When I’m Playing Baroque Music What Flute Sound Should I Use? FluteTips 78

What flute sound do you go for when you play Baroque?
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When I’m Playing Baroque Music What Flute Sound Should I Use? FluteTips 78
FluteTips 78 When I’m Playing Baroque Music What Flute Sound Should I Use
When you play Bach, do you go for the modern sound or move toward authentic performance practice? That is, do you maintain that rich silvery sound, or try to emulate the sound of a wooden Baroque flute?
Today’s silver flute allows us to have a rich vibrant sound and crisp articulations.
Although you can play more “woody,” that does have its risks.
Have fun!
DoctorFlute
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• When I’m Playing Baroq...
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[@curtvaughan2836]

I'm getting old - 71 - and come to this discussion three years late. In any case, I played a Boehm system flute for some 20 years before I was swept up into the "authentic period" movement of the 80's which is mentioned below. It was in the early 80's that I initially took up Renaissance flutes for mixed consort playing, and after hearing a live performance of Bach's "A Musical Offering" by Musica Antiqua Koln in 1983, using baroque flute and violin, along with harpsichord and cello, I decided to invest in a traverso. I traveled from Austin to New York to purchase in person a traverso with two corps de rechange (415 and 440). I fell in love with that one-keyed wooden tube! Some years later, I rehearsed the "Aus Liebe" aria from the St. Matthew Passion with a wonderful soprano, with an organist playing the original oboe da caccia parts. We tried it first with the modern flute, then again with the traverso, and played for an audience of two - my wife and a mutual friend. They, the soprano, and the organist all agreed unanimously that the traverso version was much superior for the Bach. I haven't played flute for over 30 years, having had my instruments stolen in the early 90's, by which time I was immersed into my computer career. I've taken up flute recently again, and decided - particularly at my age - to invest in three traversos, two wooden replicas of Rottenburgh and Palanca, as well as a plastic Aulos traverso based on Grenzer. It's almost like learning a new instrument again, and I'm loving it. (I bought the plastic flute to get more practice in, without having to worry about overtaxing the wooden instruments). Enjoyed your video. It confirms my opinion that the Boehm flute excels at 19th century and later compositions, the simple system flutes in baroque and early Classical periods.

[@DoctorFlute]

Wow what an amazing story! I'm so sorry your instruments were stolen. That must have been devastating. It is wonderful that you are playing again. It sounds like you are picking up where you left off just a few decades in between. Love the story!

[@curtvaughan2836]

@@DoctorFlute Indeed, I am. I'm grateful that I had about six years with the traverso before it was stolen. Gave me a bit of a head start in playing again. I have a basic retention of fingerings, but I'm having to redevelop my embouchure, something I took for granted long ago.

[@Oaktreealley]

i have a dslr camera when back several years people were making digi photos look like film photos. Everybody was doing it! I admit, i tried it and had fun. And then i started using actual film cameras and realized... making digital photos try to look like film photos is just wrong... it always looks unauthentic now. Each camera has separate technologies, different picture qualities, etc that make them special. The whole point of the modern flute was to create something with bigger sound, even tone, crisp clear notes, larger range... it's like my dslr (we won't talk about dynamic range though lol). My film camera is kinda like my baroque flute- beautiful unintentional artifacts, uneven tones you have to work for, a natural non metal sound (obviously), trills that really warble and sound weird to modern ears but are still beautiful. I don't think it's necessary to make the modern flute sound like the antique. Enjoy each! Learning baroque flute is wonderful. Just my unsolicited opinion.

[@DoctorFlute]

Hi Emeeeych! Your opinion is very valid. Many a musician has had this discussion with others and in the end everyone is right. Authentic performance practice is an idea that started taking hold in the '80s and had added a lot of great ideas to the music sphere but the idea of whether or not a modern day instrument needs to sound like a Baroque instrument or can sound like the new and improved instrument that it is, is an unsolved riddle. I think it is all up to the performer which way they want to go. I personally fall on the side of sort of. I play with somewhat of a Baroque sound and style. I think it works but purists would say it is sacrilege!

[@MrMarcvus]

Play it on the baroque flute - that is what works best! Thank you - though the modern flute sounds a tad bit boring and does not seem to fully show the beauty of this music! I would love to hear you play it on the baroque flute. Thank you again.

[@DoctorFlute]

I totally agree. One day I will have a baroque flute and will do just that!

[@MrMarcvus]

DoctorFlute thank you again for your video and response! Have you done any videos on increasing stability in the upper register?

[@DoctorFlute]

I have a couple videos on the upper register. Can you be more specific?

[@MrMarcvus]

DoctorFlute thank you again for your reply! Mainly getting into the third octave! It seems to take a lot of practice! Thank you again!

[@DoctorFlute]

Here are some videos that might help you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIDZeoBjhZibj7s kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGeneWtui6eKr9k kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4vPo3qve7ycfKs

[@marccroteau4717]

You are the greatest, Dr McB! :)

[@johnprice2731]

Thanks, very helpful!

[@DoctorFlute]

Hi John Price, thanks so much!

[@DrClareLynch]

Thanks, Angela - what a fun thing to experiment with.

[@DoctorFlute]

Thanks Dr Clare Lynch!

[@LunaLakshmi]

Nice playing! For me, if your going to play baroque, go for a wooden head joint or an actual baroque flute.

[@DoctorFlute]

Yes, that would be great! Alas not always feasible.

[@Toipno]

Thanks very interesting! I've just started to study the flute from scratch, these are concepts that are light years away for me, but interesting. Thanks

[@DoctorFlute]

H Mauro! I'm glad this interesting even if you aren't ready for it yet. But you can be thinking about it as you play.

[@Toipno]

@@DoctorFlute Now every video of yours I taste it and I try to learn as much as possible ...

[@DoctorFlute]

Thank-you so much. I am happy to take suggestions. Let me know if there is anything you would like to see.

[@antoniettakragh1784]

Wow det er jo fantastisk

[@DoctorFlute]

Thank-you!

[@flamenfloralis]

Very instructive tutorial, in my opinion the more enlightening on this matter !

[@DoctorFlute]

Thanks! Are you a Baroque player?

[@losifova2580]

Beyond the sound quality there are some characteristics of the baroque flute (traverso) you can only learn if you actually play the Traverso. Perhaps the best example is Emmanuel Pahud. He can bring not only the style but also and perhaps most importantly the beautiful unevenness of the Traverso in a modern flute. I was amazed actually puzzled... So much I wondered if he plays traverso....then talking about it with other traverso players I was told by someone who knows him well that he does indeed plays Traverso. That's the secret...

[@DoctorFlute]

Cool

[@millennial8441]

I study and play baroque music (wooden alto recorder). I checked out many early treatises about historically oriented perfomance, and I state that the first thing to do when you play any piece of baroque music is STOP PLAYING VIBRATO AND LEGATO! Vibrato wasn't used for play alto recorder in F, oboe in C, bassoon in C, neither traverso in D (one-keyed wooden baroque flute). The same thing occurred to the string family instruments. French baroque woodwind players used a kind of "vibrato" made with fingers upon specific holes, and it was a kind of ornamentation used sparely. It called by Frenchmen "flattement". As modern flutes cannot play "flattement" (due to Boehm key system) is impossible to use this kind of "ornamentation". It is important to study early treatises and bearing in mind: you are playing baroque music on a 20th- and 21st century instrument. A very satisfaying achievement is Emil Pahud. He is very good playing Bach on a silver and modern flute. And he never plays vibrato. He is a good point to start with. Concerning phrasing, baroque music is much more detailed than Classical, Romantic, and Modern ones. So "every" note is important, mainly because of the amount of ornamentation that is characteristic of baroque musical language (remember: in opposition to Classical music, baroque one is full of details. Just pay attention to baroque archtecture and paiting). When we talk about "legato" in French baroque music for example, as the Lully's one, it is important to "detaché" little groups of notes because French baroque music was addicted to emulate the way of thinking of the French literature and theatre. So the music had to "speak".

[@DoctorFlute]

Hi Lucas, great information!

[@malouba9]

Why do you use vibrato? Baroque flute is played without vibrato

[@DoctorFlute]

Hi Marie-Louise! The silver flute has a harsher sound when played without vibrato which is not the case for the wooden flute. The beautiful wooden sound is phenomenal and authentic. But when we switch to the modern flute we need to do something to soften the silver sound and thus vibrato. The key to playing Baroque on the silver flute is to use very little vibrato with a slower pulse.

[@winfriedbraun6974]

Dear Angela, sorry, I don't agree with you!!! Listen to recordings with baroque flutes (i.e. Paul Meisen) ... and others ... nooooo vibrato!!!!!!!!! ... maybe a little bit on the end of long tones. Than - you sound like a baroque flute It's somelike possible on the modern silver or gold flutes... Nooo vibrato!!!! Thats the difference between European and US!!!!??? players I have learned playing - 50 years ago with a lot of vibrato!!! But for baroque music it is not the right way!!!! Again.... Nooo Vibrato!!!! play straight and give the dynamic without vibrato - not so easy!

[@DoctorFlute]

I welcome your disagreement! We can agree on disagreeing. I think my perspective is a bit of a hybrid idea between straight baroque and modern flute. A hybrid if you will. To me a modern day flute should add some element of the newer instrument to the performance. But I agree that straight Baroque playing is beautiful.

[@winfriedbraun6974]

@@DoctorFlute 👍 accepted for non professional player🤗