Baroquely Yours

Monteverdi Vespers

2010-03-28T09:10:00.001-07:00

I had the opportunity to hear a wonderful performance of the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 last night. It was performed in a church with excellent acoustics, and by a talented group of singers and period instrumentalists. Beautiful and moving. The music is interesting - transitional between the music of the late Renaissance (Pallestrina, Byrd) and the Baroque to come.

Recorder Practice 3/24/10

2010-03-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

My objectives for the next couple of months are to work on quiet, effective breathing - no sipping or slurping, not overblowing long notes at the end, phrasing and more ornamentation and trills on every note using both standard and alternate fingerings.

Today's practice started with alto, with long tones on every half-step, and then scales, doing slurred, standard tonguing and then a bit of work on double tongueing, starting with 6 on a note and then down to 1.

Then I spent a moment on a difficult phrase of the van Nieuwkerk Theater Tango - measures 64-66 where there is a high A flat, highest G, highest G, highest F, highest F, high E flat, high D, high C sequence. I practiced the fingerings for a bit, concentrating on what fingers move - the sound is coming out pretty well. This sequence also has an awkward quarter-notes-in-triplets rhythm, and is probably the most difficult part of the piece for me.

Then on to Linde, starting new exercise 20. There are a lot of chromatic sequences, some rhythm changes and also some differing articulations. I worked this through slowly, making sure I had the correct notes, articulations and rhythms, and concentrated on the more difficult passages. It's not too hard so far.

Then soprano, working only on the Handel Gavotte - I needed to work on my memorizing which has slipped a bit with lack of practice. It's sounding pretty good, though, which is encouraging. Then I played through the Menuet - no memorizing today.

I want to pick back up with the Van Ecyk, but didn't get that far today.

Concert and Recital Report

2010-03-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, we had the chance to hear a wonderful concert at the Music Institute of Chicago in honor of Bach's birthday - two cantatas: BWV 106 "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit" ("Actus tragicus") and BWV 182 "Himmelskonig, sei willkommen". The singers were the Music Institute's excellent amateur chorale (conducted by the man who also teaches my muscianship class), and there were recorders in both - my teacher played with another recorder in the first cantata and had extensive solo parts in the second. I can't recall ever having heard these before - the first cantata, written when Bach was only 22 years old, was very beautiful and solemn - it was apparently written for a funeral - and the second one was lovely, with very beautiful recorder sections, offset against a solo violin.

Then the Early Music Department had its student recital on Sunday evening. I played my Chedeville duets with my teacher, and it went pretty well - I achieved my objective of being less nervous than in my last recital. The first Musette went nicely; in the second I bobbled a few notes because my hands were getting tight, but all in all it was OK. Here my teacher and I are doing our pieces:

Our recorder orchestra played selections from the Purcell "Old Bachelor Suite" and everything went very well - it was the best we've ever played the various selections and apparently sounded great in the hall. Here's our group performing - we had a guest sitting in: the member of the lute family on the far right is a theorbo and the long strings provide a bass continuo:

A fun musical weekend, and now I can resume regular practicing - I'm glad the recital is over with.

Recorder Practice 3/10/10

2010-03-10T12:29:00.001-08:00

Today's practice was short - some work in alto on the Chedeville pair of Musettes on the trills, and on speeding things up using the metronome. Then some more work on the Linde 19, paying attention to the rests and breathing in phrases. Then in soprano to finish, playing through the Handel Gavotte and the new Menuet, paying attention to tone and expressiveness. No memorizing today.

Recorder Practice 3/8/10

2010-03-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

We did not have group or class last weekend, so it's been more than a week since I played, and my hands were a bit stiff and my mind a bit rusty. I started with soprano, doing long tones, then scales, working on breaking down difficult fingerings - like the low E flat to F - and also working on my diga tongueing exercises.

Then moved on to the Handel Gavotte that I've almost memorized. Worked on that for a while, trying to cement the breathings and the transitions between sections. Then started work on the next, related piece I'm to memorize - a Menuet also from Pastor Fido, and also in D minor. Played it through a couple of times, then worked for a bit on memorizing the first several measures.

Then reviewed the Old Bachelor Suite we'll be performing at the recital on the 21st - it's a bit better in the parts I struggle with.

Then to alto, starting with the Linde 19. I'm focussing on allowing sufficient time for the rests and how I stop the previous note so it's quiet but precise. I'm also continuing to work on breathing properly over the phrases we've marked.

To finish, I played through the Chedeville Musettes I'll be performing on the 21st. Next practice I'll want to do these early when I'm fresh - I was a bit tired. I want to work on speeding them up as well - that'll be this week's challenge.

Recorder Practice 2/26/10

2010-02-26T13:51:00.001-08:00

Started with soprano - worked on long tones and diga tonguing while doing scales. Then worked on my memorized Handel Gavotte, working on the whole AABABA road map. Most of the transitions between sections are working well, and I worked on a couple of rough spots.

Then I worked briefly on the Hornpipe I from the Old Bachelor Suite by Purcell - we're performing most of this Suite at our recital later in March. There are some parts with sixteenth notes that I find difficult, so I broke down the note sequences and worked on speed.

Then I started work on modos 4 and 5 of the Van Ecyk 32 Comagain. These modos are mostly scalar sequences, and I'm going to need to work on giving them some structure, with articulation and rhythm adjustments. I also need to mark breathings as best I can.

Then on to alto, starting with the Linde 19, working on breathing properly over longer phrases. That went pretty well. Then I finished up with the Chedeville Musettes that I'll be doing for the recital, working some more on the trills and other ornaments; they're coming along.

Recorder Practice 2/24/10 and Other Thoughts

2010-02-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

I had the occasion a week or so ago to have a guess teacher for my lesson; she also conducted our group. It's always nice to get someone else's input, no matter how good your teacher is.

She had some good suggestions for me -

I need to breath more deeply, from the belly and the back, and not constrict my throat or mouth - my usual teacher says I need to relax my mouth and be willing to open it to take in air so as to avoid the slurping sound I otherwise make. Same idea, different take on it - both are helpful.

When working on sections that include rhythmic changes that may be difficult - break them down into smaller notes.

In playing solo pieces where I'm comfortable with the piece, begin to play with varying the rhythms and articulations for expressiveness - do outrageous things and discard the ideas that don't sound good.

When doing ornaments such as trills - use a softer tonguing to enter them - a d instead of a t - ornaments should be light and, well, ornamental.

* * * * * *

Today's practice was not too long - I worked on the two things I'll be playing, one with the group and one as a duet, for the recital in about three weeks. Our group is doing the middles pieces of the Old Bachelor suite by Purcell. I'm still struggling with some of the fingerings in several of the faster movements, and tried to break them down and not just lose heart.

My duet is two Musettes by Chedeville. I'm working on transforming my appoggiaturas into trills whenever the note is at least a quarter note - the eighth note ones will stay as appoggiaturas, and also on speeding things up a bit. Some progress was made.

Recorder Lesson and Group 2/6/10

2010-02-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to mention a wonderful thing we did in recorder group yesterday. We're playing a lovely Chacony by Purcell, that is arranged in four pasts - alto, tenor and unusually, two bass parts. The melody swaps between the parts, and there are many lovely dissonances. We did some work to help us with hearing each other's parts as we play, and playing our notes so the different parts are in tune. One thing we did was go through the piece and play the first notes of every measure, for the full 3-beat measure, to work on tuning. And then we would have one part play the actual music while the other parts only played the first note of each measure without holding it. We also worked on building chords from the bottom up, so that each successive part would tune to the lower notes. All of this resulted in a much better sound. We're fortunate to have such a skilled teacher, who focuses on the details in a very effective, and fun, way.

Recorder Practice 2/4/10

2010-02-04T14:21:00.000-08:00

Today's practice was much more productive. I started with soprano, and worked on the Handel Gavotte. The first 8 measures of part B are pretty solidly memorized, and I started working on the last 4 measures of that part - they're pretty close as well. Once that's done, I can work on the AABABA roadmap.

Then I moved on to the Van Eyck 32 Comagain modo 3, working on the digada tongueing for the section that requires this. I worked on repeating the notes in the sequences 8, then 4, then 2, then one times, and also did the full 3-note sequences. I think it's speeding up, although I haven't worked on this section with the metronome yet - that's next.

Than on to alto, starting with the Chedeville Musettes. All I did was work on the note sequences surrounding the trills (doing appoggiaturas except on the one dotted quarter note and one half note, where I could do real trills) and port de voixs. There are 9 in the first Musette (without repeats) and 16 in the second, so this took a while. The two Musettes are in different keys, too, so there's that to keep track of as well.

I finished with the Linde 19, working on cementing the difficult fingering sequences and then playing it through - it's much better than it was.

My new book of music for the American Recorder Society chapter meetings came - The Recorder Consort 3, by Steve Rosenberg - I'll have to spend some time looking through it - it's always fun to get new music!

Recorder Practice 2/3/10

2010-02-03T14:13:00.000-08:00

Today's practice was a little shaky, but I kept at it until I had at least tried to do what I set out to do and made some, if only a little, progress at it.

I started with the Handel Gavotte (soprano), first playing it through, and then doing various 3-note songs using the high A/B flat/C combination. Then I worked on more memorization of part B, particularly measures 4 through 8 of that part. That went pretty well.

Then I moved on to the Van Eyck 32 Comagain, modo 3. I worked for a bit on the digadi tongueing on the combinations of two sixteenth plus one eighth notes. Then I played through the different sections, working on the rhythms.

Next, I switched to alto and worked on the Chedeville Musettes, concentrating on the port de voix and appoggiatura ornaments. This part of my practice wasn't very focussed - I need to hone the note combinations and timing before I start playing the whole of the pieces, which aren't difficult aside from the ornaments.

Finally, I worked on the Linde 19, isolating the right and left hand motions on the difficult note combinations. Then I played it through - it's doing much better.

Recorder Lesson and Group 1/30/10; Musicianship Class 1/31/10

2010-02-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

I started my lesson with a question - I had been having trouble doing the trills in the Chedeville pieces I'm working on for my recital - the trills were too slow and were therefore making me fall behind. My teacher said that it was perfectly OK to start with an appoggiatura - where the ornament consists of the note above slurred into the trilled note, equally weighting the two in time. I can then also practice the trills alone, working on speeding them up, but whatever I do in the performance will be OK.

In the 2nd Musette, there are trills on the D, starting with E flat. An alternate fingering for this is to start with the normal E flat fingering (T plus 1 3 4), then add 5 and 1/2 of 6 - this is only slightly different from the C sharp fingering in the left hand and identical in the right hand.

One tip - whenever a sequence of notes (as in the most difficult parts of the Linde) is particularly difficult, break down what the left and right hands are doing separately, and practice those finger motions separately.

On soprano, we worked on the Van Eyck, focussing on the sixteenth notes that were slowing me down. To practice the diga tongueing, do just the sequences of the two sixteenth notes followed by the eighth notes - digadi, or gadiga - either one speeds it up. Another technique is to use double tongueings as I do scales, repeating each note 8 times (digadigadigadiga), then 4 times (digadiga), then two times (diga) then sequential notes using the tongueing.

In the Handel Gavotte, the difficult bit with a three-note sequence high A/B flat/C can be helped by taking those three notes and playing Mary Had a Little Lamb, Hot Cross Buns and Three Blind Mice, to make the note sequences automatic.

In group, we worked mostly on the Tango, which is coming along nicely - it's not as hard as it looks once you get the rhythms established.

In muscianship class the next evening, we did some work on the circle of 5ths, and how the scales progress from natural to natural, sharp to sharp and flat to flat, except where both B and F are involved, where because of the tritones it is necessary to move up one half-step.

We also did some more sight singing - and were shown that most songs (not all) start on do, mi or sol of their key.

It was a very productive weekend for learning!

Recorder Practice 1/29/10

2010-01-29T14:54:00.003-08:00

Today I did an abbreviated practice, just on alto. I started with scales and trills, doing just the slurred versions. I need to do a chart for myself of key correspondences between C recorder and F recorder - this will help me solidify my key signatures and fingerings.

Then I worked intensively on the Linde 19, going over only a few measures, and fingering transitions, that were giving me trouble. The high D sharp/E/D sharp/C sharp/B/C sharp/D sharp sequence is very hard - I worked on isolating which fingers had to move, and on memorizing the sequence. The D sharp to C sharp is particularly tricky. Then there was the low A/B/C sharp/D/E/F sharp and B/C sharp/D sharp/E/F sharp/G sharp sequences. Again, I worked on isolating the finger movements. Here, it's the C sharp to D or D sharp that are tricky.

It was a good session despite its brevity.

Recorder Practice 1/28/10

2010-01-28T11:06:00.001-08:00

Started with soprano again, doing long notes, swoops and trills, and then scales. Spent about 5 minutes working on memorizing the Handel Gavotte, particularly measures 4 through 6 of the B section, and also played it through fully one time with repeats.

Then worked on the Van Eyck 32 Comagain modo 3, part 3. I was able to get the speed up to 69 for the quarter note, which is still pretty slow. I also tried working on the diga tongueing to speed it up. Played through section 4 as well - at this speed it's easy except for the run of 1/16 notes at the end. Then I started a bit of work on section 5 - this is a very tricky syncopated rhythm with an eighth note, dotted eighth and sixteenth, then another eighth note, then repeat. Two of the three beats are on the dots of two dotted sixteenths. I slowed it way down and also broke it down into sixteenths to work on the rhythm.

Then I switched to alto, and worked on the Linde 19. All but the last half of part 3 and first half of part 4 are in good shape - those bits need more work but they're progressing. I spent some time just reworking those measures.

To finish, I worked on the Chedeville Musette no. 1, starting with reviewing the trills. Then I started work on the trills and the surrounding notes using the metronome. As I expected, I was taking too long to complete the trills. I backed the time way off to 96 for the 1/8 note, and was able to get some good work done establishing the relative rhythms of the surrounding notes and the trilled note. Now I have to work on speeding it up, and I'll also go over this with my teacher in my lesson next Saturday.

Recorder Practice 1/27/10

2010-01-27T15:09:00.000-08:00

A good, more focussed practice today, starting with soprano long notes, trills and scales. The scales are getting easier and more proficient, which is a good thing.

Then I moved to the heart of the work, starting with more memorization work on the Handel Gavotte. First I played the piece through - I try to do this every time I work on it to cement it. Memorizing certainly makes the piece easier to play even with the music, as my fingers know what's coming next. I worked more on Part B, particularly the 3rd through 5th measures. It wasn't coming easily yet, but I think I made some progress, however small.

Then I continued with the Van Eyck 32 Comagain, modo 3. I refreshed the 1st and 2nd sections, and then started work on the 3rd section. It quickly became clear that I had to back off the pace I had set earlier - I ended up at 66 for the quarter note, down from 80. The sequences of 1/16 notes were too difficult at the higher speed. The rhythm is also tricky - I had to break it down at first to get the hang of it. I also started working on using the diga tongueing to speed up the pairs of 1/16 notes, but that isn't quite working yet. This piece is pretty challenging and will require a lot more work.

Then on to alto, starting with the Linde 19. I reviewed it, starting with the last section and working towards the beginning by section. Most of it had stuck pretty well - over the next several days I'll continue my review and spend most of my time on the most difficult note sequences.

The two Musettes by Chedeville were next. I worked only on the first one, and most of my time was spent on the 8 trills - only 4 different notes, as some are repeated. I worked on the individual trills and also on the notes immediately prior and after. Tomorrow I think I'll review this and then try playing with the metronome to get the trill timing correct.

I finished by working on sections 3 and 4 (my divisions) of the Theater Tango, trying to cement the rhythms and also the notes - they aren't that hard, but section 3 is pretty fast and section 4 is in a different key (change from B flat to F) which drops the E flat.

Recorder Practice 1/25/10

2010-01-25T16:50:00.000-08:00

Today I started with alto, doing my long tones and scales, as well as trills on every note in all the scales. Then I continued my work on the Linde 19, working on the 5th and last rhythmical section - the rhythm is the same as that in section 1, except for the last measure. There were some difficult fingerings - particularly the high A flat/B flat/A flat and G flat/A flat/G flat/F/G flat sequences - all of which are slurred.

Then I did some more work on the Theater Tango by Willem Wander van Nieuwkerk that we've been working on in the group. This was made easier because I had taken the music to my musicianship class yesterday, and we worked on clapping some of the rhythms. I need to break this one down into sections for practicing - the fingerings are mostly not hard, it's the rhythms that are challenging.

I started working on the Chedeville piece I'll be doing at the recital in March, particularly on the trills (baroque trills start on the note above, not below as in modern trills) and the port de voix - I'm doing a simplified version that breaks the note into two, the note below and the note itself, and slurs up. A true port de voix is more complicated. I need to break this one down as well for practicing, and also focus on musicality.

Then I switched to soprano and started work on modo 3 of the Van Eyck 32 Comagain. This one is also rhythmically complex. I worked on the first two sections - I broke it down before I started practicing - and also the transition to section 3.

To finish up, I continued working on memorizing the B part of the Handel Gavotte - I've about got the first 6 measures of the B section, which leaves 6 measures to go before I've memorized the whole thing - then I'll need to work on the road map to stitch it all together.

It was a good, not a great session - I need to break things down a bit more and preplan.

Recorder Lesson and Group 1/23/10

2010-01-23T14:36:00.000-08:00

I had a good lesson and group again this week. In my lesson, I started by playing the portions of the Handel Gavotte which I had memorized - Part A and also 4 measures of Part B. My teacher recommended visualization - of rooms in a house, people, or some other sequential thing, to identify each of the parts so as to remember the AABABA sequence. I also confessed that I was uncomfortable doing a solo piece, much less a memorized piece, for the recital in March. I'll keep working on this piece, and on memorization in general, which helps with my playing.

Then we worked on modo 2 of the Van Eyck 32 Comagain, fixing some rhythmical and breathing issues I was having. For next week I'll be working on modo 3 - we marked the breathings so I could have a check of what I was doing.

Then on to alto - we worked through the Linde 19 - I'm making good progress on this, but will work some more on it this week. Finally, we agreed that I'll do the 1st and 2nd Musettes from Suite I of the Chedeville 6 galantes duos book in the March recital - these are technically easy, and are duets, but will allow me to focus on ornaments. We played them through, and I learned a new alternate fingering for the E flat to D trill, and noted it in my book.

In group, we started with the folksong set where I play tenor - I found the music much easier, I think as a result of all my other practicing. Then we moved on to the Theater Tango piece by Willem Wander van Nieuwkerk, where I play alto - this one is rhythmically challenging. We worked on a number of technical issues, measure by measure - very challenging but worthwhile. To end, we played through the wonderful Purcell Chacony, which I also found easier.

Recorder Practice 1/21/10

2010-01-21T13:24:00.000-08:00

Today's practice was full and tiring - there were some pretty hard things in it. I started with soprano, and did my long tones and scales first. This time, I did slurred trills, using normal fingerings, on every note before I did the scales. This really highlights which note transitions are a problem, and I worked longest on these.

Then I moved on to the Van Eyck number 32 Comagain, modos 1 and 2. Today was review, mainly of modo 2, using the metronome set at 80 to the quarter note. Most of the rhythm patterns were pretty good, and I also worked on the transitions from one rhythm section to the next. It's coming along.

Then I spent about 5 minutes working on my memorization of the Handel Gavotte. I reviewed part A, paying particular attention to the breathings, and the transition across the breathings, and started on the B section. I worked on the first 4 measures and also the transition from B back to A. That only leaves about 8 measures of the B section I haven't worked on except to play through.

I switched to alto and worked on the Linde piece 19. I spent a good bit of time working on the harder bits from the 3rd part I'd already worked on, and then tackled part 4, which has 7 measures but has a number of repetitions. This part is devilishly hard - the rhythm is straightforward (I did remember to sing it first this time along with the metronome), but there are some very difficult fingering switches. A number of them were hard enough that I stopped using the metronome and just worked on 2-note, then 3- and 4-note sequences. I was able to play it through in the end using the metronome set at 88 for the 1/8 note, but it's still pretty rough and needs a good bit more work. I stopped working on this piece before my 15 minutes was up since I was getting tired.

Finally, I played through a piece we're working on in the group (I play alto for this) - part 1 of Henry Purcell's Chacony in G minor. This is an extraordinarily beautiful piece of music, very sad and lyrical, with (of course) a lot of the chaconne rhythm of dotted eighth plus sixteenth note. Here is a pretty nice recording of it for small orchestra, with some nice pieces of art as you listen - our music is based on a trio arrangement for violin, recorder and flute, which we play using all recorders.

Recorder Practice 1/20/10

2010-01-20T15:09:00.001-08:00

Today I did an abbreviated practice.

First, I worked on the next section of the Linde no. 19 (alto), with the metronome set at 88 for the 1/8 note. This section has an easier rhythm than yesterday's section, but some of the fingerings are very difficult - it's all slurred which highlights any fingering difficulties. I'm not there yet with this section but made some progress on it - there are a few bits which will need some more work before the end of the week.

Then I worked on the next section of the Van Eyck no. 32 Comagain modo 2 (soprano), to the end of this piece, using the metronome, still set at 80 for the quarter note. This part isn't too bad except for one section where the rhythm is 4/4 with a half note follow by an eighth rest and three eighth notes, so the first eighth note is on the off-beat. There are some leaps later on, but they're not too bad at my current speed.

That was it for today. I made a mental note to talk more with my teacher about the March recital and what I should play for it. I think I'm still too nervous to perform a solo, but perhaps a duet (my teacher is great at covering up my mistakes) or an accompanied piece. If I do something memorized, I'll cheat by having the music handy.

Recorder Practice 1/19/10

2010-01-19T14:37:00.000-08:00

Today I reversed the order and started with soprano first. As usual, I started with long tones and scales, and worked some more on the C to B/B flat and back fingerings (same as F to E/E flat on alto).

Then I worked on the next section of the Van Eyck no. 32 Comagain modo 2, using the metronome, still set at 80 for the quarter note. This section involves dotted half notes followed by an eighth and two sixteeths - it's a tricky rhythm until you get it - the trick is holding the long notes long enough. The bit immediately after that is the same as part of the first section I worked on yesterday, so I added that on after a bit - the transition from one set of rhythms to the other takes some attention.

Then I worked on cementing my memorization of part A of the Handel Gavotte - the trickiest bit for me is measures 3 through 5 so I concentrated on those. I hope to start memorizing the B section tomorrow, starting with the last measure and backing up - a technique my teacher taught me to be sure the ends of sections are solid.

Switching to alto, I worked on the second rhythmical section of the Linde no. 19, which consists of 8 measures. There were several fingerings - this is all slurred so fingerings have to be precise - that caused more trouble than others, so I concentrated on those. High G sharp to A and back again is particularly hard - I had to concentrate on sliding my thumb and not lifting it, which is a perennial problem for me. At the end, I worked on the transition between the rhythm of part one and the second part.

Finally, for fun, I played the Minuet (no. 23) by Leopold Mozart in Rooda's 95 Dexterity Exercises and Dances for Recorders in F.

Recorder Practice 1/18/10

2010-01-18T16:07:00.000-08:00

Practice today followed the format of long notes, scales, substantive work on several pieces and some fun at the end. (I need to work in some clapping and voicing of rhythms to my practicing, particularly of new pieces/sections of pieces or parts I'm having difficulty with.)

I started by doing long notes and scales - slurred, legato and staccato - with the alto (in C). I worked on difficult note progressions - especially the F to E, F to E flat and F to E flat to D (and in reverse) progressions (this is the same as the C to B/B flat to A progression on the soprano that's been giving me trouble).

Then I started work on the Linde (alto), piece 19, Vivace. I worked with the metronome on the first part with the same rhythm - 8 measures - getting the rhythm and the silences right, and also worked on the difficult note sequences, noting them in the text. I noted that the 1/8th notes are now at 88 in the book, so I can increase later. This exercise is slurred, so precision is the key - where fingers are swapping, getting the finger that rises up in time is the challenge - it's easier to drop a finger than to lift it so the dropping finger tends to be early and the rising one late.

Then I worked for about five minutes on my memorization of the Handel Gavotte (soprano). The A section (10 measures) is pretty solid, and occurs 4 times in the piece. That leaves only the 12-measure B section, which appears twice, to go. The structures is AABABA.

Then I worked on the Van Eyck 32 Comagain - my teacher and I had marked the breathings from looking at the words in my Saturday lesson. I set the metronome for the 1/4 note at 80, which made modo 1 very slow. In modo 2, I worked only on the A section (most of which repeats later, I noticed). The rhythm is complex - dotted halves, dotted quarters and dotted eighths. I focussed on breaking down the measures into the smallest metrical units and then getting them to work with the metronome, and then doing them correctly. The transitions from the dotted eighth plus sixteenth to straight eighth note rhythms is particularly tricky, but I was beginning to get it. I need to remember to get the rhythm first, notes second - the notes aren't really all that hard.

And then to finish, for fun, I sight read from Rooda's 95 Dexterity Exercises and Dances for Recorders in C, the J.S. Bach Bourree no. 22.

It was a good practice, and I'm beginning to bring some of what I've learned into play.

American Recorder Society Meeting, and Musicianship Lesson 1/17/10

2010-01-18T16:02:00.000-08:00

My group attended the American Recorder Society chapter meeting in order to perform our pieces. Before we performed, the music director took us through some theory and practice on sight-reading. We talked about the idea of "chunking" - which is how we read - where blocks of information are absorbed at one time. Rhythm is the critical thing in sight-reading, and the chunking should be done in the context of rhythmical units. The pulse is more important than counting within measures, which can be distracting. We did a number of clapping and verbal exercises, and also some playing, working on different rhythmical patterns.

Then our group performed - the performance went very well - the tuning was good and the feel of each piece was right. I couldn't quite keep up in certain sections, but was able to get back in very quickly. I think we sounded quite good, and our teacher seemed pleased.

After our performance, the chapter did some sight reading. The emphasis was on rhythm again, and also on creating space - both rests and dotted notes allow for space, and this is as important as the notes and is often ignored, leading to rushing and a lack of musicality. This work was very challenging for me - the tempos were faster than I'm used to and I often had difficulty keeping up, but I learned a lot.

Then I went, with a short break for dinner, to my musicianship class. We did some work on key signatures, which I remembered. We worked on enharmonic notes - same note, different name, chromatic scales - up with sharps, down with flats and diatonic scales - normal scales with a key signature. All keys in sharps have no sharps in the name, except for C sharp and F sharp; and all keys in flats have flat in the name except F (B flat). G double sharp and D double sharp aren't used as key signatures, but do have harmonic uses. We worked on progressions using diatonic seconds (different) and chromatic seconds (same).

I felt somewhat discouraged after our performance and the ARS chapter meeting - I am by far the least experienced player, and sometimes I get a little self-conscious and even embarrassed. But I did learn a lot, and they seem able to tolerate me. I decided to join the chapter and try to attend their monthly meetings - it'll be an adventure and good for the development of my playing.

Recorder Lesson and Group - 1/16/10

2010-01-16T16:40:00.000-08:00

I had an excellent lesson today. We started out by reviewing my plans for next week's music, looking over some proposed breathings I had marked for the Linde and Van Eyck I'll be working on next week.

On the C to B or B flat and back, where I'm having trouble on soprano, my teacher suggested practicing those sequences slurred, as slow and then faster trills using standard fingerings, being sure I'm holding the recorder at about 45 degrees. I'm also going to add trills to my scale exercises.

Then we reviewed the pieces in the Purcell Old Bachelor I was having trouble with, and identified ways to practice them to improve them further. In particular, in the Gigue, which has a number of difficult three-note sequences with jumps that follow no easy pattern, he suggested voicing just the first note, fingering the others, then notes 1 and 2, then notes 2 and 3, then notes 1 and 3, and even doing them backwards as that sometimes helps.

In group, we reviewed all the pieces we're playing tomorrow, including how many measures he'll give us before we start each piece, and small nuances of articulation and breathing. I did much better in group playing the pieces than I've done before, and I think I'll make it through the performance tomorrow, which is a relief. The two other soprano players are very strong, so that will help as well.

We finished up with some work on the Theater Tango piece by Willem Wander van Nieuwkerk, which is an interesting and challenging modern piece on which I play alto.

Recorder Practice 1/15/10

2010-01-15T08:17:00.001-08:00

I didn't practice yesterday; the day got away from me and by the afternoon I was too tired. Today I continued in the same routine - long notes, followed by scales, and then Purcell. First I worked on the pieces from the Old Bachelor - the March again - better today, then the Hornpipe II and the Gigue. I working on individual sections in both pieces to improve them - the Hornpipe is doing better, but I'm still having a hard time with the Gigue - there are some note sequences that are hanging me up. I worked on those particularly, and they're better, but still not where they need to be.

For refreshment, I played through the last two Beggar's Opera pieces - What shall I do to shew how much I love her? and Le printemps rappelle aux armes. Those aren't too bad. I only just noticed that the Beggar's Opera pieces aren't by Purcell, but are attributed (with a ?) to Johann Christoph Pepusch (1667-1752).

Then I went back and played all the Old Bachelor pieces through from the beginning in order. It's all much better than when I started the week, but I wouldn't call most of it concert quality - it's a good thing the other two soprano players are very strong players!

I also noticed that in scales, and scalar sections of pieces, the C to B or B flat, or the reverse, gives me trouble, partly because the soprano has no thumb rest to stabilize it - I'll ask my teacher what to do about this tomorrow in our lesson.

Recorder Practice 1/13/10

2010-01-13T12:10:00.001-08:00

Same format as the rest of this week - 5 minutes long tones and swoops, 15 minutes scales - they're getting smoother and more precise, 30 minutes on a section of the Purcell Old Bachelor and some more time on the rest of the Purcell pieces.

Today the long section focussed on the Hornpipe I, Minuet and March. Both the Hornpipe I and the March are hard for me - they are very fast and some of the note sequences are difficult for me. The C to B flat is particularly difficult and tends to trip me up at speed. I did both pieces section by section, down to individual note combinations as needed. The Hornpipe's getting better. The March is still rough, although it's progressing. The March will be in my practice again tomorrow.

To finish, I played through the first two of our Airs From the Beggar's Opera - Cease your funning and Fill ev'ry glass, which we're playing as a set.

Another useful practice, and I feel like I'm starting to develop the habit again of practicing, and want to do it as I feel like I'm progressing instead of stuck.

Recorder Practice 1/12/10

2010-01-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

Same format as yesterday - long tones, scales and more work on my concert pieces. Today I worked on the next several sections of the Purcell The Old Bachelor - the Rondeau, Slow Air and Bouree. In the Rondeau, I worked on making sure the relationship between the dotted 1/8ths and the 1/16ths was correct - to avoid falling into a triplety rhythm. Then I worked on the transition between ending two of the A part and the next measure, and finally I spend some time speeding the piece up with the metronome.

In the Slow Air, I worked primarily on the two trills - getting them smooth and keeping them going to the next note. One of the trills is on the high E, using an alternate fingering. I played these two measures many times, and then played the piece through. In the Bouree, I worked on smoothness and measure 7, note by note.

Finally, I played through the Purcell How Blest Are Shepherds, with particular attention to the breathings.

With my new roadmap, my practicing is going well - I can already feel some incremental progress!

Recorder Practice 1/11/10

2010-01-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

Today's practice will consist of:

1. 5 minutes of long tones on soprano.

2. 15 minutes of scales on soprano, concentrating on one or two scales (including those in the pieces we are performing next weekend)

3. 30 minutes working through the specific measures and issues on the pieces we are performing next weekend, in particular the Purcell

4. 10-15 minutes playing through the remainder of the performance set

Practice time will be right after lunch - recorder can warm up while I'm eating. By writing this down ahead of time, I hope I can be accountable.

* * * * * *

Practice time ended up being later in the afternoon, but otherwise things went according to plan. I worked for 5 minutes on air and tone, 15 minutes on C recorder major scales and arpeggios, one octave, doing them slurred, legato and with some different rhythms. Then I spent the guts of my practice, almost 30 minutes, working on the Ouverture to the Old Bachelor (Purcell), which has three sections, an 18-measure Lento with a repeat, a 46-measure Vivace and an 8-measure Lento. Within that, I worked on 6 separate sections - often only a few notes or measures - that needed work, including some trills where I'm using an alternate C to B fingering. It was very satisfying - I don't know how much of it will stick for the performance, but it felt like progress. Then I played through the Funeral Canzona for Queen Mary, also by Purcell, which we'll play later in our program - it's easier and I had only a few small things to review.

It feels good to be back on track again!

Back On Track, and What's A Recorder?

2010-01-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

I was able to spend some time in my private lesson yesterday talking to my teacher about my practice issues. I told him that I felt stuck - I'm past the baby beginner stage where just playing pieces over, and getting the notes and the rhythms right, is sufficient to make progress, but I haven't figured out a way to redesign my practice sessions to help me move forward. I have ideas of what I should be doing - working on trills, working on speeding up pieces, for example, but I have 3 different recorders I can be playing and a whole lot of music, and I don't really know how to choose what to do or how to organize my practice time.

So we talked about how to organize a practice session, each day, and each week, as well as how to work towards a more long-term goal - say to play a particular piece in a recital a number of months out. Whatever the length of practice (I tend to try to do about an hour), it's helpful to divide the time into segments, and even use a timer to keep on track and also give yourself permission to stop working on a particular technique or part of a piece. I use a timer for lots of other things, so I expect I'll find this easy - I use a "15-minute rule" to help me tackle difficult or unpleasant tasks - I set a timer for 15 minutes and I have permission to stop at that point if I want to and consider it progress.

One nice thing to do with practicing, that I used to do, but have fallen out of the habit of doing, is to print a generic monthly calendar at the beginning of each month and color in the squares when I've practiced - it's a nice motivator. Here's a breakdown of the segments we discussed, and what types of things fall in each of them - this could easily be modified for other instruments:

1. 5 minutes on producing full, beautiful tone - this gets the breathing going in the right way. I can do long tones - just blow one note, keeping it even and beautiful - or do "swoops" where I adjust my breathing to have the note go flatter, then back to sharper and then back to the correct tone. This is a great exercise for reinforcing what air is right for each note - with the recorder, different notes often take different air to sound right - generally, warm, "slow" air for the lower notes, and clean, "fast" air for the higher notes, but there are also note-to-note variations as well.

2. 15 minutes on scales and arpeggios. I'm going to start this with simple, one-octave scales and arpeggios in keys commonly used for recorder music - my teacher is in the process of putting both simple and more complex scales, including all three variants of minor scales, and arpeggios on his website - and then later progress to all the keys and using the full range of the recorder. Chromatic scales are also really useful, and I'll be doing those at some point. I can also use my scale work as an entry to learning and practicing trills, doing this on each note, with both standard and alternate fingerings. Scales can also be used to practice articulations - starting completely slurred and progressing all the way to staccato, and also working on different tonguings. Even different rhythms can be practiced while doing scales. As I do my scale and arpeggio work, I will keep a grid showing the metronome speeds I'm working at from day to day, so I can visually see my progress.

3. Two segments of 10-15 minutes each working on specific technical work. Warm-up is complete, and fatigue hasn't begun to set in. This can cover two separate pieces I'm working on, spending time on one or a few difficult sections or issues (rhythm, articulation, particularly difficult passages). Sometimes playing a small section backwards can unlock a problem area. Sometimes working on only one measure, or even a few notes, is what is needed - you can play those difficult notes a large number of times in a short segment. Some days, a segment, or even a few minutes if it's a struggle, can be used to work on memorizing a part of a piece. I have resistance to memorizing, although it can be helpful with difficult passages and I want to complete memorizing whole pieces (I've been working on one for a while), and this will give me a way to attack it.

4. The last segment of 15 minutes can be used for more relaxing work - playing through some of the pieces our group is working on just to reinforce things, or just some fun sight reading.

Two other things we discussed were how to approach a new piece of music, and how to work on a long-term project - say memorizing a piece or getting ready for a recital or performance.

When I get a new piece of music, I shouldn't start right in playing it. First, read it through, marking possible breathings and any sharps or flats that may cause trouble, and analyzing the music carefully. Then do the breathing, rhythm, tonguing and dance or sing it. A handy time to do this would be in the 10-15 minutes it takes to warm a recorder head-joint to body (playing) temperature.

In order to work on a long-term project, pick a completion date, and then schedule out the steps to get there, working backwards, and then build it into the regular practice sessions. Sometimes doing this visually using paper can be helpful.

Some people also find being accountable to someone else for what they are doing is helpful - send an e-mail to a friend or family member setting out what you will do, each day or each week, and then report back what you actually did - and make sure they know it's their job to ask for a report if you don't volunteer!

* * * * * *

Then, for the remainder of my lesson, we played through some of the pieces we'll be playing next weekend at the American Recorder Society meeting (I haven't played these in my private lesson before, just in the group), to highlight the particular measures and issues I need to focus on this week in my practicing.

I'm pretty energized again now that I have a road map!

* * * * * *

I realized from a reader's comment, and confirmed with my teacher, that the name "recorder" is only used in English, and that the instrument has different names in a number of languages - the English translations of these terms would be "block-flute", "soft flute", or "beaked flute".

No Progress

2010-01-08T17:07:00.000-08:00

I haven't been posting here because I haven't been practicing. I am blocked in my practicing, I'm in the doldrums that come with being an intermediate player and having difficulty making progress. I realize that progress comes only with playing, and practicing, but I'm lacking in focus and motivation right now. I have a lesson tomorrow, and I intend to focus on the longer set of pieces my group is performing next weekend at the American Recorder Society meeting - in this set there are several parts where I'm having trouble making the speed.

I understand these doldrums - they're a good sign, actually, as they mean that I'm ready to move on to the next level - but I have to get motivated and organized to do that. I'm planning to talk with my teacher about some strategies to do this when we meet tomorrow.

American Recorder Society Meeting 12/20/09

2009-12-20T18:19:00.000-08:00

My recorder group performed at the American Recorder Society chapter meeting today. Before I left, I spent a few minutes practicing the tenor high E flat/D sharp and transitions to and from - it's in one version of Amazing Grace and I've been having some trouble with it.

There were some lovely performances - mostly from the 14th through the 17th century, although there were also some modern pieces. Our group did pretty well, although we did have to restart the first piece (which is of course our easiest one). The acoustics in the church we were playing in made it hard to hear the others in the group. Once we got restarted, we went smoothly through the four pieces.

There were some highlights - the Pastorale from Corelli's Concerto Grosso No. 8, and the de Victoria setting of the O Magnum Mysterium. And my teacher, Patrick O'Malley, who is a very fine recorder player, played two movements from Suite III in A Minor by Matthias Maute, a modern piece. Although the piece is modern, it is baroque in style.

It was a good day - and now I have two weeks to practice before my next lesson!

Recorder Lesson and Group 12/19/09

2009-12-19T15:58:00.000-08:00

I had a productive lesson this week. I'll be moving on to a new Linde piece starting this week as the one I'm currently playing is going pretty well. With the Van Eyck, I'm still working on using the diga tonguing technique to speed it up, and will need to do more work on that. My memorizing on the Gavotte needs to be continued. Over winter break, I'll be thinking about what I might want to do for the March recital. We did some sight reading together at the end of my lesson, which was fun.

My group worked on the two pieces we're performing tomorrow at the American Recorder Society meeting. We also started work on some new pieces. We did a lot of work on hearing our tuning as we played the pieces. Throughout our work today, our teacher had us try different techniques to change the "color" of the pieces we were playing - either playing more detached or more legato, or using "inegal" to slightly vary rhythm. We even tried doing one piece with series of eighth notes in triplets. Every technique really changes the feel of the piece, even if the notes are the same.

Recorder Practice 12/18/09

2009-12-18T16:39:00.000-08:00

Today I did an abbreviated version of what I did yesterday. I played through the two versions of Amazing Grace and the two versions of the Ash Grove (tenor).

Played through the Handel Gavotte (soprano) several times and then worked some more on memorizing. The first 10 measures - part A - are pretty well memorized.

Then worked on the Linde (alto) 18, concentrating on smoothness, rhythm and articulation, and getting the proper relationship between the longer and shorter notes. It went pretty well.

Tomorrow is lesson and group.

Recorder Practice 12/17/09

2009-12-17T12:41:00.000-08:00

My group has its performance at the American Recorder Society chapter meeting on Sunday - we're doing two sets of two pieces - the first set is two versions of Amazing Grace and the second is two versions of the Ash Grove. I play tenor in both, so those needed to be played through several times and were.

Played through the Handel Gavotte (soprano) several times and then worked some more on memorizing. Have the first 10 measures - part A - pretty well down. Since the structures is AABABA, that's 2/3 of the piece right there. The B part is 12 measures, and that's next.

Did some metronome work on the Van Eyck Philis schoone Harderinne (30), modos 3 and 4, starting fairly slowly and working on tempo, articulation, breathing and beginning to use diga tonguing to speed things up. Could do modo 3 at 54 to the quarter note without much difficulty, but need to get the diga tonguing down before speeding it up. Modo 4 is harder - struggled to even play it properly at 50, but it got better as I went.

Then worked on the Linde (alto) 18, also using the metronome at 60 for eighth notes and really concentrating on smoothness, rhythm and articulation, and getting the proper relationship between the longer and shorter notes.

Recorder Practice 12/8/09

2009-12-08T15:38:00.000-08:00

Today I brought out my tenor and worked on the set of pieces my group is doing where I play tenor - they are mostly Irish and Scottish folk songs. I hadn't played tenor in several weeks, so my hands had to adjust. I particularly worked on the two pairs of pieces we're playing at a recorder society meeting later in the month. All in all, a pretty satisfactory session.

Recorder Practice 12/7/09

2009-12-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

Today was a good, but not great practice. Breathing and tone were pretty good, but the fingers didn't always cooperate, particularly when I tried to increase speed. Stared with Van Ecyk Vande Lombart no. 31 - first marked breathings and then played through several times working towards fluidity and a nice tempo. Then went back to Philis schoone Harderinne no. 30 modos 3 and 4, working to speed things up. It's coming, but still rough.

Did the parts of the Henry Purcell for The Old Bachelor that were giving me trouble with speed, and just worked on sections to see if I could do them faster. If I relax, I can, if my hands and arms are tense the fingers can't take the speed.

Then worked on improving the Linde 18 exercise - it's better - and I particularly focussed on the most difficult parts.

Recorder Practice 12/6/09

2009-12-06T12:38:00.001-08:00

Worked on Henry Purcell The Old Bachelor, particularly the sections where the speed was giving me trouble, and just focussed on doing them smoothly and then speeding things up as much as I could, and tried to use the diga diga tonguing to help. I just need to keep plugging away at it.

Worked on Van Ecyk Philis schoone Harderinne no. 30 modos 3 and 4, focussing on breathing and speed, and difficult sections.

Linde 18 is progressing, still not smooth and even yet but better.

Worried About Speed and Recorder Practice 12/5/09

2009-12-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

The recorder group I play with is a challenge for me. They are all more experienced players, and I sometimes struggle with the music. One of the groups of pieces we are working on is a set of music by Henry Purcell for The Old Bachelor, mostly dance pieces - some of these are very fast for me and I struggle to keep up and often can't. I'm in the group because my teacher wants me to be - it's my third year - but sometimes I feel like quitting since I don't want to embarrass myself.

Today I tried to buckle down and deal with my speed problem. I worked on several of the pieces that were giving me special trouble. I used the metronome, set to the indicated speed, and started by playing only the notes that were on the beat. Then I started working on the notes in between. Eventually, if I work measure by measure, I may be able to conquer these pieces. At this point I'm struggling with the fingerings, so next practice I think I'll drop the notes and just work on the breathing, using the diga, diga technique to speed things up, and the rhythm, then add the notes back in. Once I have the rhythm, and speed it up and manage to do the fingerings, I may get there. I just have to focus on small pieces of the challenge instead of getting overwhelmed by the whole thing.

Recorder Practice 12/1/09

2009-12-01T11:21:00.001-08:00

Worked on Handel Gavotte No 19. Played through concentrating on breathings. Worked on memorizing two more measures - now have last 4, which are the same as last 4 of part A.

Worked through Van Ecyk Philis schoone Harderinne no. 30 all 4 modos, in particular on hard spots and breathing in modos 3 and 4. Also played through 31 Vande Lombart focussing on smoothness, and marking breathings.

Worked on Linde 18, starting with rhythm and articulation only, then working through phrases focussing on hard bits.

Back To It

2009-12-01T05:39:00.000-08:00

Not much going on in the practice department lately - I need to reestablish a routine - I'm one of those people who can move right on through things I need to do provided they're part of my routine - if I have to think about it too much, things often don't get done. Today I'm trying right after lunch and if that works it'll be a good regular practice time. This morning I'm going to spend some time planning out my practicing for the rest of the week - there are a lot of different things I could be, and need to be, working on, and sometimes my practicing ends up being somewhat random, whatever comes to mind. I think at this point I need to be a bit more systematic about it, so that the things that really need to get done, get done.

Practice Notes

2009-11-24T17:07:00.000-08:00

I've been working, together with my teacher, on finding ways to vary and improve my practicing. Here are some ideas - some are my teacher's and some are mine - some are particular to recorder, and some will work for any instrument.

Practice ideas:

Learn names of notes - particularly those below and above the staff

Learn names of bass clef notes

Memorize sections of, and whole, pieces

Do sections of pieces slurred, staccato and every stage in between so degree of legato chosen

Read pieces over before playing and identify tricky parts - focus on those

Look for breathings and mark

Practice arpeggios and memorize

Practice chromatic scale and memorize - sharps up, flats down

Be able to go from any note to any other note, unslurred and slurred

Practice scales and memorize

Memorize key signatures/relative majors and minors

Learn trills, practice and memorize - practice every note, or every whole note, etc. - remember to tongue first note of a trill - diga diga/duga duga low notes/dega dega high notes, practice in reverse gadi gadi, etc., practice slurred

Identify in pieces where trills might go

Vary tempos - use phrases; change rhythms

Pick something in each session to work on with metronome

In Van Ecyk, mark melodies in variations

Practice double tonguing - 4 notes, then 2, then scales - identify where in pieces it might be useful

Turn body of recorder so fingers on wood not holes and concentrate on tongue, breathing and rhythm

Play difficult sections backwards

To speed up a piece, try singing, dancing to get new rhythm, then try with metronome

Musicanship Class 11/22/09

2009-11-23T03:40:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a second year of adult musicianship classes, which deal with things like rhythm, sight singing and ear training, and music theory. The class is free at my music school for people taking private lessons, and is very useful, particularly for someone like me - I have virtually no music background before starting lessons several years ago.

This week we did some more compound rhythm clapping work. Over the break, I need to practice some more, and do worksheet 15, which is compound rhythm with rests. Rhythm has been a particular challenge for me, so this work is very useful. "Row, row, row your boat" is an interesting compound rhythm exercise.

Then we did some ear training - also very useful as I want to be able to hear music when I read it - this will improve my appreciation and also my sight-reading. I need to work on some of the sight-singing warm-up exercises and also the basic do, do, re, do, do, re, mi, re, do, etc. exercise until I can do them fluidly and more quickly.

Our music theory work including using the wonderful devices my teacher has constructed - he calls them the "scalatron". This is a wooden frame with a key for each half-step - as if the black keys on the piano were full-length. This is a wonderful visual/tactile tool to use to construct scales. We worked on making different major scales WWHWWWH, using the "never, ever" rule - never, ever skip or repeat a note in a scale. Can even do A sharp sharp flat! In C major, E and F, B and C are the only half steps - or generalized, mi and fa, ti and do.

We worked on the circle of fifths using the scalatron - if you divide the C major scale into two tetrachords - WWH and WWH, putting your hand in the middle W space, you build the next scale starting with the second tetrachord (the fifth of the C scale), and the added sharp is always the ti, and as you build the old sharp becomes the mi. The order can be remembered as Fat Cows Go Down And Eat Barley. To find the major key signature, go up one half-step from the last sharp. How amazing and easy - I'll be practicing over the holidays!

Recorder Lesson and Group 11/21/09

2009-11-21T17:53:00.000-08:00

Practice notes from lesson:

Continue memorizing the Handel Gavotte no. 19 - was able to do the last two measures. Stick to marked breathings, and work on steady air between breathings.

In all work, think about where breaths are before starting the piece - you can always change them. Think of breaths as shortening the prior note - but decide how long the "breath time" will be - in terms of a rest - and how long the prior note will then be minus the rest.

Van Eyck no. 30 Philis schoone Harderinne - in modos 3 and 4, identify melody line and "accompaniment" and consider practicing separately - this allows the music to sound like a duet.

Some thought applies to Linde 18 - melody and accompaniment. Can practice these separately, and also rhythm, and then articulation - how notes are tongued - can even do rhythm and articulation on one note if you want. Then put it all back together again. Also can take one session just to work on grace notes.

Notes from group:

Practice trills for pieces - Old Bachelor (Purcell) and Chacony (also Purcell). I need to practice Hornpipe I and March for speed and diga double tonguing on fast bits, and play through the rest. Review second Amazing Grace for accidentals. Work on Galway Piper for speed.

Recorder Practice 11/20/09

2009-11-20T11:58:00.000-08:00

Soprano:

Van Eyck Der Fluyten Lust-hof Volume I - worked on Philis schoone Harderinne (no. 30), particularly modos 3 and 4, focussing on tone and air. Need to do more on phrasing, and also on diga tongue to speed it up, as well as transitions between sixteenths and long notes, and dotted rhythms. Also played through Vande Lombart (no. 31).

Played through Handel Gavotte (no. 19) from Il Pastor Fido (in Music for the Ballet at Covent Garden), and worked on memorizing (gack!) - got the last two measures - I think!

Alto:

Played through the Chacony of Purcell for the group, and figured out the minimal finger change for the b flat to low f sharp in the 7th system on page 2 - need to practice that more carefully. Also need to begin to insert the trills, even the harder ones!

Then worked on exercises 17 and 18 in the Linde Neuzeitliche Ubungsstucke fur die Altblockflote. Worked particularly on air between low and high notes - pre-breathing to get tone right, and on difficult passages, particularly in no. 18, which is pretty difficult!