General Music Chat

Ah, Mary, I love that guy so much that I named my son "Ian!"

I could never play the flute...how can ya see your hands when you're starting out? Plus, I got these REALLY big lips that just get in the way of everything.

Hey, I have big lovely lips...after all, I am Black. You just learn where to put them so that they accentuate your tone. Also, in Ian's younger years, he was completely self taught. He got the concept of his style from a jazz flutist named ( I have to look up the name ).I decided to take lessons in his older years. There is a big article in a flute magazine that I subscribe to. So cool to see him represent.

Do you look at your fingers when you play guitar? Does a drummer look at his hands when he plays the drums? On the flute, your fingers are actually just moving up and down. And students do have a hard time moving their fingers without looking at them. So, I will make them finger a note without looking at their hands. They put their fingers down, ever so slowly, and I will move them around if I need to. Fingers go to the same keys, believe it or not. They do not move to other keys, usually. by the time you learn about other keys that require minute changes in fingerings, you are so accustomed to where your fingers go that the other keys do not phase you. I also tell them that there is no law written anywhere that says that you must read the music as you play it. Get off the page and finger the notes that you have learned. I do this for 2 reasons...1. I want them to know these notes mentally. 2. I want them to have the ability to trust the force..

I love the flute and I try very hard not to allow my students to become classical snobs. Becoming a snob weakens you. I have a few friends who have taken some jazz courses who are absolutely terrified of using the grey matter between their ears to improvise. They are so afriad of playing wrong notes that they won't explore their own ability. I have a freind like that now who is doing jazz at my alma mater. I am going to her class Monday to give hre some support and encouragement.

http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=II93eZ-54hI

Black 57,
Here's a link to The Blues Project's "Flute Thing"
enjoy
Howlin"

http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=A_ZSSkMzS5E

P.S. I thought I'd add another of my favorite flute tunes.
You probably are already familiar with it
Syrinx Debussy (Wouldn't hurt for the rest of y'all to partake in a little high brow music once in awhile, if only to expand your horizons).

enjoy again,
Howlin'

Hey, thanks for that. I loved both thingies. I could arrange "Flute Thing" for flute choir for the recital next year. I was asked to teach jazz at the learning center. This could be something featuerd. Also, I have performed Syrinx and I found an arrangement that pays homage to Syrinx called Jazzy Syrinx which has piano accompaniment> I plan to play that for the Philharmonc ladies in an early Spring concert.


Oh, I met James Galway, in the Syrinx clip, at a concert for the late Henry Mancini ( of Ohio BTW ). How that came to be, I had a student who had the fortune to be chosen to play the benefit concert with him. It was a very proud moment for me, I must say.

Did you guys know that Metallica re-did some of their music with the San Francisco Philharmonic? The CD was released in 2000 ish. The conductor in this video is also the arranger, Michael Kamen who died a few years later. Just so us classically trained, rocker wannabees can also expand our horizons. This was a double CD. I play it loud, in my car on my way to my flute classes.

enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erPnyi90 ... F8&index=6

And just so you know...and I am sure you are all wonderin' this is a rock waltz. Just like Hendrix's Manic Depression.