Flute Focus: July 2007
Jul 12th, 2007 by Shardul
Flute Focus is an international flute magazine produced quarterly in New Zealand.
The main feature of this edition, in Alexa Still’s words, “covers about everything you ever wanted to know about flute choirs but were to afraid to ask!” You will also find an interesting article on understanding the intricate carvings on New Zealand Maori flutes; Part 2 of a Body Mapping series that looks at the care of hands; information about the upcoming Sydney Flute Festival in late September; a highlight from Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum flute collection: Richard Carte’s 1851 System (Boehm) flute; a Masterclass Snapshot report and more.
Regular features include Alexa Still’s How To Play page that offers instruction on different tunes; Heavenly Flute Players from back in the day; Piccolo Notes; Jazz with Jim; Teachers Notes; Students Corner and much more…
For flute players of the wooden variety (of flutes that is – ie: fluters), Brendyn Montgomery flies the flag with his regular column, Irish Flute. This edition deals with the topic of Glottal Stopping – ‘Coughing up the Rhythm’ as Brendyn puts it.
From his introduction:
One of the primary differences between the Irish flute style and other styles is the use of glottal stops. While rules are made to be broken, most players of note in the tradition that are considered to be upholding the ‘traditional’ Irish flute style use glottal stops to articulate notes.
Leading exponents of this style of playing who are worth listening to include Harry Bradley, Conal O’Grada, Desi Wilkinson, Gary Hastings, Patsy Duigan, Catherine McEvoy and John McKenna.
Brendyn also touches upon the subject of tonguing – a articulation technique that is not used much in Irish flute playing.
Tonguing as a method of articulation is, in general, too sharp for Irish music. The ‘t’ sound carries over other sounds and can often be heard more clearly than the tune itself, creating a stuttering effect. Players in the tradition who do tongue use “duh” or other similar sylables that are softer and made by aiming more for the roof of the mouth rather than the front.
Brendyn Montgomery is a New Zealand born traditional Irish musician who plays and teaches the wooden flute, tin whistle and fiddle. Based in Nelson, Brendyn travels extensively performing, recording and teaching traditional Irish music.
Also featured is a two page review of this years Boxwood New Zealand – an annual event held in Rotorua. Boxwood has established a worldwide presence celebrating and sharing the music and traditions of the flute featuring week-long festivals in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and New Zealand. The director of the event, Chris Norman, is well known in traditional and classical music circles as a dynamic exponent of the simple system wooden flute. Rod Cameron, a flute maker from California, compiled the review.
Boxwood 2007 was held at Springcreek Homestead in Rotorua, a lovely venue of several acres by the lakeshore, augmented by a lovely adjacent property. This was a smaller event than usual, with about thirty participants, plus a daily influx of local children for lessons on flute, fiddle, recorder and guitar…
…Now let’s turn to the central activity of this year’s New Zealand Boxwood – the celebration of flute and fiddle. The student may go home with a few new tunes, but that is not the most important result of one short week at camp. For me it is the underlying results that are important. The idea is to have the ground move under you, and to go home with a shift of context in the way you hold your music making.
Well, there you have it folks – plenty for everyone. If you would like to subscribe to or obtain back issues of Flute Focus, visit the website: Flute Focus. Be informed and support a home-grown international publication that is going from strength to strength.
... a web site dedicated to the simple system wooden flutes (aka 'Irish' flutes) that are so much a part of Irish traditional and Celtic music, and to the excellent wooden flutes produced by the Irish flute maker 
