You have done your warm-up exercises (look here for Flute Warm-up Exercises for a Thorough Workout of All Three Octaves), and now you are ready to move on to your etudes.
Get the best practice from your etudes by choosing studies that focus on your needs. Which are: focusing on the specific techniques that will help with the solos you are learning. That’s what practicing is for, right?
We all know that solos are made up of scales and intervals. Not many people, other than fellow flutists, are going to care if you can play a D major scale evenly. But, people will notice if you play the opening D scale in the first movement of Mozart’s Flute Concerto in D Major unevenly. Nobody wants to go to a recital and listen to you play intervals. They will, however, know something went wrong if you crack on the opening measure of the first movement of the Poulenc Sonata.
I have organized these etudes in order of technique and skill. So, find the right etudes that will help you perfect your execution of the solos you are learning. And make the most of your etude practice time!
Getting the Most out of Practicing Your Flute Etudes
These are the etude books that I have used and that I recommend:
Altes 26 Selected Studies for the Flute
Spend a little bit of your practice time each day developing your sight reading skills.
For sight reading:
Andersen 24 Etudes, Opus 63, Volume 1
Andersen 24 Etudes, Opus 63, Volume 2
And spend a little bit of your practice time each day playing one or two of these third octave exercises.
For the Third Octave:
Filas Top Register Studies for Flute
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TECHNIQUES & SKILLS
Use a metronome for the most effective practicing. And allow yourself to skip the etude you just really don’t like! (For me, it’s Andersen Opus 33, Number 6!)
ACCIDENTALS
Altes: 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 20, 21, 25, 26
Andersen Opus 30: 1, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21
Andersen Opus 33: 3, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 22, 23
Bach: 2, 16, 18, 22
Berbiguier: 8, 11, 12, 15, 17
ARPEGGIOS
Altes: 5, 8, 9, 16
Andersen Opus 30: 14
Andersen Opus 33: 3, 5
Bach: 3, 6, 7, 15
Berbiguier: 9, 13
ARTICULATION
Altes: 3, 17, 18, 21, 23
Andersen Opus 30: 2, 7, 12, 21
Andersen Opus 33: 18, 21
Bach: 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 18, 19
Berbiguier: 7, 8, 11, 16
BREATH CONTROL: Keep the tone smooth and consistent.
Altes: 4, 5, 10
Andersen Opus 30: 6, 15, 19, 23, 24
Andersen Opus 33: 7, 19, 21
Bach: 1, 6, 13, 20, 21, 23
Berbiguier: 1, 4, 7, 8
COUNTING
Altes: 6, 9, 14, 16, 18, 23, 24, 25
Andersen Opus 30: 12, 16, 20
Andersen Opus 33: 6, 17, 20, 23, 24
Bach: 16, 22, 23
Berbiguier: 10, 16
DOUBLE TONGUING: Take out slurs to practice double tonguing.
Altes: 2, 6, 8, 12, 17, 22
Andersen Opus 30: 3, 10, 11, 12
Andersen Opus 33: 2, 15, 18, 21
Bach: 7, 8, 12, 14, 16, 20, 24
Berbiguier: 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 14, 18
EVEN NOTES
Altes: 4, 13, 19
Andersen Opus 30: 1, 2, 6, 15, 18, 19, 21
Andersen Opus 33: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16
Bach: 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 24
Berbiguier: 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10
INTERVALS: Large
Altes: 7, 10, 18, 19, 21, 25
Andersen Opus 30: 3, 15, 18, 21
Andersen Opus 33: 3, 13, 16, 24
Bach: 1, 2, 4, 19, 21, 23
Berbiguier: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11
INTERVALS: Small
Altes: 15
Andersen Opus 30: 5, 6, 10, 15, 23
Andersen Opus 33: 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 15, 18
Bach: 3, 11, 13, 24
Berbiguier: 9, 10, 18
PUSHING YOUR EYES
Altes: 1, 17, 18, 23
Andersen Opus 30: 2, 6, 7, 11, 19, 21, 22, 23
Andersen Opus 33: 3, 5, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20
Bach: 2, 5, 7, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24
Berbiguier: 6, 16
SCALES
Altes: 24
Andersen Opus 30: 2, 7, 14
Andersen Opus 33: 7
Bach: 5, 8, 14, 17
Berbiguier: 1, 5
SPEED
Altes: 2, 4, 16, 23
Andersen Opus 30: 21, 22, 23
Andersen Opus 33: 1, 4, 7, 11, 12, 15, 17, 21
Bach: 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 24
Berbiguier: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15
THIRD OCTAVE
Altes: 1, 14, 17
Andersen Opus 30: 1, 8, 21
Andersen Opus 33: 16
Bach: 12, 19, 20
Berbiguier: 6, 14, 15
TRILLS & GRACE NOTES
Altes: 16, 24, 25
Andersen Opus 30: 9, 17, 20, 24
Andersen Opus 33: 6, 22
Bach: 7, 9
Berbiguier: 2, 6
TRIPLE TONGUING: Take out slurs to practice triple tonguing.
Altes: 1, 7, 19
Andersen Opus 30: 4, 8, 22
Andersen Opus 33: 8, 10, 11, 20
Bach: 10, 18
Berbiguier: 6, 12
PRINTABLE CHARTS
This method of practicing etudes will give you the skills to learn solos in a clean, efficient, and effective way. Give it a try, and see yourself improve!
Crafting wishes,
Marilee
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