Music/Book suggestion for RE-learning flute

JustBreathe · Post by **JustBreathe** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:49 am

Hi, I played the flute in grade school through high school, but that was 20 years ago. I am interested in picking up flute playing again just as a hobby. I'm sure I will have to teach myself to read music and flute technique again (hopefully it will be like 'riding a bicycle)

Any recommendations on a book or series to start with?

Thanks in advance!!

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 10:16 am

Trevor Wye seems to be a good series for "beginner agains" as I call them. The first book is very comprehensive and goes through things step by step. With any luck, you should have no problem. However, I do highly recommend taking a lesson or two just to get your embouchure set. A top high school student in your area should be able to help you out, and will probably enjoy making a little money. Good luck and have fun!

Rayne · Post by **Rayne** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:32 pm

I could have written your post myself, JustBreathe.

I played in Jr. and High School and now, 8 years later, really miss it. I just borrowed a flute from my sitter tonight and have been looking over fingering charts online and trying to get myelf re-familiarized with the scales for now. I was going to stop by a music store tomorrow for some beginner books and I was glad to see you post this as I have the same question.

Good luck in picking it back up!

I played around for about an hour tonight and I'm quite suprised how much I was able to remember just in flow from one note on the scale to the next.

tothepointe · Post by **tothepointe** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:47 pm

It is amazing how much your fingers and lips and eyes will remember. After Highschool I stop playing for about 8 years and then with in six weeks I was able to be in auditioning condition for a community college applied music program (I got accepted) and I'm no prodigy. I finally "get" why I should practice my scales this time around

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 8:30 pm

Yes, I definately recommend any book by Trevor Wye. They are great. However, If you are wanting a book series that is in the format that young band students learn from (books series written for the whole band, but different copies printed for flute, clarinet, sax etc ), you should look at a series called "Standard of Excellence". However, I like the Trevor Wye books better.

angiepea · Post by **angiepea** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 1:36 am

i've been playing the flute for more years than i care to mention, but have recently taken lessons again as i reached a plateau and couldn't get any further or any improvements. I started scouring flute message boards for some tips and saw that quite a few good flutists always ran through their rubank advanced flute methods vols 1 and 2 as a warm up. I can't get these books in the uk, but found some on ebay.com and had them shipped over. I have to say, due to the fact that they run in staged lesson plans i have found them incredibly useful

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 9:39 am

Many "adults returning to the flute", as they were called by the convention workshop, reported enjoying books published by ABRSM (Britain). Many styles, and lots of play-along books with CDs. Check out Flute World or www.JustFlutes.com, a British retailer.

Meredith · Post by **Meredith** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:33 pm

I'm in a similar position to the other ARTTFs (adults returning to the flute) on this thread: played in elementary/junior/high school, trying to get back into the swing of things.

So far, I've been spending about an hour/hour and a half on Exs. 1-4 of Taffanel-Gaubert at each practice session. I can do the exercises reasonably well for someone that hasn't picked up a flute in five years, but whenever I try playing a sonata or something along those lines, I fall apart stylistically. What's frustrating me at this point is that I've pretty much still got the technical capabilities to play the pieces I used to play (or will, given a few months of practice), but my technique and style are just about worthless.

Can anyone suggest any books/methods/exercises that are geared at regaining stylistic method, i.e., the ability to shift from playing "the notes on the page" to something that actually sounds like music?

Thanks!

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:48 pm

There's a good Moyse book that went out of print for a time, bu I think it's back, after much public complaint. It's called Tone Development Through Interpretation, and has a piano score if you want a friend to play along. They're mostly increasingly-obscure opera themes from the turn of the (last!) century, but still good material.
Maybe some pieces with Music Minus One-type accompaniment recordings? This isn't the only available series anymore; check the Flute World website for MMO or My Accompanist titles, with listings of the pieces each contains. They're a little expensive

(US $35 now, I think?) but nice to use if you aren't taking lessons, which is probably the best way to quickly improve musicality. The new Peters edition of the Bach sonatas has an accompaniment disc, though these are costly (worth it!) and are printed in two volumes of three sonatas each. Hal Leonard offers many play-along collections, though most are pop-oriented, also jazz and show tunes. These are less-expensive, around $15. Are there any community groups in which you could play? That might help, too. Glad you're back!

P.S. Also listen!! Listen to flutists, violinists, opera singers, you name it, for ideas about phrasing and general musicianship.

Meredith · Post by **Meredith** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:45 pm

I went to Sam Ash earlier today, and looked at two Moyse books. Their content appeared to be quite thorough; however, most of it seemed to be similar, if not identical, to Taffanel-Gaubert and the tonal exercises in Baker's book, both of which I already own, so I didn't see any reason to purchase Moyse in addition. (Not to discredit Moyse, his books to appear to be quite complete. They just overlap substantially with the books I already own.)

Some people I used to know were very into MMO, but for whatever reason I was turned off to it when I was younger, so I hesitated to buy it today. Instead, I picked up Rubank (sp?) Advanced Method, Vol. I. While it's slightly depressing to be working out of the exercise book I had in 6th/7th grade, it seems to have the type of stylistic exercises that I was hoping to find. At any rate, it kicked my butt earlier today (unlike Taffanel-Gaubert, interestingly), so it should give me a good workout.

The idea of investing in CDs is a good idea! Thanks for the tip.