chattering and getting ready to go to see something amazing. (perhaps also consider, the text says "go", and not "hurry" or "flee")
- Make sure to keep the air flow constant, smooth, and slow enough for sound production. Due to nerves, we can easily tense up in the throat and then the air becomes kind of "crumbly", resulting in a loss of sound and ending up with only dull-sounding articulation noise. This may be hard to control and comes with performance practice, as the air speed goes easily up when we're stressed!
- Don't forget to look up and breathe, always. |
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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