I was talking with @Sheri Hudgins tonight about shaping the inside of our mouths like opera singers to get a clear tone on the high notes and I was remembering the concept of "throat tuning" - ie, shaping your vocal chords like they would be to sing the same note as you're playing on the flute. Then in Improv Games tonight we explored a bit of singing & playing at the same time... So I explained and demonstrated a little bit about throat tuning. Watch this playlist for Robert Dick's explanation; try it, and let us know did it work? PS - You can watch my replay with Robert about Tone Development Through Extended Techniques here

1 - Those who "can’t" improvise (*won’t) 2 - Those who "don’t know how" (but can) 3 - Improvisers.

Have you tried all 30 of them yet? Which is your favorite of the 30 listed here?

Many of the backing tracks you can find in the backing tracks folder are from the app BackTrackIt. I purchased a license so you could use them to improvise from your computer, but the app is really cool! Highly recommend it for visualizing chord changes. It lets you transpose the key and change the speed of any track and even can show you the chords on the piano. Have you tried it yet? Let's start a list of apps for practicing improvisation. Which ones do you like?

I sent my silver Pearl flute off to Luke Penella for an overdue COA, so you'll see me playing my purple flute for a couple weeks. I was reflecting on the purple flute story today and realized that I've shared this story on Facebook, but not yet here. 🌠🌠🌠 Someone asked me, "Can you actually play that Purple Flute??" Funny Story... I had a 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤y one day in 2020... Tragically, during a rehearsal with the COSMIC BUTTERFLIES band, my flute fell... Off a table!!! Can you imagine how clumsy and disappointed I felt at that moment?? Do you agree that a Flute is simultaneously POWERFUL and FRAGILE - Like us? The flute that fell was my Pearl flute - the flute that went with me to the All State Band - and UNT- the flute that my parents bought for me, before my Dad died… And, at the time, the ONLY flute I had!! I rushed it to the nearest “Emergency Room” for instruments! Little did I know… That music shop was about to close its doors for COVID, and a few months later, Forever… The well-spoken-for repairman my flute went to was about to come down with long COVID, and his wife too… What started as a couple of weeks of expected waiting time turned into months… and months... Of no call backs. Of no text backs. Of no signs of activity. What would you do??? The day after, hoping all would be well in a few weeks, I gambled $100 on a flute from AMAZON. I needed a flute PRONTO! The show must go on! Right? Here’s a question: If you could buy a flute of ANY color, what would you buy? Seeing that for only $100 I had several color options… I chose purple: because it’s Royal! And high vibrations, Right? I found out when it arrived YES, IT PLAYS!!! I was so impressed that right out of the box all of the notes played!! The lower register even had a kind of edge & “pop” that’s different from my Pearl! Honestly, I was just glad to have a flute in my hands – It reminded me of the Yamaha 300 flute I learned on… I remembered the way it felt vibrating in my hands. I felt grateful: for all the progress I’ve made since then!