Something new helpful to me

[isoc]

In the 25 years since I was regularly practicing with my flute, smartphones are here, and so are apps.

I got the Android app Soundcorset tuner and metronome.

I have an older electronic metronome, that also produces a 440A, but this app has other uses.

It will measure how close I am to 440, and show me if I'm a bit sharp or flat. BUT, even more, when I play a scale,
it will let me know how I'm doing for each note! This will really help me, as I know my notes were frequently a bit off in the past.

My long-ago teacher told me that one of her students had told her that she just "wanted to get good enough that she won't
have to practice anymore."

My teacher told her that won't happen. My teacher's instructor was principal flute for the Pittsburg Symphony, and every day, the first thing he did was to play scales, slowly, and optimize each note.

Well, I won't be doing that for an hour a day, but I will need to practice!

- Ted

[Dayne]

Good thoughts. And yes you only stay as good or better if you do it regularly if not every day. You don't have to put in massive amounts of time unless you are in band or orchestra or are preparing for a concert/recital. I only play for my own personal pleasure now and don't have to stress about the time I put in. I pick it up every morning and if nothing else do some scales and play a song or two I know and enjoy. If I have more time and feel like it I work on some new stuff. It's a good friend and I like to stay in touch

[Chris Carr]

Some people will argue with my approach, but I only practice skills I need for what I need to play. I play several instruments, and I do it professionally. As an example, I play guitar with my band and my solo act. You'll never catch me practicing sweep picking, as it's not applicable to my act, and it's not what people are hiring me to do. It's a waste of my time. However, if I'm writing or learning a new tune and I don't have the chops to get it perfect on whatever instrument I'm playing for it, you'd better believe I sit down and practice that particular tune and the associated skills with that instrument until I can get up on a stage and play it perfectly with confidence.

[JustinDad]

I want to thank you for sharing this. I am using the Soundcorset app to align my tone with the correct tone, and now my embouchure is improving dramatically.

My ability to discern between minute changes in pitch has improved to a degree that would have otherwise been impossible, particularly since the embouchure that produces the most resonating sound in the room is actually quite of bit off key. I suspect this is a good way to judge the quality of a flute (eg. perfection would be to align the most resonating sound with the correct pitch).

Thanks again!