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The first
moment I play my
flute each day, I play a middle
D. And why? Because I feel that the balance of the instrument is the
best. The more fingers on the keys, the more stable the flute
will
be against your lips. From there I play to the low D
chromatically,
and to the high D in the same manner. It is not necessary to play
this at a fast tempo; in fact, it is far better to listen to the sound
of each note. If you can have access to a tuner, this exercise is
a wonderful opportunity to check out your pitch.
Please do not be
critical of
yourself or your sound during
the warm-up. If you are fortunate to be playing a lot your lips will
always be
warmed
up, but you will always need to get your body ready to play. We
have
learned this structure from sports medicine: deep breathing, shoulders
down, chin up!
If you feel
comfortable
playing scales, I have a wonderful
routine
for you. I play each scale twice in groups of fours, two times in
one breath. I play this both tongued and slurred. You will
not arrive on the top note on the beat but will need to turn around to
descend. You are practicing not only notes, but also breathing
and
rhythm. Do not use music right away because that will interfere
with
listening for what you are trying to achieve.
It is very important
not
to be stuck at your music stand,
but to
walk around the room and especially, to look outside if you can.
Remember, music is beautiful and getting into the music can be very
demanding. Always close your warm-ups with your favorite passage from a
solo or an
ensemble. Life is serious; however, our music allows us the
creativity
to enjoy.
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