Study 1 - Unison

• I suggest a tempo of 86 bpm to help with breath support and get longer phrases, but play this study at whatever tempo allows you to stay steady and play the correct notes in the correct rhythm. Slow and accurate is always better than fast and messy.

• Since there are no dynamic markings, play this entire study with a strong, confident tone. Mezzo forte or forte are ideal.

• Since there are no articulation markings, play this entire study with a slight separation but not Staccato. Using a “da” tongue is ideal instead of “ta” to avoid overly accented or not connected notes.

• Keep the air steady! Practice this study without any articulations to make sure none of the notes are jumping out because you are using different air speeds.

• Breath on the rests. There is plenty of time to get a good, relaxed breath in each rest. Don’t gasp, just take a deep breath.

• If your high notes are sounding unfocused check your fingerings. Here is a link to a very good fingering guide: https://www.wfg.woodwind.org/flute/fl_bas_3.html

• Use the reference video above to check your notes and rhythms and feel free to email me with any questions you may have that aren’t covered in this guide, or to set up flute lessons!

Study 2 - Adagio by Dorus

• I suggest a tempo of 64 bpm. This is on the fast side of Adagio, but will help you play longer phrases. If this tempo makes the 16th notes or measure 28 messy, slow down and play where you can keep a steady tempo with accurate notes and rhythms.

• Dolcissimo means to play sweetly, softly and with tender emotion, so play the rf, sf and accent markings with more passion and less aggression than it typical. Also consider the Staccato to be more light than short.

• Exaggerate all dynamic markings, make the mp more of a p and mf a f to bring out the musicality of this study.

• Plan out breath placement. Try to play more than two measures in a breath and mark where you hear the breaks as being most natural. Listen closely to the reference recording to hear where I placed them. You may need more, but as long as they are placed musically and are relaxed, quiet breaths most judges won’t notice.

• Trills: in measure 15, start with a real D fingering, move to the C fingering then use your first trill key. In measure 31, make sure your thumb is on the Bb thumb key. Start on Bb, move to A, then trill with your middle finger on your left hand. For a visual graph of this, check out this trill guide: https://www.wfg.woodwind.org/flute/fl_tr2_1.html. Remember, you need the C-D and A-Bb trills.

• Measure 28: to count the sextuplet, try using the word onomatopoeia or something else with six syllables, like “do you want to go play” to make sure you’re not missing notes and that all six are spaced evenly within the beat. Practice the sextuplet by itself, then play the measure without the first slur, finally add in the slur when your fingers feel even and confident.

• Use the reference video above to check your notes and rhythms. If something isn’t sounding quite right, check out this fingering guide: https://www.wfg.woodwind.org/flute/fl_bas_3.html

• Feel free to email me with any questions you may have that aren’t covered in this guide, or to set up flute lessons!