In two previous articles published in The Babel Flute and Flute Almanac understanding expressive shaping and legato has been presented via an understanding of how movement in space changes the sounds that we hear in our environment. In this article new expressive expressive exercises are introduced.
Review
Creating Approaching, Receding, and Holding Motions
Each motion has a unique set of beginning, middle, and ending characteristics.
Approaching motions begin with“less” energy and end with “more” energy.
Receding motions begin with “more” and end with “less” energy.
Holding motions maintain a constant energy level. They are shaped by the absence of sound-changes.
Approaching and Receding Changes Sound(s)
Volume levels, partial content, aural clarity, the rate of vibrato, and the pulse can all increase with approaching motions. Oppositely, volume, partial content, aural clarity, the rate of vibrato and pulse can all decrease with receding motions.
The Techniques of Sound Change
Changes in dynamics are caused by changing the volume of exhaled air.
Changing the partial content of a tone is caused by changing the air speed/air pressure. This is accomplished by changing the size of the lip aperture and/or by changing the air volume.
Vibrato is caused by oscillating changes in air volume.
The Changing Elements of Sound as a Whole
The energetic changes that take place when creating Approaching and Receding shapes all reinforce the impression that spatial changes are taking place. The following Shaping Studies are presented so that players can work not only on shaping the trajectory of an air wave, but also on how the presentation of the air wave might be varied.
Shaping and Holds
Holding can occur at any point before, after, between, and/or during a motion. Holding can be signified by a non-changing sound, a non-changing sound pattern, or by “silence” (if there are no changes in the sounds that precede and follow that silence).
Shaping Motion During Silence
In contrast to holding, motion can also take place during an interval of silence! This occurs when the sound that ends the silence is different from the sound that began it. (This can be likened to watching a moving object whose view is temporarily blocked that reappears in a position that is different from its’ previous one.)
If a silence is too long or if it is followed by content that is dramatically different to what preceded it, then it will not “carry” a motion through that “space” and will, instead, be perceived as part of an ending gesture.
Shaping Arches
These phrases can be shaped with a silent hold (by maintaining the examples dynamic levels of the notes entering and ending the silence) or they can be shaped with a silent motion (by ending the silence with a dynamic level that is different from the dynamic level of the last sounding note).
Shaping Detours
Larger sequential motions can include temporary deviations (detours) in their overall direction. The following example forms a large approaching motion even though the second statement of the repeated unit is lower in pitch than its’ first and last statements.
Larger sequential motions can also be comprised of smaller units whose motions contradict them. Here each individual unit represents an approaching direction while the combination of the three units forms a overall receding motion.
Reviewing the two preceding examples you can 1. reverse their larger motions, 2. reorder their repeated units, and 3. re-combine and reorder any number of the individual units included in both examples to create larger shapes.
The following excerpt includes a number of “detours”.
Shaping Shifts
Here the placement of the arch peaks and/or valleys has been varied while the note-rows have not. This is akin to changing the word emphasis when repeating a sentence such as, “Where were you last night?” or “Where were you last night?” or “Where were you last night?” or “Where were you last night?” or “Where were you last night?”
Shaping Opposites
In this case upward moving notes are shaped to create a receding motion.
Here small downward shapes are added to the same receding motion that was in the previous example.
Shaping Contrasts
Shaping with sudden contrasts and opposite motions.
Tim Lane
Paper Route Press
Tim Lane is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he taught from 1989 – 2020. Prior to that he was a faculty member at Eastern Illinois University, the Interlochen Arts Camp, and the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Department. He has been a member of the Orquestra Sinfonica de Veracruz, Mexico, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, and the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra. He currently serves as the principal flute player with the Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra and operates “Paper Route Press” which specializes in unique and innovative flute-related publications. Mr. Lane attended high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy and earned his Bachelor of Music from Cleveland Institute of Music. He later earned his Masters and Doctoral Degrees from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As a college-age student he studied the flute with Maurice Sharp, Harold Bennett, Alexander Murray, and Claude Monteux.
