Exercise from Cantata BWV 8

The exercise draws inspiration from a flowing and joyful bass aria of this Bach Cantata. While it's challenging—with intricate rhythmic patterns, wide leaps, and chromatic sequences—it can also offer a rewarding and enjoyable practice experience.  Start at a comfortable tempo, take your time to explore the expressive nuances and tackle the technical challenges, and let it wake up those fingers (while always checking your intonation!)
traverso_practice_net_31.pdf
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and more to come...

Exercise from 'The Rite of Spring'

For once, and very unorthodoxically, this warm up is taken from a mesmerizing early 20th century melody by Igor Stravinsky.
It works so well for polishing tone quality, intonation, and phrasing; it even gives me a thoughtful and inspired start with the instrument itself…and it does sound so good!
The articulation is the orginal one, but you can explore different ways.
traverso_practice_net_29.pdf
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Exercise from 'The Indian Queen'

This exercise, inspired by Purcell's aria, may be generally great for practicing articulation, particularly to experiment with different types of note attacks and endings. The wide leaps may be also very useful for controlling air emission, balancing sound,and adjusting intonation. Start at a moderate tempo, focusing initially on playing groups of  just  two notes at a time  - a 16th note followed by the dotted 8th - and then gradually increasing the speed as you gain control.
traverso_practice_net_30.pdf
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Exercise from Aria 'Flammende Rose'

This exercise was inspired by the final Aria of Handel's Nine German Arias.
​It is based on the solo instrument's opening and is all a game of intricate rhythms and lively jumps, serving as a useful tool to practice releasing finger tension in tricky passages and maintaining balance in phrasing and intonation across registers.
Start at a comfortable pace to properly work out the issues and then simply let it go to appreciate its brilliance.

traverso_practice_net_27.pdf
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Exercise from Minuetto

This exercise was inspired by Blochwitz's Minuetto in e minor, included in Quantz's and Braun's collections.
I find it very useful to equalize the registers and check intonation when warming-up.
It may be beneficial to try different articulations of the arpeggios, in addition to the original one that is proposed here.
It can also be played at a very slow tempo and used as a vocalise.
traverso_practice_net_28.pdf
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Exercise from Vivace BWV 114

The Vivace from J.S. Bach's Cantata BWV 114, which inspired this exercise, conveys Christians' assurance in always being able to rest in "Jesus' fatherly hands". This exercise challenges your finger dexterity and multidimensional articulation, while you make sure to maintain accurate intonation and tone balance through the daring jumps. 
Remember to start slow enough to get everything in order, especially in the most challenging keys, before moving to a faster tempo.
traverso_practice_net_25.pdf
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Pattern from Solo Sonata H562

A great exercise from C.P.E. Bach's solo Sonata, to improve your register balance, while paying close attention to intonation in chromatic passages, and work on challenging leaps, broken chords and arpeggios.
You can explore it from various angles, for instance experimenting with different tempos, even very slow, to capture all the possible nuances and emphasize the benefits.
traverso_practice_net_26.pdf
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Exercise from Chorus BWV 248

In the first joyful chorus of Bach's Christmas Oratorio BWV 248, there's an oasis of peacefulness, with flutes providing the most expressive color to enhance the overall celestial atmosphere. To capture the original mood, you can play this piece at a moderate speed and with a soft, yet full staccato. Alternatively, use it as a vocalise, playing slower with a smoother, legato feel to refine emission, intonation, and register balance.
traverso_practice_net_23.pdf
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Largo from Flute Concerto n.1

Jacques-Christophe Naudot was a very active flutist in the Masonic circles in Paris during the first half of 18th century, and his concertos reveal his mastery of the Italian concerto style and advanced flute technique.
This dreamy and expressive Largo (published in 1735) is great way to practice tone balance through extended arpeggios, and explore phrasing with different articulation nuances.
traverso_practice_net_24.pdf
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Exercise from Nouvelle Methode

The inspiration comes from an articulation exercise in Mahaut's Nouvelle Methode of 1759.
​I find this exercise extremely useful for a combined warm-up of fingers, tongue, breathing and intonation, considering its relentless jumps in a flowing phrasing of triplets.
​Play at a speed that keeps you confident and in control.


traverso_practice_net_21.pdf
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Exercise from Piecès de Clavecin

This playful piece comes from the first double of Rameau's Les Niais de Sologne.
With its intriate leaps, this piece offers a fantastic exercise for warming up fingers, coordinating tongue articulation, and refining intonation, all in one go.
Again, start with a manageable tempo, and as you become more confident, you'll discover the sheer joy of gradually increasing the speed.
traverso_practice_net_22.pdf
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Ode to St.Cecilia

‘The soft complaining flute
In dying notes discovers
The woes of hopeless lovers…’

With your choice of articulation, dynamics and tempo, you should try to obtain a soft phrasing that conveys the essential feeling of the text of this air, possibly exploring the nuances through the different keys.

traverso_practice_net_19.pdf
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Aria from Christmas Oratorio

This exercise was inspired by the bass Aria from the first part of Bach's Christmas Oratorio "Great Lord, O strong king", which consists of a dialogue between the singer on one side, and the trumpet and the orchestra on the other side. It is designed to enhance proficiency in wide arpeggios, explore diverse intervals, experiment with various tempos and articulations, …and to have fun.
traverso_practice_net_20.pdf
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Vivaldi's cello sonata

I recently tried playing this refreshing Allegro for cello to warm-up, to tackle its sequence of extreme intervals, and it's like a workout for your tone quality and intonation skills.
Here I kept the original articulation marks for cello, but you can get creative and add your own variations to work on your tonguing technique.
traverso_practice_net_17.pdf
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Prelude BWV 543

​I was literally mesmerized by this exquisite prelude by JS Bach, such an intimate and evocative piece.
When rendered on the baroque flute, this composition becomes a demanding exercise, beckoning us to navigate its chromatic passages and daring leaps, all while placing your tone and intonation to the ultimate test. 
traverso_practice_net_18.pdf
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Another pattern from Solfeggi

This is a quick exercise, again taken from Quantz Solfeggi, which I often use in my warm-ups.
It combines quite a few key elements that may be useful to practice, such as intervals, arpeggios and scales, all in different keys.
You can also try to experiment all sorts of articulation types.
traverso_practice_net_15.pdf
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'Italian' Preludes

These series of very short preludes from Michel Corrette's method (1738), titled "Leçons de Violon pour apprender a joüer dans le goût Italien", presented here again in different keys to appreciate the nuances of traverso, is a fun way to get his view of the Italian taste, and try out your ornamentation skills.
traverso_practice_net_16.pdf
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Intervals from Triosonata

I recently had the opportunity to study this beautiful piece, composed by Quantz for recorder, traverso and continuo (in C major, QV 2:Anh.3).
I find it particularly suitable, as evocative as it is, to study intervals with varied phrasing and articulation, and it's real fun, and challenging, when you push the speed to a limit.
tpn13.pdf
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Recitative from Johannes Passion

While playing this recitative, try to maintain a flexible, speech-like sense of tempo, allowing the music to breathe naturally, focus on conveying the emotions and narrative through the music, understand the nuances of the words and phrases, and let them guide your interpretation. Also feel free to add variations in dynamics, articulation and ornaments to emphasize the meaning and emotion of the text.
A quick note: I have inserted double slash signs as an indication of further suspensions of the phrases.
tpn14.pdf
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Patterns from la Florentine

Michel Pignolet (de Monteclair) was a busy French composer, teacher, and music theorist, and played the basse de violon in the Paris Opera at the turn of the 18th century.
This delicate and gay piece of his is part of a collection of flute Concertos that was meant to cover both the French and the Italian styles.
I find it very useful to ignite and practice my finger agility with this, on a number of typical phrases and intervals.
tpn11.pdf
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Arpeggios from the WTC

​I was inspired for this exercise on arpeggios by Prelude n.3 of JS Bach's Well Tempered Clavier.
Depending on the tempo I use, I discover different benefits. If played very slow it's a good vocalise for register balance and intonation, and then, with increasing speed, it becomes a great warm-up to try different articulations, and finally quite a workout for finger agility.
tpn12.pdf
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Pepusch Prelude

At the very beginning of the 1700's, the publisher John Walsh collected a series of preludes for violin, that basically represented the state of the instrument at that time, and included a couple of pieces by Pepusch
This prelude of his sounds great on the baroque flute too, and may be useful for practicing different intervals and typical patterns of the period, and improve finger agility, while trying out different possible articulations.
tpn09.pdf
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Warm-up from Matthaeus Passion

As JS Bach's work around Easter is so extensive, and mystical, I couldn't help to include in my daily practice the meditative and peaceful recitative 'You, dear saviour'  from Matthäus Passion.
I find it extremely useful,
first of all for general relaxation of the body/ instrument arrangement, then to work on intonation and register balance, particularly when played in different keys, and practice a 3-1 articulation.
tpn10.pdf
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Prelude on sixths

This prelude is adapted from Michel Corrette's 'Method for easily learning to play on the Transverse Flute' (1740). As simple as it looks, it can help to equalize the registers using intervals of sixths. 
It should be played as legato as possible, strictly following the dynamics indications, but to start with, one can slightly articulate between one note and the other.​
tpn07.pdf
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Fredrick 39

Around mid-18th century, Fredrick the Great collected, with the help of Mr Quantz, a significant set of exercises that was much later published as the "Flötenbuch Friedrichs des Großen" or "100 daily exercises for the flute". 
I use this exercise as a multipurpose warmup, with various articulations, to practice jumps and arpeggios, in different keys, as was Fredrick's custom.​
tpn08.pdf
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Chromatics for flexibility

This exercise includes some peculiar chromatics phrases, that I use during warmup to balance tone quality, intonation and fingerings. They can be practiced very slow and then with increasing speed, and slurred or with different types of articulation.
In any case, it is advisable to play this with a slight accent on the first note of each 6-note group, not to lose the rythmic sense.
tpn05.pdf
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Vocalise from Johannes Passion

I find vocalises extremely helpful during warm up for tone balance, intonation, and finger adjustment, and I was looking for something that would be musically pleasant and still representative of baroque style.
I finally settled on this extract of the beautiful "Ruht wohl" choir from JS Bach's Johannes Passion, which I suitably, and humbly, adapted to be played in different keys. This can be played from extremely slow up to about 80 bpm.
tpn06.pdf
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Devienne's intervals

Although published in late 18th century, Devienne's method is a great source of technical exercises for the one-keyed flute
Here is an interesting exercise, originally presented for practicing rests, that has been adapted to also be very helpful when studying intervals for a good tone and register balance, still making use of an elegant melody. It can be played at different tempos, from very slow to fast, and with different articulations.
tpn03.pdf
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Quantz's pattern

Quantz's Solfeggi are a huge source of exercises on a number of real baroque music practice elements and challenges. Playing intervals is one of them. Why not play them in different keys, to explore their technical and intonation peculiarities.

Here is a good example that I use for my daily warm-up.


tpn04.pdf
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Thema Regium

Thema Regium of JS Bach’s Musical Offering is such an inspiring and charming masterpiece, and a great way to start the practice day. 
I find it’s a great warm-up to settle the tone and check intonation.
I also transposed the theme in various keys to appreciate the various nuances in them.

tpn01.pdf
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Intervals from Telemann

Besides being an all time masterpiece, Telemann's flute Fantasias are a direct source of typical baroque music passages on the flute, that can be practiced in various keys to improve both technique and intonation, while experimenting different articulations.
Here you can find an exercise for intervals that comes straight from the Fantasias.
tpn02_.pdf
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