Music, Cats, and Coffee

This is just to log that tonight I experienced a Sir James Galway flute concert for the first time (and probably the only time, seeing as how he's 80). I am so, SO glad I went to this concert. I didn't know it was happening (or I didn't remember/realize) until yesterday afternoon. Thank Menoth there were seats still available! I also went to the pre-concert lecture, it was kinda flute 101 but great for me. My flute teacher and several KC Flute Choir members were there. (I had no idea! We could've made it a party or something!)

All the adjectives in Snake, Rattle N' Roll that scroll when you beat a level? ALL OF THEM.

OUTSTANDING.
AMAZING.
INCREDIBLE.
PHENOMENAL.
SPECTACULAR.

He did things I could scarcely believe my ears were possible on flute. It was classical repertoire, with some Irish folk arrangements. The accompanist was also all those adjectives - it was like he and Sir Galway had a mind-meld they were so precisely together!

He closed the concert with two duets with his wife, who I'm ashamed to say I didn't know played at all, let alone at the virtuoso level of her Living Legend husband. They were so in sync sound-wise I could barely tell when one picked up a phrase and the other left off!

He played on a platinum flute for all but the duets; then he played on a gold flute (probably to match Lady Jeanne, who had a gold flute). The flutes were NOT miked, yet I could hear everything crystal clear.

The recordings of his I've heard led me to think I didn't like his sound but I think that platinum flute gave it a sweeter tone than the gold because I enjoyed it much, much more than I was expecting.

Dude is 80. EIGHTY. He's got a splendid sense of humor, very witty on the microphone, great "dad" jokes. That is the kind of human I aspire to be.

Flute practicing motivation: full up!

Instead of NaNoWriMo, I'm going to aim for a short essay every day on a topic I feel like yammering about.

Just finished a practice session that felt shorter than the 45 minutes it was. Spent the entire time on alto flute. After my recent solo performance and trying out some other altos, I am doing some wishful thinking about going back to school for music.

( Read on )

I spent some time practicing Brian Allred's arrangement of Richard Wagner's "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral" for alto. Hours. Days. I'm *still* practicing it. AARRGGH. It is SO LONG. My arms are terrifically sore now, I think they're gonna shrivel up and I'll have to file for disability because I no longer have functioning limbs.

I stretched out some, then picked up Mercedes to work on "Silver Celebration" (Catherine McMichael). I'm on 1st flute for this monster, and there's a few trouble spots all strung together to make up basically the whole damned piece. I diligently broke them down, figured out which alternate fingerings to use, and started moshing w/ the metronome.

Tempo is dotted-quarter=76bpm. I set the 'nome to 50 and gradually worked up to 65, playing about 4x at each step to really cement the muscle memory. Kicking ass and taking names, or so I thought. I decided to pop it up to 76, just for kicks.

And realized the entire time, I'd had it set to QUARTER note, not dotted quarter.

*HEADDESK*

I gave up for the day.

I'm slowly resuming flute playing following 2 surgeries. My alto is out on loan to my teacher, so I'm starting with my C flute (Mercedes). Given the alto is much heavier than the C, probably an excellent choice.

I had such a wonderful, illuminating experience at the 2017 Alto and Bass Flute Retreat in Boulder, CO with Chris Potter that I decided to use her Alto Flute Method book as a starting point for my C flute! I noticed last fall (before I was ordered to stop playing by my Dr.s) that my low register sound was lacking. The alto exercises are about perfect for what I need.

I'm starting with the Tone Development exercises, #1, 2, 4, & 6. I've only done them twice and I'm noticing a difference already!

My structure for practice session is:
1. Warm up on a duet Based on Sonata in B-flat, K. 378, an adapted Mozart - this thing is like a zillion pages long. I'm switching parts as I go to keep things interesting),
2. work through the tone exercises (with metronome),
3. practice applying the techniques using the Tone Studies pieces (with metronome),
4. practice some of the duet again,
5. then finish by cleaning flute inside & out.

Things I'm doing well:
-Practicing!
-Developing a "taller" embrochure
-Listening closely for subtle, minute variations in sound and pitch

Things to work on:
-Releasing tension in neck, throat, and jaw
-Taking a leisurely, comfortable breath instead of this weird straining sort of slurp I've got going on
-START SOFTER. Just, always. No matter how soft I think I'm starting a phrase, it's still too loud. This wastes air, disrupts phrasing, reduces my ability to play expressively, and is probably lousy to listen to. :P

Once my abdominal surgeon releases me to lift/carry over 9lbs, I will be rejoining the KC Flute Choir for the Spring 2018 season. Music is life for me. I needed the hiatus I took over a decade ago, but I should've ended it earlier than I did. I've suffered for lack of music. Going forward, I am making music a priority and dedicating my life to truly living music again.

VIVA LA VIDA FLAUTA!

The alto workshop was AMAZING. I have photos, I have videos, I have lots of new music, and I have gained a tremendous dose of knowledge!

Highlights include:
1. I can and should use the straight head on my alto! This is HUGE and wonderful and makes me SO HAPPY. I did have to kind of start over since I've been working hard on the curved head. :/
2. My alto is a particularly fine instrument! Despite being a base model, it has a fabulous sound that repeatedly impressed folks at the workshop! I lucked out BIG TIME.
3. I've been doing the harmonics exercises All Wrong. I now know how to do them right!

I have been working on long tones/breathing exercises this past week or two - every other day I'm going through a series of exercises from the Alto Method book. My times are improving a little.I am seeing definite improvement in my ability to "taper" notes, and I'm wasting less air by starting phrases more softly.

I have begun working on 2 of the audition pieces for the alto contest. BLECH. Today was one of those "I suck at everything forever and will never make progress" days. I know that is not true, but we all have those days... I need to pick up the 3rd piece. I keep forgetting to order it, no idea why.

In less happy but important news: I learned not to take my instruments to Dr. Note. He used GLUE to put in my cork on Mercedes (C flute)! Poor baby! Plus, he didn't use the right cork (which probably explains why he needed glue to keep it in place). And he did something untoward with Caroline (my alto), sanding the headjoint or something? Ugh. Thankfully, Judi was able to fix everything and get me back up to snuff.

For Caroline, she did a few adjustments that seem like magic to me... she adjusted my footjoint keys that makes rolling to low C more smooth/comfortable. Fixed a slight leak in a G/F key? And did something to the embouchure hole that improved my ability to get a sound out, too. For whatever reason, the curved head embouchure plays more clearly and easily than the straight head; slight differences in the hand-cut, I believe. And she suggested a lafreQue sound bridge for Caroline that demonstrably improved playability (responsiveness/clarity of tone), so I picked up a set (silver plated red brass). Very Nice.

I'm auditioning flutes to find a back up flute - any locals with a spare flute hit me up! At present, I might be buying a used Trevor James student flute from Judi... plays easily and is being offered at a nice discount.

Out of time!! more later!

Wow, I haven't practiced in 2 weeks, really closer to a whole month. In part due to a finger injury. Mostly due to a headache that will not stop. 3 weeks solid. I've had chiro appts, massages, seen my optometrist, tried several painkillers, ice, heat, it's been relentless!

Monday, I was prescribed a painkiller that actually helped a little! YEAY! Today, I saw my GP, who laid the blame squarely at the feet of muscles-skeleton-tension stuff. I'm badly inflamed. She prescribed an anti-inflammatory, which I am to rotate with the painkiller. Ice, stretching, continued massage/chiropractic.

So, good news: not likely anything terrifying like a tumor or some new sinus-related-horror.

Bad news: I'm soooooo not practiced up for rehearsal Sunday, or our upcoming performances.

I did take the opportunity to have a music theory lesson instead of a playing-the-flute lesson with my flute teacher this week! I learned about stacked chords, what the hell a "minor third" and "diminished fifth" is... VERY COOL! I want to learn more about why music works so I can understand playing better (and playing in an ensemble - now I know what it means when "2nds have the root, basses have the fifth, altos have the 3rd").

( Less positive flute choir stuff )

I have finally succumbed to a head cold severe enough to keep me from work for 3 days. BOO, HISS. Flute practice is out till breathing comes back.

Which is a bummer because I was accepted to perform in the Master Class this weekend! Now i'll be super out of practice. DAMN.

In happier news, our name change has gone through! We are us for real now, IDs and all! [cue endless mountains of paperwork]