The Flute Player's Book

Includes CD

Subtitled 'Everything You Wanted To Know About Playing The Flute', this is Australia's answer to the Gilbert Legacy. The distinguished performer and teacher Vernon Hill has produced his own philosophy of playing methods and backed it all up with a CD, referred to throughout the text. Everything is covered here from the 'basic ingredients for flute playing', through rhythm and phrasing to advanced tone and vibrato and how to cope with stage fright. Contents include an exercise with paper to aid articulation, a 'medical explanation' of how to breathe and the Vernon Hill Check List to help practice. All the exercises on the CD are clearly explained and well-performed, and some of the material is thought provoking. For example there is a delay diagram to explain why you need to use a stronger sound when articulating short notes. This is all held together by the mantra 'each performance must have absolute rhythmic security and total musical conviction'. This is a very interesting work and deserves attention even if everything within its covers is not exactly to our taste.