Currently I am working out of the Melodious and Progressive Studies for Flute. It says from Anderson, Gariboldi, Koehler and Terschak. Is this a good method book? My teacher recomended it, but I would like to know what are some good exercises to work on from it.
I've just worked randomly in that book. I like G. Pares Daily Exercises and Scales for flute or piccolo, and also Daily Exercises for the Flute by Andre Maquarre.
I currently use the Rubank advanced method (on V. 2, but also did 1) as well as some of the selected studies by voxman (mostly just cause thats what our All-State etudes always come from) and also the top register studies for flute by thomas j filas
I don't remember what the first books we used were.. the rubank books were the 3rd type. The first one was a white book with a tealish letters picture of a flute on it.. they have them for many band instruments as well with similar covers. Then the 2nd ones were green and purple, then red and purple i think..
Those are the ones i use now.
I also like to practice long tones, scales (major and just starting to learn minor), harmonic series, tonguing exercises (from the selected studies) dunno what else.
I like that book. However, I wouldn't consider it a "method book". It's an etude book, a book of studies. I feel a method book concentrates more on the technical aspects of flute playing such as scales, arpeggios, 3rds, etc.
Once those technical aspects of playing have been embedded in your brain and fingers, then the place to show this off and put to use is in etudes and solos.
Too many players try to learn technique simply from "learning" a piece and their technique winds up having more holes in it than swiss cheese. Most music is made up of these technical patterns, so by studying them, much more can be played simply at sight.
To focus more on technique- Rubank is ok. I like Trevor Wye's "Scales and Technique" book and I am a big fan of Taffanel & Gaubert. Maquarre's exercise book (totally underrated!!!!) I what I use to break up work out of T&G so I don't feel stale or get overloaded.
For the melodious studies book, work through all of them. Each etude offers a specific area or two( or ten) to work on. Start from the beginning and carry on. You will notice each composer has a certain style in his etudes. Koehler- good for melodic interpretation without being too demanding on the rhythm, Andersen- not as much melodic reward but will sure give you a workout.. etc. That's why it's good to do as many as you can- each one has something new to offer.
Yea I just got the book I posted about on Tuesday, and after going through a few pages and practicing it alot, along with my scales and stuff, I already see a major improvement in my playing! Sight reading is easier now(its my weak point) and my technique has gotten better. My articulation still needs work, but im recognizing dynamics more and recognizing changes in the music. And im starting to see what Annie said, sort of a patern in each composer's work.
Oh, and if you had to recomend another method book to get, more than any other(if possible?) what would you reccomend? I know that a broad question, but I would like to know whats out there.
Get Trevor Wye's Practice Book for the Flute, Omnibus edition. This is a fantastic reference for any trouble you might encounter with anything else, and it has some great daily exercises that will have your fingers flying on any fast scale runs that you will encounter in lots of various pieces.
If you pay close attention to the Trevor Wye, you will be able to pick up what it is in the etudes that you are supposed to be learning- and learn it, rather than gloss over it badly, as one is wont to do otherwise.
i taught myself flute for a little while using abracaba flute but if you want studys/etudes you could try the abrsm exam peice books (in britain) or any of the absrm publishing books (again in britain) other then them i don'trealy know of anymore books that would be useful.
The Melodious and Progressive Studies is one of 4 (or 5) books in a series. They aren't really a method book like the Rubank series or the Belwin band method if you understand the definition because they are a collection of studies, caprices or etudes. but I think that they are great for a few things. They introduce you to a few of the better studies and their composers like (Koehler and Andersen) written for flute. They will help with music reading, stamina and musicality.
I work my studies in different ways. I would go slow on each one at first. Take your time to learn the notes and do the rhythms correctly. Perhaps use a metronome and work on trying to get from the beginning to the end without too many stops. If you are stopping, ask yourself why. It may be because you are trying to go too fast. If you are doing well and not stopping, then try them faster. This is a good general way to do the studies with a quick tempo. I would not recommend picking and choosing of individual studies -even if you don't'like' one because each study has certain things that are intended to be beneficial to your playing.
So I may do one study in a book 5 times in a row and move on to the next one or I may concentrate and focus on the specific issues on one study. I may play one problem area many times as a workout and then move on to another. I may play one measure or one beat many times even. I may try to play all the studies from beginning to end one time just to help my reading skills.
Patrick had a very good list of various books that I will repeat:
The Flutists Formulae by Barrerre
This is a good sequential scale pattern book. It's all 16th note scales....To be practiced in all of the keys and to vary the articulation.
17 big daily exercises by Taffanel/Gaubert
This gives you a good daily workout of scales, arpeggios and the like. So that you develop and maintain your fingering and embouchure ability.
any of the Andersen Etudes
yepps to Andersen.
Etudes, studies and the like are for reading, musicality and tone work. Andersen is one of the masters of this. He wrote many. A few are in the M&P books but there are several opus numbers that he wrote. Some are very pretty. Some will cause great frustration.
For another composer, check out the ones by Theobald Boehm (The father of the modern metal flute design.) Boehm was a flute virtuoso and the man who designed the mechanism back in the early 1800's for the most part so he knew some of the issues with playing the flute and he hits on them rather nicely in his studies such as his Op. 26. They are deceptively easier that some think but if one really delves into them and one listens for improvement, they are not so easy to really master.
I think that one of the great masters of the study of the flute was Marcel Moyse. I realize that some of the people here are school kids or amateur players and they may be turned off by something that may be too difficult or perceived as too dry but Moyse wrote many books for certain aspects of playing. They encompass, Tone work, articulation, scales, phrasing and .....everything. They aren't cheap and they aren't generally easy but the players who become really great professional flutists know the Moyse books very well.
~bilbo
N.E. Ohio
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