The Flute Blog
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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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“What Should I be Practising?”
Learning the flute (or any musical instrument) is not always a smooth process of steady improvement. We all learn in different ways with our own strengths and weaknesses, so there will be times when things can get frustrating if one feels they are not improving as much as they would like. Other factors also affect…
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Tips on Andersen Etudes: Op15, No. 3
This is probably everyone’s favourite étude – it is certainly the one that gets performed the most outside of the practice room. It’s a triplet tour de force without any breaks, but it also has a very beautiful melodic quality. Find the Skeleton If we take away all the decoration and leave the “skeleton” of…
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How to Start a Beginner Flute Ensemble
Whether you are a novice in charge of your first flute choir, or you are a veteran and have run many ensembles, choosing music for that all-important first rehearsal is a daunting task at any level – but when planning for a beginner ensemble it is even more important to hit the ground running. Picking…
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Idyll – The English Flute Unheard
An Introduction to the Repertoire When my pianist Oliver Davies and I started researching suitable repertoire to include on our album “Idyll”, we had no idea how much of interest we would find across a huge range of styles and eras. The only proviso was that the composers had a connection with the Royal College of…
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Flute Tutor Books – Recommendations 2018
The market for flute tutor books is crowded and often bewildering. Chris Hankin picks out three modern books which are all written by flute players.
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NFA 2018 Newly Published Flute Music Competition Winners
The results of the 2018 National Flute Association Newly Published Music Competition are in! Here’s the run-down of the winning titles by category. Flute and Piano Winner Georg Philipp Telemann – Sonata for Flute and Basso Continuo, TWV 41:h4 (Wiener Urtext Edition) Telemann’s Sonata (Solo) for transverse flute and basso continuo comes from his ‘Tafelmusik’…
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Exploring the new ABRSM 2018 Flute Syllabus: Grade 8
Grade 8: The Penultimate Grade Blog snapshot – my recommendations at a glance! Muller: Concerto in E minor Op 19 John Ranish: Sonata in A minor Nineteenth Century Italian Music for Flute and Piano Romantic Miniatures Book 2 Albeniz arr Hedges: Sevilla Paul Lewis: Serenade Populaire Edward Gregson: Aztec Dances Christopher Ball: Invocations of Pan…
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Exploring the new ABRSM flute syllabus 2018: Grade 7
Blog snapshot – my recommendations at a glance! Giuseppe Rabboni: Sonata No 4 in D major from Sonatas for Flute and Piano Telemann: Sonata in G major Frederick the Great: Allegro from Sonata in B flat Spitta No 76. Serini: Andantino grazioso and Allegro assai from Sonata No 1 in D major Gluck arr Boehm: …
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Exploring the new ABRSM flute syllabus 2018: Grade 6
Blog snapshot – my recommendations at a glance! Drouet: Allegro Moderato from Sonata in A minor (Three Little Sonatas) Giuseppe Rabboni: Sonata No 8 in C major from Sonatas for Flute and Piano Vivace: Allegro from Concerto in D major RV783 Gaubert: Madrigal Andy Scott: And Everything is Still John Frith: Arabesque Paul Lewis: Lullaby…