Teaching with Extended Flute Techniques

Over the past 20 years extendedtechniques have become a fun-damental skill for aspiring and

established professional flutists. Collegestudents cannot escape studying at leastone piece with extended techniques, andprofessional flutists encounter them on aregular basis. Despite their prevalence,contemporary techniques are largelyignored by teachers of young students.They address them when students askbut often fail to explain how they alsoapply to traditional flute playing.Teachers of all levels should incorporatethese techniques into their curriculum.

Pedagogical BenefitsContemporary techniques can

improve the primary fundamentals forgood tone production. Many materialsare available to help teachers useextended techniques as pedagogicaltools (see appendix). Students will

By Alexis Del Palazzo

appreciate the quick progress thatresults from using these techniques.

They also break up the tedious rou-tine that often occurs when workingwith beginning students. Many begin-ners grow frustrated when progress isslow. When students explore and exper-iment with something fun like throattuning (singing and playing or vocaliz-ing) or harmonics, they see the expand-ed possibilities of the instrument.

Finally, familiarity with extendedtechniques at a young age is tremen-dously beneficial for flutists who willpursue music as a career. Students whoonly learn traditional repertoire aremore likely to reject extended tech-niques when they encounter themlater. Teachers should work to createwell-rounded musicians through expo-sure to various types of music, even forthose students who may not choose acareer in music.

Tone DevelopmentHarmonics, throat tuning, and whis-

tle tones help develop the embouchureand create a focused, resonant sound.They can be introduced to beginningand intermediate students, either aspart of the regular curriculum or as par-ticular fundamental problems arise.For example, harmonics develop lipstrength and focus in the low-mid reg-isters. Various exercises, regardless oftheir perceived level, can be useful insolving students' problems.

HarmonicsThere are many harmonic exercises

that are easy to learn and memorize.As Robert Dick explains in ToneDevelopment through ExtendedTechniques, harmonics occur "whenlow octave regular fingerings areoverblown through their overtoneseries. The flute produces pitches in

Music Minus One;vc( ) / ' i / / / / i ; Ctlili

ivaldi: The hmr Seasons m'tvr /»<•/<" ' ' ' i i r n i l i i h l c /»»• fluid!i Ihiil sil iitmi B,IHHIIII) litniaiurr, newly ,irr,mi|i:d jiul piulonnm! liy world icnnwiiinl llutisi I

limissi.1 Symphony I

le liolliiii': Siiilr tor I'lule ami |.i// i'

SUITE ron H.UTEHflMt'Al ' UOLL1NG

Ihi! cumnhili' suilt) .'•' CD Si;

MARCH 2009 / FLUTE TALK 17

AZUMl- ?

FOR THE GROWING FLUTIST

A Z U M I F L U T E S . C O MA PRODUCT OF ALTUS HANDMADE FLUTES

Weekly PraclMonday ' '

Tuesday

Wednesday .

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Ringing D's • , -(or pitch that is best)

Ringing D's

Ringing D's

Ringing D's

Ringing D's

Ringing D's

Ringing D's

Vocalizing(Robert Dick Ex.) .̂

Lukas-Graf Ex. ' "j

Robert Dicfc Ex. r '-.

Robert Dick Ex: u. ;, -' •• '' ._,•»> ̂ **

Robert Dick Ex.*<- ^

Robert Dick Ex.

Robert Dick Ex.

the overtone series for pipes open atboth ends, called natural harmonics."1

Here is the harmonic series when Cis the fundamental (or first partial):

Fundamental(1st partial*

His book also includes exercises thatextend from the most basic to alternat-ing between harmonics and regularfingerings. The basic harmonic exer-cise, #\ in Dick's book is a good placeto start with young students.

Young students should also tryPatricia George's harmonic exercise. Itstarts on low D as the first fundamentaland overblows to the octave (the firstpartial) and the fifth (the second par-tial). The fundamental notes ascendchromatically to middle CK. "See, Sue,Pooh" are words that accompany the

exercise to guide the shape of the lijThese words naturally open thecavity to produce the embouchulshape and air speed necessary.

Repeat starting on B\>, E, F, F», G, G«, Ar5jAd, B, C, andCl

Whether you create your own exeScises or use the ones here, the ultimajgoal for practicing harmonics is to fiiand develop an awareness of the b<embouchure position for each note.3'

VocalizationBecause most extended technique

enhance tone production an<|embouchure awareness, a second tect

18 FLUTE TALK/MARCH 2009

Long Tones(Moyse, De la Sonorite)

Moyse

Moyse

Moyse

Moyse

Moyse

Moyse

Whistle Tones

Whistle Tones

Whistle Tones

Whistle Tpnes, ,,.,

> '' ' v^'< *{*'<

Whistle Tones" ,

Whistle Tones

Whistle Tones

nique to incorporate for tone, reso-nance, and tone color is singing whileplaying (throat tuning or vocalizing).Throat tuning can only be mastered bysimultaneously singing and playing,but the benefits are tremendous.

Robert Dick includes an excellentexplanation of the benefits of vocaliz-ing. He says that flute sound comes notonly from the flute but also from theplayer, and because each body is differ-ent, players' sounds differ. His analogyof comparing a vibraphone's resonatingtube to the throat provides a visualimage of what vocal chords can do. "Tounderstand this sensation, play a noteon the piano or other fixed-pitchinstrument that is comfortably in yourvocal range. Then, prepare to sing it.Before the note is sung, there is achange in the throat when the vocalchords are brought to the correct posi-tion to sing the pitch. When the vocalchords are held in position to sing agiven pitch, the throat is in position toresonate that pitch best."4

It takes time to develop the skill ofsinging while playing, but once playersare aware of their vocal chords, the fol-lowing exercise is excellent. It is iden-tical to Exercise No. 1 in Taffanel andGaubert's 17 Big Daily Exercises, Playthe five-finger pattern normally atfirst, then sing it without playing whilefingering the pitches, then sing andplay together, and finally play normal-ly but with the sensation of singing.5

Play normally

Sing and play together

Sing without playing,hut finger the pitches

Play normally, withthe sensation of singing.

Students should choose a startingpitch for the exercise that fits mostcomfortably within their vocal range.As they become more comfortablewith it, they can expand their range.When traditional teaching fails tohelp students produce a resonantsound, vocalizing while playing gener-ally produces positive results.

Whistle TonesWhistle tones, sometimes called

"whisper" tones, help relax theembouchure. Although difficult toproduce initially, whistle tones pro-duce an immediate effect and create afreer, more resonant sound; lip flexibil-ity is increased, and the lips naturally-move forward, creating more spacebetween the front teeth and lips. AsWilliam Kincaid said, "This little cal-isthenic makes an excellent warm-upexercise for embouchure placementand breath control. It is an excellentdiscipline to try to isolate one notefrom the whistle series and sustain itfor 10 seconds. The slightest change inbreath support will flick you to one ofthe adjoining whistle notes."6

Whistle tones are produced by gentlyblowing a very slow air stream acrossthe edge of the embouchure hole. AsDick points out, players should experi-ment with tongue position when prac-ticing whistle tones. "When the tongueis positioned correctly, the loudness ofwhisper tones can be greatly increased,although they always will be a relative-ly soft sonority."7

Whistle tones can be a challenge foryoung players, because they requiregreat tongue and lip control. First askstudents just to whistle without theflute. Then have them maintain thatwhistling position as they add the fluteand blow a slow, steady stream of air.The high register is usually the easiestand least frustrating. Help younger stu-dents finger the proper pitches ifexperimenting in a lesson.

Once they can produce a few whistletones, many exercises can be used. Thebest that I have found is in PeterLukas-Graf's Check'Up, which has an

N=normal, W=whistle . -•

ft

44^ f f f '

AN IMPRESSIVESTEP-UP FLUTE FORA YOUNG PLAYER."

-TREVOR WYE

MARCH 2009 / FLUTE TALK 19

What morecan we say?

rUiopSaver is u lifesaverand in my opinion thebest lip salvo on themarket for musiciansand everyone!

Sir James (in I way

Now \\ilh SIT!

I'or Musicians with Lips!

wwNv.chopsaver.com

20 FLUTE tMK/ MARCH 2009

exercise that combines normally-playedpitches and whistle tones. Not only isthis more challenging (and interest-ing), but it immediately improves thequality of the normally-played notes.

There is a practical approach todaily extended technique practice thatcan be incorporated into traditionalpractice to expedite progress. Thepractice chart on the previous page isfor intermediate to advanced studentsthat shows a standard daily warm-upthat includes all these techniques.Also included are Marcel Moyse's longtone exercises from De la, Sonorite andPatricia George's Ringing D's exercise,both of which are good for finding thesweet spot in your tone.

Ringing D Exercise (Patricia George)

Even traditional, early 20th-centuryflute repertoire includes some of thesetechniques, such as the harmonicsfound in Debussy's Syrinx and the flut-ter tonguing in Darius Milhaud'sSonatine. Information about thesetechniques was scarce for a long time.Today there are many resources avail-able to help advanced students devel-op their contemporary skills.Educational material for beginning tointermediate flutists, on the otherhand, remain scanty.

Reworking advanced material, suchas that in Tone Development throughExtended Techniques, for young playersis a nice solution. In addition, many ofDick's pieces, such as Lookout, haveaccompanying lesson tapes with tipsand guidelines. Lesson time can bedevoted to teacher-composed exercisesfor young students or to the extendedtechnique series of books by LindaHolland, Easing into ExtendedTechniques. For additional teachingideas, the best resource is DeanStallard's website (www.fullpitch.er.co.uk/Dean.htm). Also, Phyllis Loukehas composed a set of short duets,Extended Techniques: Double the Fun, inwhich students can actually useextended techniques musically with-out being over challenged or intimi-dated. These duets also work well witha flute choir.

Using extended techniques asteaching tools is an important andexciting progression for serious teach-ers. Their effects on audiences can betremendous, and students gain anunderstanding of contemporary music— a beneficial preparation for success-ful college auditions. It is our respon-

sibility to provide them with thatunderstanding.

Extended Techniques Resourcesand Repertoire

For Beginners:Richard Rodney Bennett. Six Tunes for

the Instruction of Singing Birds(Novello)

Linda Holland. Easing into ExtendedTechniques, Volumes 1-5 (Con BrioMusic Publishing)

Phyllis Avidan. Extended Techniques—Double the Fun (Airy Publications)

Dean Stallard. First Journey to theBeyond (Norsk Noteservice)

For Intermediate:Joseph Diermaier. Five Images after

paintings by Arnold Schoenberg(Universal Edition)

Robert Dick. Lookout (Multiple BreathMusic Company)

Robert Dick. Flying Lessons, VolumesI-II (Multiple Breath MusicCompany)

Kazuo Fukushima. Requiem (SuiviZerboni)

Linda Holland. Easing into ExtendedTechniques, Volumes 1-5 (Con BrioMusic Publishing)

Advanced to Professional:Robert Aitken. Plainsong (Universal)Luciano Berio. Sequenza I

(Zerboni/Universal)Elliot Carter. Scrivo in vento (Hendon

Music)Robert Dick, Tone Development

Through Extended Techniques(Multiple Breath Music Company)

Toru Takemitsu. Voice (Salabert)

*for a more exhaustive graded list:http://www.helenbledsoe.corn/erep.html

Alexis Del Palazzo is a freelance per'former and teacher living in Coming,New York. She received her bachelor'sdegree in flute performance from theUniversity of Oklahoma, where she stud-ied with Vaferie Watts.

1 Dick, Robert. Tone Development throughExtended Techniques. St. Louis:Multiple Breath Music Company, 1986.

2 George, Patricia. Flute Spa. No Publisher.3 Meador, Rebecca Rae. "A History of

Extended Flute Techniques and anExamination of their Potential as aTeaching Tool." DMA thesis, Universityof Cincinnati, 2001.

4 Dick, 9.5 Ibid.6 Krell, John. Kincaidiana: A Flute Player's

Notebook. Culver City: Trio Associates,1973.

1 Dick, 26.