Debut at NFA

In the past, I have watched flute-related businesses prepare for the National Flute Association Convention, and observed that often July and August were spent in a frenzy of activity for this one event..

And now all of us at Flute Pro Shop are doing the same thing!  The excitement is growing as we assemble all the various elements that go into such an undertaking: we are doing everything we can to make the most of our debut at NFA.

So I asked an architect I know (my husband) to design a fabulous display for FPS, and voila!  We will have an eye-catching display that is as practical as it is gorgeous.  So the surprise isn't ruined, we will post photos of it on the web site and on Facebook and Twitter once we have it all set up on the exhibit floor.

New table runners, table banners, and floor banners are all here and ready to go.  Plants and furniture rented from the convention service.  Internet accessibility assured. 

Clothes are at the cleaners, the all-important hair appointment and dog-sitting all arranged.  The search for comfortable shoes is progressing.  (Do let me know if you have any tips in this department, please.  When the puppies are aching, everything else does too!)

Not only is FPS exhibiting at NFA, but our own Dave Kee will be continuing his fine repair work at the Muramatsu booth.  He'll be hanging out with Erv, Susan, Val and Anthony.  BTW: Anthony and I will be exchanging swimming workouts.  Hope I can keep up!

Can't attend this year??  No worries! We will interview some of our favorite people at NFA: Alan Weiss from Haynes, Jessica Watts from BG France, Di Zhao from New England Flutes, and Erv Monroe from Muramatsu America.  They will be posted on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

We have kept things small and simple this year, exhibiting at   have only one table, and what we will be exhibiting will be the very finest offerings we have.  14 K Powell flute with silver mechanism, Susan Milan's 14 K Pearl Headjoint, a Burkart 995 flute with 1/2 off-set G.  The gorgeous platinum-clad, engraved Muramatsu flute that is waiting for just the right person.  A Powell grenadilla wood piccolo that was played by a top Philadelphia freelancer.  Have you tried the Haynes 5% gold flutes yet?  Amazing!! David Chu headjoints and other silver and gold headjoints. We'll have a full supply of BG France instrument care products in their stunning new display bag.

What else? Happy Hour specials!  You don't need alcohol for these:  significant discounts will be available from 4 to 6 daily, a different instrument special each day.  The Happy Hour specials will be announced each morning so people can be prepared.

And then there is the fun of seeing colleagues, meeting new friends, and sharing meals with people who are flute geeks just like me.  Fun!

Getting Back into Flute Shape

With a performance at the National Flute Association Convention looming on August 11, the need to be in performance flute shape has "sparked" a new desire and zeal for practice in me.  Always a practicer, I  am a real nerd when it comes to scales and long tones, and to prepare for this performance, out came my tried and true techniques.  They follow in a moment.

This routine was inspired by the ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn.   She joined the Vic Wells Ballet Company in London in 1934.  She made quick progress and in 1939 she had already danced Giselle, Odette-Odile and Aurora. She became the world's greatest ballerina and could have retired as such when she was 40. But her meeting with Rudolf Nureyev in 1962 gave the world the magic of their great partnership and her career continued until she was 58.

Margot Fonteyn on DVD from Amazon

Fonteyn's autobiography made a great impression on me in my early 30's when I was trying to juggle two little children and a busy freelance life.  Her professionalism and dedication to technique and art inspired me to follow in her lead.   I made sure that EVERYDAY I would warm up all my techniques, much like a prima ballerina must-and especially when one considers a 40 year career at the top of the art form.

In recent times, I have not kept to that level of committiment, and have felt the result of sporatic practice, believe me.  Granted, starting a business 4 years ago, and doing it full time for 2 place a strain on available time.  But as I said, an NFA performance looms.  The time was found.

And I have learned a thing or two the last month:

1.  Accept how you sound today.

2.  It takes time to re-develop your breathing.

3.  Your progress will be uneven.  Don't worry, consistancy will happen in time.

4.  The hardest part is picking up the flute on the first day.

The routine:

1. Long tones.  Always starting in the low register, since that is the only fundamental register on the flute.  Slurring two chromatic tones, slowly, from C1 to middle C.  (C-B, B-Bb, Bb-A etc.)  Then return to C1 and repeat the exercise going UP to C2.  This gets the air going.

Next, either Tonic-Dominants, or Amy Porter's long tone exercise.  Here, work intonation, vibrato, and tapers.

2.  Chromatice Scales on all chromatic tones, 2 octaves.  3 octaves for B. C, C#, and D. Higher if you have tolerant neighbors/family or canines (my yellow lab Blitz howls after high F)  Moderate tempo, looking for finger control as well as sustaining the sound from Long Tones as the fingers move.

3.  Whole tone scales.

4.  Diatonic scales. All Major/minor scales, 2/3 octaves each.   For extra credit, start each scale on tonic, extend it to top C# or D, return to tonic, go down to C or B, and return to tonic.  Fun!

5.  Double tongue.  Taffanel-Gaubert no. 1 is perfect for this.  I try to get all the way through it without a break.  OK-I am a swimmer, I love pain.  

6.  Triple Tongue.  T-G No. 3: scales in triplets.  As much as necessary.

7.  Any T-G chord exercise:  Nos. 10, 12, 14.  However, when in the swimmer's personality: 11, or 13.  Check it out, you will see what I mean.

8.  Harmonics.  Starting on low C, find each partial up and down the series.  Avoid muscling through these: finnesse is the key.  Find the partials by manipulating the air column.  Want to have even more fun?  Dimminuendo as you ascend :)

There are some other fun add-ons to this routine, but I don't want to scare anyone off.

All of this is done in a very deliberate manner, constantly looking for control, beauty in sound, and maintiaing an even scale pitch-wise.

By the way, I use a Power Lung to keep my breathing in shape when I can't get to the pool.  Lyme disease kept me out of the water all winter and spring, so I have really learned the benefits of this fabulous device.  Plus I love the effect it has on my abs!

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