La Prononciation

La Prononciation by Philippe Bernold

Exercises for Mastering the Art of Articulation for Eloquent and Expressive Flute Playing

Book + online audio access piano accompaniment

Contents:

Introduction

I. Improve your single tonguing: Practice scales (Major scales in simple meter; Minor scales in simple meter; Major Scales in compound meter)

II. French détaché

III. Fifty shades of pronunciation!

IV. And now some sport!

V. Off to a good start!

VI. Tonguing in orchestral repertoire

Notes going a little further…….. (Why practice articulation on scales? ; Slurs vs. articulations; The energy of tonguing;        Strength of the tongue and dynamics; Maximum speed of the single tonguing; The French détaché and musical styles; Different syllables for different tonguing; Special articulations; Awareness in breathing when playing scales; Articulations throughout music history; Some articulations and their meaning; Adding articulations to 18th C. music; Détaché – an historical perspective)

As music is a language, the pronunciation of sounds gives all its meaning to musical discourse. Just as actors pay attention to the clarity of their diction, flute-players will deal with every aspect of articulation as they progress through this book and play much more expressively.

Included are scale routines, suitable for flutists at every level, that are designed to develop the quality of different types of articulation and to improve the speed of all types of tonguing (a piano accompaniment audio file is provided to make scale practice a true musical moment). Flutists will also find exercises,  based on essential repertoire to improve French “détaché” or the start of notes, a compilation of orchestral excerpts, and several articles on fundamental issues such as the connection between tonguing and breathing, articulation regarding musical styles and its importance on the history of music, or the art of phrasing and tonguing in early music.

Philippe Bernold’s newest addition to his successful series of pedagogical works (Embouchure Technique & The Wind, the Sound) deals with one of the central subjects of the French flute school, which he propagates in his class at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris.