The Flute Blog

  • Memorisation

    A blog on playing from memory! An excellent skill to develop with many benefits. Incentive Memorising a piece of music, a speech or poem is something that has obvious benefits, but often scares people as it takes away the comfort of having a script or score. I remember my primary (junior) school made all of…

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  • NFA 2019 Newly Published Music Competition Winners

    It’s that time of year again and the results of the 2019 National Flute Association Newly Published Music Competition are in! Here is our annual run-down of the winning titles by category. Flute Choir Winners Alexandra Molnar-Suhajda: Paths of Deeper Gold (Alry Publications) Editor’s Choice: Paths of Deeper Gold uses the large forces of a flute…

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  • Tonguing tips

    Here are some of my thoughts on tonguing, with some exercises and information about the tongue itself. Tone The first step is to get the tongued notes as clear and full as one does without the tongue. It’s all about the airstream and not letting the tongue affect how the air travels out of the…

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  • Haynes Flute Serial Numbers

    This list is not completely accurate, as Haynes serial numbers are not necessarily in chronological order. For example, serial number 50,000 should have been made in 1995, but was actually made in 1988. As such, use this chart as a very rough guide only – if you need accurate information, contact Haynes directly. Serial Number…

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  • Woman playing piccolo

    So you want to be a piccolo player?

    Buying a piccolo is so exciting! It may be small in size but it is a powerful instrument, and eventually, you will be able to dominate everything! It can also be a very beautiful instrument and – in the right hands – an utterly magical one.

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  • Practising Scales

    For some people, the mere mention of “scales” leaves them feeling depressed, anxious or just confused! But since music is made up of scales and arpeggios, we should feel comfortable with them. Whenever I teach or play scales, I think it’s important to have a clear idea of why you are playing them. So why practise…

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  • Chaminade Concertino – Practice Tips

    Following on from my Taffanel blog, here is a practice guide for another great French work: Chaminade’s Concertino. This piece is played a lot, but quite often with some important details overlooked. As I say to my students, “don’t be an overlooker”! I will also give some tips for practising some of the tricky passages.…

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  • Louis Lot Flute Serial Numbers

    Below is a list of the serial numbers of flutes produced by the great French flute maker Louis Lot. From 1887, metal flutes were given even serial numbers, while wood flutes had odd numbers. There are no records of wood flute serial numbers after 1891. Metal Flutes Serial Number(end of year) Year of Manufacture 72…

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  • Taffanel’s Andante Pastoral et Scherzettino: A practice guide

    Taffanel’s Andante Pastoral et Scherzettino is a gem in the French flute repertoire and one of my favourites. Indeed, I played this piece for my entrance exam at the Royal Academy of Music and I fortunately got in! It’s a piece full of technical challenges, written as a test piece for the concours at the…

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  • How to organise a flute event

    Flute events can be a great way to bring together flute-loving people in your community, or from further afield. As an organiser of several masterclasses, workshops and concerts, I thought I’d share how I usually go about organising such events, which might give you some ideas. When I was a student at Royal Academy of…

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