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    The Flutist's Vade Mecum
    The Flutist's Vade Mecum
    The Flutist's Vade Mecum
    Ebook89 pages54 minutes

    The Flutist's Vade Mecum

    By Edmund Raas

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    About this ebook

    To play the flute with a clear and convincing sound depends on the understanding of the physical concepts required to make the instrument sound without using undue force and applying just the right amount of physical help where needed. Edmund Raas has explored and taught these fine-points for over 60 years. Born in Switzerland, he has been influenced by
    the teachings of Emil Niosi (pupil of the great Georges Barrre), Hugo Haldemann, Jean-Pierre Rampal and Aurle Nicolet.

    Besides teaching, he had the opportunity to play solo concerti and act in many chamber music groups including Renaissance and Baroque music on period instruments. From 1977 to 2005 he also acted as first flutist in the Municipal Symphony Orchestra of So Paulo, Brazil. Since his retirement from this orchestra he is pursuing a career as composer.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherXlibris UK
    Release dateFeb 11, 2014
    ISBN9781493140985
    The Flutist's Vade Mecum

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      Book preview

      The Flutist's Vade Mecum - Edmund Raas

      The Flutist’s

      VADE MECUM

      WITH ESSENTIAL INFORMATION ON

      TONE PRODUCTION AND TECHNIQUE: PART I

      AND STYLISTIC INTERPRETATION: PART II

      by

      EDMUND RAAS

      BFA (University of Minnesota)

      Copyright © 2014 by Edmund Raas.

      Library of Congress Control Number:   2014902580

      ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-4931-4096-1

                      Softcover         978-1-4931-4097-8

                       Ebook            978-1-4931-4098-5

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

      Rev. date: 02/06/2014

      To order additional copies of this book, contact:

      Xlibris LLC

      0-800-056-3182

      www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk

      Orders@xlibrispublishing.co.uk

      521688

      TOPICS OF PART I

      Introduction

      I.   The Tone (Sound)

      II.   To Hold The Flute Correctly

      III.   Breathing And The Muscles Involved

      IV.   An Embouchure To Obtain A Noise-Free Tone

      V.   The Properties Of The Air-Stream

      VI.   Changing From The Low To The Middle Octave And Further Up

      VII.   Tone-Volume And Changes Of Volume

      VIII.   The Tongue-Attacks (Articulation) And Related Forms

      IX.   Vibrato

      X.   Accents (Emphasis, Stress)

      TOPICS OF PART II

      What Is The Purpose Of Music?

      I.   Music Of The Renaissance

      II.   The Baroque Period

      III.   Pre-Classic Or Sensitive Style

      IV.   The Classical Period

      V.   The Romantic Period

      VI.   New Music

      Final Considerations

      List Of Reference Books

      INTRODUCTION

      It has always been intriguing to me to observe the many difficulties that students encounter when learning to play the transverse flute. With the exception of this particular type of flute, all wind instruments have some intermediate device that helps to produce the sound. This device could be a single or double reed or a mouthpiece for brass-players and even constructed wind-channels for tone production as in recorders and pipe-organs. The transverse flute, instead, necessitates a refined and peculiar lip position (the embouchure) which can be the cause of a variety of difficulties if the player is not aware of what is involved to produce a pure and malleable tone.

      In writing this book of instructions, I owe much of the information you will find here to excellent flutists and teachers such as Hugo Haldemann and Aurèle Nicolet (Switzerland), Jean-Pierre Rampal (France) and Emil Niosi (USA). I am deeply grateful for the dedication of these musicians in passing their knowledge on to me. Being now retired from orchestral duties and having been involved in teaching at all levels, from the beginner to the professional, I feel that it is a pleasure and an obligation to pass on the observations and conclusions I gained as a life-long teacher.

      If my observations are useful to help overcoming difficulties that may arise in the process of learning to play the flute, it will fulfill my aspiration and give me deep satisfaction.

      At this point I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Gisela Vief and Mrs. Lore Tomas-Pittet for their help and dedication in giving editing advice. I also thank Mrs. Bea Steiger for her patience in posing for the pictures.

      I

      THE TONE (SOUND)

      Music is made-up of different types of tones:

      -   long and short ones (= duration)

      -   loud and soft ones (= volume)

      -   high and low ones (= tonal extension/compass/pitch)

      -   with aggressive or mild attacks (tonguing)

      -   with straight or vibrating tonal emission (expression)

      -   with mellow tonal characteristic (dolce) or dark colored sound (espressivo)

      and every imaginable combination of the above.

      All of these tonal manifestations depend on the vibration of air-molecules that are being excited in your instrument and being transmitted to your and/or the listener’s ears. These vibrations are being decoded in your inner ear to reach your brain where they are being perceived as sound or noise.

      Our task is to find out what the instrument (your flute) absolutely needs in order to produce all these afore-mentioned varieties of tones. It is important that you realize that your instrument needs to be explored to find out how it will respond and not that you try to impose your will and physical force on it. The latter, without fail, is going to produce an unsatisfactory tonal result and will hamper the fluency and subtlety of your musical expression.

      II

      TO HOLD THE FLUTE CORRECTLY

      One of the most important aspects of holding the flute is to avoid physical tension—tension is the flute player’s worst enemy. In order to be able to play the flute with a maximum of comfort, we need to find a way to position our body so as to permit ease of breathing, economy of muscular activity, and flexibility of finger movement. This will ensure fluent and effortless playing results.

      First we analyze our body

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