What Etudes Are and What they Aren’t

When I was in high school and college, my flute teacher assigned me an etude every week. I dutifully learned them, but I had no idea why. I figured they were just a wind instrument thing, but it turns out I was wrong.

What Is An Etude?

An etude is also called a study. Lesson books are almost entirely made of etudes. They take something that’s hard about playing your instrument and helps you learn how to conquer it.

Etudes Are Different than Technique

The definition of an etude sounds a lot like technique, right? It’s related to that genre, but not quite. A big difference is that etudes are melodious, which make them more fun to play.

Another big difference is they don’t break up the hard parts of your music into tiny bits that are easy. They keep those hard parts whole and make you play them several times within those beautiful melodies.

Etudes Aren’t a Substitute for Technique

Etudes are their own entity and should be part of your regular practice routine. They should come after technique and before repertoire. Scales and technique help you learn your etudes better and faster.

Etudes Are A Measure of Your Current Level

Repertoire is usually what people point to in order to show how well they can play their instrument, but they spend months, sometimes over a year, learning that music. That’s not a true measure.

Etudes are designed to be learned in a week. If you’re taking longer than that to learn the etudes, then you should back up to a lower level. If you’re breezing through the etudes, then you need to go up to the next level.

Conclusion

Etudes are a tool, written for you by some of the best performers of their time. They are a gift to you from these people, to help you play like they do. Once you go beyond the lesson book, etudes can sometimes go away. Don’t let them.