I have frequented this book in the past because it gets to the right hand very quickly as well as getting to some of those ledger line notes that usually send students my way. It is laid out in the format of a band book with numbered songs which also have titles like “Oh, How Lovely is the Evening” or “The C Major Scale”.
The intro parts of this book include one page of basic music foundations like whole notes and bar lines, as well as one page of a few black and white photos of someone holding and blowing the headjoint, whole flute, and how the hands are positioned. One may want to read the words associated with the pictures as they may not refer to your individual embouchure style. Most new concepts are laid out in gray boxes against the black and white page. These boxes include new notes, vocab words like dynamics and scales, and some tips on assisting the embouchure to make notes in different ranges (like pucker for the high notes – you can decide if you wish to agree with the book or not. I know you have excellent judgment). This book also takes care to use arrows to show beats and off beats in time with the foot even suggesting one tap one’s foot in time with the beat. Around the middle of the book, arpeggios and the bugle call “Reveille” is introduced on C1. It is suggested to transpose this into other keys. A lot of songs in this book are at least known to the American ear, even if not exactly what it is or who wrote it. Other pieces include mini etudes and scales, starting full octave. In the very back of the book is a fingering chart.
Highlights
· Order of notes: B1, A1, G1, C2, F1, Bb1, E1, E2, F2, G2, A2, D2, B2, C3, Bb2, F#1/2, Eb2, Eb1, Ab1/2, D1, C#2, C#3, D3, C1, C#1, Eb3, E3, F3
· Range of Notes: C1-F3
· Rhythm: whole notes/rests, half notes/rests, quarter notes/rests, dotted half notes, dotted quart-eighths, triplets, sixteenth notes, dotted eight-sixteenth
· Other: Repeats, One-Measure repeat, 1st and 2nd endings, Fermata, Incomplete measures, Staccato/tenuto, Dynamics – cresc./decresc., Accents
· Brief introduction where you may need to make judgment calls.
· Barely any first sound exercises, jumps right into make notes and reading music quickly.
· Black and white photos and pages, with gray boxes showing new things on page.
· Songs should be known in some capacity by American students.
· Scales start in full octaves adding on as able.
· Moves to right hand and ledger notes quickly.
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