Tag: tone color

Arm Flapping

Arm flapping is a common mistake among both piano and flute students. Let’s talk about why we flap our arms and ways to fix it.

The Ideal Way to Hold Your Arms

Whenever you play a musical instrument, it should feel like your arms are wet spaghetti noodles that hang between your wrists and your shoulders. Obviously you’re going to move your arms occasionally – we’re human and need to move around or the joints will get stiff. The movements need to be graceful and, ballerina-like, leading with the elbow or wrist.

Arm Flapping on the Flute

Some flutists have a tendency to flap our arms in order to send out our emotions. When our elbows are raised, it changes the shape of our chest cavity enough to create a different tone color which makes it very easy to pull out the emotion of the piece.

The big problem: if you’re flapping your arms or even just holding one or both elbows up for an extended period of time, you’re compressing your wrist and putting extra strain on your shoulders and upper back. Compression + strain = pain.

The other problem: it makes you look ridiculous. I don’t care as much about this problem because I’m not an aesthetic person, but I thought I’d put it out there.

The solution: if you want to emote in a certain section, raise one elbow for 1-2 measures. You’ll create the tone color that you want and then you’ll be able to hold onto it with your embouchure once you lower your arm. Write a reminder in the music to raise your arm here and lower it there. Otherwise, use the ideal way to hold your arms as described above.

Arm Flapping on the Piano

Most pianists flap our arms because we’re flipping our thumb under our hands for more than an interval of a 2nd in order to crawl our fingers across the piano. We don’t realize we’re doing it, we’re just concentrating on getting our thumbs a 3rd or a 4th up the keyboard. Our bodies do funny things when we’re concentrating.

The problem: it puts extra strain on your shoulder and it slows you down just a tad for that one interval.

The solution: Take your thumb and move the tip all the way across your palm. That’s how far you have to move your thumb in order to leap a 4th.

Don’t concentrate on it too much when you’re practicing your piece. Your body needs to do funny things in order to to concentrate. Concentrate on doing this when you’re doing your one-handed arpeggios during warm-ups.

Since arpeggios are fun and easy, it will give you more time to concentrate on your new habit. After you’ve mastered this, your new skill will naturally matriculate into the other aspects of your playing. I talk more about why we do scales, cadences, chords and arpeggios at the beginning of the warm-ups here.

What to Expect

It takes about a month to change a habit. Some people take a week to stop the arm flapping habit, some take a month or two. It depends upon the situation and how long you’ve been doing it. Good luck!

Using Different Sounds as a Practice Motivator

Using different sounds is a great motivator for anyone who needs to run through something multiple times, but can’t get themselves to play something more than once. I know that I’m guilty of only playing through everything once!

What do I mean by using different sounds?

Depending on the instrument, you could think about it as experimenting with different ways of playing it – 8va, different tone colors, play loud, play quiet, etc.

I will give examples below for each instrument that I teach.

Electric Piano

It’s probably the easiest to change the sound on an electric piano. You just push a button and it sounds like an organ, a harpsichord, or even a brass band.

You should see the way kids light up when I tell them that they need to use their pieces to help them decide which sound effect they like the best. When they come back the next week, the parents tell me that they went through their pieces 3-7 times per day. Woohoo! Grown-ups can have that fun experience, too.

Acoustic Piano

When my oldest daughter started playing the piano, she loved to practice every piece in every octave on the keyboard.

She started with the bottom octave, moved up to the next octave and played the same piece. Moved up to the next octave. So on and so forth until she got to the top octave, then started over on the process with the next piece.

I’m not saying you have to be that meticulous, but you could do it a couple octaves down or a couple octaves up, just to hear the tone color change. That would be a grand total of three times through.

Flute

When I was in college, I was the piccolo player. I would practice everything on both instruments. My fingers were faster on the piccolo, so sometimes I’d work things out on that instrument then switch to the flute. That would be one option for using a different sound, if you have a piccolo. 🙂

Flutes can change our tone color at the drop of a hat. I wrote about that more in detail here. Why not use that to our advantage? You could try that rhaspy, airy tone that the Irish use on the flute for almost a percussive instrument. Try playing the piece in every tone color of the rainbow, one at a time, and decide which one you like.

All Instruments

Using different sounds as a practice motivator has a lot of different applications for any instrument. Here is a short list of different options, feel free to add to the list.

  • Volume – ff, f, mf, mp, p, pp
  • Emotion – try playing it sad, happy, angry, etc.
  • Articulation – staccato, legato, marcato, accented, etc.

Seriously

I’ve mentioned a few things that serious musicians do to create their own interpretation of the music – dynamics, tone color, emotion, and articulation. They experiment with how they want to play a phrase to get their message across in the best way.

Using different sounds might be a great practice motivator because it’s fun. It’s also serious work. If fun doesn’t motivate you, maybe discovering your interpretation of a piece will be motivating for you.

Conclusion

Everyone likes to experiment with different sounds on different pieces. It not only makes kids light up, it also has a really good purpose. Sometimes that purpose is to convince yourself to, “Play it again, Sam.” Sometimes it helps with your interpretation of the piece. However it helps, don’t be afraid to experiment. 🙂

Different Theory Definitions in Flute vs Piano

Being a doubler, I see the differences in piano and flute theory definitions. I’d like to share them with you.

I’m a little bit of a music theory nerd. I love the math inside of the music and seeing how it all fits together. Once you know your music theory, a piece of music looks like a beautiful puzzle.

Because of the way that different instruments make different sounds, the definition of some of the terms are different. Being a doubler, I see the differences in piano and flute definitions. I’d like to share them with you.

The Slur vs Legato

In flute, legato means to lightly tongue the passage, using a “la” syllable in your mouth. It sometimes says legato in the music and sometimes the composer uses a tenuto.

In flute, a slur means to not tongue at all in the passage indicated.

In piano, legato and slur are the same thing – smooth and connected – because every note is a strike of the string(s). There’s no way for the piano to not articulate every note.

The Accent

In piano, an accent simply means to play that particular note louder.

In flute, an accent means to play that particular note with a hard, somewhat explosive attack. The accent is all about the attack.

Piano as a whole is all about the attack. That’s why some consider us percussionists. We don’t have very much control over how the entire note is played, we only have control over the attack.

In the flute, we have control over the attack and the duration of the entire note, so if we were to play an accent the same way we were instructed on the piano, we would just play that note forte, which would sound funny.

Tone Color

In piano, people talk about tone color as purely the emotion that you want to portray.

In flute, tone color is involved with the emotion, but not the whole thing. We can have both purple noble and blue noble sounds. I talk more about tone color on flute here.

Let’s Work Together.

These are the differences that I see the most often, I’m sure there are more. I feel that when we know the differences, it helps us to come together more as musicians. We play together. If we know how our vocabulary differs, we can understand each other better.

Practicing Music Via Osmosis

It’s a way to correct mistakes and problems without nitpicking, so I like to use it with a student who seems demoralized. This is for the student who feels that everything they do is wrong.

This practice technique is very effective, but it isn’t one you can do yourself. You need a partner, preferably one who you want to emulate. I use this as I teach for both flute and piano, so there are sections in here that just apply to flute alone. The other portions apply to both instruments.

What is it?

Practicing music via osmosis is just playing with someone else. It’s a way to correct mistakes and problems without nitpicking, so I like to use it with a student who seems demoralized. This is for the student who feels that everything they do is wrong.

The way this works is the person who needs it automatically adjusts based on what the other person is doing. It’s an involuntary reaction, they don’t even realize they’re doing it.

When do I use it?

There are various times when it’s a good idea to use this practice technique, and I’ll cover each one separately.

  1. You just can’t “get” a section of music.
  2. You want to learn good tone quickly.
  3. You want to learn good technique quickly.
  4. You need to build your confidence.
  5. Someone needs to practice but wont (*whistles innocently*).

You just can’t “get” a section of music.

It’s easier to mimic someone who’s better than you when you’re playing the exact same thing at the exact same time. When playing together, your bodies naturally sync, all the way down to your heartbeats (an article about that is here). This is a good idea for when you’re repeatedly missing a note or a rhythm.

I use this more with piano students than with flutes. If they’re working on a recital piece, need help with rhythm or correct notes, I play the exact same thing right along with them a couple octaves higher on the piano. The issue goes away by the second or third time we repeat that section, like magic.

You want to learn good tone quickly.

This section is for flute alone. Duets work the best for transferring tone. Your tone quality and color should naturally reach towards each other (more on that here).

I’ve seen this work instantly with my students. I’ll play the flute with a new student who still has a beginner tone, and the student’s tone will instantly become the same as mine. Afterwards, the student’s tone will be better than before, but it won’t be the same as my tone.

You want to learn good technique quickly.

The better player sits/stands up straight, so do you. The better player holds their hands in a different way, so do you. You don’t even think about it, you just automatically do it.

Another aspect of this point is that you take on stylistic things that the other player is doing, such as the way they handle their large intervals and their phrasing.

I sing in a church choir. I’m only choir-trained, but ever since I graduated college, I’ve always sat by the best singer in my section. Just by singing next to her, I learned how to hit the high notes without closing my throat, how to choose correct diction for the situation, and how to nail the tough intervals without trying.

You need to build your confidence.

The confidence of the better player will transfer to you. You will feel the other player exude confidence and your body will pick up on those vibes and take them on. It will only be bit-by-bit. You may not feel it the first few times, but it will come.

The exception to this is when you feel like the better player is perfect and you are the only one who messes up, ever. This is not true, by the way. Everyone messes up, even the pros. Please recognize that this way of thinking is a fallacy and allow the better player to transfer some confidence towards you.

Practice Motivation

Practicing together is a lot of fun. It helps the non-practicer associate practicing with fun. It also forces them to practice.

Here are some examples that I’ve seen over the years.

  1. Sometimes I’ll play with students who aren’t practicing to help them get ready for a contest. This is usually a last-ditch effort, and I make sure that the student knows that this shouldn’t be relied upon.
  2. I know a couple of moms who practice with their kids to get them to practice. They play the exact same thing an octave up or down on the piano or on a different instrument, depending on where their talents lie.
  3. I’ve seen section leaders offer to practice together with that one person who isn’t practicing or their style isn’t meshing with everyone else. This only happens with the really good section leaders or with adults. This last example leads us to…

Ettiquite

Be careful in offering to practice together to help the other person. If it’s done in the wrong way, you’ll easily offend the other person.

If you ask with the attitude of, “Let’s have fun!!!” that will work really well. This works best if you’re just proposing to goof off (and sneakily work on tone).

If you’re in rehearsal, a good way to ask is, “We’re not syncing on this part. Would you mind staying after rehearsal so we can get on the same page?”

If you ask with an attitude of, “You need help with this,” that will only work well if you’re a parent or the teacher. If you’re a peer, you’re asking for trouble.

If you’re the one who wants the help, all you have to do is ask. I’ve never heard of anyone denying someone this kind of help. The other person will be honored that you asked them. They’ll also be excited because it will be fun.

Conclusion

If you decide to implement this in your practice, I know it will work just as well for you as it has for me and my students. I hope this article also gives you the courage to ask for the help that you need.

How about you? Have you seen the magic of this technique in action?

Matching Tone Colors

There are several ways to meld tone colors. Here are two.

Awhile back, I had the opportunity to play with my old stand partner from college. Both of our natural tone colors had changed, but our tones melded together so we sounded as one, within seconds.

There are several ways to meld your tone colors. Here are two.

The Natural Way

It takes a few months. As you play with a group, you will all eventually come to a consensus on tone color. It requires everyone to do a good job of listening to each other, so sometimes it can take longer than a few months.

On a side note, this is why it’s important for you to play duets with your teacher. Your tone color ends up automatically matching hers during the duets and you learn a lot about tone by matching her.

Matching Tone Color On Purpose

First chair has priority on dictating tone color. She shouldn’t have to say anything, everyone else should try to match her. She also has the right to change the tone color based on the song.

Let’s say the first chair’s natural tone color is sunshine yellow and yours is blue velvet. You can use this method to change yours to sunshine yellow. It might not be the same exact sunshine yellow, but it will be close enough.

Another Idea

One time I went to the Omaha Symphony and the flutes were doing a lovely soli. They had perfect intonation and matched each others’ tone color perfectly. They sounded like one person.

The next time through the melody, the clarinets joined in. The flutes changed their tone color to allow for the clarinets. Rather than flutes and clarinets playing together, they were “team woodwind.”

I knew exactly how they did it, it had just never occured to me to blend in that way. It was powerful.

This is a somewhat advanced skill, but it’s important to understand and be able to implement. I hope these ideas help.

Tone Colors on Flute

Tone color is a tricky thing to describe. Some people only use a color. Some use a color and a texture. Some add an event to the mix (a king entering a royal palace). It depends on how you visualize sound.

Natural Tone Color

Everyone has a natural tone color that they gravitate towards. In the United States, it’s usually a blue or purple velvet. There are always exceptions. I have met two American flutists whose tone sounded like a deep, clear, glassy lake.

I met a flutist from Japan once. Her natural tone color was a light brown silk, rippling in the wind.

How to Achieve Different Tone Colors

Different tone color is achieved by changing the shape of your mouth while you play. This is very personal, and it depends entirely upon your ear. You should be established in good tone before you attempt other tone colors.

  1. Pick a color and texture that’s different from your natural tone color. If it helps, think of an event or look on Pinterest for pictures of the color and texture that you want.
  2. Now, with that image in your mind, close your eyes and play a note, changing the shape of your lips, mouth, and throat until you achieve that sound.
  3. Play a little ditty to see if you can extend that sound to other notes. It can be an ex corde melody or a hymn/folk song that speaks to the tone color you’re trying to achieve.
  4. Extend the range of the tone color. Try playing it in different octaves, different keys, etc.

Examples

I want to describe to you the mechanics of how I change my tone color for two colors of yellow. This is different for everyone because everyone has a different shaped mouth. My natural tone color is a silvery blue velvet.

If I want to do sunshine yellow, I pull my cheeks in ever so slightly, drop my jaw a tiny bit, and push my aperture (the hole in my lips) into a rounder shape. It brightens the sound and I think adds a little sparkle to it, too.

If I want to sound like a golden wheat field, I flatten my aperture a little bit and bring my jaw up a tad. It mellows the sound and adds a little fuzz to the edges.

See how different two yellows can be?

Emotions

Some instruments equate tone color with an emotion. Emotion can enter into tone color, but they’re generally considered two different things in flute land. You can have the exact same emotion but more than one color that goes with it.

Changes Over Time

As you get older, your natural tone color might change. There might be a physical reason for this, e.g. weight gain, thyroid swelling, a dental issue. It also might be a difference in how you perceive music in general. A different sound might feel like it fits better than it did when you were at a different stage in life.

I sincerely hope this article helps clarify any confusion involving tone color.