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practice resources

Here you can find practice material that I have developed or edited to support my own daily practice.

This includes original material, pre-existing exercises or etudes that have been adapted, if needed, to the baroque flute, or excerpts of authentic baroque pieces, usually transposed to several other keys.

Thema Regium

Thema Regium of 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.

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tpn01.pdf
File Size: 170 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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.
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tpn02_.pdf
File Size: 76 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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.
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tpn03.pdf
File Size: 187 kb
File Type: 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.


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tpn04.pdf
File Size: 258 kb
File Type: 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.
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tpn05.pdf
File Size: 731 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Vocalise from 'Ruht wohl'

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 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.

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tpn06.pdf
File Size: 804 kb
File Type: 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.​
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tpn07.pdf
File Size: 172 kb
File Type: 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.​
Picture
tpn08.pdf
File Size: 282 kb
File Type: 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.
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tpn09.pdf
File Size: 216 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

more to come...


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