the new york fluteclub - 2 measuresfauré’s pavane and chopin’s variations on a theme by...

A THOUSAND MILE JOURNEY

STARTS WITH ONE STEP:

DIZI MUSICIAN AND

EDUCATOR TIM LIU

N E W S L E T T E R

The New York Flute ClubN E W S L E T T E R

I N T H I S I S S U E

(Cont’d on page 4)

A Thousand Mile Journey Starts With One Step: Dizi Musician and Educator Tim Liu ..................1

by Rebecca Quigley

From the President ......................2Ergonomic Fluting

Member Profile ............................3Sue Carlson

David Weiss Puts Dizi Technologyto Work on Broadway ................8

by Rebecca Quigley

Relaxation for Flutists: A Few Techniques ..................................9

by Patricia SpencerA n n o u n c e m e n t s

Flute Happenings..................................3Ensembles Program Update and

Next Meeting ..................................5New Date for May meeting/concert ....5Flute Fair 2007 Update ......................11

January 2007

Interview by Rebecca Quigley

Tim Liu was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and has been teaching tradi-tional Chinese flute for over 20 years. During his childhood overseas hewas awarded the prestigious Best Musician Award in the Golden Lion

Bamboo Flute Solo Contest, and was a member of the Taipei City Chinese Classi-cal Orchestra. Principal flutist of the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York from1983 to 1992, Tim is now recognized as one of the outstanding masters of diziin this country. More information about his instruments, educational packages,and Lyrichord-label recordings can be found at his website,

www.2measures.com.

This interview was conducted via email in late October. As a shakuhachi player, Iwas particularly interested to hear about the evolution of dizi, along with its con-

struction and performance techniques.

REBECCA QUIGLEY: Let’s begin with thehistory of your instrument. When is theearliest known reference to dizi in Chi-nese history?

In Concert

Tim Liu, diziLiQun Li, yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer)

BaoLi Zhang, erhu

Sunday, January 21, 2007, 5:30 pmYamaha Piano Salon, 689 Fifth Avenue

(entrance between Fifth and Madison on 54th Street)

Yang Bien Chuay Ma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wei Shen Dzowng(“Grain Delivery Man”) (1969) (b. 1940)

Zhe Goo Fay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hunan folk tune(“Flight of the Zhe Goo Bird”) arr. Loo Chuen Ling (b. 1921)

The General’s Command . . . . . . . . . .Sichuan Yangqin folk tunere-arr. Shean Zhu Fua

Soung Yeo Chu (“Village Utopia”) . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tsai Jing Ming (1958) (b. 1939)

Streams of Sorrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shandong Folk Tune

Spring Comes to Xiang River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ning Bao Sung (1977) (b. 1943)

Journey to Gu-Su . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jian Shen Wei (1962) (b. 1924)

The Horseman’s New Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jien Guong Ee (1960) (1944–2000)

Program subject to change.

NYFC JAN07.3pp 12/24/06 1:08 AM

2 — NYFC Newsletter

THE NEW YORK FLUTE CLUB INC.

2006–2007Board of Directors

David Wechsler, PresidentJayn Rosenfeld, First Vice PresidentArdith Bondi, Second Vice PresidentJeanne Wilson, Recording SecretaryKeith Bonner, Membership SecretaryEdward Wolf, Treasurer

Katherine Fink Karla MoeSusan Friedlander Seth RosenthalSvjetlana Kabalin Rie SchmidtFred Marcusa Stefani Starin

Nancy Toff

Advisory BoardJeanne Baxtresser Robert LangevinHarold Jones Gerardo Levy

Marya Martin

Past PresidentsGeorges Barrère .................... 1920–1944John Wummer ........................ 1944–1947Milton Wittgenstein .............. 1947–1952Mildred Hunt Wummer ........ 1952–1955Frederick Wilkins .................. 1955–1957Harry H. Moskovitz ................ 1957–1960Paige Brook ............................ 1960–1963Mildred Hunt Wummer ...... 1963–1964Maurice S. Rosen ................ 1964–1967Harry H. Moskovitz .............. 1967–1970Paige Brook ............................ 1970–1973Eleanor Lawrence ................ 1973–1976Harold Jones .......................... 1976– 1979Eleanor Lawrence ................ 1979–1982Paige Brook ............................ 1982–1983John Solum ............................ 1983–1986Eleanor Lawrence ................ 1986–1989Sue Ann Kahn ...................... 1989–1992Nancy Toff .............................. 1992–1995Rie Schmidt ............................ 1995–1998Patricia Spencer...................... 1998–2001Jan Vinci .................................. 2001–2002Jayn Rosenfeld........................ 2002–2005

NewsletterKatherine Saenger, Editor115 Underhill RoadOssining, NY [email protected]

Sue Carlson, Layout/Production789 Westminster RoadBrooklyn, NY [email protected]

www.nyfluteclub.org

Copyright © 2006 by The New York Flute Club Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Iwanted to talk about posture and related occupational ill-nesses on the flute this month. We are all athletes of thehands and lips, and as such an areis subject to injury.

The flute is a very asymmetrically held instrument, andbecause of this players can be susceptible to little nigglingperformance aches and pains, that over time can becomereal chronic problems. Couple that with the absolutelyessential use of the computer for everyone these days andyour arms don’t get very much of a rest. I have been acutelyaware of posture issues for about 25 years. Every time I ever

had a small pain doing anything on the flute, I immediately went to work in akind of self biofeedback mode, and tracked down the problem, then successfullycorrected it. Of course the Alexander and Feldenkrais methods are excellent toolsto help relaxation, posture, and body awareness.

Here are some of my helpful hints for playing and prolonging flute playing.The first thing one must do when holding a flute is to realize that the very posi-tion of your hands can cause problems. If you turn in too much, you kink yourright wrist. If you turn out too much, you exaggerate the curve of same. Neither isgood. You must find a hand position that gives the best possible gentle curve withthe least amount of kinking or stretching. This is easily accomplished by just turn-ing your headjoint in or out until the position feels good on your right wrist. Ittakes a little getting used to, but is easy. For arms, your upper body from thewaist must point at a slight angle to the left from that of your legs. This has theeffect of moving your arms closer to the center of your body, and correcting someof the unequal weight distribution of your arms and putting them closer to thecenter. This also removes a great deal of pull from your left shoulder. The fluteshould be angled down slightly, not straight out parallel to the floor. Also beaware of keeping your arms naturally hanging down against your body, not in anexaggerated elbows up position, or the opposite, pushing your elbows againstyour sides. There is no need for either, and an elbow up does nothing for breatheven though you may feel that it does. Players must learn to support the instru-ment and your arms without any added tension to your neck and shoulders. I aman advocate of young players playing for longer periods of time on a chair witharms, until they are strong enough to support the flute for longer periods. Evenolder players should do that if they get tired. One must also be careful not to sitslouched. This presses down on your belly muscles, which are the entire supportsystem of your breathing. Always sit (and stand!) up straight. A great example forcarriage (the really old fashioned word for posture) is to watch ballet dancers intheir rest position before they begin dancing. They are all standing erect, yetrelaxed, understanding the responsibility of being a calm vertebrate. For your face,the only muscular contraction should be that of your embouchure. The rest ofyour face should be like a really good Texas Hold ‘Em player or a Botox injec-tionee—no expression. You must be careful not to do strenuous exercises or workunless you are used to it. You can hurt your arms that way. The dangers of ten-donitis and carpel tunnel syndrome are real. If you use a computer a lot, you mustwatch the angle of your arms in relation to the keyboard. A minor thing to correct,yet a major cause of damage.

I am a righty, and for most of my life my left hand has gotten away with doinglittle. When I began to have tension in my right arm at the computer, I startedmousing with my left hand. At first I was a spaz, but now I am better than withmy right hand. I now lead with my left, doing basic everyday tasks as a lefty, tomore equally distribute the workload. Of course however, there’s no substitute forbeing ambidextrous. I would love to be ambidextrous. Why, I’d cut off my rightarm to be ambidextrous! Ba-dump-pa. I hope you find these little suggestionshelpful, so you can concentrate on music, not pain.

Ergonomic Flutingby David Wechsler

From thePresident

NYFC JAN07.3pp 12/24/06 1:08 AM

January 2007 — 3

FREE to current NYFC members, this section lists upcoming per-formances by members; flute-related contests, auditions, andmasterclasses organized/sponsored by members; and briefdescriptions of members’ new recordings, sheet music, and books.Send submissions to the Newsletter Editor.

FREE to current NYFC members, this section lists upcoming per-formances by members; flute-related contests, auditions, andmasterclasses organized/sponsored by members; and briefdescriptions of members’ new recordings, sheet music, and books.Send submissions to the Newsletter Editor.

Thursday 7:00 pmDuo Del Norte with SHARONLEVIN, flute, and Gene Pino, guitar,

performing a mix of baroque, classical, Latinand popular music including chorhinos byAbreu and others, Ecuadorian mestizo music,Fauré’s Pavane and Chopin’s Variations on aTheme by Rossini.

• The Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Ave-nue, Westport, CT. • Admission: $20. • Info, callSharon Levin at 203-557-3973.

Saturday 5:30 pmELISE CARTER, flute, with Lin Li,piano, Dave Calkins, guitar, and

Matthew Demerritt, saxophone, in a recital ofworks by Burton, C.P.E. Bach, Reinecke,Schocker and others.

• Weill Recital Hall, 154 West 57th Street, NYC.• Admission: $25 (through Elise Carter at 973-851-5435 or box office on day of performance).

Sunday 8:00 pm“Second Viennese Roots andShoots,” a program of seminal

music of the early 20th century with reverber-ations in today’s hearts and ears, by the DaCapo Chamber Players with PATRICIASPENCER, flute. Works by Arnold Schoenberg(arr. Webern), Hanns Eisler, Alban Berg,George Perle, Milton Babbitt, and a worldpremiere by Kati Agocs.

• Merkin Concert Hall 129 West 67th Street,NYC. • Admission: $20 general, $10 students/seniors. • Box office 212-501-3330 or visit www.dacapochamberplayers.org.

Sunday 2:00 pmDuo Del Norte with SHARONLEVIN, flute, and Gene Pino, guitar,

in the same program as January 18.

• Westport Public Library, Arnold BernhardPlaza, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT. • Admis-sion is free. • Info, call 203-291-4840 or visitwww.westportlibrary.org.

JANUARY ’07

FEBRUARY ’07

JAN28

JAN20

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Employment: Manager of digital produc-tion for the book publisher W.W. Nor-ton & Company, and freelance flutist.

A recent recital/performance: A busyNovember 2006: two performances ofMadama Butterfly with the Brooklyn-based Regina Opera Company; soloistfor the same group’s InternationalOpera and Song Festival, playing “TheSwiss Sheperd”; and a performancewith her woodwind quintet, Viva Voce,in Staten Island.

Career highlight(s): As a flutist: princi-pal in the Knoxville (TN) Symphonyfollowing graduate school, then yearsas a freelancer with many different NY-area orchestras including American Bal-let Theatre. Performances with theSylvan Winds, a 1988 performance atthe Library of Congress with the Gal-liard Wind Quintet (when she and theoboist, Judith Dansker, were both aboutnine months pregnant), and lots ofchamber music with her current quin-tet. At Norton: getting a “top secret”security clearance and then doing thelayout/typesetting of the 9/11 Commis-sion Report in one straight 56-hourperiod in July 2004 to make a press runon Saturday for books in the store onThursday.

Current flute(s): A commercial modelPowell from the 1980s that she lovesfor its big, rich sound, and a Jeff Weiss-man piccolo selected for the samereason.

Influential flute teachers: Her firstteacher, Alexander LeSueur, a former

Kincaid student, who was teachingnearby at Western Carolina University;later, Philip Dunigan at the North Car-olina School of the Arts (from whomshe learned the real meat and potatoesof flute playing), Samuel Baron (atSUNY Stony Brook), Tom Nyfenger,and Trudy Kane.

High school: Sylva-Webster High Schoolin Sylva, NC (where she spent many,many hours with the Golden Eaglesmarching band until “getting it right”).

Degrees: BM (North Carolina School ofthe Arts, 1977); MM (SUNY StonyBrook, 1978).

Most notable and/or personally satisfyingaccomplishment(s): Raising her twokids and seeing them turn into “reallygreat people”; regaining her health aftersome scary medical troubles. She says,“Although I love music with a border-line religious devotion, the music busi-ness is not where I want to be. I feellucky to have found a career that chal-lenges my brain every day and stillleaves me enough energy to play.”

Favorite practice routines: Practicing isnot Sue’s favorite thing. But to warmup the lips she still does a series ofarpeggios and scales Philip Dunigantaught her years ago, a routine she alsofinds helpful for agility and intonation.

Other interests: Volunteering at theRegina Opera (the family company, co-founded by her sister-in-law), whereher children perform with the chorus,and her husband runs the sound sys-tem; reclaiming her inner jock with anow-seven-year-old routine of swim-ming (currently 3 miles per week),yoga, ballet and Pilates; and improvingher photo retouching skills (despite thefact that this sounds a lot like what shedoes at her day job).

Advice for NYFC members: Sue says, “Igenerally try to steer clear of givingpeople advice . . . unless you’re a fam-ily member, then look out!”

Member ProfileSue CarlsonNYFC membersince 2006Newsletter Layout/Production editor since 2006

FLUTE

HAPPENINGS

Flute Happenings DeadlinesIssue Deadline Mail date*February 2007 01/11/07 02/08/07March 2007 02/00/07 03/00/07April 2007 03/15/07 04/12/07May 2007 03/29/07 04/26/0*Projected

NYFC JAN07.3pp 12/24/06 1:08 AM


TIM LIU: There are two schools ofthought about where dizi originated.Official documents show that dizi wasbrought back from somewhere west ofChina by Emperor Wudi’s messenger,Zhang Qian, in 119 BCE. But the dis-covery of older flutes in several ancienttombs show that the Chinese playedbone and bamboo flutes long before.Some examples: a flute was found in atomb from the Eastern Han dynasty(206 BCE–9 CE) with an extra hole,perhaps for pasting a membrane; twobamboo flutes were found in a tombdated to 168 BCE; and more than thirty9,000-year old flutes (made from thewing bones of the red-crowned crane)with five or seven holes were found inthe village of Jiahu (Central YellowRiver Valley).

Despite some experimental dizi (11-hole flutes, half-note flutes, oradapting Western-style mechanical keysfor temporary notes), six-hole dizi arestill the popular choice of most diziplayers. Dizi have basically been thesame since the Yuan Dynasty(1279–1368 CE).

RQ: Let’s talk about your background.Can you tell us about your earliestmusical studies?TL: I think I am the first musicianamong my relatives. My parents like tosing and I think that is all the musicalbackground I got from my family.Around age 12, my school was lookingfor students to participate in a newlyformed Chinese Classical Ensemble.

What attracted me to join was that wewouldn’t have to go to daily morningand afternoon cleaning, and flag-raisingand lowering ceremonies, plus I wouldbe able to get close to some cute girls!Erhu [a long-necked two-string fiddlethat is played with a bow] was myassigned instrument, but I loved thesound of dizi. I got good at it and aftera half-year of practice, won myself afourth place award at the city musicalcompetition (Yes, there were more thanfour kids in the competition!). Seeing myname printed in the newspaper was abigger deal than a useless paper certifi-cate. At that time, you had to take a city-wide test to fight for high school seats,which were limited. Most families savedup money for their kid to go to “afterschool study” to prepare for that impor-tant test. My parents gave me moneytoo, but I hid it under the sink and wentout to practice when it was time to goto those classes. While the others stud-ied, I practiced dizi at the park, in thedark, where nobody would bother me,because people believed that playingdizi at night attracted ghosts. I was notafraid of that nonsense, but do remem-ber mosquitoes in the summer, coldwinds in the winter and a few “realityshows” in the darkness of the park, ifyou know what I mean.

RQ: At what moment did you know youwould pursue music for a living?TL: It may have been those two slapson the face from my Dad, after I toldhim I got accepted, and was leavinghome to go to music school! I am notquite sure if those two slaps strength-ened my mind to pursue music for aliving or not, but after he spent all hismoney to send me to music school[there was no way] I could change mymind. I did not link music playingwith money until I got into a profes-sional music ensemble and realizedhow much money I could make byplaying music and teaching privatestudents.

RQ: What was it like to win the BestMusician Award in the Golden LionBamboo Flute Solo Contest in 1981?TL: I was in the Army serving mymandatory two years at the time ofcompetition. I asked my dizi teacher forguidance about entering the competi-

tion, and he suggested that I not,because the association sponsoring thatcompetition was from another musicschool and students from my schoolmight not be treated fairly. I thoughtabout it for a few seconds, decided Ididn’t have anything to lose, and signedup for the competition.

I asked my captain in the Army fora day off to go to the competition.Jokingly, he told me, “If you don’t winthe competition, don’t come back tosee me.” You should have seen hisface when I showed him my nameprinted in the newspaper to prove thatI had actually won. I got five “Honor-able Wild Vacation Days,” and areward of $10,000. I had never hadthat much money in my life before,and it was a good foundation for ayoung soloist. That helped me get intothe only professional Chinese musicensemble in Taiwan at that time. Itturns out that it was a very fair compe-tition after all!

RQ: When and why did you arrive inthe United States?TL: In 1982 or 1983, after my two years’service in the Army and one year in theTaipei Municipal Chinese Music Orches-tra (the only professional Chinese MusicEnsemble in Taiwan at that time), I saidgood-bye to the members of theorchestra, my two girlfriends, privatestudents, and packed my bags. I arrivedin the US with exactly $3 in my pocket,which I paid to the luggage carrier whowas so eager to take care of my lug-gage. They were my last $3—I did notknow I would have to pay this friendlyperson to help me!

My parents had saved up enoughmoney to open their own Chineserestaurant in Spotswood, NJ. Being theoldest son, I could not say no to my“duty,” but had to help my parents whohad supported me all these years. Istarted my duty the day I arrived to theUS, going right into the kitchen directlyfrom JFK Airport.

Two months later, I wrote lettersback to my two girlfriends, along thelines of, “Forget about me, don’t wait,go find someone else while you are stillyoung, Christopher Columbus waswrong, it’s hopeless here, very tired,

Tim Liu (cont’d from page 1)

Tim Liu (cont’d on page 6)

NYFC JAN07.3pp 12/24/06 1:08 AM

January 2007 — 5

Sunday 4:00 pmThe Kaiser Woodwind Quintet withLAURA KAREL GEORGE, flute,

will perform a world premiere of NJ-composer Louis Gordon’s “Movements,” com-positions by Leon Karel and Franz Danzi,Ronald Roseman’s Renaissance Suite, andtranscriptions of music by Gershwin,Respighi, and Cervantes.

• St. Cassian Roman Catholic Church, 187Belleview Avenue, Upper Montclair, NJ. •Admission: $15 suggested donation. • Info, call973-744-2850.

Sunday 8:30 p.m.Flutist MICHAEL PARLOFF andfriends will perform music of

Schulhoff (Sonata for flute and piano),Debussy (Chansons de Bilitis), Schubert(“Trockne Blumen” Variations, Op. 160),Bach (Sonata in G Minor, BWV1001), andJongen (Concert à cinq for flute, string trio,and harp, Op. 71).

• Weill Recital Hall, 154 West 57th Street, NYC.• Admission: $35 general/$15 students/seniors.• Info, call MidAmerica Productions at 212/239-4699 or email [email protected].

Wednesday 7:00-9:00 PM“Swinging on a Star,” a masterclassby Paul Robison featuring love

songs and melodies, TBA.

• Diller-Quaile School of Music, 24 East 95thStreet, NYC. • Admission (auditors): $30 gen-eral, $15 students. • Info, call Heather Holdenat 212-369-1484 x26, or email [email protected].

Ensemble Program Update and Next Meetingby Annette Baron, NYFC Ensembles Coordinator

The second ensemble get-together for the2006-7 season was held on Sunday, Decem-

ber 10th in NJ. The five participants, representing arange of levels, benefited greatly from working togetherand learning from each other. For two hours, the group played through avariety of popular, classical, and novel choir pieces and talked about flutemanufacturers, fingering issues, phrasing, tone, breathing, blending, andtechnique.

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FEBRUARY ’07

FLUTE

HAPPENINGS

NYFC members Gwen Glaz, Hal Archer, Vanessa Levario, Diane Lynch, andAnnette Baron participated in the December 10 ensembles get-together in NJ.

FEB11

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New Date for May Ensembles Concert

and Annual Meeting

Sunday, May 20, 2007Greenwich House

46 Barrow Street, NYC

Concert at 6:00 pm with NYFC annual meeting at 5:30 pm.

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NEXT ENSEMBLES GET-TOGETHER

February 4, 2007Sunday 2:00 - 4:00 pm

The next ensembles get-together will be in Brooklyn (Park Slope), at the home of Julia Porter, 463 17th Street,Apt. #9. Please RSVP to Annette Baron.

Annette BaronNYFC Ensembles Coordinator

New York Flute ClubEmail: [email protected]

Phone: 973-244-0992

NYFC JAN07.3pp 12/24/06 1:08 AM


need sleep, good-bye.” They must havethought that because I was a restaurantowner’s son I was having a good life inthe US, and had decided it was thetime to dump them. But that was notthe truth. I did not see hope at thatmoment and thought I was doing thema favor.

RQ: Did something happen after that tochange your mind and makeyou want to stay in the US?TL: I did not change mymind. I believed once I leftTaiwan, my music career wouldbe over, that as the oldest son Ifelt it was my turn to con-tribute and my duty to helpthe family. My heart told me thatit was the right thing to do and Ifollowed it. I am glad I made thatdecision. More than a few times I won-dered if maybe I would be happier,become famous, or make more moneyif I had stayed in Taiwan, but because Ifollowed my heart, I had peace in mymind and knew everything would beall right in the future.

RQ: Can you talk about your experi-ences during the nine years you per-formed with the Chinese MusicEnsemble of New York?TL: The Ensemble was founded by Mr.Tran-Nien Zhang with four other mem-bers. Mr. Zhang was friends with myerhu teacher back in Taiwan. When Ijoined the group in 1982, there wereonly one or two formally-trained musi-cians, but their musical style was veryrich, and I hungrily absorbed from eachplayer’s style like a starving baby. I dis-covered some beautiful music fromthese amateur players and got to per-form many famous dizi solo pieces thatwere not allowed to be played in Tai-wan at that time because it was consid-ered to be “promoting communistculture.” Later, when more professionalperformers joined the ensemble, itenriched and expanded my music styleeven more. I remember when BaoliZhang had just joined the ensembleplaying erhu, his playing made methink, “That is the way it should be.”

RQ: What have been your experienceswith the Western flute?

TL: I tried it once, but didn’t have anyspecial feeling about it. I am sure learn-ing more would open up my world andadvance my dizi playing, but when youare in love with someone, you don’teven want to look at others. Thethought of the benefits of playing fluteonly entered my mind for a few sec-onds. It’s OK, I can only handle onelover at a time, and I know mylimitations.

RQ: How do you balance your perform-ing career with your business?

TL: I keep reminding myself that Iwant both, and that I can have it

all. My daytime job in salesallows me to arrange my

own hours and my timeis spent between my

two sons, my job,practice, per-

formancesand my

webbusiness(www.2Measures.com).I get up around 7 am andrarely hit the bed before 1am. I realize this is not a goodthing for my health, but you onlylive once and I only have 24 hoursper day, so what can I do?

RQ: How did your business come intoexistence?TL: I got calls from a few professionalwoodwind players [see sidebar discus-sion with one of them, David Weiss],especially after the Broadway showsMiss Saigon and The Lion King opened.I was busy with my daytime job, prac-tice, performances and my newbornfirst son, so I just didn’t have the timeto give private lessons. But the demandof people wanting to learn how to playdizi kept coming up, and finally, Istayed up to 5 am for more than a fewnights to put my first program together.Based on my teaching experiences, I’vetried my best to make the program asclear as possible. I then offer my fullsupport via email and any form ofcommunication possible. To me, it’s ajoy to receive recordings from partici-pants, to share their progress, and toget asked for my opinion of theirplaying.

After the program was made, Icalled Carol Wincenc for [feedback].She told me she loved the program andwas nice enough to give me herendorsement to help me promote it.Along with her endorsement, and thoseof Dave Weiss and Paula Chan Bing, Idistributed my program throughwww.shakuhachi.com, the webite ofMonty Levenson, a wonderful shaku-hachi maker out in California. I set upmy own website after I produced myother two dizi programs on DVD.

RQ: How were your instructional pack-ages How to Play the Dizi and 2 Mea-sures at a Time™ influenced by yourexperiences as a teacher?TL: I find that most students onlyabsorb 50% of what I teach them dur-ing lessons, and after the lesson, moststudents forget 50% of what theyabsorbed. (Perhaps because I am not avery good teacher? Or maybe they arenot very good students?) Then, whenthey practice at home, they practice thewrong way without knowing it andwaste lots of their money and my valu-able time. I told myself, what if theycould follow and practice with meevery two measures at a time, every

time? Would they practice the “rightway” and get better results within

a much shorter time? Sure theywill! I think this method isnot only limited to dizi.

RQ: The 2 Measures at a Time™ method was inspired by an old Chineseproverb. . . .TL: Yes, “A thousand mile journey startswith one small step.” A destination athousand miles away seemed impossi-ble in old China, but with an experi-enced guide by your side, athousand-mile journey can be achievedby taking one small step at a time. Thisapplies to learning dizi as well. The 2Measures at a Time™ method is basedon the natural learning process of imi-tation and repetition. You can go atyour own pace, repeat each individuallesson as many times as you wish, andget feedback from me by email. Theprogram comes with a dizi, dizi acces-sories (membrane, membrane glue, andtassel), the CD, and my book, so partic-ipants can start to learn and enjoy thiswonderful instrument the minute theyopen the package.

Tim Liu (cont’d from page 4)

NYFC JAN07.3pp 12/24/06 1:08 AM

January 2007 — 7

RQ: Let’s talk about the construction ofdizi and how it differs from the Westernflute. Can you describe the mokong (thehole between the embouchure and thefinger holes) and the dimo membranethat covers it? Why is the dimo selectionand pasting ability so important to thesound of dizi?TL: Compared to the modern Westernflute, dizi have a very simple construc-tion. On the upper side of the bambootube it has one embouchure hole, onemembrane hole, six fingering holes, andtwo holes to balance/correct the pitch.On the underside of the bamboo, thereare another two holes at the end to bal-ance/correct the pitch and from whichsome people hang tassel decorations.

A special feature of dizi is themokong. This membrane hole wasinvented by Liu Xi during the Tangdynasty (618–907 CE). The mokong islocated in-between the embouchurehole and fingering holes, and is cov-ered by a thin membrane called thedimo. When the dizi is played, thedimo vibrates and produces a very spe-cial crisp sound. The inventor called hisnew instrument Chi Sing Guang or the“seven stars tube” (six finger holes plusone membrane hole equals seven) andsaid the reason for his invention was to“help produce a better sound.”

The dimo is very sensitive to mois-ture and the temperature of the envi-ronment. Dizi players adjust it fromtime to time to get the best sound wecan and when we cannot get the soundto our liking we have to change it. Diziplayers are very picky about the qualityof the dimo; how it should be pastedand how loose or tight it is adjusted. Ionce ran into a so-called “woodwindspecialist” who proudly told me that hepasted Saran Wrap™ on the membranehole, and was able to leave it on foryears. What does that say about his tal-ents if he cannot recognize the differ-ence in sound between Saran Wrap™and a real membrane?

RQ: What other modern flute tech-niques, like circular breathing, flutter-tonguing, multiphonics and harmonics,are used on dizi?TL: Dizi techniques can be categorizedinto three kinds: blowing, fingering andtonguing. Long and even breathing isfundamental. Dizi players also use cir-cular breathing, and a variety of vibrato

types and timbres. Fingering techniquesinclude trills, glissandi, tremoli, porta-menti, and half-holing, among others.The basic tonguing techniques areflutter-tonguing and different kinds ofstaccati such as single-, double-, andtriple-tonguing. The use and combina-tion of these techniques depends onthe styles (folk, silk and bamboo, oroperatic), schools (Southern or North-ern) and regions (Shangshi province orHebei province) of dizi repertoire.However, contemporary conservatory-trained performers are generallyrequired to integrate all these tech-niques so that modern composers canfreely apply these techniques accordingto their specific needs.

RQ: You have recorded several albums.Can you tell us about the challengesyou faced in the recording studio withdizi?TL: In the recording room usually theair is very dry. This slows down thedimo’s vibration, making the dizi soundmuffled. The same thing happens onthe concert hall stage, especially on abrightly lit stage.

A humidifier in the recording roomwill usually take care of the drynessproblem, but on the stage we rely onour experience to paste the dimo looserthan usual, then count on the brightlylit stage’s higher temperature and dryerair to bring the dimo down to the righttightness. Most of time it works, butwhen we paste it too loose, and thedimo does not come back to the righttightness in time, we are in serioustrouble, because it is very hard to blowout high notes when the dimo is tooloose. That happened to me once onstage and is a recurring nightmare—it istime for your entrance and no soundcomes out of your instrument!

RQ: Can you tell us about your upcom-ing NYFC concert?TL: Since this is the first time I am play-ing for the Club, I will just share somedizi music I like and mix traditional andmodern pieces. I will start with asmaller Northern-style dizi called BanDi(literally opera flute), follow by a largerSouthern-style dizi called QunDi. I willplay these two pieces without anyaccompanying instruments to let theaudience compare the different playingstyles. My friend LiQun will demonstrate

YangQin (hammered dulcimer) for us,then my friend Baoli Zhang will demon-strate the erhu with LiQun’s accompani-ment, and we will play several piecestogether. If time allows, we will answersome questions and let the audiencemembers look at the instruments. Bythe way, there will be an after-concertdinner in Chinatown, and you are allwelcome to join us. We’ll share thecosts for about $15–20 per person.

RQ: Have you composed works for dizi?Will any of your compositions be fea-tured in the concert?TL: I have written a few songs and anensemble piece, but none for dizi.There are still too many lovely dizipieces out there that I haven’t had timeto play yet. Maybe after my two youngsons move out of the house, I will havea chance to give it a try! ❑

�Rebecca Quigley is a Westchester-based freelance flutist, teacher, andshakuhachi player.

RQ and TL thank Mary Ann Lach (Mrs.Tim Liu) for her help in straighteningout the nuances of TL’s English.

NYFC JAN07.3pp 12/24/06 1:08 AM


DAVID WEISS PUTS DIZI TECHNOLOGY TO WORK ON BROADWAY

REBECCA QUIGLEY: When you met TimLiu, did you already have a personalinterest in the dizi and Chinese music,or did you need an instrument for a job?DAVID WEISS: I’ve always been inter-ested in world music, beginning withEast Indian and Japanese music. I firstmet Tim in 1991, through a friend. Ifound his instruments suitable for work-ing with a western ensemble, after I re-tuned them a bit. I bought them towork on Miss Saigon, for which I hadjust been hired, but also because I con-cluded they could work for me in manydifferent ways. Tim imports his dizifrom both Shanghai and Beijing, myinstruments are about 15 years old.

RQ: Let’s talk about the mechanics ofyour instruments. What pitch is yourdizi tuned to?DW: Because dizi have no keys–andhave just six fingerholes–it is necessaryto use different instruments dependingon which key you are in. Chinese musi-cians carry instrument cases with 12flutes, because it is essential to have aflute in each key. This sounds expen-sive, but I could have purchased a newflute headjoint for what I’ve paid for allmy flutes from Tim. The range of eachinstrument is about two octaves. Thelowest one I have starts on F# abovemiddle C; the highest is a fifth up froma piccolo.

RQ: The bamboo on my shakuhachirequires constant attention to preventcracking in drier climates like NewYork. Do you have to take extra steps toprotect your dizi?DW: Like shakuhachi, dizi are made ofbamboo, and have tone holes and inte-rior bores evened out by hand. But thedizi is bound at several intervals bywire, and this really helps prolong thelife of the bamboo. Repairs and patchesare possible in the bamboo with epoxy,and “pining”. I rub oil into the bamboothree to four times each winter, a tech-nique also used by shakuhachi players.I’ve found playing around New York

that the halls are dry, but not too dry,and the older the instrument the morethey seem to adjust to our climate.

RQ: How did you get your start playingon Broadway?DW: In 1983 I got a call from a musiccontractor who needed a flute playerfor a Broadway production of theShakespeare play All’s Well That EndsWell. Andrew Lolya, who had been myteacher at the Manhattan School ofMusic, recommended me for the job.The show closed after about twomonths, but my name got around, andI started subbing for other musicians. Islowly started getting more shows ofmy own. I’ve worked on over 50 pro-ductions, between shows of my ownand subbing. These days, I split mytime between the theater and therecording studio.

RQ: Tell us about how and whenyou use the dizi in The Lion King.Was it written in the score, ordid you suggest the instrumentfor its timbre?DW: I was hired to play forThe Lion King because they wantedsomeone who could play flute, piccolo,panpipes, and all sorts of “ethnic flutes”(I hate that term, but that’s anotherstory.). The idea was to jointly createthe part, as I brought an extensiveknowledge of these unusual instru-ments, and the distinctive colors theyhave. The composers were willing togo anywhere in the world musically toget “the sound” that worked. I play 13instruments in the show. Three of themare dizi I purchased from Tim. One is ahigh F sopranino Dizi. The other twoare pitched in B major, a minor thirdlower than a piccolo. One utilizes dimopaper, the membrane that gives the dizisuch a distinctive sound. The othersounds like a standard wood flute. Thedizi were not originally part of The LionKing score. I brought them into themix. The beauty of Tim’s instruments istheir malleability—if you play them

without “Chinese” ornamentation, theycan work in almost any ensemble, andnot sound Chinese.

RQ: What scene(s) does it appear in?Can you also briefly talk about the otherflutes you use in the show?DW: The song “Can You Feel The LoveTonight” features the two B instru-

ments, especially the one with the dimopaper. It has a very sensuous soundand fits the instrumental ballet in themiddle of the scene. The other flutesreally “color” the characters of theshow. The panpipes are associated withSimba, the young Lion King; his fatherMufasa, the older Lion King, is coloredwith low wood flutes. One of the diziin B is also featured right after Mufasadies. The evil uncle Scar gets stuck withthe nasty sounding bass pan pipes. I’veused dizi for all sorts of things, literallyevery aspect of the business. It’s up tothe player to take the instrument some-where new.

For more about David Weiss, visitwww.davidweiss.net.

NYFC JAN07.3pp 12/24/06 1:08 AM

January 2007 — 9

Building a relaxation habit intoone’s flute technique is one ofthe cornerstones of learning the

instrument—others including, of course, a deep artistic involvement with the world of music, a tirelesssearch for your own creative voice, aconstant curiosity and excitement aboutunderstanding/shaping/hearing more in the repertoire (and not just fluterepertoire!).

The importance of the relaxationcornerstone is sometimes underesti-mated. We all want to play ever faster,louder, tongue at the speed of light—we imagine technique-building as thedevelopment and strengthening of cer-tain muscles and muscular memory pat-terns. But for maximum efficiency andeffectiveness (and thus maximum fun!),the habit of loosening and releasingneeds to be an integral part of all tech-nical workouts.

Below are listed a few relaxationmethods I have found helpful in myown playing and teaching.

“No-fault” PracticingAn important first thought: if you areexperiencing tension, don’t imagine thatyou are somehow at fault. In manycases, almost the opposite is true: thefact that you feel the musical excite-ment, that you care about the soundthat comes out of the flute, leads youto put out special effort which can takethe form of physical clenching. Most ofus (probably 99% of the people I haveworked with or taught) need todevelop methods to counteract this.The tension slows the learning processand makes performances into daunting,high-pressure events instead of enjoy-able challenges, opportunities to com-municate your artistic vision.

A “no-fault” approach to practicingcan be step one. When you play awrong note (or wrong rhythm, or outof tune note, or wrong dynamic, etc.),rather than saying “Oh, how stupid Iam, that’s wrong, it should be an F�”(for example), try simply saying

“Oops—next time I’ll be sure to play anF� at that spot” (or the correct rhythm,or a louder crescendo, or whatever isneeded). This simple change keepsyour level of observation high, andomits the tension-producing part about“how stupid” the error was. Everyonemakes errors. The trick is to deal withthem intelligently and with a “loosen-ing” approach to fixing them.

SingingSinging a phrase or a tricky spot can bea helpful way of learning it—away fromthe flute. This eliminates the fingeringand tone production part and lets yourelax and focus just on the musicalshape and rhythm. It is also helpful tosay just the rhythm (not worrying aboutthe pitches) and vice versa—sing justthe pitches and no rhythm. And here’sa surprise: it actually doesn’t matter ifyour voice won’t “go” to the pitchesyou’re learning—the process of tryingto get it to go there will still help yourflute playing!

Every breath is a special opportunity for relaxationWe all know that, in order to developsmooth and quick finger technique, weneed to practice slowly. But how oftenwe forget to apply the same wisdom tothe development of breathing technique!This is partly because of our wonderfulAndersen etudes, which for the mostpart leave little or no time for breaths,even between phrases. Our repertoire isalso chock-full of fabulous pieces (theBach Sonatas!) that require quick andhopefully quiet breaths.* Therefore inorder to build a habit of relaxation withevery breath, we must start by simplytaking the extra time that is needed for arelaxed breath. Try this for a week: forat least half of your practice time on anAndersen study, put a quarter rest, witha fermata over it, at the end of every

phrase. (Then take it away and breathequickly for the other half of the time.)Do the same for your scales—put a nicefermata over every breathing spot. Twoyears ago I was privileged to play onthe same concert (at an NFA Conven-tion), with the superb flutist PaulEdmund-Davies, first flutist with the Lon-don Philharmonia Orchestra. In addi-tion to hearing his wonderfulperformance and rehearsals of the JohnHarbison concerto, I heard part of hispre-concert warm-up: he was playingTaffanel & Gaubert #4, and he was tak-ing several beats for every breath!

Here’s something else to try: playyour scales until you are almost but notquite out of breath, then, instead ofbreathing immediately, exhale a littlemore and at the same time relax yourjaw, throat, shoulder and breathingmuscles. This could result in your nextbreath simply coming in as a reflex,which would be terrific. But even if thelittle extra “puff and release” does nothappen to trigger a reflexive breath, itis still a good relaxation habit and willimprove your sound. (Needless to say,as with developing speed of fingers,after slow practice one must also gofast—but with a looser feeling!)

“Paint the ceiling”**Intersperse your flute practice with var-ious relaxing physical stretches. One ofmy favorites is “paint the ceiling,” aseries of arm circles. Put the flutesomewhere safe. Let your right arm falllimply at your side and then spreadyour fingers into a big wide openhand. Rotate your hand clockwise,pointing your thumb away from youand back, perhaps even toward thewall behind you. Imagine your wide-spread hand is a paint brush, and, with

RELAXATION FOR FLUTISTS: A FEW TECHNIQUES

by Patricia Spencer

Relaxation (cont’d on page 10)

* This short article will not describe themechanics of breathing technique (thatwould be a different article!).

**This exercise came from a wonderful classI attended in “Semiokinesis,” taught by MarcBassis. For more information, see: http://www.semiokinesis.org/mski/Accueil.html.

NYFC JAN07.3pp 12/24/06 1:08 AM


a big arm circle from way behind youto way above, you are painting first thewall behind you and then the ceilingwith the center of your palm. Let yourgaze follow your hand, and pause atthe highest point of the arc, with yourfingers still spread wide and your palmfacing straight up. This will feel a littleuncomfortable, as you are stretchingyour hand, wrist, forearm, and shoul-der muscles. After a few seconds ofholding the stretch, relax your handand let your arm “flop” down in theforward curve of your circle. Repeatwith your left arm; do both sides, alter-nately, five to ten times. Try inhalingon the upward part of the arc, andexhaling on the downward “flop,” andask yourself if that gives you evenmore relaxation.

Thought-practicingThis simple technique not only pro-motes relaxation but also speeds upthe learning process. After you haveplayed a “tough spot” several times,instead of actually playing it, imagine itas clearly as possible in your head:sing it silently to yourself, imaginingeach fingering change, no matter howslowly. Don’t move your fingers—justimagine the movements. And don’t beshocked if it takes several seconds toimagine a finger change that you canalready manage easily on the flute.This process brings the essence of thefingering (or the big slur, or thepitch/dynamic control, or whateveryou’re working on) into a differentlevel of consciousness and helps youshed some of the extra, tension-related

motions that you might be addingwhen you actually play.

In an insightful article,*** Betty BangMather reported on an experiment in“thought-practicing” by basketball play-ers. Team A practiced as usual, shoot-ing baskets and making passes, team Bsat on the benches and imagined whatif felt like to shoot baskets and makepasses; and team C did a combination.The team that improved the most wasteam C. And the team that made thesecond most improvement was teamB—after only sitting on the benchesand “thought-practicing.”

1

4 5

2 3

The author demonstrates the “paint theceiling” exercise: (1) Let your right arm falllimply at your side and then spread yourfingers. (2) Rotate your hand clockwise,pointing your thumb away from you. Let-ting your gaze follow your hand, start abig arm circle from way behind you toway above, first “painting” the wall behindyou (3) and then the ceiling (4). Afterholding the stretch for several seconds atthe highest point of the arc, relax yourhand and let your arm “flop” down in theforward curve of your circle (5).

*** Betty Bang Mather, “Playing the Flutewith Your Whole Brain” The Flutist Quar-terly, Vol. XV No. 4, Fall 1990.

Photo

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Bondi

NYFC JAN07.3pp 12/24/06 1:08 AM

January 2007 — 11

Tonguing workoutsIn the same way that swimming or run-ning can contribute to relaxation andsmooth muscle coordination, a moder-ately strenuous tonguing workout canhelp relax your tongue and throat.Depending on your level, this workoutcould be some tongued scales, anAndersen tonguing etude, Saint-Saens“Volière” (or perhaps Marco Granados’sfun “Hibiee-Jibiees” joropo etude!).Intersperse your workout with restingmoments (maybe with some relaxedbreathing exercises) and keep focusingon loosening and “floating” all the jaw,neck, and occipital musculature. Makesure to incorporate nice long relaxedbreaths into your workout, especially atthe beginning. (As you get into it, youmay find that your breaths naturally getquicker while still keeping relaxed.)Also make sure not to overdo it.Experiment with different time periods(10–15 minutes, up to 45) and figureout what works for you. A helpfulsecret—it doesn’t have to be daily! Fordeveloping both speed and relaxation,a tonguing workout four or five times aweek is sometimes even better thandaily.

Play slowerThis is so obvious you’ll think I’minsulting you—nevertheless, each yearat auditions I am amazed at how manyyoung players play too fast for them-selves, sacrificing relaxation, tone color,phrasing and notes in the process. Atleast half of your practice time on diffi-cult passages should be slow (andsinging), building relaxation into thephrase at each of several different slowtempos. Furthermore, the fast practicecan be in short spurts, interspersed withrests, for the same reason.

“Bell for awareness”A certain ebb and flow of tension andrelease are part of the learning process.By going a little bit beyond your limit, inspeed, softness, tonguing, or whatever,you’ll experience more relaxation in thenext day’s session. A student once toldme she had attended a meditationretreat where a “bell for awareness” wasrung at random intervals. When theyheard the bell, they would each take amoment to check in on their breathing,balance, and spiritual connection withtheir activity. After they had completedthe retreat, their teacher suggested they

use a bell we all hear everyday as acontinuing “bell for awareness”—namelythe telephone. Personally, I have toadmit I have not been able to learn toloosen and relax and do a little breath-ing exercise whenever I hear the phone.(Probably I need to attend this retreat!)Nevertheless, you may be able to find asignal, for yourself, that helps youdevelop a habit of regular “checking in”on your breathing, balance, relaxation,and spiritual connection.

ConclusionThis brief outline of methods is far fromexhaustive. Your teacher will have manygood methods, some tailored for yourparticular habits. Watch for a plannedlist of recommended further reading. ❑

�A champion of new music, flutist Patri-cia Spencer (www.patriciaspencerflute.com) is well known for her perform-ances, solo and chamber recordings,and commissioning of present-day com-posers. She is a member of the Da CapoChamber Players and on the faculty ofBard College and Hofstra University.

©2006 P. Spencer

UPDATE ON NEW YORK FLUTE FAIR 2007:

STAR TRACK, SETTING YOUR COURSE

Katherine Fink, Flute Fair ChairDate: Saturday, March 10, 2007Venue: Union Theological Seminary

International soloist and teacher Carol Wincenc inspires a day of career planning with stellar performances, master-classes and lectures, including a world premiere by illustrious composer Paul Schoenfield. Teachers, future stars and stargazers will enjoy this view from the top. Please check www.nyfluteclub.org for detailed information and updates.

MASTERCLASS with CAROL WINCENC Those interested in participating in the masterclass should send a one-page resume and good quality recording (tape or CD) with two contrasting movements or works which you intend to perform at the class (standard flute or piccolo repertoire, no avant-garde). Advanced high school level and beyond are preferred. Please send materials by February 1, 2007 to:

Jeanne Wilson2600 Netherland Avenue, Apt. 425Riverdale, NY [email protected]

ATTENTION ALL ENSEMBLE TEACHERS! Please contact Stefani Starin at [email protected] by February 1, 2007 if you are interested in having your studentensemble perform at NY Flute Fair 2007 on Saturday March 10 at 2 pm. Any ensemble of three or more students (agesup to 18) is eligible. Maximum 10 minutes for each group.

NEW YORK FLUTE CLUB ANNUAL COMPETITIONThe preliminary auditions will be held at the Kaplan space on March 9, 2007 with final auditions at the Flute Fair onMarch 10. Winners will perform at the Yamaha Piano Salon on April 29. Eligible age is 18–27, applications must be post-marked by February 10. See www.nyfluteclub.org for details and application.

NYFC JAN07.3pp 12/24/06 1:08 AM

The New York Flute ClubPark West Finance StationP.O. Box 20613New York, NY 10025-1515

Happy New Year! The first Club eventfor 2007 will be a concert by the dizi performer and edu-cator Tim Liu, followed by a dizi Q&A session and a post-concert dinner in Chinatown. Rebecca Quigley’s interviewleft me impressed with Tim’s good humor, his childhooddedication to music (how many junior high students doyou know who would skip high school entrance examcoaching sessions to practice the flute in the park?), andexpertise in dizi pedagogy. Rebecca also had some ques-tions for a Broadway practitioner of the dizi, David Weiss(see sidebar on p. 4).

This month we have two self-help articles on the closely related topics ofergonomic fluting (Dave Wechsler’s “From the President,” p. 2) and mindfulrelaxation (Pat Spencer on p. 9). We also have some updates from Kathy Fink onFlute Fair 2007 (note that several planned events have early February deadlinesfor participants) from Annette Baron on the ensembles program.

Sue Carlson, the NYFC Newsletter's new layout/production editor, is thismonth’s Member Profile subject. First a freelance flutist and now a graphic pro-duction manager for a book company, she is probably the only one of our sub-jects who can claim a family opera company to volunteer with. Makes me wish Ihad a family opera company, but it is probably not an endeavor for the faint-hearted!

Anyway, all for now. See you soon. Best regards,

Katherine Saenger ([email protected])

January 21, 2007 concertSunday, 5:30 pm • YamahaPiano Salon, 689 Fifth Avenue (at 54th Street)

Tim Liu, dizi

From theEditor

2006–2007 Concerts

87th SeasonOctober 29, 2006 • Sunday, 5:30 pmFENWICK SMITH, flute, and SALLY PINKAS,piano

November 19, 2006 • Sunday, 5:30 pmLEW TABACKIN, jazz artist

December 17, 2006 • Sunday, 5:30 pmLAUREL ZUCKER, flute, and MARK DELPRIORIA, guitarHoliday reception

January 21, 2007 • Sunday, 5:30 pm TIM LIU, Chinese bamboo flutes

February 25, 2007 • Sunday, 5:30 pm THE HANOVERIAN ENSEMBLEJOHN SOLUM and RICHARD WYTON,baroque flutes

March 10, 2007 • Saturday, All dayFLUTE FAIR 2007—CAROL WINCENC, Union Theological Seminary

April 29, 2007 • Sunday, 5:30 pm2007 NYFC COMPETITION WINNERS

May 20, 2007 • Sunday, 5:30 pm ANNUAL MEETING & ENSEMBLE CONCERT

All concerts and events (except as noted) at YamahaPiano Salon, 689 Fifth Avenue (entrance betweenFifth and Madison on 54th Street). All dates and pro-grams subject to change. Tickets $10, only at the door;free to members. For more information, visit the NYFCwebsite at www.nyfluteclub.org or call 732-257-9082.

NYFC JAN07.3pp 12/24/06 1:08 AM

the new york fluteclub - 2 measuresfauré’s pavane and chopin’s variations on a theme by...

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