Recently, I've been exploring in my practice the concept of cyclical or self-perpetuating lines, namely musical lines that resolve to themselves. Here is one exercise that illustrates this idea: • Chromatic Minor 7th's Cyclical Turnaround(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_WL6IOq4mhoUfTau7wOIsaw4A6pG5TzW/view?usp=sharing) This type of practice is more technically oriented and less what I would call "jazz practice". Simply playing the exercise will not teach you much about jazz, but it does incorporate jazz language, so I decided to include this here rather than under "technique". If you do wish to get more out of it than just technique (which is not bad by itself) I recommended learning the exercise in all keys by ear/memory. Here I wrote down the line in all 12 keys, but personally I prefer getting the line under my fingers in one key and then transposing it to all other keys in my head. However, it took me a while to be able to do this, so it's perfectly fine if you play this off the page. The "self-perpetuating" part in this exercise is marked by a repeat sign. The real challenge is to play it as many times as you can without messing up. You can start slowly and gradually speed up, but what I look for here is consistency more than speed. If you can play the line over and over again with confidence then you own it. Once you can do that in one key, proceed to the next and so fourth.

This is a short lick I came up with for a minor II-V-I progression. It is based on two arpeggiated maj7#11 (or maj7b5) chords a minor third apart:

Under this title I include more elaborated studies of idiomatic musical phrases, patterns and excerpts. The idea in these studies is to integrate systematic technical work with a sense of style and musical phrasing. For now, these studies include the following: • The Keys on the Flute (Are Glad and Sad)(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-mceN0iHII3JYun7-wxqwqPmxYh_884R/view?usp=drive_link) • Minuetto by J.D. Braun in four keys(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gBbLwopXu9pvQ7-hrQpjiQltSt7OL3xi/view?usp=drive_link) • Exercise based on Tolou in 12 keys(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1di_fjkHCZzLLP55B-O7ZFthZmUoLYJKo/view?usp=drive_link) • Endless Exercise by Tolou in 5 keys(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yXjcq9BXvc6Kg5XG90TwErpKMlDbYXD_/view?usp=drive_link)

These are very basic exercises for practicing minor pentatonic scales. You can use them as warm-up exercises, played in a very relaxed and carefree mood. Follow the link below to download the exercises: • Simple Pentatonic Warm-Up Exercises(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vS5wWx7EZmpwokMzUjW16X5F301KVS25/view?usp=sharing)

This set of exercises aims to develop basic mastery of the chromatic scale on the flute. To download these exercises, follow the link below: • Chromatic Scale Basic Practice(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EH8yWvBrFP8ejO-rCCY0BlbCuDOOxJgY/view) By basic mastery, I mean here the ability to play ascending and descending half step throughout the entire range of the flute (low C to 4th octave C). For some, this may seem like a very advanced skill, but actually on the flute playing chromatic passages is relatively easy. Among the many difficulties that the flute presents, playing the chromatic scale is not one of them. These exercises are designed to gradually improve your ability to play the chromatic scale fluently, in longer and faster passages. The key here (as in any practice, for this matter) is to take your time, and not approach the exercises as a racing contest. To a great extent, these exercises look similar to the famous De la Sonorité exercises by Marcel Moyse (commonly known as "long tones"), but with a different emphasis. The Moyse exercises focus on evenness and homogeneity of tone. In these exercises you typically play a pair of half steps slowly, and sustain the second note. Here your focus should be on being confident about the notes you are about to play, and how to play them. For this purpose, in my exercises I suggest that you sustain the first note, and take this time to concentrate on the following note (or notes) you are about to play. Always work with your imagination. While you sustain the first note, imagine the following note as vividly as you can, and when it rings so loud in your mind's ear that you feel you simply must play, than go on and play it. If you think about, this ability to pre-hear music in your head in real time is the essence of making music. The path to mastery begins here, and once you enter this state of mind in your practice, these repetitive technical exercises become a universe of musical exploration. With that in mind, it is important not to get too meticulous in your practice. Remember that perfection is the enemy of good. Don't get stuck on these pairs of half steps forever. When you feel you can play them with relative confidence and ease, move on to the next exercise, and then to the one after it and so forth. Eventually you will be able to play this: Be flexible in your practice. On the one hand, listen to yourself very critically, and observe any uncertinties and "glitches" in your playing. On the other hand, take risks and move on. It is up to you to find the right balance between the two.

"100 First Duets for Flute" is a collection of flute duets in progressive order of difficulty, aimed mostly for beginner students. For now, the duets can be accessed from the google spreadsheet linked below: 100 First Duets for Flute(https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQxuiU7HGBaDfD9t2HPAjn7UoqyteRkh_0LhRShMmaqtTgIYuXBaXmvIXrCCKJT-DrWElC6B12pvDd3/pubhtml) This is an ongoing project. As you can see, currently the collection has far less than 100 duets. I don't know if I will ever reach the 100th duet (I hope I will), but I set this number as a goal for myself to stay motivated and keep expanding the collection. A few words about this project: Briefly, the purpose of this project is to provide a comprehensive and systematic workbook for flute teachers and students, which is based entirely on duets, starting from the level of absolute beginners. If you can play just the three notes of the left hand on the flute (G-A-B), there are duets for you to play here. For these very early stages of playing, I wrote and arranged a few duets myself, with a more advanced part for the teachers, so the end result would be more musical and fun to play. In these duets the flute parts are labelled "Student" and "Teacher", indicating that only the lead part is suitable for a beginner student. After a while, the duets are suitable for two beginner students at roughly the same level, allowing for them to work in pairs. From this stage on, the parts are labelled "Flute 1" and "Flute 2", indicating that they are at a similar degree of difficulty. As the student becomes more proficient, more music from the flute repertoire becomes available for him or her to play. There is a vast literature of public domain music for flute available online, and in it a lot of duets originally written for flute by many master flute players and composers throughout history. There is also a lot of public domain music that can be easily adapted for playing in two flutes. However, for most students and many teachers as well, this music is not very readable and easily accessible. As the book progresses, I undertook the task of collecting such music and editing it in modern, digital notation to make it more accessible. Hopefully, I will find the time to continuously expand this collection of flute duets. Who knows, maybe one day I will even complete one hundred duets... It is important for me to note, that the duets are all public domain and free for all to use and enjoy. As such, I have no idea how many people actually download and use them. By leaving a comment here, or contacting me personally,(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/contact) you can let me know whether this project has been useful for you, and share your thought about it. If you also wish to make a small donation to help me continue this work, I would very much appreciate this.

This post outlines the structure and content of this flute forum: General Topics(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/flute-forum/general-topics) • Welcome (https://www.udi-flute.co.il/flute-forum/general-topics/welcome)- a short overview of the forum • Flute Zone Map (https://www.udi-flute.co.il/flute-forum/general-topics/flute-zone-map)(this post) - a detailed structure of the forum • Introduce Yourself (https://www.udi-flute.co.il/flute-forum/general-topics/introduce-yourself-1)- a place for site member to get to know one another Tone(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/flute-forum/_tone) • Simple Pentatonic Warm-Up Exercises(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/flute-forum/_tone/simple-pentatonic-warm-ups) • Sonorities -(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/flute-forum/_tone/sonorities) Tone and mind expanding warm-up exercises Technique(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/flute-forum/technique) • Chromatic Scale Basic Practice(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/flute-forum/technique/chromatic-scale-basic-practice) • Passages -(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/flute-forum/technique/passages) Studies of idiomatic musical phrases Repertoire(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/flute-forum/repertoire) • 100 First Duets(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/flute-forum/repertoire/100-first-duets) • King Crimson Transcriptions(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/en/flute-forum/repertoire/king-crimson-flute-transcriptions) Jazz and Improvisation(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/en/flute-forum/jazz-and-improvisation) • Self-Perpetuating Exercises(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/en/flute-forum/jazz-and-improvisation/self-perpetuating-exercises) • The "Swinging On A Star" Lick(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/en/flute-forum/jazz-and-improvisation/the-swinging-on-a-star-lick) • Maj7#11 Arpeggio Lick(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/en/flute-forum/jazz-and-improvisation/maj7-11-arpeggio-lick) • Freedom Jazz Dance(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/en/flute-forum/jazz-and-improvisation/freedom-jazz-dance)

This is a small set of exercises I hope to expand over time. For now, it includes the following exercises: • À la Reichert(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i6fzZQ54TFjABVQdSaU1arTz3-fKrRDX/view?usp=sharing) • After Reichert(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R5yeG1BNGKJfk7LYZCVuJ8sO04CyEfTy/view?usp=share_link) • Back and Fourths(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lMdgO5THAzqfObTqxwEsIh9X0-KEVm-p/view?usp=sharing) • Diminishing Returns(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FjmzomfX4kfWC7a5PCLhl1pN_tb8SCu8/view?usp=share_link) These exercises (as some of the titles indicate) draw on works such as Reichert's daily exercises and Philippe Bernold's vocalises, sometimes stretching out to more contemporary tonal ideas. The basic concept, though, remains the same. These exercises should always be played with a very open and wide tone, corresponding to an open, carefree mind and wide and flexible body. Leave your worries about all the minute nuances of your tone for later stages of your practice session. Try not to be too much "in control". In these exercises it is okay, and perhaps even recommended that your tone remains slightly uncontrolled and "untamed", focusing on a healthy, but unforced airstream. Mostly, engage your imagination and concentrate on the tonal experience. Listen carefully how each melody modulates from one key to another, and pay attention to the feelings and associations that this evokes within you.

Hello to all flutists and music lovers out there. As a flute player and teacher, I am consonantly occupied with ideas about practicing and achieving mastery of this mysterious instrument. I use this space to organize various musical resources that I collect or develop myself, first of all in order to be more organized by myself, and hopefully for others to make use of as well. This "Flute Zone" is in the form of an online forum, which allows other people to become site members, ask questions and contribute their own comments and insights on forum posts. I would be very glad of you do so. Although I build this forum with flute players in mind, much of its content can be applied and adapted to other instruments. Along with more technical and instrumental practice material, you can find here also more general musical resources for practicing jazz and improvisation over harmonic progressions and more. Where to start? Visit the "Flute Zone Map" for an organized table of contents of this forum. Please note: This forum is constantly under construction. Every now and then I will change things and add new material. By registering as site members, you can receive notification on new posts and stay updated. Above all, all the content here is absolutely free for you to explore and use. הערה עבור קוראי האתר בעברית: בשל מגבלות טכניות, פורום החליל באתר כתוב בשפה האנגלית בלבד. במידה שיש לכם שאלות, בקשות או הערות לגבי התכנים המופיעים כאן, ניתן לפרסם תגובות גם בעברית או לפנות אלי ישירות דרך דף יצירת הקשר.(https://www.udi-flute.co.il/contact)

If you like this forum, help make it a community. First register as site member, and then intorduce yourself in the comments below.