Category: Flying Lessons

"Burn the house down"

10/16/2016

We mixed things up with our singing and playing routine by doing arpeggios instead of straight scales. #gettingcray Then Robert played three of his pieces for us and talked through them a bit: Fish are Jumping, Air is the Heaviest Metal, and Lookout! They can easily fit together as a set, though Robert did not mean to write a set initially. Distinct rock, jazz, and blues characteristics are shown in each piece. Related to blues, we also discussed 12-bar blues and the harmonic patterns that are usually found in them. Robert encouraged listening to old school blues (like Bessie Smith) in layers in order to figure out the chart and to better inform improvisation. We also talked about the different scales that are great for improvisation. Robert suggested the octatonic (alternating whole and half steps) or a major scale with a lowered seventh.

Within the Karg-Elert op. 107 Studies, we focused on nos. 14 and 16. Articulation (read “French style tonguing”) was of course a key point with these two studies, but my biggest takeaway personally was the need to look ahead more in the music. This is something that’s very true for me overall, as I tend to fixate on each note/moment as it’s happening, rather than doing that while also anticipating what’s to come. Robert’s elegant method of executing this practice of looking ahead was to block off a measure at a time with his thumb while I was playing. It was effective, though admittedly somewhat clumsy on my part. Specifically with no. 14, we talked about the illusion of time and the practical ways we can manipulate its perception.

#ArrestedDevelopment

For example, for the chromatic scale in m. 4, we can alter the articulation style gradually throughout the measure to give the appearance of either speeding up or slowing down, depending on your preference, while still remaining in tempo. In this case, gradually using a more legato articulation will give the illusion of slowing down, while using more separation will seem to be speeding up. Yay for using subtlety effectively!

We reviewed Flying Lessons 3 once more, and Robert lent us disconnected lip plates to practice tongue stops with a mirror to make sure we’re getting the tongue position right to completely seal the hole. We started on Flying Lessons 4, going over a few techniques found there, such as the residual tone. To achieve a residual tone, one should roll the flute out enough that the back of the lip plate is more exposed while also “snarling” with the front lip to bring it up and over. It’s almost like the goal is to hit the back ridge of the tone hole with the air.

Other things:
- Robert has (and played) a nose flute; I had no idea that was a real thing
- Joe fixed my window! It was slightly open at the top, but now it is not. And it makes things SO MUCH QUIETER
- I went to see the band Re:Groove and they were kickin’

Until next time!

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“You don’t have to be a great singer to pretend to be a great singer”

10/10/2016

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Singing Day!

Vocalist Emily Eagen joined us for class to talk more about singing, since that’s a skill so connected to our flute playing. We started with physical warm ups, mostly stretching with our hands overhead to lift the rib cage and encourage that upward length. Beginning with some purely speaking exercises to get the energy going for projection, Emily then led us in some vocal warm ups, accompanying the singing with physical gestures and movement to better connect with the voice. We talked about keeping the ribs expanded when singing/exhaling, just like we do in our flute playing. A fun portion was when we sang a round; we started by echoing Emily, then singing together, then doing the round in pairs, then as individuals, and finally in a hocket style with each of us singing one single pitch (this last part was deceivingly difficult).

Emily also shared about the balance between upward and downward tensions; for example, when singing an ascending glissando, we would move our hands down and think of “lowness”, which is something I’ve often heard in regards to flute playing. It’s a helpful visual (and physical movement) to maintain a full, unstrained tone for high pitches. This also was discussed in reference to chest and head voice and moving between the two. An analogy Emily made was about milk and coffee: the head voice is milk and the chest voice is coffee, but you always have at least one drop of milk in your coffee or one drop of coffee in your milk. Another visual is to think of your body as an elevator shaft; the space remains open even when the elevator isn’t on a specific level, with the levels here referring to the head or chest voice.

I played Flying Lessons 3 for Emily since it has some singing and playing. Her most helpful comment was to create more mystery between singing and playing, to strive to play and sing in a more melded fashion. Practically, I was able to better achieve this by changing the vowel sound in my mouth, but not moving my lips to reflect that vowel sound. It was a vast difference in sound and color possibilities.

Playing for Emily. Check out those socks.

Emily is also a fantastic whistler, and so we briefly discussed whistling. She said she usually places the tongue behind front bottom teeth to create a slide, if you will, funneling the air through to the lips.

Other things:
- My Saturday morning alarm was a band across the street playing upbeat polka/jazz music as part of a marathon
- I got to explore rainy Manhattan with flute friends Allison and Yeji from Boston University; we walked through Central Park, had pizza, and saw Gustavo Dudamel conduct the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela playing Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie at Carnegie Hall. I guess we did all right
- I bought some hand sanitizer because the combination of flu season and subways make me nervous
- Made my own French fries (to go with a black bean burger recipe) and they turned out surprisingly good #garlicsalt

Until next time!

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“If you’re open, lessons are everywhere.”

10/5/2016

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Robert has been testing and approving glissando headjoints, and so we got to play on one. The headjoint does not make the flute a transposing instrument, but it does allow for many different styles of playing. Plus it's just generally awesome. We also played on some old flutes that have been lovingly restored.

Of course singing and playing is a topic we continue to visit in class. We worked through a standard Taffanel and Gaubert exercise, playing an ascending pattern and singing the descending pattern. This practice requires anticipating the pitches that are to come, but also knowing which octave to sing in for your vocal range. While doing this, Robert brought up the idea of mentally placing yourself in a concert hall with an audience of your biggest fans when you’re practicing. This exercise not only encourages a big sound, but it helps overlap some of the mentality between practicing and performing.

Continuing with the Karg-Elert Op. 107 studies, we talked through 14 and 16. Number 14 is a great etude to practice French tonguing. The forward tongue combined with high “umlaut” vowels accommodate quick staccato passages quite nicely, which is exactly what 14 is. The French tonguing may also be combined with the more American low “ah/aw” vowels for legato notes. (If the high vowel shapes are maintained outside of staccato settings, the resulting sound may be wiry.) Number 16 is great practice for the different tongue and vowel combinations. And, of course, using the abs as support behind the sound and tonguing is key. When the tonguing is too quick to give a full ab burst for each note, it is steady ab support that works best.

Robert showed us his transcriptions of two Paganini caprices. He talked a bit about his process of arranging the pieces for flute and he also played through them for us. He shared that some of the multiphonics require very intentional throat tuning so as to not add “crunch” to the harmonic language.

Our main repertoire focus for the day was Flying Lessons 3. The first line of the second page starts with key clicks. For the most projection, initiate the action from the wrist. Related, check out Jim Schmidt's gold flute pads; they’re an investment, but Robert says they last forever (even with the amount of contemporary playing he does). Continuing through Flying Lessons 3, following the key clicks there are two large-interval multiphonics. For the Bb and F set, it works best for me if I focus on playing a loud Bb (the lower pitch) and letting the overtone F appear from that. That isn’t always consistent for me though, and in those moments, Robert suggested rolling my bottom lip out while bringing my top lip down to better focus the air stream. There are more large-interval multiphonics in the second line of the second page; the same technique of striving for a loud dynamic on the bottom note combined with the indicated fingerings will achieve the desired “fast beats” effect. On the other end of the spectrum are the small-interval multiphonics, such as the one at the end of the second line on this page. For this kind of multiphonic, maintain a steady air stream and roll the flute in/out to find both pitches. (Robert has a video explaining different multiphonics types.)

The last line of Flying Lessons 3 is harmonics over singing a single pitch. My “sfff” for the last phrase wasn’t exactly wow-worthy, so that became a teaching moment. Robert basically told me not to settle for what I may consider my “acceptable” sound; I should go for the extremes! It struck me as the type of thing that should be applied to life outside of flute playing. So, take that and run (or prancercise), if you’d like.

A political discussion also occurred. Thanks for the weirdest election ever, America.

Other things:
- Thanks to two care packages, I now have over 50 granola bars in the apartment
- I dropped off my laundry like a real New Yorker
- Ichi (the cat) consistently hangs out with us now!
- I had a very successful printing experience at a UPS store (after the Staples fiasco, this is worth mentioning)
- I walked by a Harry Potter table/display at Barnes and Noble AND DIDN’T BUY ANYTHING

Until next time!

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Shooting cigars out of your flute (literally)

10/1/2016

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Well, if you want a good vocal warm up, there’s nothing like singing and playing the entire range of the flute. It turns out that remembering which octave you’re playing in is surprisingly difficult. But it’s a good exercise! And that’s how we started class.

We also did a good bit of listening. First up was a recording of Julius Baker playing Bach. I believe Robert said Baker made the recording himself in his living room. It was recorded before the Baroque “revival,” but it was still stellar. That sound. It turns out that Baker had a vocal coach, which Robert believes contributed to his beautiful flute tone. (Related, if any vocalists out there want to barter some voice lessons for flute lessons/dance parties, let me know.)

After another Baker recording where he showed off his tonguing speed, we moved onto an Indian raga played by Pannalal Ghosh, who popularized the flute in Hindustani classical music. That led into a discussion of practicing/improvising over drones. Robert uses rolls of coins to sustain pitches on his Casio keyboard, creating an open fifth drone (proof that the ACU difference is alive and well. #exceptional #innovative #real). He also showed us The Raga Guide (by Nimbus Records). I mean, talk about a resource! I’ll be putting this on my “things it’d be nice to have once I have money to spend on something other than food” list. Discussing ragas meant we talked about sliding between notes and using non-traditional fingerings for micro-tonal tuning, which segued nicely into other extended techniques, conveniently found in…

Flying Lessons 3! This piece is my favorite of the set thus far. The first note is a tongue stop, so we talked about those and jet whistles for a bit. Robert told us a story from his adolescent jet whistle air days. He had found a cigar that fit perfectly into his flute, and after practicing launching it out of the flute, he shot the cigar at the conductor in a rehearsal. I enjoy imagining this scene. And also the practice that went into it.
But back to the music. There is a “sonic oasis” moment on the first page that reminds me of Maslanka harmonies and sonorities. I had no idea flute multiphonics could be so wonderful in succession. Again, Robert’s DVD set is a great resource for these pieces in the Flying Lessons set.

And then came the big dog. We started on the Berio Sequenza I! As one of the staples in the flute repertoire, there is no shortage of articles and resources about the piece. Again, listening to other pieces by Berio is necessary for understanding his style; Robert suggests the Sequenza III for voice, the Sinfonia, and Omaggio a Joyce for voice and tape. I actually read the Molly Bloom soliloquy from James Joyce’s Ulysses, and it does help to see the influences Berio was taking in.

To start on the Sequenza, we scatted the first few lines. Concerning the proportional notation, I find it helpful to imagine the scrolling bar that shows up in playback of Finale files. I picture this while scatting, and also while playing. Robert encouraged great contrast and freedom in learning the rhythms away from the flute. We even “meowed” the beginning. (We specifically meowed instead of barking. And then Robert shared that dogs bark on the inhale. I honestly had no idea. I’m learning so much.) The potential lies in the extremes of the piece, and dynamic changes (in addition to the register jumps) contribute strongly to that. And that’s something that should be reflected in the scatting process. We started playing on the flute as well, focusing on an intense sound paired with untongued attacks of the notes. Talk about an ab workout.

Non-flute things:
- Ichi (Joe’s cat) came out of his room today while I was there!!! I haven’t seen Ichi willingly outside of Joe’s room since he arrived a month ago. Yay for progress and yay for furry friends!
- I’m looking at musicology PhD programs; there’s some great stuff out there.
- Joe fixed our living room ceiling fan so that the light can be on WITHOUT the fan blasting air on you. This is great news because...
- Fall has fallen!!! I wore a hat to the grocery store to keep my ears warm. AUTUMN. IT’S HAPPENING.

Until next time!

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"Burn the house down"

“You don’t have to be a great singer to pretend to be a great singer”

“If you’re open, lessons are everywhere.”

Shooting cigars out of your flute (literally)

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