Jim walter..jimmy walter. What's the difference? Maybe it's a nickname or something. He's kinda old,..but he's INCREDIBLE. You know him..the one who plays in all the recent movies. I forgot what else he said about himself. Anyway the UIC had a tour and he was there as a guest artist. Yup..he's really inspiring.

Actually, turns out I have heard his music. I have a CD called just "The Flute" which contains two of his performances: "Fascinating Rhythm" and "Blue Rondo a la Turk".

I've got to agree - he's quite good, isn't he?

Not that it matters or anything, but the name on the CD track is "Jim Walker".

I was also thinking of how to get those files to you. I thought I'd try sending you my email address (don't want to post it publicly) using some "private message" function on this forum. Couldn't though - your profile is hidden. If you want, you can email me yours from my profile area and I can get them to you that way. If I recall, they're about 2 megs or so each (with 7 at 80 bpm - quarter notes and 7 at 120 bpm).

One other possibility is to post it in the files section on the flute forum for Yahoo or something like that. Who knows, someone else may be interested as well.

Mike.

I know isn't jim walter amazing! He does all kinds of jumps..and so many runs. And his BEAUTIFUL tone that's so strong in the low resgister. I bet all professionals are like that, but i never seen a professional flute person perform SO GOOD. WOW..it was incredible! I wish i took lessons from him..lol I'm glad that I play flute and i didn't give up. (it could be fustrating^^). And mike, i just emailed you so you could my yahoo email address. yup

Jim WALKER

oh,..walker. probably that's it. Sry forgot..i thought it was walter. HHMMM...uhh Why doesn't that sound "walker" ring a bell. Walter makes sense to me. OK, never mind.

i've been playing flute A LOT..nonstop. OMG, i'm so tired. So much things are going on right now. Hey does your fingers ever hurt? Especially, my right hand pinky. I think something is wrong with that. When ever i bend that finger..it locks, so it kinda hard to straghted again. I dunno, but it HURTS. I have a EXTREMELY small pinky. BUT does that happen to you? Maybe it's because i've been playing a lot lately...and because of that PINKY my techinque stinks.^^

you could email me and I could give you some technique exercises that will help that, your fingers should never hurt when you play

Patrick,
Would you mind emailing me too or just posting it on here? I have trouble with carpal tunnel and my pinky especially hurts me. Thanks!

I second that Patrick. I think you should start a thread and post the techniques. It would be helpful to many of us.

OOOH YAY! My right pinky hurts still,..i think i've been playing a lot. I'm excited. Maybe you should post it since other ppl want to see it too. Or I'll email you if you want.

Yup, posting sounds like a great idea.

I got a little bit of "pinky lock" last Sunday after a really wailin' solo. It's quite rare, and usually takes 5-6 hours of playing and some blazing speed before it happens, but it's quite disconcerting.

Probably related to my retraining to keep that Eb key down properly... Which, by the way, was well worth it (as was fixing my F# fingering).

Thanks,

Mike.

OK I will soon, what is with all the injured little RH fingers?

All my fingers hurt in general even when I am not playing the flute. I was told by my doctor that if I don't slow down that I am going to have to get surgery. Yuck!

Interesting comments guys

If I may add,
As far as holding out notes, one must remember that an important factor is in how much air is going out through the lips. So if this lip opening is smaller, the length of time between breaths can increase significantly. To practice this, one should do high notes and low notes quietly with control. I'm reluctant to say use the Moyse De La Sonorite book because of it's reputation, especially if it's not used properly. One can also practice slow tunes quietly to improve breath control. Also do exercise by starting notes with the lips closed using a poo sound without the tongue. It is important not to overdo this but work for control of sound and resonance.

AndrewB mentions holding the breath. I've done this and never got light headed. I've also practiced for duration of notes. A1 is a good choice because it can be played softly. breathe in and out a few times to increase the O2 in the system and then take a full inhalation of air. Play A1. Watch the clock for time. Usually after a few times the length of the note can increase. I've gone up to about a minute here but it's not easy. It takes a big lung capacity and good embouchure control.

I actually do play with my ribs expanded somewhat, I've seen it recommended so that there is more resonance in the sound. I also feel that the shoulders should be elevated slightly because if the shoulders rest on top of the rib cage, it is an increased force of gravity from the weight of the arms pushing the air out that is not necessary.

jose_luis makes a good point about swimming. A relatively famous American flutist named Samuel Baron was a big advocate of swimming for a few reasons. I think it's a great cardivascular workout and as a result of increased need for oxygen and because of the water pressure surrounding the torso, the muscles for inhalation are exercised.

Grunts are glottal sounds caused by a tight throat that happen when doing certain interval jumps. Find the places where they happen and practice these intervals making it a point to relax the throat.

That being all said, I generally don't make it a point of working on my breath. I can't swim regularly since I don't have access to a pool but I do workout on an exercise bicycle. Sometimes I workout with my outh shut so that I have to inhale through my nose. I believe that this works the breathing muscles so that when I do need to inhale while playing it takes less time to get more air in.

I do not practice with a tuner regularly. If one plays with a tuner in front of them, they learn to make the little stick stand up straight pretty good but they don't need to learn to listen.

I think that Galway's suggestion of practicing octaves and Perfect fifths is good for starters. In F major, Play low F1 then C2 back to low F1. Play F1 , C2, F2, C2, F1. Etc. Listen to tone and tuning. Focus on tuning. These intervals are strong on the ear. It is good for two flutes or a flute and a keyboard to play these notes together and apart. One holds low F1 and the other goes up and down the range playing Fs and Cs. Then try the F major scale. THen other scales with their corresponding Root and Fifth scale degrees.

Finally, the flutist out in USC who plays on movie soundtracks such as that Titanic movie is Jim Walker (WALKER . and he is very good in studio, classical and Jazz playing.

http://www.jimwalkerflute.com/

~Bilbo

Hey bilbo, thanks a lot! so, on my new flute it has a BIGGER hole on the head joint, so i have to make my embrochre bigger. Maybe that's why i keep on losing air. Maybe if my embrochure is bigger i could still try to make my apperture smaller..? Hmmmm. possible? i'll try. And i tried AndrewB advice where you hold your breath as long as possible. i passed out @__@! And bilbo you didnt? WOW, that's pretty neat. And all the ppl who gave advices i tried to do it. Pushing from my abdominal..it really helps.

I just keep on forgetting what i need to do. i think there's so much things to remember every time you play. WEll, for me. I'm doing a sport in my school right now, so i hope this helps. Just started..yea. Gotta go you guys, ...by brother is begging to go on the computer. alright..why not let him^^.