Comments on Jennifer Cluff: How to learn flute scales

Dear J. For breathing help see: http://www.jennife...

2009-07-05T21:51:40.585-07:00

Dear J.
For breathing help see:
http://www.jennifercluff.com/breathe.htm

For trilling help, check with your teacher. There's no rule about trills and articulation. The composer writes a slur if a slur is meant, but some older printed music infers a slur when none is written. Your teacher will know for sure from seeing the page of music. Jen

hey. your site has helped loads. i have 2 question...

2009-07-05T16:38:43.163-07:00

hey.
your site has helped loads.
i have 2 questions too ask though, if you wouldnt mind :)

for trilling, do you tongue or slur to the next upward note?

and

are there any exercises that would improve my breathing skills?

many thanks.

J.

Dear Kristin, To learn all 12 major scales in two ...

2009-06-05T12:09:27.044-07:00

Dear Kristin,
To learn all 12 major scales in two octaves in ten days might be a little stressful. You can only make a plan, and then see if the plan works. If it doesn't work, you can keep improving, even if you don't get the best seating afterward. It's really about continuing to learn every day, and not just about who gets what seat.

The plan I'd use would be the basic "divide and conquor" strategy.

Firstly, I'd decide to focus on the scales they're most likely to ask, that you could actually learn in ten days:

C Major
F Major
Bb Major
Eb Major

then...

G Major
D Major
A Major
E Major

If you play all the above well, and musically, and happily, and confidently, you will do better than if you go crazy AND play everything all messily.

Now to the "conquor" part:
Since you already know one octave scales, it's easy to extend them one note at a time.
So start with an all slurred, GREAT tone quality, one octave and add one note at a time, every time you go up and down:

Ex:

F G A Bb C D E F *G* (then go back down.)

F G A Bb C D E F G *A* (then go back down to F again.)

Do this slowly and listen listen listen to the QUALITY. Don't practise fast and furious, practise deep and meaningfully.

Doing one scale a day all slurred, then articulated, once the tone is good, and gradually increasing to two full octaves, still with with great tone, by memory will give you eight strong scales in eight days.

The next day review the scale of the day before, and add slow work on a new scale.

On the final two days, practise them in any order (randomly select them from a list as though you're at the audition) and play each one with the articulation that is being asked.

If you get a chance to speak at the audition, tell them that you're prepared to play up to four sharps and four flats in two octave scales, but that you're still working on the remaining scales with five and six sharps and flats, and will learn them all by September.

Then, no matter where you place as a result of the audition, you'll come across as a person who can get good quality work done by dividing, conquoring, and sticking with it.
Return in September with the remaining scales memorized too. Make good on your goal; that goes a long way in the long run. :>)
Best, Jen

Hi this is Kristin and I've only been playing the ...

2009-06-05T10:03:33.816-07:00

Hi this is Kristin and I've only been playing the flute for about two years. At my old school scales were a big thing so i learned 7 or the 12, in one octave. but last year i moved to a school were scales werent so much focused on so i sort of slacked off. Now im moving back to a school where we have to know all 12 scales in two octaves. Im panicking because our audition for chair placements are June 15th. How am I supposed to learn all scales in two octaves?!

Dear Anon.The link is in the above blog post:http:...

2008-10-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Anon.
The link is in the above blog post:

http://www.rdbflute.com/HSFluteS.pdf

Two octave flute scales with arpeggios. It was given in the above article as "Basic highschool scales".
Jen

Dear Jen ,I really need all of the scales in 2 oct...

2008-10-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Jen ,
I really need all of the scales in 2 octaves with the arpeggios.

Dear Candy,Have a read here:http://www.jenniferclu...

2008-10-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Candy,

Have a read here:
http://www.jennifercluff.com/novscale.htm

Best,
Jen

I am one of the more advanced students at my high ...

2008-10-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

I am one of the more advanced students at my high school and lately one of the younger students has been coming to me asking for help. Currently we are working on scales and I was wondering if you have any advise on how to teach flute scales? Thank you for your time.

Candy

Thanks Douglas for your comment! :>) J

2008-09-06T23:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks Douglas for your comment! :>) J

Jennifer, Thank you so much for your sight. You ar...

2008-09-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

Jennifer, Thank you so much for your sight. You are such a joy to watch.
When I was 12 and I started playing the Bass guitar. A salesman from a music store taught me the Major and Minor scales. He said,"Learn them frontwards and backwords,know every note and enjoy the sound of every note." You say the same. Every note is beautiful.

A week isn't very long at all when it comes to lea...

2008-08-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

A week isn't very long at all when it comes to learning a new skill. Think how long it took you to memorized the alphabet when you were a child. Didn't it take more than a week? Fingerings are the same. Take one at a time, learn it really well. Then add the new fingering to the one you learned most recently, and go back and forth between those two notes (B and A for example.) Play little tunes with two notes or three notes ( The beginner book: Abracadabra flute by Pollock with CD is a fun way to do this.) And definitely sign up for some flute lessons. Good flute teachers know how to make this kind of thing easy for beginners; get lessons for sure.
Best, Jen

I've just started last week to learn flute.My memo...

2008-08-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

I've just started last week to learn flute.
My memory is the worst!...is there any easier way to possibly learn the flute fingering? it really takes me FOREVER to learn just ONE note to memory.
HELP!.......

Here is a link to:THE BROOKE FLUTE METHOD book.htt...

2008-05-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to:

THE BROOKE FLUTE METHOD book.

http://www.musicstudents.com/cmd/cfcu20.html

It is sold in any music store (just ask the store to order you in a copy.)

best, Jen

Hi Caroline,Yes, to start off you'd want to learn ...

2008-05-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hi Caroline,
Yes, to start off you'd want to learn one scale at a time.
Some teachers use scale books which layout the scales in easy-to-medium difficulty. These can be fun because you learn a scale and then play a scale-etude immeidately afterward, USING the scale you just learned.
I enjoy the Brooke Flute Method for this. (vol. 2 for intermediate flutists)
Lots of time to learn to USE each scale in a little piece or study of that scale. Very fun.
Best,
Jen

hi my name is caroline. im am 13 nearly 14 and i p...

2008-05-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

hi my name is caroline. im am 13 nearly 14 and i play the flute aswell.iv benn playin since i was 11.i kindof had the same problem. i still am finding it hard to learn scales. this is how you learn them. get someone who knows them, write them down and learn 1 each night. every hour keep going over it so you know it.
p.s. next year im doin grade 3. i already done grade 1.
p.p.s cassie there is the finglas concert band and they teach flute there. that is where i am learnin the flute

Marvelous! This is something I'm really trying to...

2007-06-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

Marvelous! This is something I'm really trying to get back into. In piano, it's just been a regular occurance: practicing includes technique, period. I'm really glad, however, that I wasn't forced to do what seemed like hours of technique everyday from day one with flute, though. It would have been different if I had had no idea about it, but I did (piano). Now it's quite a breeze to learn them. I know them, note-wise, from piano, and I know most of them, just from playing pieces in that key, and the hard ones (F# maj., etc.) just take time.

Like you say, I think taking one a day, or even one every few days, and really learning it solidly is such a good thing to do. I've had my piano students (who had previously announced that they did NOT like technique) play them lower or higher than normal, or in different rhythms, or with different dynamics. Before you know it they have learned the scale by heart, and are already writing music. Marvelous!

For little kids, another good inspiration to keep playing scales, is to name them. Take, for instance, A minor. My one little student came up with calling it the Alligator scale. (using the first letter of the real name) Then we drew a picture, and tried playing it so it sounded like an alligator. All good ideas, anyway. Thank you for sharing all the wonderful information and links!

Sheila

I think it's normal to feel like "you freeze in ex...

2007-05-23T01:17:00.000-07:00

I think it's normal to feel like "you freeze in exams" when you've only recently learned a new technique like scales-in-thirds.
When you've REALLY learned something by memory like all scales in thirds, and practiced them for many many months as a daily routine, you can play them as easily as you can say your name and address.
It's a question of familiarity.
The brain will memorize them if you take them one by one and create a game of memorizing them.
Ask your private teacher for the best way that they suggest to do it.
I personally recall memorizing one new scale-in-thirds every two or three days and then reviewing them for six months before each exam at th RCM.
After the first two or three, all the rest of the scale-in-thirds get much easier.
They become familiar quite quickly.
So don't worry, just keep at it.
Jen

How would you practice and memorise extended scale...

2007-05-23T00:46:00.000-07:00

How would you practice and memorise extended scales in 3rds?I feel like i know my scales, but when im in an exam or even in a lesson with my teacher I have a brain freeze - how can i ensure i really know them under pressure?

Thanks Cassie,I'm so glad the info. was helpful!!B...

2006-11-27T22:57:00.000-08:00

Thanks Cassie,
I'm so glad the info. was helpful!!
Best,
Jen

Dear Jen,Thankyou so much for this informative inf...

2006-11-27T22:16:00.000-08:00

Dear Jen,

Thankyou so much for this informative information. As an adult re-learning the flute (and with no access to a teacher), I was worried over the scales that I was doing. Your site has lots of really useful tips that I've found invaluable.

Cheers,

Cassie

I received a comment yesterday from anonymous (wit...

2006-11-25T10:13:00.000-08:00

I received a comment yesterday from anonymous (with no return address) that said:
-------------------
I didnt find thing that i need... :-(
---------------

I just wanted to point out that I cannot help someone find what they need if I don't know what they are looking for.
IF you come back and see your comment above, please say WHAT you are looking for. Describe it.
Thanks,
Jen Who-can't-find-a-missing-sock-if-the-person-says:
"My thing is missing!"

Looking forward to hearing everyone's comments!! P...

2006-07-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to hearing everyone's comments!! Please feel free to comment on these blog pages.
I LOVE feedback; it helps me write better.
Thanks, Jen Cluff