This is the first in a series of three articles devoted to exploring the world of headjoints with a goal of arming you with knowledge to overcome (or at least reduce) the stress and confusion of finding a new headjoint. This article discusses preliminaries and includes general advice about preparation for the hunt, an overview of the headjoint market, and an overview of influences on headjoint design. The second article will explore in detail the various qualities of sound that can be affected by different headjoints, such as projection, loudness, tuning, color, and responsiveness. The final article will discuss the effects of different materials, such as gold, silver, platinum, and wood, and the effects of alterations in the design of parts such as crown and stopper assemblies and risers;...

To celebrate the Festive Season, we have asked a number of famous flutists to do their version of the well known tune 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' in their choice of flute genre and style. We will post them here as they arrive, and the very first is from Trevor Wye. Click to play the video below and see how Trevor cleverly makes, and then plays, a carrot flute.... Dim lights Download Embed Embed this video on your site Trevor Wye spends...

In this article, I want to describe some of the different projects with which I have been involved. I hope to inspire you flutists out there to get more bang out of your playing; by encouraging you to play more, as much as you can, to keep on learning new things, and, of course, to share those treasures with the ones around you. Over the years, I have been involved in many different styles of music – it turns out, the flute is quite versatile! I have helped to form many groups, as well as found myself joining: woodwind quintets, jazz trios, a rock/rap fusion group, a Puerto-Rican Salsa Band, a Brazilian samba trio, a bluegrass group, a beatnik poetry/music fusion guerrilla street posse (San Francisco is a wild town!), and many more.

Part 2 of the series to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death. Here in London we have already celebrated with a very intensive London Handel Festival, and there are many other Handel performances throughout the year, including chamber music at Handel House, his home in Brook Street near Oxford Circus.

Welcome to the very special final edition of Flute Focus in hard copy – Flute Focus is leading flute periodicals by going on line from here on out. I am sure there will be some readers who will miss flipping through this beautiful magazine, but think of all the trees we’ll be saving and even better, think of how you’ll be able to access everything, all of the articles old and new and search through it all, absolutely FREE!

In the Native American flute community, there are three primary approaches to playing - playing from the heart, rote learning, and by reading a form of music notation called TABlature. While one may also read regular music notation using the Native American flute, TABlature is easier since the fingering system remains constant regardless of what flute key is utilized...

Because of all the possibilities embracing the new media formats can afford, even though this event may now seem like “old news”, I thought I would wait until Flute Focus went on-line to give my report on this most interesting and important biennial event,  The International Piccolo Symposium.....

Pianist, Mark Eisenman, needs no introduction to Canadian jazz audiences or musicians. Indeed, as a longstanding and active participant in the jazz community in this country, Mark has unquestionably established himself as one of its elite members...

Cutting my teeth playing jazz flute was very difficult because, as much as one practises, there is no substitute for playing with experienced players. Jazz musicians do not suffer fools gladly, and novices may not be treated kindly, so my advice to anyone who wishes to play standards and light jazz is to first hone your skills using ‘Band in a Box’ software.

There are many Great Dates and Good Numbers for Jazz Flute. Here is a selection ranging from 1958 through to 2009, ranging from some great classics to modern masterpieces. We even include some great Jazz Oboe tracks. Yes, Jazz Oboe - If you think jazz flute recordings are hard to find, feel sorry for jazz oboe lovers!...

Musical sound is governed by the movement that produces it; and the quality of that movement is determined by the accuracy of the ‘body map’, the neuronal representation of our movement developed in the brain. Therefore, musicians who have mapped their movement accurately will always be free to play expressively. ‘Body mapping’ is a self-enquiry method that teaches clear and accurate information about the body in movement, and advocates freedom of movement through accurate mind-body connections. This results in a poised and balanced body usage, the prevention of injury and promotion of facility. The ultimate goal is complete freedom of expression through poised, dynamic, musical movement.

Joseph Schwantner studied guitar with Robert Stein. Schwantner described Stein as an amazing teacher and told many anecdotes about his lessons. He explained how compassionate his teacher was when Schwantner added ‘filigree’ to the assigned music, or when he brought in his own compositions to play instead of what his teacher assigned. Recognizing that Schwantner had a talent for composition, Stein introduced music theory into his lessons. In one lesson Schwantner told his teacher that he would love to play Dvorak’s New World Symphony on guitar; to his amazement, in the next lesson Stein had arranged all the major themes from the symphony for guitar...

For many of us, we find the musical world divided into a well established series of genres and, for the most part, these categories work fairly well on their own. It is, therefore, a gifted individual who can take the worlds of Jazz, Classical and native Venezuelan music and fuse them together so seamlessly that they might never have been apart...

Mathematics and music are inescapably tied. What is music if not the arrangement of patterns of sounds, and the composers score not much more than a formula used to represent an abstract idea? It may not take a mathematician to create a thing of beauty, but, as Ian Clarke discovered, it certainly helps...

Writing about the music I compose is difficult for me to do. I feel that the music I compose should express beauty without rhetoric, and that the music I compose isn't mine, even though I composed it - explaining it as if it were mine seems foolish to me. However, I can give some insight as to my thoughts about music as a whole which may help flutists understand the flute music I compose....

This is a beautiful recording of 7 Quantz Flute Sonatas, played by people who really know what they are doing on modern copies of original instruments as used in Quantz’s time!...

This CD provides the listener with lovely performances of three examples of seldom heard romantic flute repertoire - the Widor (originally composed for flute), the Pierne (rearranged from the violin sonata by the composer), and the Strauss (a violin piece)...

This CD represents the works of composers who have made every effort to write well for the clever and versatile instrument with which I earn my living...

Bresil 1900 features the flute music of three composers who lived in Rio De Janiero during the second half of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. This was a time of upheaval in Brazil with political and social upheaval, including the abolition of slavery and the proclamation of the Republic. One lesson I often need reminding of is that putting a composer and his or her music into historical context adds tremendously to the understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of their music....

Two reviews - 'The Solo Flute' by Mary Karen Clardy, and 'After Syrinx' by the October Trio: Mary Karen Clardy, flute, Barbara Sudweeks, viola, and Susan Dederich-Pejovich, harp...

Your performance of 18th century music should reflect the composer’s intentions and not so much the emotions and feelings of the performer. It must be true to the composer and not impose on his creation the elements of a later style or period. So how do you do that?....

Flutes and their Players have a remarkable number of similarities....

The design of a flute headjoint has enormous influence on the sound of a flute, so what are the design elements, and what does a flute player need to look for when selecting a headjoint? And does any of it really matter anyway?.....

We love this piece. Besides being a real flute piece by one of the best known composers (and not a transcription), this is a wonderful example of French impressionism beautifully written for the flute....

FLUTE TRIOS for FESTIVE OCCASIONS - Brian Childers, who is well known for his choral compositions and music for handbells, has taken simple, well known tunes and has developed them into more complex and reasonably challenging ensemble pieces, suitable for intermediate level students...