techniques,methods
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Flutastics 1
Flutastics 2
Intervallic Studies

Flutastics
Extended Techniques:
The Hands-On Approach
by Ellen Burr

Flutastics 1: Microtones and Multiphonics

Summary

The hands-on approach to learning extended techniques. Just as you practice scales and tone studies before you play a piece, Flutastics is a warm up for our contemporary literature. Set up like a workbook, there are four main sections:

1) preparatory exercises;
2) the lexicon—creating your own microtonal fingering chart;
3) microtonal chromatic scales created from the lexicons;
4) the key—the answers to the exercises or to be used as clues.

Organized in a logical fashion, the altered fingerings are based off the regular fingerings. There are exercises for quarter-tone notation, harmonics, bends, slides, microtones and multiphonics. The exercises go between being based off of the sounding pitches and based off of the fingered pitch.

250 pages, $29 on CD (as pdf's ready for you to print) or $60 printed loose pages -

See Sample Content

Read the complete Introduction to Flutastics
View the Table of Contents
Try a Sample Exercise

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Flutastics 2: Singing While Playing and Syukhtun

Summary

Book Two focuses on singing while playing, taking you from not being able to sing a note to polyrhthymic hocketing between your own voice and flute.Who says we can’t play more than one note at a time!! In addition to multiphonics there is singing while playing. Basically, the technique is simple: you hum with your mouth open & blow with a flute embouchure. What’s challenging is how to vary the balance between the two parts, how to get them in tune and how to play and sing independently.
In this volume, you will have:

• exercises to find your comfortable singing range
• exercises to practice major, minor, chromatic and whole tone scales while singing alone and with
creating a tone
• exercises on inhaled singing
• exercises to increase independence
• Syukhtun, a solo piece I wrote for Ann LaBerge and practice suggestions to help you learn this.

I have found that singing while playing has helped my audiation become more exact, which has
helped my memory, intonation and improvisation skills. Practicing the rhythmic exercises had increased my
ability to fit my part in with complicated parts in chamber music. This book doesn’t have many exercises for you to figure out and write down (like Vol. 1). The hands on approach lies in the exercises given, which will take you through the learning of this fun skill.

$29 on CD (as pdf's ready for you to print); or $19 Syukhtun, printed in large format with six pages of exercises -

Table Of Contents

View the Table of Contents

Examples

View Syukhtun example 1
View Getting Acquainted example
View Syukhtun example 2

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Intervallic Studies

Table Of Contents

Intervallic Studies on Symmetrical Scales

240 pages of chromatic ascending and descending intervallic studies derived from the chromatic, whole tone and diminished scales. All of the chromatic possibilities are written out in 6/8 and 2/4 time. Written for the complete range of the flute, the exercises start at low B (below middle C) and go up to the extended range of E just above the sixth ledger line. Use to improve your dexterity in playing, hearing and reading the tonality of music written since the twentieth century.

Ellen Burr showed me her Intervallic Studies on Symmetrical Scales at the 2007 NFA convention in Albuquerque, NM.  These are divided into two books: whole-tone intervallic scale studies and octatonic scale studies.  My practice regimen has always included scale and arpeggio studies based on major and minor scales as well as whole-tone, modes and some more exotic scales.  However I had not spent much time with octatonic scales.  Their inclusion in my practice has increased my flexibility and stamina since they are full-range up to high E.  Also, as my ear has absorbed the character of these modalities, some puzzles of construction in modern flute repertoire have evaporated. 
The way that I use them is to do one section, for instance "B" Diminished using scale tones, in each practice session.  I recommend also that you use earplugs due to the extremity of range.  The plugs also help you stay more relaxed in the 4th octave.  There are six of these, so when I've completed a cycle, I take a break of a day or so and start through again.
I can recommend these studies to anyone for both a physical and mental workout.
Lee Lattimore

$30 Book One: Chromatic and Whole Tone, 105 pages
$30 Book Two: Octatonic Scales, 135 pages
$30 Both books on one CD: pdf files ready for you to print

Introduction

Read the Introduction to Intervallic Studies

Table Of Contents

View the Table of Contents

Exercises Examples on B Whole Tone

View 6/8 Ascending
View 2/4 Ascending
View 2/4 Descending
View 2/4 Descending
View 6/8 Ascending using chromatic intervals
View 6/8 Descending using chromatic intervals
Take a look at Ellen's Ink Bops Improvisational Card Game

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