It's Been Awhile

Hello dear reader.  If you follow me on Twitter, then you know I've been at it almost daily, working through lots of cool pieces.  I've taken to micro-blogging, precluding the need to update regularly.

My goals that started this The Flute Project have been nearly completed, or, actually, completely completed if I don't make finals in the Mid Atlantic Flute Society Adult Amateur Competition.

If I haven't already updated my dear reader in a previous post, I auditioned for and made the Capital Wind Symphony.  Rehearsals start on September 17th.  It'll be great playing in an ensemble again.  I was also asked to sub for the NIH Community Orchestra on a Borodin symphony, which was a lot of fun.

I made and sent in my recording for the preliminary round of the competition.  I'll try to link to it, if I can figure out how.  I should find out if I made finals by the beginning of December.  The final competition is in February.

I've started using an app to keep track of my practicing.  It's called Compound Time.  It's elegantly simple, and it's social networking function guilts me into practicing as much as I can.  I am at the end of a week long (planned, kind of) vacation from practicing, and wouldn't you know I got an email chastising me from Compound Time?  I highly suggest you try it.

The highlight of the past few days has been a much needed visit from my bestie from Louisville, Nichole.  She flew in Thursday.  Friday, we went to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware.  My pasty white skin needed the sun.  That evening, we went to Central for dinner, and, wouldn't ya know, the chef himself, M Michel Richard, was seated at the table next to us.  He was very friendly.  He poured his brandy into Nichole's wine glass!

Work is going well.  I increased my popularity amongst the office staff, perhaps only temporarily, by having a BBQ at my home yesterday.  The turn out was good, and everyone seemed to have a great time.  Keith and I took some of the leftovers to a women's shelter in town yesterday.

My daily practice currently consists of the following:

Reichert Daily Exercises
T and G EJ 4 (slow and fast scales)
Andersen op 15 - currently trying to get #3 up to tempo.  It's cray-cray.
Orchestral excerpts - currently Mahler Song of the Earth and Stravinsky Firebird Suite
Solo work - putting to bed Martin Ballade and working on Reinecke Undine.

So there you go.  I'm alive and well, as is the Project.

bit.ly/RBE4rp

A Performing Fool

I love performing.  I do.  Every part of it is addictive, including the practicing/rehearsing, adrenaline rush, the applause, the compliments, and the socializing.  It's just the bomb, tops, the bees' knees, and all superlatives synonymous.

The above gush is precipitated by my having performed not once, but twice this weekend.  I played the first two movements of the JSB Partita in A Minor for Mr. Goldman's studio recital on Saturday and for the Adult Music Student Forum Cadenza Recital today.  Saturday's performance was at the home of the NSO's piccoloist, Ms. Carole Bean.  She lives in beautiful, grand home in NoVA.  The acoustics were great, allowing for a bit of cover-up of any jittery tones.  Five of Mr. Goldman's students performed, four of us adults and one 15 year old, whose playing was impressive.  Telemann C Major Fantasie at the age of 15?  Just superb playing, especially for her age.

I felt great about my performance of the first movement.  I kept a flowing, moderate tempo throughout and I think I captured the mood I was after.  There were no wrong notes, no clumsy rhythms, no awkward phrases.  I think I did well.  The second movement was not quite as good.  I asked my teacher for notes after, and his take was it was decently played, just a bit heavy.  It is a dance, and I think my dancers were a little out of shape.  I also missed some notes and had a few stumbles at the end.  The interesting thing about the performance was my nerves.  We all get nervous, I think, whether we know it or not.  During the first movement, Ms. Bean's dog was whining really loudly!  I tried not to take it personally, and, in fact, I barely noticed it.  What I did notice was my internal chatter.  I envisioned people whispering things about my playing, my movements, my tone (good and bad).  In actuality, the audience was silent during my performance.  I think this internal chatter, and a bit of fatigue and relief at being nearly done, caused my missed notes at the end of the second movement.  Afterward, I met some of my studio-mates.  They were very nice people, all of whom had day jobs or former day jobs (retirees?), except, of course, for the high school student.

My performance today was, again, in NoVA, at, again, a beautiful home.  The AMSF, which I think I may have mentioned in prior posts, is an organization designed to give adults who have don't make a living playing the instrument they love an opportunity to perform in a friendly setting.  Today's recital consisted of 10 participants (8 pianists, one violinist and me), playing upwards of 10 minutes each.  The acoustics of the performance space (the owner's living room) were not as forgiving as Ms. Bean's home.  The setting was more intimate, too, with my closest audience member just a bit beyond arm's reach.  I was the first player after intermission, giving me plenty of time to get used to the setting.  I think I played fairly well.  My sound, initially, was a bit thin, due to, I think, not having warmed up during intermission.  I tried to make my sound ring, but it was difficult for me to do.  My internal chatter was a bit more sane during this performance compared to yesterday's, but it was still present.  I wonder if it every goes away.  Next time I perform, if feasible, I'm going to have someone videotape my playing.  I'm not really looking forward to watching myself play, but I think it will be quite educational.  I hope I don't do anything weird!  The people at this event were so kind and complimentary.  The hostess had a great spread of hors d'oeuvres and wine.  Unfortunately, I had to rush off after the last person played in order to get home and help Keith with chores.

I received an email from one of my studio-mates asking my to sub for the second flutist in the NIH Community Orchestra this weekend.  Of course I said yes.  I'll be playing Borodin's Symphony Number 2.  I've never played it before, but I'm really excited about the opportunity and grateful for being asked.

My next project is to record the preliminary audition CD for the Adult Amateur Competition with the Mid Atlantic Flute Association.  I'm going to ask one of the accompanists from Saturday's recital to record it with me, and Mr. Goldberg has given me the information for a recording studio who can make the CD for a relatively small fee.  I'll keep my dear reader apprised.

Here's what I'm practicing currently:

Breathing exercises (Wye)

Long tones (Moyse): De La Sonorite, pages 6-9 (the classic long tones everyone does), and pp. 15-22 (the ones where you start on one note and progress up chromatically in triplets, e.g. F-F#-F F-G-F F-G#-F etc).

T and G: EJ 1 and 2, various articulations, 120 bpm; page 2 of EJ 1 in third register at 50 bpm; EJ 4, various articulations, 120 bpm.

Throat tuning and harmonics (Dick) - p. 11 and 15.

Etude (Andersen op. 15) - Second study

Solo Work - I'm putting the Bach to bed for now and starting again on the Faure Fantasie for the competition.

And that's where I am.  I'm pleased with my progress, but I'm motivated by a desire to get a lot better.  Someday, dear reader, I'll post a recording of my playing.  But, when I do, please be kind :)

Still At It

This is the part where I apologize for not having posted in so long.  Well, guess what, dear reader.  I'm not going to do that.  I moved since my last post, and, suffice to say, I've been occupied with other things.  So there.  Hmph.

Anyhoo, I am still playing and practicing and taking lessons.  My musical life is fuller than I would have expected at this point of my comeback, as it were.  My lessons with Aaron Goldman are beneficial, fun, challenging, and just tops.  I love them.  I auditioned for the Capital Wind Symphony today, and I got in!  Rehearsals start in September.  Ms. Trimber, who is principal flutist, thinks I'll probably be principal second, which is okay by me.  I'm thrilled I was accepted.  The group has a YouTube clip if any of my 2 to 3 dear readers wants to check it out.  They're pretty good!

Coming up next for me:

Performance with the Adult Music Student Forum.  I'm going to play the JSB Partita in A Minor.  I don't yet know which movement(s).

Preliminary recorded audition for the Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair's Adult Amateur competition.

And to review the goals stated in the first post of this little blog and my progress:


Buy flute - check.

Practice (near) daily - check.

Journal my (near daily) practice - check, although when I wrote that goal on my blog, I meant journal on the blog.  That's a bit tedious, though, for both me and my dear reader, so my practice journaling is done on my iPhone for me only.

Take lessons - check.

Join a community orchestra - check (I know, it's not an orchestra, but it's a great ensemble).

Enter the Adult Amateur competition - working on it.

And this is what I'm working on:


Breathing exercise (Wye)

Long tones (Moyse)

Various tone, intonation and articulation exercises (Wye)

Super Slow Scales (T and G/Goldman)

Scales (T and G) - EJ 1, 2 and 4, 112 beats per minute, various articulations, mezzo forte)

Etude (Andersen) Opus 15, number 1.  Goal is to learn one per week.  Mr. Goldman wasn't thrilled with the Cavally book.  He thought it was too easy.

Orchestral excerpts (Baxtresser) - Recently Daphnis, Brahm's 4th, Mendellsohn Scherzo, Beethoven Leonore and Debussy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Fawn for the CWS audition.  I suppose Mr. Goldman will choose some more for me to work on at my lesson tomorrow.

Solo work - Mozart G Major Concerto for the audition today.  No doubt we'll work on the JSB Partita in tomorrow's lesson.  Following that, Faure Fantasie for the competition.

As for work, well, it's busy.  And when things are busy at work, my dear reader knows, things are also stressful.  The good thing is my surgical volume seems to be picking up a bit, so there's that.  The OR is a magical place.  No one can bother you.  Perhaps I should have been a general surgeon.  Nah...

Musical Explosion

Oh, dear reader, I can't believe it's been 9 days since I last posted.  Please forgive me.  Never fear, though.  The Project is alive and well.  It's so alive, in fact, that I've been incredibly busy (musically and otherwise)!

Since I last posted, I played for an adult amateur masterclass with Linda Chesis.  She is a dynamic teacher.  I played the first movement of the Bach Partita.  She helped me realize that I don't need to "tank up" with a huge breath before I begin playing.  I have plenty of air in my lungs at any given time to successfully start the piece.  This tidbit has helped me conquer a fear that I almost didn't know I had - the fear of beginning to play.  Another good point she made is that I try to make my sound too pure.  Her comments and suggestions have helped me strive to have a sounds that projects and is vibrant rather than a sound that is pure and fails to reach the back of the concert hall.  She also talked a lot about the physical aspects of playing the flute, and her comments and demonstrations were spot on.  Other pieces played by the participants were the CPE Bach Sonata in A Minor, Rivier Sonatine and Reinecke Undine Sonata.  I received an email afterward from the event sponsor, Ms. Trimber, saying that Ms. Chesis has invited me to an adult amateur chamber music weekend, which is part of her Cooperstown Music Festival.  Apparently the amateurs are grouped with professional muscians for a ton of chamber music performances.  I'm already planning the trip!  I haven't received any further emails, so I hope it still happens.

The following day I had my lesson with Aaron Goldman.  He's simply brilliant.  His comments and demonstrations in one lesson have been unbelievably accurate and helpful.  One of many examples is his use of what he calls "super slow scales" to help develop even technique.  I've always thought of technique as fast, impressive playing, but his approach is to play the T and G EJ 4 at a metronome marking of 80 bpm and play one note per metronome click.  Sounds easy, but the work is incredibly exacting.  The fingers must move instantaneously BEFORE the click of the metronome in order to get the note to speak exactly on time.  Another example of his teaching is the concept of the "laser to Mars".  In order to project one's sound, the player imagines his sound as super focused on a far away place (e.g. Mars), whether he is playing softly, loudly, with a bright color or dark color.  The teaching point that has probably caused the biggest improvement in my playing in a short amount of time is the fact that I play with the corners of my lips drawn too tight.  His opinion is that the corners of the lips should be completely (or near completely) relaxed and the majority of the work with the embochure should come from the middle of the lips.  I have an off-center embochure, but my lips were still too tight.  I've been working on relaxing my embochure and already I think my sound has improved.

I've been keeping a practice journal, and the following is from my most recent practice session:

Breathing exercise from Wye's series.
Moyse long tones in minor thirds.
Dick's Tone Development Through Extended Techniques, the first three lines of the first throat tuning study and the first harmonic study.
Super slow scales.
Articulation study from Wye's series.
T and G EJ 1 and 2, first page, articulation number 2, 96 bpm.  I've added exercises that practice high C, C# and D per Mr. Goldman's suggestions, but I must say they are really difficult.  I've resolved to practice them at a painfully slow metronome marking until I get a handle of them.
EJ 4, all the sharp scales (alternating between the "sharp" and "flat" scales each day), artic 2, 92 bpm.  Again, I'm trying to be more complete with my scale practice by expanding my range to the higher notes.
Excerpt from Brahms Fourth.
Mozart G Major Concerto, first movement, exposition.  Mr. Goldman has suggested I set my metronome to click on the downbeat of every measure rather than every beat in order to fine tune my rhythm.  This is very challenging.  In order to do this, I downloaded an app called DrBetotte, which is clearly a Dr. Beat ripoff.  It was $9.99, I think, and it's okay.  I'd prefer the actualy Dr. Beat, but I don't want to part with the money just yet.

Work has been going okay.  I had an evaluation with my Chair today, and she was very complimentary.  We have a boring retreat scheduled this Saturday that will take up the entire morning.  Joy :)

A Quick Update

It's official.  We got the house!  We are moving the first weekend of May.  

I now have a flute teacher.  Aaron Goldman, associate principal flute with the National Symphony Orchestra, has agreed to take me on as his student.  I'm quite excited.  I hear he's a fabulous player and teacher.  

I now have my flute.  The Hammig headjoint didn't quite fit, so I took it to a repairman's house/shop on Saturday.  It took him all of 10 minutes to get the job done.  

My life has recently exploded with music-related events.  I'm going to a Linda Chesis masterclass this Saturday.  I have my lesson with Mr. Goldman on Sunday.  I have an audition for the Capital Wind Symphony on May 19th.  Finally, I perform the JSB Partita in A Minor on June 3rd.  This is more than I ever thought would happen in such a short amount of time.

Practicing is going well.  I recently started keeping a practice journal.  It's extremely useful.  It's surprising to me how much I forget from the prior day's practice session.  

Here's where I am:

I've started doing a breathing exercise from Wye's Practice Book 5.  It's basically a complete exhalation followed by extreme inhalation of air to the point of pain.  Repeat x 6.  I think it will take awhile before I see results.  I was inspired to start doing this when I couldn't sustain notes from his long tone exercises.

Long tones (Wye): exercises from Practice Book 1, including pitch control exercises that focus on getting C# in tune.  

Harmonics (Wye):  I got the high Bb to speak!  I still am inconsistent, but this is huge!

Etude (Cavally): 18th etude in book.

Excerpts (Baxtresser): Mendelssohn Scherzo and Daphnis.  

Solo work: I am done working on the Faure Fantasie for now.  I'll get back into it closer to time to record for the competition.  Working on the exposition of the first movement of Mozart G Major Concerto for the CSW audition.

And that's all.  I wanted to post quickly tonight (it's late).  I didn't want to go too long without posting since so much is happening so quickly!

Beautiful Day Off

It's a gorgeous day in DC.  The temperature is in the mid 60s, sunny, a bit windy, and the best  representation I can recall of what a spring day should be.  I'm post-call today, which gives me the chance to raise my vitamin D levels a bit.  I've already spent a few minutes outside.  My housekeepers come on Mondays, so I took the pooch out for a walk and sat out on a bench until they were finished.

Have I mentioned my pets before?  In case I haven't, there's Molly, a 7 year old pug; Gandalf, a 15 year old cat; and Kitty Poo, a 7 year old cat.  Much like people, they're all great and all awful in their unique ways.  The newest drama is trying to give Gandalf medication to stop him from marking outside his litterbox.  He deftly spits pills out, so the vet had the same medication compounded in liquid form, chicken flavored, no less.  He apparently doesn't like the chicken flavoring, as he runs away as soon as I get the medicine in his mouth and then salivates terribly.  I'm waiting on a call back from the vet about this one.  I hope to be on the way to solving the inappropriate urination issue soon, as our potential new home has carpeting on two of the four levels.

Speaking of potential new homes, I have news.  The owner's realtor called and told me it's ours for the renting!  She then qualified the news by saying that it's all pending finalizing our application, which should be complete today.  Finally, after living in a tiny condo with only one bathroom for a year, I'll be back in a single family home, with multiple bathrooms, and with a garage!  And let's not forget there is a third bedroom that I'm going to use as a studio.  It has skylights!  We should be moved in at the beginning of next month, fingers crossed.

I have changed up the content of my practice routine a tiny bit.  Here's where I am:

Long tones (Wye, Practice Books for the Flute, Book 1, Tone): Low register exercise 1; middle register exercise 1; high register exercise 1.  I know these exercises are simple, but I do get a lot out of them.

Harmonics (Wye): This is such slow, painful progress.  I still can't get the fifth harmonic of low Eb to speak.  I think it will happen soon, though, and that day will be a glorious one.

Scales (T and G): EJ 1 and 2, second page, two octaves, mezzo forte, articulation # 8, 84 beats per minute; EJ 4, A Major through C Major, mezzo forte, articulation #7, 80 beats per minute.

Etude (Cavally): The 17th study in the book.  These etudes are becoming more difficult, as one would expect.  I can no longer breeze through them in a 15 minute practice session.  I played the prior etude for 5 consecutive days before I was satisfied enough to move on.

Orchestral excerpts (Baxtresser): William Tell.  I wish I knew a pianist who could play the English horn part while I practice this.  I'm sure it would make all the difference.  It would be so easy to get behind on those 32nd note rests.

Solo work (Faure): Fantasie.  This is the required piece for the adult amateur competition I plan to enter.    I've known the piece for a long time, and I love it.  It's such a fun work.  It's been so long since I've played it that it's a bit like playing it for the first time.  The preliminary round recordings aren't due until September or so, but I really want to find a pianist soon so I'm not scrambling at the last minute.

I must find a teacher soon.  I emailed the gentleman in Maryland again, but he hasn't responded.  I don't know if he's busy, or flaky, or both.  If I don't hear from him by Friday, I will seek another teacher.  Ms. Trimber is delivering my new flute to me that day, so I will ask her for recommendations.  She seems to be in-the-know when it comes to the flute scene in DC.

Here's a photo that could very well have been taken today (it wasn't, but it could have been!)

Trouble on the Homefront

The condo didn't work out.  My one or two readers will remember that Keith and I were waiting on a decision by the seller on whether to agree to an inspection of the exterior of the condo by a structural engineer to determine if repair of the mortar between the bricks was necessary.  The seller refused and has signed a release form allowing us to have our good faith deposit back.  Oh well.

We've been looking at rentals, and we pounced on a beautiful townhome in the Palisades.  It's billed as two bedroom, but there is space for a third.  There are two full baths and two half baths.  It has a one car garage, with room in the driveway for a second car.  The kitchen is big and fairly modern, with a gas stove and double oven.  The kitchen leads to a separate dining room, and off from the dining room is a deck and really cute back yard.  There is a den, which the owner uses as an office currently.  The best feature is the fourth floor bedroom.  I plan to use it as a studio.  A studio!  With skylights!  We offered more than the asking price and have filled out an application.  We'll hear in the next couple of days.  I must get out of this current broomcloset of a condo!

My first two days back to work since Footsurgerygate have been light and uneventful.  I've been working half days and plan to continue that throughout the week.  I am on call this Sunday, which I hope is slow, for my foot's sake.  I overdid it today and was certainly reminded of my recent surgery by a dull ache at the top of my defective appendage, as if wearing a cumbersome metal boot isn't reminder enough.  

My musical progress is progressing progressively.  Here's an update:

Long tones (Moyse) - I've been paying attention not only to the quality of my sound, but also to whether I can begin each note clearly and in tune, maintain a steady and clear steady and clear sound, and release the sound without a change in pitch.  The tuner is helping tremendously here.  

Harmonics (Wye) - I'm just waiting on being able to hit the fifth harmonic of low Eb.  It's gonna happen, I can feel it.

Scales (T and G) - EJ 1 and 2, fourth page, mezzo forte, articulation 6, 76 beats per minute, two octaves; EJ 4, Eb Major through C# minor, mezzo forte, articulation 6, 76 beats per minute.

Etude (Cavally) - 16th study in the book, which is the first of 12 studies by Kohler.  This one is fun, and the other 11 look like they are as well, although they seem to become long and tiring.  But isn't at least one of the points of practicing etudes developing endurance?

Orchestra excerpt (Baxtresser) - Rossini, William Tell.

Solo work - JSB Partita in A minor.  Getting the Bourrée Anglaise under my fingers.  After that, I must put the piece to rest and start on something else (Faure Fantasie)

My dear reader will recall that my new flute has arrived.  Ms. Trimber is en route home from Germany currently and will call when she arrives.  I really need for her to agree to delay payment for the flute until May 1, since it wasn't supposed to be ready until then anyway.  I hope she accepts and allows me to have the flute in the meantime.  Until then, the Trevor James she's loaned to me sounds pretty good with my Hammig headjoint, if I do say so myself.

And here's a picture of the living room of the home we're hopint the rent.  Nice, yes?

A Musical Breakthrough (Almost)

My best friend, Nichole, came from Louisville to visit this past week, so minimal flute playing occurred until after her departure today. I love her visits. She has a great sense of humor and is a lot of fun. She also reads my blog, so what's not to like? She, Keith and I did a lot of eating out and driving around the city. Yesterday we watched University of KY (UK) beat my and Nichole's alma mater (University of Louisville) in the NCAA men's basketball final four at a bar in DC called Nellie's. We had a blast, even if our team didn't win.

I had my post-op appointment a bit early due to splintgate. The ortho said I can walk without crutches (yea!) but will need to wear my metal boot for the next 4-6 weeks (bummer). Fortunately, or unfortunately, I get to go back to work starting tomorrow.  I plan to work half days this week, and then it's back to a normal schedule.

The housing drama continues.  I saw a real estate attorney who told me that Keith and I can delay closing until the agreed-upon repairs are completed to our satisfaction.  We really want this home, so I came up with a contract for the seller to sign that states he agrees to repair the exterior of the home (repoint) pending an inspection from a structural engineer, or he will refund our deposit and we'll all part ways.  If the engineer says the exterior is in good condition, then we agree to move forward.  The seller hasn't yet responded.  Fingers crossed he'll agree.

I practiced for the first time in three days today due to my friend's visit.  Here's where I am:

Long tones (Moyse)
Harmonics (Wye)
Scales (T and G): EJ 1&2, mezzo forte, articulation #6, 76 beats per minute, second page, two octaves; EJ 4, C Major through G minor, mezzo forte, articulation #6, 76 beats per minute
Orchestral excerpt: Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis
JSB Partita in A Minor: Bourrée Anglaise

I had a sort of breatkthrough today with long tones.  For some reason, I was hitting the fifth harmonic of low C, C# and D with minimal difficulty.  There was even some clarity there.  I still had problems with low Eb.  Once I get that high Bb to speak, I think I'll start using a harmonic warm-up from my most recent edition of Flute Talk.  I find these harmonic exercises to be very beneficial in knowing how much I can push each note, improving the richness of my sound.

Finally, some exciting news from Ms. Trimber.  My flute has arrived!  I can't get it right away because, (a) she's in Germany, and (b) I'm not prepared to pay for it (I've made a 50% deposit already).  I've asked her to allow me to get the flute from her upon her return and to charge my credit card on May 1 (when the flute was supposed to have arrived).  I haven't heard back, but I will keep my dear reader informed.

Doctors Make the Worst Patients

I admit it.  I've been a bad patient.  My surgery was last Monday, as I'm sure my dear reader recalls, and by Friday I felt decidedly disgusting.  Per doctor's orders, I had not showered since surgery in order to avoid getting my splint wet.  Since I had previously planned on seeing The Hunger Games, I decided I was not going to go out unshowered.  I cleverly wrapped my splint in Saran wrap and took what was likely the most refreshing shower of my life.

Guess what I noticed upon stepping out of the shower.  The bottom of my splint was soaked, sodden, falling apart.  After a moment of freaking out and creative use of the "F" word, I engaged Keith's help and he cut my splint off.  I called the doctor on call twice, but no one called back.  I got dressed, put on the metal boot that was given to me by my orthopedist's office prior to surgery and went to see my movie.  I plan to call my doctor's office tomorrow.  My foot looks and feels fine --  a little bruised and slightly swollen, but certainly not out of the ordinary for having recently had surgery.  I've been careful to put minimal to no weight on it, using my crutches whenever possible.  I hope the nurse or doctor doesn't chastise me.

Another personal life development -- there is trouble on the housing front.  As my dear reader may also recall, Keith and I have a contract on a new condo.  The seller was to complete a list of repairs prior to closing, which contractually must be completed to our satisfaction.  Our home inspector, Keith, one of our realtor's and the seller's agent met this past Saturday for a walk-through.  Most repairs were done well, but a major repair that was requested, and the seller agreed to complete, was repointing the exterior brick.  It was done quite poorly.  The seller's agent argued that we didn't make clear on our written request exactly what needed to be done to the exterior, which is inaccurate.  If the seller doesn't agree to repoint the exterior properly, we will most assuredly walk from the deal.  If that happens, we've decided to rent for another year, which has it's advantages.

And now for music.  I have decided upon a title for this little blog.  Are you ready?  The Flute Project.  I know, it's not original or very catchy, but it certainly sums up my blog's purpose.  I wrote in a prior post that I wanted the title to capture the fact that I'm a physician and that the project is meant to last for one year.  Too long.  The Flute Project works well enough, and I don't want my blog to be untitled any longer.  So there you have it.

I'm a bit closer on finding an ensemble in which to play.  Ms. Trimber is principal flutist with the Capital Wind Symphony, and, according to her, there will be at least one opening in the group for the upcoming season.  Auditions are in May.  I will keep you posted.

Here's where I am in my practice routine:

Lackluster long tones (Moyse)
Hideous harmonics (Wye) - C, C#, D, D# up to the fifth harmonic on each note.
Scales (T and G) EJ 1 & 2, 3rd page, two octaves, mezzo forte, fifth articulation, 72 beats per minute;
     EJ 4, Eb Major through Bb Minor, mezzo forte, fifth articulation, 72 beats per minute
Etude #14 (Cavally)
Orchestral Excerpt (Baxtresser) Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis
Solo Work (JSB) Partita in A Minor, Allemande and Corrente

I plan to allow my practice routine to evolve slowly.  When I have a better handle on the harmonic studies in the Wye Practice Book #1 (Tone), I plan to stop using my bastardized version of de la Sonorite and work solely from Wye's Tone Book until I have completed it to my satisfaction.  When my scale exercises are good at 120 beats per minute, I plan to add an arpeggio exercise (EJ 10?).  While continuing work on dynamics and articulation with the previously learned exercises, I plan to methodically work up speed on the arpeggio exercise.  I hope to finish the Cavally book over the next month or two, and then I'd like to graduate to one of the easier Andersen etude books.  I plan to continue to study Baxtresser's Orchestral Excerpt book so that I basically have all of them under my fingers for whatever auditions might come up in the near or distant future.  I should have the JSB Partita down well enough to be able to move on to another piece in about 2 weeks.  I plan to work on Faure's Fantasie.  Of course, these plans may be modified when I begin studying with someone, which tentatively should begin within the next few weeks.

To recap: I may have an audition for Capital Wind Symphony in May, followed by a performance of the Bach Partita in June.  After that, I will need to collaborate with a pianist and record the Faure Fantasie for the Adult Amateur Competition by September.  It's fun to have goals.  It makes the practicing less burdensome.

I may have a record of my playing/practicing posted tomorrow.  No promises!  I hate to disappoint.

Post-op and Intact

My surgery Monday was uneventful.  The procedure was at 07:30 am, and I was home before 11:00 am, well medicated with no nausea.  I was surprised to find out shortly before the operation that my right foot would be in a splint for two weeks, more or less.  The implication of this, dear reader, is I am prohibited from showering during that time period.  I also have to use crutches, as I've been instructed to avoid putting weight on my foot.  This time period spills over into my planned return to work from vacation, so I have had to cancel a week of office and find coverage for labor and delivery during my extended absence.  One would think I'd be happy having the extra time off, but I dislike burdening my colleagues.  It's unavoidable, though.

Despite having had surgery and spending a lot of the past couple of days high on narcotics, I have found time to practice.  Here's where I am:

Still plugging away at long tones (Moyse).
Playing harmonic exercises starting on low C, C# and D (Wye).
T and G EJ 1 and 2, last page, two octaves, articulation #4, 69 beats per minute; EJ 4, Eb major through Bb minor, articulation #4, 69 beats per minute.
Cavally etude number 11.
Orchestra Excerpts: Beethoven's 4th.
Solo work: JSB Partita in A minor.  My phrasing and endurance have improved tremendously in the first movement, and I have half of the second movement under my fingers very well.

I'm ecstatic about my progress. It may be slow, but I definitely have forward momentum.  I'm relieved that this surgery isn't slowing me down at all.

Aside from practicing, I've been watching bad TV and spending way too much time on social networking sites.  I have come up with some genius Facebook statuses (stati?), though.

Did I mention that Ms. Trimber has loaned me a different flute?   I am playing on a Trevor James, giving me a chance to use my Hammig headjoint until my brand spanking new Miyazawa arrives.  It's much better than the Powell she initially loaned to me.  After the Powell, she had brought over a Haynes, which was nice but the E key sticks.  I think now I'm all set until I get my flute.

Now, I must put some titles for this project out there.  I figure if I at least post a few ideas, then eventually one will stick.

1. The Physician-Musician: A Year of My Life
2. Physician Flutist: A Year of Rediscovering Music
3. Musical Supplement: A Yearlong Project

I'm not in love with any of these, but I want to incorporate music, medicine and the year long nature of this project in the title.  Again, if anyone out there is reading and has a suggestion, I'm listening, or, ah, reading.

Drum Roll, Please ...

Well, I can't play this directly from the blog, but if you click on "menu", and then "website", you should be able to listen to some mediocre Bach!  Excited?

I'll keep working at this (both the embedding and the flute playing).  I can only improve at this point :)




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Still Plugging Away

I have been dutifully trying to get some audio clips of my playing on this little blog.  Thanks to my friend Alexis Del Palazzo, I now have an account on podbean.com, and I will soon be able to embed podcasts.  I attempted to do this tonight, and a cool audio player showed up in my blog post.  Unfortunately, the player didn't play anything.  I need to study on this some more.

My two week staycation began yesterday evening.  I kicked it off by not practicing and drinking too much wine.  I did some good music listening, though.  I am really digging Spotify.  It's only $10/month and you can listen to almost anything (no Beatles, though).  In addition to listening to a whole lot of flute music (Bezaly, Joshua Smith, Pahud), I came across a series of CDs, all titled "50 Essential ..."  There's a CD for classical works, opera arias, baroque works and piano works.  I think these CDs would be great for young students, so for you teachers out there, check them out.

Highlights of my practice today: the harmonics are slowly but surely improving.  I am playing the harmonic exercises from the Wye Practice Books, fingering low C and low C#.  I find these exercises immensely helpful in creating lip flexibility.  I'm still working on the ninth etude in the Cavally book.  I should finish it up tomorrow.  This is the first etude I'll have spent three days on since I began this project.  I think it's better to spend some time on the etude and play it well than to play it rush through it with no thought and play it poorly.  There's no learning in the latter.  

For orchestral excerpts, I worked on the Polonaise and Badinerie from Bach's Suite No.2 in B Minor.  I played the Polonaise for an audition for chair placement at a summer music camp when I was a freshman in high school.  Being from rural Kentucky, I had flute lessons quite infrequently as my mother had to drive me to the closest city over 2 hours away for them.  I wasn't able to get any assistance on this work before the auditions, and therefore I played the piece about two times too fast.  Despite the goof up, I have fond memories of this piece and the experience.  I didn't know it at the time, but this was the first real piece of flute literature I'd ever played. 

I'm still plugging away at the Bach Partita.  I did a run-through of the Allemande movement.  I thought I'd worked out all the breathing, but apparently I was mistaken.  I tried, again, to map out the breathing, and I think this time I got it down.  The phrasing still needs work, and I plan on doing some more listening tonight to whatever I can find on Spotify and try to decide on how I want to play the phrases.  I have issues with endurance when playing through just the first movement, which worries me.  I lose sound quality, so that by the time I play the final high A, my lips are a bit shot.  I figure the only way to remedy that is to play more.  A runner doesn't train for a marathon by not running, right?  I worked on the Corrente movement to rehearsal letter B (Leduc edition).  I'm happy with my progress on this piece, but I am looking forward to working on something else within the next couple of weeks.

I've reviewed my first post on this blog, and I feel like I've made good progress toward the goals I'd stated.  I've purchased a flute and will have it in about a month, I've been practicing almost daily, and I have tentative plans to begin lessons in the next few weeks with a flutist in the Army Field Band.  I found a community orchestra I'd like to check out -- the NIH Community Orchestra.  According to the website, it has open seating.  I've sent a request to join their Yahoo group, but I have yet to receive a response.  This is the only way, apparently, to get a rehearsal schedule.  It's possible that they have enough/too many flute players.  I'll look around for other groups to join, as well.  I still plan to enter the North Atlantic Flute Society's Adult Amateur Competition.  The preliminary recorded audition deadline isn't until September, so I have plenty of time.

I still need to title this as of yet untitled project.  I almost have it, I can feel it.  Again, if my dear reader has suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Surgery Needed for my Foot and my Phrasing

I saw the orthopod on Wednesday.  It took him about 30 seconds to declare that I need surgery.  The procedure is scheduled Monday morning, outpatient, and I get to wear a cool metal boot from now until a few weeks after the surgery.  Monday is the first day of my two week vacation.  I'm trying to look at the bright side of having to have surgery on vacation.  It means I have plenty of time to recover and won't have to reschedule any of my patients.  That's good, right?

A bit of news today on our housing situation -- DC has provided the document needed to get going on our final loan approval.  Our loan officer thinks we'll be able to close by the 30th.  Yea!!!  I'll finally live in a place where I can have a music studio.  I'm quite excited.

Ms. Trimber took the Miyazawa away from me.  I know, dear reader, it's very sad, but I knew it was going to happen.  She has ordered my new flute and it will be here at the beginning of May.  She loaned me one of her personal flutes, a 1964 Powell.  It's okay.  My Hammig headjoint doesn't fit it, so I don't get the benefit of my superfantastical purchase.  I'm very appreciative of Ms. Trimber's generosity, though.  She was in no way obligated to loan me her flute.

I was able to get some good practicing in over the past couple of days, despite my injury.  I was on call Wednesday night.  It was blessedly pleasant.  We only had one admission, no deliveries, and I was able to rest in my call room undisturbed from midnight until sign-out at 7 am.  As is my custom, I took today off. After getting in a bit of a nap, I took the Flute World Yamaha flutes to the post-office to mail back.  If anyone out there is looking for a new or consignment flute, I highly recommend Flute World.  They are great to work with, especially Karen, who seems to be in charge of instrument sales.

I continue to make progress with my practice routine.  The long tones are sounding more refined and in tune; the harmonics are becoming clearer and I am able to sometimes hit a clear high G while fingering low C; the T and G EJ 1, 2 have progressed to 66 beats per minute, articulation #3, and the T and G EJ 4 has progressed to 69 beats per minutes, articulation #3; I am currently working on the ninth etude in the Cavally book; and I have the first movement of the Bach Partita in A Minor under my fingers and am working on the second movement.  I can't forget about orchestral excerpts!  I have practiced/played through the JSB St. Matthew's Passion, Mass in B minor and Suite in B minor.  These are just lovely things to play, but I really don't know where to breathe in the Mass in B minor excerpt without either cutting the occasional note or being late after the breath (I know the latter is unacceptable).

I've recorded parts of my past two practice sessions using the VoiceMemo app on my iPhone.  Listening to these recordings has been immensely helpful in identifying weak spots I didn't know I had, and in discovering things I thought were a problem actually didn't come across on the recording.  One thing I've noticed is my vibrato doesn't really help my sound out much.  I used to have a beautiful vibrato, if I say so myself.  This was when I was 23, though, and had never taken an extended break from practicing since I had started playing the instrument 10 years before.  I can get that back, no problem.  I'm a little worried about my phrasing in the Bach, though.  I need to really sit down and plan how I'm going to play the phrases in this piece.  I hear Pahud play it so effortlessly; it's so hard to imagine him ever mapping out phrases while practicing.  I, as a mere mortal, will have to do that, though, if I'm going to sound like a somewhat mature musician when I perform the piece in June.  Having a teacher would help.

I have tried briefly to figure out how to share these files on this blog post, but I'm not sure I'll be able to.  It appears one can only play these VoiceMemo recordings on iTunes.  I'll try a different way the next time I record from home.

Keith came home today.  It was great having him back.  I, of course, had missed him, and it is especially wonderful having him around to help out so I can decrease my activity, what with my being  a gimp and all.  Keith had the idea of getting Eleanor a gift certificate from Trader Joe's as a token of appreciation for her help during Footgate.  Apparently Eleanor shops there all the time, which I hadn't noticed but Keith had.  Keith picked up the card, and I attached a note telling how much her kindness meant to me.  She was very gracious and appreciative.  She asked what I like from Trader Joes.  I told her the cheap wine.  I think she's going to get ME something with HER gift card.  How wonderful is she!  After I'd given it to her, I asked if she can hear me playing the flute.  She said "Yes.  I love it!"  This suprised me, and I was relieved that I wasn't bothering her.  She also said my upstairs neighbor, Rosemary, whom I was also worried I was bothering, told her that she enjoyed listening to me practice, too.  I was so glad to hear that.  I'm often a bit uncomfortable practicing in my apartment for fear of disburbing my neighbors.  I guess I don't have to worry that much after all.

Warning: Not for the Faint of Heart (Seriously, Don't Read if Squeamish)

I cut my foot last night.  In the kitchen.  With the serrated knife.

I was wrapping leftover chicken in aluminum foil when a felt a searing pain in my right foot and then a loud crashing sound.  The knife I had used to cut the chicken, which is entirely metal, including the handle, had fallen off the counter and landed, blade first, onto the top of my foot.  I couldn't bear weight on my foot, so I hopped around stupidly for a few seconds while my dog ravenously lapped up the blood that had dripped onto the floor.  If you ever thought for a second that dogs aren't disgusting creatures, please allow your visual imagination of my experience to change your mind.  I finally got the good sense to sit on the floor and examine my foot.  The gash was on top, about three inches from my inner ankle and was bleeding an impressive amount.  The length of the gash was about 2 1/2 inches, but it was to the bone in depth.  My big toe was pointed downward involuntarily, so I knew then that: A. I had to get to the hospital and B: surgery may be in my future.

Without much forward planning, I hobbled to my bathroom to grab some toilet paper so I could blot the blood that was dripping down my foot off of my toes and then hobbled out of my apartment down the stairs to ring my sweet neighbor's doorbell and hope that she answered.  The lovely Eleanor opened the door and didn't hesistate to agree to take me to the ER.  I sat in the hall in front of the building's front door while Eleanor went to my apartment to fetch my wallet and a pair of flip flops.  She had given me one of her towels to hold pressure on my wound in the meantime.  She then pulled her car up to the door and I hopped down the steps and climbed into her car.

"I don't mind if you bleed in my car."  Kinder words I had never heard before.  Eleanor, who deserves some Georgetown Cupcakes or something, parked at the front entrance of the ER, went inside the building, and came out with a tech pushing a wheelchair.  I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of my situation.  I was in a bright yellow t shirt, gray baggy gym shorts, one flip flop on my left foot, the other in my right hand, and a white, blood-stained hand towel draped over my right foot.  I heard a beeping noise while being wheeled in and I realized I had put my cordless land phone in my pocket before leaving my apartment.

This ER was not busy, and I was whisked into an exam room, but not before a tech had taken my vitals.  I was really nervous.  My pulse was something like 110 and my blood pressure was 140s/90s.  Despite the ugly gash, I wasn't in any pain.  The bleeding had also stopped by the time I had arrived at the ER.  By this time, Eleanor had left only after I declined her offer to stay (she had gone over-and-above already).  She gave me her phone number in case I had trouble getting a cab home.  Is this woman not an angel?

Now, this is my hospital.  I work here.  I was in the ER as a consultant 24 hours before then.  I really didn't want any of my residents to see me in such a ludicrous situation.  They didn't.  My first visitor was a very young woman, a fourth year med student.  I was very tempted to ask to just see the attending, but I believe very much in the process of medical education and now was not the time to be a hypocrite.  The woman was very kind, confident and competent.  She was also gently, which was a godsend.  Although it didn't hurt at the cut, just the right amount of manipulation of my toe was torture. She excused herself to get the resident, but instead came back with the attending.  The attending was also kind, confident and competent.  They were a good team.  They grabbed supplies and got to work, all the while explaining what they were doing.  The attending numbed the laceration with lidocaine, which initally burned like fire.  I involuntarily moaned and immediately thought about the numerous times I'd injected that wretched medication.  Why did an anesthetic have to hurt so much?  Relief came soon after, and the doctor irrigated and examined the wound, which was clear down to the bone.  She couldn't see the tendon, and she suspected (I did too) that the tendon to my big toe had been severed.  She scrubbed the laceration, sewed it up and cleaned the blood off my foot.  She sent my nurse in, who was excellent, and he dressed my foot.  I felt so much better psychologically just knowing that gash was closed.

They nurse fitted me for a hard-soled shoe of sorts.  It has a soft heel, and the top is two pieces of what I assume is nylon that come together with adjustable velcro straps.  I could actually walk on my foot because the hard sole supports my big toe.  Dear reader, if you've never had a foot injury, know that the big toe is essential for balance.  I can't live without this cheap-looking but effective piece of footwear.

The ER physician came in and told me she had spoken with an orthopedics resident and he said I should see one of his attendings on Wednesday.  Then, in a flurry of activity, I was discharged.  If an ER experience by definition can't be described as pleasant, this one at least wasn't terribly unpleasant.  I was extremely grateful.

I called a cab.  I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Finally I decided one wasn't coming anytime soon, so I called Eleanor the Magnificent and she gave me a ride home.  She even offered to take my dog outside for me the next day.  Can we say grande dame?

I didn't get to sleep until 1:30 in the morning, but I still got up at 5:30 and left for work before 6:30.  Yes, I worked.  I was on L and D in the morning and saw patients in the afternoon.  People were very nice to me today, although my efficiency was slowed tremendously.  My medical assistant, Terry, brought me water and ibuprofen, which helped me get through the second half of the day.  I felt pampered.

Oh, and in case the dear reader is wondering, Keith was out of town for all of this.  He's been very supportive over the phone :)

My appointment with the orthopod is tomorrow.  I'm nearly certain he's going recommend surgery, which is fine by me.  I can't wait to get the use of my big toe back.  

And wouldn't you know, I locked myself out of my bathroom this evening.  How did I do that?  I turned the lock before leaving the bathroom and shut the door.  I felt like a Mensa member.  I screwed off the door knob with a (very flimsy, harmless) steak knife and played with the mechanism for about 30 minutes before resorting to Google for further instructions.  I finally got the damn door to open, and I'm just too tired to try putting the door knob back on.

I got in about 30 minutes of practicing today.  Only long tones and harmonics.  I actually made good on my promise from yesterday's blog post to record my session.  It's getting late, so I'll upload the sound files later this week if I can figure out how.  I'm on call tomorrow, so hopefully I'll get in a better practice session.  If call is busy, I don't know what I'll do.  People will just have to hold those babies in until I can hobble to their deliveries.

Here are a couple of pictures of my foot before it was stitched and cleaned.  Note the downward pointing toe.  Again, I have no control over this.  I hope I don't lose my relatively small audience, but these are too good not to share.  Until next time ...

A Flute for Me!

In ob/gyn, we divide physicians into two groups - white clouds and black clouds.  White clouds rarely have a difficult call.  They often sleep uninterrupted for at least six hours when on duty.  Deliveries usually occur before midnight.  They are, as a general rule,  well-rested and content.  Black clouds rarely have an easy call.  They are often paged throughout the night.  Deliveries occur at the most inopportune times.  They are sleepy and grouchy.

Guess to which group I belong.

Despite a rough night on call last night,  I was able to get some quality alone time with my flute.  Long tones, scales, etude, orchestral excerpt and solo work -- all practiced with minimal interruptions.  Perhaps I should measure my calls based on whether I have an opportunity to play my flute.  So far, I am a white (or silver?) cloud!

I have, dear reader, made a decision.  I am purchasing the Miyazawa flute and the Hammig headjoint.  Convincing Keith to support this decision was not an easy task.  We are, as you may remember, closing on a home in the near future, which brings inevitable expenses -- closing costs, moving fees, furniture, decor, etc.  Keith is correct when stating that another large purchase is not the best decision.  But, I put on my pouty face and convinced him that, for the first time since moving to DC last June, I feel this city opening up to me.  The opportunities for amateur musicians abound.  After begrudgingly going through the motions of living in a city renowned for northern charm and southern efficiency, I have finally found an outlet that makes living here worthwhile.  And I love, cherish, adore playing the flute.  The cost of the flute is a good investment.  He acquiesced, and I will have it in about 4 weeks.  Yea!

I had a nice practice session today, as well: long tones (Moyse), harmonics (Wye), scales (T and G), etude (Cavally/Terschak), and solo work (JSB).  I completely forgot about the orchestral excerpt until after I had cleaned and put away my flute.  Improvements occur at a steady pace in all aspects -- harmonics with less splitting and better master of the high G from low C, faster and more even scales (T and G 1 and 2 still at 63 bpm, articulation 2, last page of each exercise; #4 at 66 bpm, articulation 3, C major through G minor), the seventh study in the Cavally book (easy stuff), and a play-through of the first movement of the Bach Partita in A Minor and beginning practice of the second movement.  I read in Baxtresser's orchestral excerpt book that all breaths in JSB works must be planned precisely, so that's what I focused on in the first movement of the Partita.  I marked the second movement up into arbitrary rehearsal sections, played it through completely one time, and then rehearsed the first section.

A theme I've noted while reading various articles on how to practice is the assertion that recording and listening to oneself is crucial to improvement.  I have yet to do that since I've started this project.  I will endeavor to record myself tomorrow.  If I can figure out how, I'll post a clip on my next blog post.  Yes, dear reader, you will finally get to hear what a flutist who has played only occasionally over the past 10 years, and who has taken a two year hiatus, sounds like.  What a treat for everyone!

My Swiss Idol, and a Reminder of My Musical Weakness

I have a new flute idol.  I've known about him for a long time, but now that I have Spotify, I can listen to a lot more of his music.  My new idol is Emmanuel Pahud, and I suggest you listen to everything he's ever recorded.  His recording of the JSB Partita in A Minor is splendid.  The phrasing is perfect, every note he plays is beautiful, and it all sounds easy.  It's everything music making should be.

My practice session today was not the ethereal experience of listening to a Pahud recording, but it was productive.  My musical breakfast consisted of long tones by Moyse, harmonics by Wye, and scales by T and G.  The long tones were in tune, more or less, and I did much better on the harmonics today than I did yesterday.  I can get the notes to sound without splitting about 80% of the time now, but I admit the high G gives me fits.  I can make it sound without splitting only if I concentrate really hard on relaxing my embochure.  Concentrating on relaxing seems oxymoronic on the surface, but I think one can only relax with focused concentration.  As always, I practiced T and G EJ 1,2 and 4.  After reading an excellent article on practicing after a hiatus by Canadian flutist Jennifer Cluff, I decided to concentrate on keeping my fingers very relaxed and close to the keys.  This was phenomenally helpful in playing evenly and it felt great.  I played the second page of EJ 1 and 2, articulation #2, 2 octaves, 63 beats per minute.  For EJ 4, I played Gb major through C# minor, articulation #2, 63 beats per minute.  It's progress.  Slow.  Steady.  Progress.  I love it.

For my étude, I played the sixth piece in Cavally's Melodious and Progressive Studies.  It reminds me of my biggest musical weakness -- rhythm.  I'm not saying that I can't count; I can.  But Carol Wincenc told me in a masterclass that I "meander around the rhythm", and my teacher at the time, Frank Fuge, agreed with her.  And after listening to some old recordings of myself, including my playing the Mozart D Major Concerto with my university's orchestra, I get it.  This little etude is rhythmically trickier than the previous five because of the syncopation.  I got through it, but I plan to work on it for a day or two more.

I added orchestral excerpts to my practice today.  I bought a(nother) copy of Baxtresser's Orchestral Excerpts for Flute the other day from Flute World, so I thought I'd put it to some use.  I practiced Stravinsky's Petrouchka, focusing on the flute cadenza at the Poco piu mosso, trying to play the little notes with a clear, vibrant sound.  I also spent some time on the third excerpt from this piece in Baxtresser's book.  I'm not ready for any auditions, but it was fun to play through these excerpts and imagine playing in an orchestra again.

I ended my session with the JSB Partita in A minor.  I have the first movement from the beginning to the repeat under my fingers fairly well.  The Pahud recording of this piece helps me a lot in phrasing and deciding where to breathe.  I've already scheduled a performance of this piece.  The Adult Music Student Forum has a recital at a member's home on June 3rd.  I can play up to 10 minutes of whatever I want.  I'll decide later which movements I want to play.

I'm still in love with the Miyazawa with the Hammig headjoint.  Ms. Trimber has quoted me a price for the combination, with a C# trill and split E, for $5900.  The flute needs to be made, so it would take about 4 weeks to get it.  I would pay half down and the rest when I receive the flute.  Keith is not so on board with spending this kind of money, but I must have this instrument.  I'll keep working on it.  It's a bit above my price range, but I can make it happen.  I'm a rich doctor, right?  (Not.)

I am on call tomorrow.  Yes, I've been on call a lot lately.  I'm also on the following Wednesday evening.  This is because I have a blessed two week vacation beginning March 19th.  I plan to get a lot of good practicing in tomorrow if things are not crazy.

It's cooking while drinking wine time, so I must bid my dear reader adieu.  I'll have a glass in your honor.

Is Extreme Lack of Sleep Beneficial for Music Study?

Since my last post, I have tried three more flutes.  I received two Yamaha flutes from Flute World yesterday, a 574 and 684 model.  Both are fine instruments.  The 574 model has a silver handcut headjoint, plated tube, offset G, split E, C# trill and B foot.  It sounds great on paper, but I found the mechanism to be a little stiff, and the sound in the low register was lacking.  It certainly wasn't comparable to the Muramatsu EX from Mr. and Mrs. Grossi.  The 684 has both a silver headjoint and tube, inline G, C# trill, and B foot.  I'm sure the split E can be added, and I'm sure it's available with offset G.  The mechanism is definitely better than that of the 574, and the sound is also an improvement.  The sound wasn't as refined as the Muramatsu, though.

I actually practiced on these flutes while on call yesterday evening.  It was an uncomfortable practice session for a couple of reasons.  First off, it was horribly hot and humid in my office.  The day was unseasonably warm, and, naturally, the heat was on in the building.  Secondly, even though I waited until 7 pm, there were a few people milling about, including housekeeping staff and one of my colleagues.  I shut the door and did my best, but I was still feeling shy playing long tones up to a high C.  I think the somewhat unpleasant environment was actually good for me, though.  An old surgery attending from my med school days said we learn best when we're a little uncomfortable.  He was referring to putting students on the spot by asking questions to which they probably didn't know the answer, but it's the same idea.  My practice included the usual stuff -- long tones (Moyse style); T and G scale studies 1,2 and 4; Cavally's Melodious ... Third Etude and the Bach Partita.  I made progress on everything, but I wasn't happy with the etude, so I decided to work on it again the following session.

Call was shaping up to be pleasant until about 9 pm when everyone decided to go into labor.  And while no one delivered during my call, my pager kept me up most of the night.  Such is life for an ob-gyn.  I don't work post-call.  I tried doing that for awhile, but it's a miserable proposition, not to mention unsafe.  My plan was to get a nap at home for a few hours and then do something productive with my day.  Insomnia reared its ugly head, blowing my plan to smithereens.  Instead, I straightened up the condo, read some flute related material, adjusted my practice schedule, and goofed off.  None of these activities made me sleepy, unfortunately.  

I had an appointment today with Ms. Trimber to try out more flutes.  It turns out that she really only had one in mind - a Miyazawa (not sure the model).  We matched it up with the Hammig headjoint I'd been using with her Trevor James.  The Miyazawa has a silver handcut headjoing, plated tube, offset G and a B foot.  It is heavy-walled.  The split E and C# trill are available.  Dear reader, the flute sounds great.  It has a better sound than the Muramatsu and the mechanism is comparable, if not better.  We have a winner.  The price of the Miyazawa with just the body and foot, with the specifications I want, is $4620.  The Hammig headjoint is $2000.  This is over my price limit of $5000.  Ms. Trimber said she'd call Hammig and see if they'll budge.  If they do, then she may be able to take a bit of a decrease in profit so that the flute is in my price range.  She hasn't contacted me yet, and the suspense is killing me.  After my visit with Ms. Trimber, who, by the way, is a doll (she gave me a music stand because mine broke), I drove to the Grossi's and gave them their Muramatsu back.  The were very gracious about it.  Ms. Grossi made the statement that if you love a Miyazawa, you won't like a Muramatsu.  I liked the Muramatsu just fine, but I can get more features with the Miyazawa a lot cheaper.  

Dear reader, despite having had very little sleep, I practiced today.  After the obligatory long tones, I started with Trevor Wye Practice Book 1 and fooled around with the harmonic studies at the beginning.   They were very helpful in waking up the part of embochure that at one time allowed it to be flexible.  Then, of course T and G with progress made!  I have started number 4 again, this time with the second articulation (each four note group slured) at 63 beats per minute.  Hey, it's progress.  The Etude that vexed me in yesterday's practice was less vexing today.  My biggest problem was playing the notes wiht a nice, clear staccatto.  Playing legato at first helped.  I just came up with the mindset that if I can get a good sound playing legato, then I can get a good stoccatto.  I got through it my satisfaction, and I can move on to the next exercise.  The Bach practice went well.  I am proficient at playing the first movement up to the repeats.  

There's more to say, but I am falling asleep as I type.  Take care!!!!  Hopefully I'll settle on a flute soon and can focus this little blog on my musical progress.

A Healthy Conversation Leads to Self-Realization

I practiced yesterday and didn't blog.  I didn't practice today, so, naturally, I'm blogging.  Funny how that works.

Keith and I had a nice heart-to-heart about where I'm going with this flute project.  He told me he's sensed I'm not happy in my career, which is true.  I create a pattern of which I'm quite aware that when I become serious about playing the flute again, I begin to see my career as this miserable interruption that won't allow me to play the flute.  This happened when I enrolled in grad school for music performance for a short time, and it's one of the reasons why I quit.  Leaving medicine isn't something I'd seriously consider.  First of all, there are parts of my job that I enjoy quite a bit, and, of course, the money is far more than I would ever get as a musician.  And the work is steady, always available with no end in site.  One can't say that for music jobs.  Keith did say, though, that if I were willing to undergo a big lifestyle change, he'd support me if I decided to change careers.  This evolved into a long discussion that led to this conclusion - I don't want to make any drastic changes.  I want to stay with my job for the forseeable future, and I want to go through with the move to the condo in Shaw.  I want to continue this little project and get myself out there, perform, play in a community group, take lessons, network.  If I get some chops to the point where someone might hire me for something, then that's just icing on the cake.

I sent in payment to the Adult Music Student Forum for membership.  I think I may have mentioned this organization in a previous post, but for those who don't remember, it is an organization for amateur adult music students to find performance opportunities.  I want to continue working on the Bach Partita in A Minor and perform it during one of the Forum's recitals.  I think it would be a great way to get my feet wet.  The NIH has a community orchestra that I'm considering joining, but one thing at a time.

Yesterday's practice session was fruitful, I must say.  I played long tones in my own bastardized take on De La Sanorite.  I really do need a bona fide tuner, as I still don't trust this iPhone app.  I'm noticing clearer attacks and more evenness in sound already.  I practice long tones without vibrato currently, but I suspect I will add some vibrato studies in the near future.  For technical warm-up, I played T&G EJ 1 and 2, second pages of each exercise, both octaves, slurred, 60 beats per minute.  I know, dreadfully slow, but I am working for evenness in sound throughout register and perfectly even rhythm.  The speed will come.  I then worked through part of EJ 4, from Gb major through C# minor, all slurred, 60 beats per minute.  Careful, dear reader, do not judge.  My goals are lofty but they have to start somewhere.

And next was a bit of etude practice.  Cavally's Melodious and Progressive Studies, the third etude.  Technically simple, there are some wonderful style points that I astutely noticed.  The balance between the soft dynamics and the sforzando that occur seemingly out of no where can be played crassly if one doesn't consider that sf marking written during a soft section is not meant (usually) to be the "cymbal crash" that would work well in a different style piece.  I think of it a warming of the sound, more of a color change than a change in dynamic, putting an extra spin on the vibrato of the accented note.  Also, one could learn a lot about phrasing with this exercise, moving the line forward while not sounding tedious.  Finally, it's a good exercise in maintaining quality of sound throughout the registers.  All in all, I learned got a lot out of playing this study, as simple as it is.

Finally, I ended with the first section of the first movement of the Bach Partita.  I am still digging the method of dividing the piece into arbitrary sections and focusing on one, or two sections at a time.  I can't wait to get a handle on this Bach (pun intended) so I can perform it.  It shouldn't take too long.

I get two Yamaha flutes sent to me from Flute World tommorrow.  I'll keep you updated on how they do.

I must title this Untitled Project.  Any ideas out there?

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men ...

Any of you who follow me on Twitter know that I had grand plans to take a walk on the National Mall today.  The day has been gorgeous, if not a bit cold.  It didn't happen, though.  Instead, Keith and I went the container store and had a light Thai dinner afterward.  While we didn't get any exercise at the Mall, we did get some great ideas for organizing our new closets!

My practice menu today started with long tones in the style of Moyse De La Sanorite.  Following that, I hit the T and G pretty hard by working with EJ 1 and 2, second page of each exercise, two octaves, 60 beats per minute.  I finished my warm up with EJ 4, Eb major through Bb minor, 60 beats per minute.  I made it easy on myself and played it all slurred.  My plan is to stick with these three exercises for awhile, working my way through each of them and slowly increasing the metronome speed toward 120 beats per minute.  I'll add in other articulation patterns (I can't slur everything all the time, right?) as I progress.

I deftly worked my way through the second etude in the Cavally Melodious and Progressive studies.  I know it's easy, but I have to say I take a bit of pride in being able to learn it and play it with only a few mistakes in one short practice session.  Using some practice advice I learned from another flute blogger, I divided the etude into arbitrary sections, and I rehearsed the sections starting with the last one, rather than starting from the beginning of the piece.  I think this method tricked my brain somehow, because I learned the piece very efficiently.

I ended my practice with the JSB Partita in A Minor.  I had also divided the first movement into arbitrary sections during my practice session yesterday.  I decided to focus on just the first section.  I love this method of learning new works.  It makes practicing seem, well, easy.

There is a group in DC called The Adult Music Student Forum.  Based on what I saw on the group's website, it looks like a great way for amateur adult musicians to get some performing experience.  I'm considering joining soon and hope to perform the JSB Partita in the near future.

I gave Ms. Trimber the news today that I like the Muramatsu from Alberto Grossi better than her Hammig/TJ flute.  I told her why (the mechanism on the Muramatsu feels so much better), but I also told her that the Muramatsu has a silver plated tube and it doesn't have a C# trill key.  She says she has other flutes I can try, so we'll see how that goes.  I have all the time in the world to find the best flute for me in my price range.

I know it's not a big deal that I didn't go to the Mall today, but I'm still reminded of the quote "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry".  When pursuing a lofty goal, like mastering the flute, we have to strike a fine balance in planning too much and not planning enough.  I don't know where that balance lies, but I'm not going to give up finding it, now matter what goes awry.

What Starts with Brisket and Ends with Pie?

Ah, a full weekend off work.  Beautiful.  Restful.  An opportunity to do some good fluting.

I slept until after 9:00 this morning, and the only reason I didn't sleep later is because of Keith and his inability to leave me alone when he's wide awake.  How does it work with us?  He is a morning person, while I am a night owl.  He is an extrovert while I am an introvert.  It does work, though.  Anyway, we walked to a great barbecue place for lunch (Rocklands in Glover Park), and when we came back, I had a package waiting for me from Flute World.  I had ordered a flute swab, pad cleaner, cleaning rod, a folding music stand and JSB's Partita in A Minor (Leduc).  Wouldn't you know the music stand broke almost immediately after I opened it?  The bracket that supports the stand when the proper height is selected snapped clean off.  Bother.  

I practiced exclusively on the Muramatsu today.  I started with long tones, and I noticed that I am able to get a clear sound more consistently throughout the registers than I could a week ago.  My intonation has also improved markedly.  I worked with T and G Numbers 1, 2 and 4, all slurred, and only a part of each exercise.  I set the metronome at quarter note=60, and I was able to play evenly about 70% of the time.  Again, a marked improvement.  For the first time since I started writing this blog, I practiced an etude today.  Cavally's Melodious and Progressive Studies is a bit "freshman in music school", I admit, but it's a good start for rusty ol' me.  I was able to learn the first piece well enough for my purposes in less than 30 minutes, so I figure a good goal would be to get through one of these exercises nearly every day.  Following that, I practiced for a good hour on the JSB Partita in A minor.  I LOVE this piece, and, while I've heard it played millions of times, I've never actually learned it.  I know, it's a huge deficit in my repertoire, but one I am correcting.  It's deceptively simple, and much of Baroque music is.  I love that I have the maturity, if not the technical ability, to realize that.  

After my practice session, I noticed the key directly to the left of the F key on the Muramatsu is sticking. I will bring that to the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Grossi, but it is definitely a negative in my opinion.  I may need to keep looking.  Ms. Trimber is collecting her flute tomorrow, and I think I'll ask her to help me continue my quest for the perfect less than $5,000 flute.  

A highlight of my evening was an email I received from Alexis Del Palazzo, AKA The Sensible Flutist (sensibleflutist.blogspot.com).  I love her blog, and, after emailing her, she gave me some good tips on how to make my little project more popular in the online flute community.  Based on her suggestions, I joined Twitter, to which I've been somewhat resistant in the past, but now that I've joined, I'm becoming obsessed.  

A close second in my small list of life passions is cooking, and tonight I cooked like crazy.  I made cheese straws, sauerkraut and brats, and Dutch apple pie.  While I did not use homemade puff pastry for the cheese straws, I did make the apple pie from scratch.  It was a pretty good meal, and I am feeling the sluggishness of too much food and wine as I type.  One can't always show restraint, though, whether it be cooking or doctoring or fluting.  Sometimes you just have to indulge, ya know?  Cliché as it may be for me to write, life is short.  I think I'll try to prevent life from being too short, though, and stick to chicken breasts and vegetables for dinner for at least the next few days :)  Bon appetit, everyone, and may you take the time to indulge every once in awhile.

Goodbye, Muramatsu. Hello, Muramatsu.

Because Thursdays consist of grand rounds, resident teaching and a very abbreviated clinic, I had time to journey back to Arlington and meet Lauren and Alberto Grossi of Alberto Grossi Woodwinds.  They are dealers in all things Muramatsu.  I almost cancelled the appointment, as I had just mailed the Maramatsu EX back to Flute World, figuring that if I've tried one of them, I've tried them all.  I'm glad I didn't.  These flutes feel and sound great.  The explanation given by Mr. Grossi for the huge difference in quality was a change in the headjoints.  In keeping with my less than $5000 price range, I took home the EX model, which is the exact same model as the Flute World Muramatsu, just newer.  The price tag is $4300.

I was able to do some side-by-side comparison fluting with Mr. and Mrs. Grossi's Muramatsu and Ms. Trimber's Hammig/TJ combo:

Maramatsu

Handcut solid silver headjoint

Silver plated tube and keys

Split E mechanism

No C# trill key

Mechanism soft, not clicky, feels good

Sound big, clear

Intonation consistent across register

Hammig/TJ

Handcut solid silver headjoint

Solid silver tube with plated keys

Split E mechanism

C# trill key

Mechanism tighter/clicky

Sound bigger, clearer, but not by much

Intonation less consistent

Hammig headjoint also has 24 kt gold riser

I'm still not certain, but I think the Muramatsu may end up victorious in this little match up.  Flute World is sending a couple of Yamahas out this way as soon as they receive their flute back.  The competition continues, and I'm rich in flutes in the meantime.

Aside from trying to determine the flute victor, my practicing today consisted of (what else) long tones, scales and JSB.  It's amazing how quickly endurance builds and sound improves, much the same as with exercise.  I wonder, though, how long I can keep up the practicing enthusiasm.  I don't feel it waning at all, but I can't really practice here, not the way I want.  I'm considering searching the hospital campus for a suitable practice room until we move.

And now back to some must-see TV.  We DVRd Top Chef and watched the finale.  Keith and I were on opposite sides of the fence with whom we wanted to win.  I won't spoil it here for the random person who might actually reads this little blog AND be behind in their Top Chef knowledge.  But my chef won.  And now Thirty Rock and Parks and Rec await.  I'm coming Tina and Amy.  

Improvements, Poco a Poco.

Remember yesterday when I denounced my iPhone app tuner?

Well, try to forget what I said.  Today the tuner was nicer to me, so I'm more inclined to believe that it is accurate.  That's logical, right?

I noticed a curious phenomenon while practicing this evening.  The flute makes a funny, unpleasant buzzing sound when playing fortissimo.  Perhaps it would be better to state that I cause the flute to make an unpleasant buzzing sound when playing fortissimo.  At this point of chop rebuilding, it is quite difficult for me to know what is my fault and what I can blame on the flute itself.  If someone out there is reading and has an idea how to make such a determination, I'm all ears, er, eyes.  

On my menu today were long tones, T and G Number 4 and Bach C Major Sonata (second movement).  I then listened to one of my several Bach Flute Sonata recordings (Petri Alanko).  I was both awed and saddened.  Such ease of playing!  While I sound like I'm struggling, Mr. Alanko sounds almost flippant.  It's probably not realistic for me to strive for such perfection, but I would love to be able to play with that kind of fluidity (or be in the same solar system).  

I had a new patient today who is a music teacher, and a flutist, no less.  We bonded as I told her about my renewed interest.  I hope I didn't make her visit too much about me, but I couldn't help myself.  She seemed to enjoy the conversation, as well.  

Tomorrow I try some more flutes.  Keith, being the practical anchor in our relationship, has reminded me again and again that I can't buy a flute until after we move.  It is, of course, prudent to wait.  He even offered to read the definition of prudent to me.  I just think we can afford it and I should have it.  That's a good argument against prudence in my opinion.  Anyway, Ms. Trimber has given me permission to hang on to the TJ/Hammig until Sunday.  I'll continue to work my magic with Keith until then.  He says he reads my blog.  This is a good test :)  

Bach and Birthin' Babies

I rocked some JSB today.  Well, not really, but an attempt was made.  I'm trying out some more flutes this Thursday, and I figured it would be good to have a piece or two under my fingers so I can do some good comparison fluting.  I decided that the second movement of the Bach C Major Sonata would be a good test of mid- and low-register sound, and, since it's a jaunty little tune, response.

The music store I'll be heading to is Alberto Grossi Woodwinds in Arlington.  I'd love to bring the Hammig/Trevor James combo to the store and use it as the standard to which I judge the other instruments. The trial period on TJ ends that day, though, and Ms. Trimber is picking up the flute at my office before I leave for Arlington.  Perhaps she'll let me keep it a bit longer.  I am, after all, a serious customer.

Keith mentioned to me after reading my prior blog post that perhaps (and why this didn't occur to me, I have no clue) the iPhone tuner is not terribly accurate.  I tested it with my electric piano, which is in tune.  The verdict -- the tuner is way off.  I suppose I'll eventually need to invest in a real tuner, but getting the flute seems like the more logical first step.

As for work, I witnessed new life being brought into the world again today.  This is why I don't hate my job.  It's always lovely when a delivery goes well, the new parents are beaming and the baby is pink, loud and healthy.  Having a kid isn't at the forefront of my mind, but that kind of moment brings me pause.  I'm nigh 40.  Should I raise one of my own?  Nah.  My dog is enough for me. And speaking of --

Another Day At The Office

I can't really practice in my current shithole condo.  Okay, shithole is an exaggeration.  For DC standards, the place ain't that bad.  It's two bedrooms, one bath with off-street parking for $2300/month.  It would be a great place for one person, or for a couple that has never lived in a place where $2300/month will get you a mansion (e.g. Louisville).  At any rate, practicing is -- uncomfortable.  The walls are thin and I know that my neighbors can hear me.  I, personally, wouldn't want to hear a 7th grader practicing his/her flute, so why should I subject my neighbors to the annoying sound?  Oh, to be more self-centered.

But practice I have (a little bit).  The tuner is chafing my craw.  It's telling me I'm not in tune, which is highly insulting.  I play the most gorgeous sound I can muster with my out-of-shape chops, look at the tuner, and it says I'm 30 cents sharp or flat, depending on the note.  Well, excuse me for living.  What to do?  As far as pedagogy (or auto-pedagogy?) is concerned, is it better for me to check myself constantly with the tuner, or should I just use it a bit at a time and do the best I can in between?  I worry about forming bad habits, but demanding perfection this early in the game is frustrating, to put it simply.  I will ask a teacher as soon as I start taking lessons, which likely won't be until April.  

On my current housing situation -- it's changing for the better next month.  Keith and I have a contract on the lower unit of a two unit condo in Shaw.  It's a Victorian row home built in 1900.  The interior has been completely renovated.  The home has four levels, and we'll have the bottom two.  I figure I can play to my heart's content in the lowest level and I shouldn't bother my neighbors.  I hope not, anyway.  

My day at work lacked unpleasantness, which is a positive thing.  (The absence of negative in my line of work is, by default, positive).  An attempt was made to drag me into some office drama regarding a patient and one of my colleagues, but I deflected it, more or less.  

Here's a picture of the flute I'm testing, as promised.  

Oscar Night!

I like movies, but I love, love the Oscars.  Not to be a stereotype, but I'm the person who drags himself to work the next morning all bleary-eyed because he stayed up too late watching the post-show interviews.  My partner, Keith and I, have filled out ballots.  That said, neither of us has even seen The Artist.

As stated in yesterday's post, I drove out to Arlington to try some flutes.  The business, The Flutist's Faire, is at the owner's home.  Betsy Winslow Trimber is lovely, and she was prepared with many flutes and headjoints within my price range.  I tried a Dean Yang, a Burkhardt, and a Haynes, among others.  The flute I decided to take home and try out is a Trevor James Virtuoso with a Hammig headjoint.  The headjoint has a 24 K gold riser and is more expensive than the flute itself.  The sound is big, especially in the low register, and the riser gives it this bright, spinny quality that I adore.  The tube is silver and the mechanism is silver plated.  It has a C# trill key and a split E mechanism.  The price - $4070.

I had plans to tell you, dear reader, about my horrible sense of direction and my cursing out my car's navigation lady.  The story was going to be funny and masterfully recounted.  Alas, time is ticking and I must get to my awards show.  I'll post a picture of the flute tomorrow.  Until then, Go Meryl!

Making the Best of My Unfortunate Incarceration

I'm an ob/gyn at a university hospital, which means when I'm on call, I am in the hospital.  My current sentence is for 24 hours duration and ends at 08:00 tomorrow morning.  As you, dear reader, might imagine, this does afford the opportunity for some catch-up work, and, in my case, some fluting.  As my pager is a long dog chain, I have holed myself up in my office and have been, ahem, "playing" a Muramatsu flute I have out on trial from Flute World. 

Now, dear reader, I have a confession to make.  I may have misled you.  While my intro post on this little blog accurately states that I graduated music school 15 years ago, I have played since then.  I graduated residency in 2007 and was in an ob/gyn practice for nearly 4 years in Louisville, KY.  I bought a flute after finishing residency, took lessons and even enrolled in grad school part-time.  I played a decent little recital at the end of one semester.  The work was exhausting, though, and, I, being the all-or-none person that I am, stopped school and stopped playing.  So, please don't think I haven't played in 15 years.  I have.  It is fair to state, though, that I haven't played in 2 years.  Guilt be gone!

Now for the flute.  It is a used Muramatsu EXBOE.  I'm not really sure what that means, but that's what the tag on the case says it is.  It has a sterling silver headjoint, silver plated body and foot, open holes, off-set G, B foot and a split-E mechanism.  The question, of course, is how does it play.  Well, I have no foggy idea, because 97% of the sounds I produce are unfocused, unsteady and out of tune.  As a formerly decent flutist, I know that even the best musicians can tell if they've skipped one day of practicing.  I have skipped many, many days, so I can hardly blame the flute for the middle school band student sounds that come out of it.  I can say that it doesn't seem to have any leaks, but the pads make an annoying sticky sound.  If I concentrate really hard and blow just the right way, I can get a fairly pretty sound out of it in the low and middle registers.  The high register sounds thin to me.  Is that my fault?  Probably.  The mechanism feels pretty good.  All-in-all, I think I would be happy with this flute for the next year.  The price tag for this little gem -- $3,400. 

Dear reader, please don't think I have neglected my duties while working today.  I am nothing if not dutiful.  I have rounded, performed a minor surgery, attended a delivery, caught up on office notes and have signed delinquent hospital charts.  At this point on any other Saturday on call, I would be watching TV or surfing the Internet.  Instead, I played long tones.  Long tones, out of tune, with poor tone quality.  I know how I want to sound, but my facial muscles and respiratory system are woefully uncoordinated and uncooperative with one another, which, funny enough, isn't good for tone production. To help solve the many problems I am having with my sound, I bought a tuner app for my iPhone.  It's called TonalEnergy Tuner, and it has more than met my tuning needs today.  It has many features I can see using in the future, but the interesting feature I particularly enjoyed today was the setting that allowed me to tune at an intermediate level.  At the intermediate level, I get a green happy face if I'm within 5 cents of the pitch (A=440).  There was no beginner level, but I would have chosen it if I could have.  I think intermediate level tuning is good for now.  Not too easy, not too difficult.  And the green happy face is oddly rewarding.

After some long tones, I felt some scales were in order.  That's what you do when you're warming up, right?  Play scales?  Anyway, I was able to remember Exercise Number 4 (I think) from Taffenel and Gaubert 17 Daily Studies, or whatever the hell it's called, and played through the keys of C major and A minor.  I was sorely missing a metronome, but, with an iPhone, there's no excuse not to have one.  (Do you think Apple might give me a little money?)  I downloaded an app called Tempo, which, again, has met my metronome needs.  It turns out, when one takes two years off from playing the flute, one's rhythm is uneven and one's technique is, shall we say, rusty.  I was able to play fairly even scales with quarter note = 72 beats per minute.  It's a start. 

Now for some literature.  I worked on the introduction and the first few bars of the allegro section of the Faure Fantasie.  I've played it before, but it is the piece required for the taped preliminary audition for the adult amateur competition I want to enter next winter.  On a positive, er, note, I have an occasional nice moment, hitting a decent spin here and getting a good taper there.  But, mostly, in the words of Paula Abdul, I'm not ready for this competition.  I do like a challenge, though, so I'm going to keep at it. 

As I'm typing, I'm looking around my office.  I have no art on the walls, unless you count my med school diploma and my certificate from the ob/gyn board (ABOG).  Oh, and don't forget my cork board.  It's actually pretty nice.  Nicer than most cork boards I've seen.  I really need to spruce this room up.  I've held this position for around 8 months now, and I've done very little to make my office look nice.  I will rectify that one of these days. 

So, that's my first day of practice.  Not bad, I guess.  Hopefully I'll get better.  Only time will tell.  I have an appointment in Arlington tomorrow afternoon to try out some more flutes.  I'm excited the way a kid getting a new bike is excited.  I'm also the kid who broke his arm riding his first bike without training wheels.  Let's hope there are no flute-related injuries tomorrow.