1 comments about Guide To Teaching Woodwinds.

1. I was able to use this for my woodwind studies, and at a fraction of the cost!

5 comments about The Native American Flute: Understanding the Gift.

1. Title: The Native American Flute: Understanding the Gift
   
   Author: John Vames
   
   Native American flute music has become an important aspect of the New Age and World music genres. What was once used by young warriors to sound out, quite literally, potential mates, is now used to produce haunting musical albums. In the past, many of the flute "how-to" manuals were written by musicians with little or no formal European music training. This manual closes that gap as the author, a highly experienced music educator, explains the instrument in both Native American terms and notation systems, as well as Western music theory analysis. It does a great job of explaining an almost mystical primitive musical instrument and system in a way that all cultures will understand. The accompanying audio CD is an absolutely necessary teaching aid which aptly demonstrates each lesson line upon line, precept upon precept. We rated this manual and CD a high four hearts.
   
   Bob Spear
   Publisher & Chief Reviewer
   HEARTLAND REVIEWS
   Leavenworth Kansas



2. The reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is that it is not spiral bound, which would make it much easier to use. Otherwise, it's an excellent learning aid, especially the CD that comes with it. The songs included are easy enough for a beginner, but the CD demonstrates what can be done with the same song when you get to be a better player. Plus, you can hear what they're supposed to sound like, instead of just reading the music. The music is in Nakai tab, so it's quite easy to learn and use. Highly recommended!



3. John Vames describes everything in great detail.
   the CD that comes with the book lets you know what all the exercises should sound like. it's a very good Starter Book.



4. We highly recommend this book for the beginner. This is the best beginning Native American flute book to get you started. It is easy to follow and has you playing quickly, so you do not become discouraged. Then you can graduate up to R. Carlos Naki's The Art of the Native American Flute.



5. Had prompt arrival of the book. It was in excellent condition. I bought it as a gift for someone else and she loved it.

5 comments about Mel Bay The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle.

1. The first few chapters, in which Larsen covers the basics of Irish traditional music, are required reading for anyone wanting to participate in this musical culture, especially if not born into it. The rest of the book is a must have for fluters and whistlers, and will also prove extremely helpful to Uilleann pipers. There hasn't been as thorough an examination of how Irish music works, from any perspective. He introduces a new, clear way of notating tunes that will become the standard. As technical and scholarly as the content is, Larsen is never dry or academic. The two CDs are an added bonus.



2. ...it probably isn't the book to start out with. That's not to say it doesn't have alot to teach because it does. There are lots of exercises and runs and they are on the 2 cds as well. I think you may want to have played a few months before getting this book. There's another book put out just after this one that seems the better one to start with. That is the Tin Whistle Toolbox book. This book here though, the Essential Guide..., has over 30 songs at the end, also on one of the cds, and these are great to learn and play. Some are played on the Irish Flute, which is an octave lower than the tin whistle and not easy to play. What is a little easier is the low whistle which is essentially an Irish flute with a whistle attachment so it's not hard to produce a tone but it is more difficult to play than the regular whistle. It's kind of funny because some of the tunes as I mentioned are played in this octave lower form and so are some of the exercises, and just at random. This is ok though if you have a hankering to play the Irish Flute or Low Whistle because you can get a feel for how they'll sound on these. Since they are an octave lower they are also easily relatable to the regular whistle. There are a couple of good chapters in the book on the Irish Flute specifically related to technique. There's hardly a mention of the Low Whistle so if you're thinking of getting into that check out another book just on the Low Whistle. There is one I see on Amazon if you type in Low Whistle. It also has a cd. Getting back to the Tinwhistle Toolbox book. It's supposed to have more exercises suited for beginners and although it has parts of tunes, for an extra $15.00 you can buy a third book with all 18 tunes complete that are only excerpted in the Toolbox book. Yikes! There's a Teach Yourself Pennywhistle set with a book cd and video if you search in VHS on the Amazon site that's really good if you're just starting out and the Tinwhistle Tunebook by L.E. McCullough has 4 cds and over 100 tunes that are great for learning and for experienced players as well. This is a better bang for your buck than The Essential Guide. That said The Essential Guide is quite a book and if they lower the price or you get it thru a second party seller for less you may well want to get it.



3. They are both very good books but not really aimed at a complete beginner. These are more for someone who is trying to build a better foundation to their basic playing. Especially if you are trying to undestand ornamentation. These books have very good clear explanations and plenty of exercises to practise them.
   
   If you buy the Essential Guide then you do not really need to buy the Essential Toolbox as most of it is contained in the Essential Guide.



4. This is one of the finest books of musical instruction for any instrument that I have ever read. Grey starts the book with the assumption that the reader knows next to nothing about the Irish style flute and its traditions. Layer by layer he inculcates you into the playing style and the musical heritage of Irish pipers and flutists. He has developed a logical, comprehensive notation system showing the learner how to accurately reproduce the rapid fluttering ornamentations used by Irish pipers/flutists/pennywhistlers. Virtually every aspect of making music with a wooden flute (or pennywhistle) is covered, including ergonomic hand and body positioning, musical breathing, fingering exercises, but mostly how to get THE SOUND of that gorgeous instrument, the Irish-style flute. Grey is a keen observer and analyst who apparently compiled notes for years in order to write this book. This is a labor of love from a great teacher and performer. It will be the foundation of instruction for Irish style flutists for many, many years to come.



5. Irish flute and whistle style is sometimes difficult to explain, even face to face with an instrument in-hand. Grey Larsen has managed to do it in a book. The Essential Guide is thick and a bit overwhelming at first glance, but it is well organized and can be tackled one chapter at a time. It is a complete treatment of Irish style and ornamentation, incuding correct rhythms and very effective fingerings. Larsen has explained intricate techniques like double-cut rolls and crans clearly and effectively. He has also written chapters on articulation, breathing, and even on how to translate Irish techniqus to silver flute. If you're only going to buy one book on Irish flute and whistle, this should be it.

2 comments about Play Flute Today! Beginner's Pack: Book/CD/DVD Pack.

1. I bought this along with a book called Learning How to Play the Flute, which I like much better. The Hal Leonard book has fewer songs to play. I just watched the DVD and it's quite funny! Very dated and not helpful. The instructor onscreen just goes into too much picky detail and breezes through the notes too quickly. There's no way you could learn how to play the flute just by watching the DVD! You really need to practice from a book. There is also a CD but I haven't played along to it yet.



2. This DVD and book set is a great combination for beginners. The DVD goes very slowly through the process of learning the proper form. Then leads you right into forming notes. The book works right along with the DVD. My daughter will be way ahead of the game when her classes start.

2 comments about Flute Shop: A Guide to Crafting the Native American Style Flute.

1. This is the first book on NAF (Native American Flute) making that I've purchased after years of building them. I got the book because my flutes are all made of clay and I needed insight into working with wood and basic flute theory in general. The book opened my eyes to some fine tuning tricks I'd missed, and other flute designs and construction options available. Russ does a fine job of explaining basics to the novice and gives complete construction details to increase the chances for a successful project. His resources list in the appendix is useful for anyone seeking further knowledge on the subject. This book is a well written and easy to follow guide--buy it!



2. Well written and informative manual. After reading this book I really felt as though making my first flutes was a real possibility. I am already seeing success on early attempts and only expect improvement.
   
   Flute Shop: A Guide to Crafting the Native American Style Flute

No comments about Yoshitaka Amano's Mateki: The Magic Flute.

5 comments about 100 Solos: Flute.

1. I purchased this book for my daughter who just completed her first year of flute in school. I was hoping to help he keep her interest through the summer with fresh material. I learned that although she is very good for her level, most of the book was a little intimidating, but she readily picked out a few she wanted to learn. Secondly, she has started a second instrument, the electric guitar this summer. She is practising her flute with the school practice book. Maybe she will use this book later.



2. I bought this as a gift for a floutist friend. Unfortunately, I think they hated it, although she does enjoy playing the flute. I wouldn't buy it for a friend again, but maybe myself.



3. You must love the Beatles and the soundtrack to "Oliver" to enjoy playing from this book. For some, "enjoyment" may not be required when looking for material for practice. This book would be perfect for them.



4. i really like this flute music, it's very diverse and not too advanced, since i've only been playing flute again after about 15 years of not playing.



5. This book provides 100 solos which sounds cool with the flute. I felt that the notation level increases through the book. This means, the book starts with easy solos, and they get harder as you advance.
   
   Most of the solos aren't longer than 1-2 pages.
   
   If you are looking for nice and short solos for the flute, this book would be a good choice. If you are looking for a book to teach you how to play the flute, you may consider other alternatives.

5 comments about Practice Books For The Flute: Omnibus Edition (Books 1-5).

1. This book covers almost everything there is when it comes to developing tone, technique and skill. I'm really enjoying it. I think it is a must for beginners, and also really useful for the developing-intermediate flutist that needs a little more to get to the advanced level. my tone is better allready...



2. I purchased the omnibus version after buying the single publication on tone. The Omnibus edition comes spiral bound and the pages can be sometimes unruly...slipping out of the slots of spiral binding and giving an untidy look to your sacred sheets of flute wisdom(which is rather annoying to this already disorganized musician).
   
   I refer to the information in the tone section more than any other. The other 'books' in the omnibus were a bit sparse in terms of content. I am glad I spent under 30.00usd on the omnibus instead of buying each book individually.
   
   For those musicians with a sense of humor, the writing style of the author is quite fun to read. His discussions are loaded with flute-specific musings, puns, and other subtle rhetoric. His writing style is ingenious...and a relief from the overly serious disctionary style we usually encouter in method publications.



3. 4 stars instead of 5 only because I haven't gone through the whole book yet. The exercizes on tone and breathing are really helpful. It is well written, easy to understand, and realistic as far as goal setting.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone getting back into playing on their own or an experienced musician.



4. For anyone that plays the flute, especially those that need guidance for practicing, this is a fantastic resource. When using this collection, you should have a metronome and tuner at your disposal, especially for the volume on intonation.



5. The book was in excellent condition, exactly what we needed and $10.00 cheaper than anywhere else.

5 comments about How to Play the Flute: Everything You Need to Know to Play the Flute (How to Play).

1. I was very pleased with my purchase. Item arrived on time and in great condition and great sound!



2. only adequate. The book only offered the VERY basics - had expected it to at least go beyond basics into intermediate skills - - could have done it without the book! Lessons were extremely over-repetitive



3. This book is clear, informative, interesting to read and helpful in pointing out pitfalls of poor playing before I even get into bad habits. I'm sure that it's value will continue to unfold for me as I continue to use it.



4. This is a great little book. It had been 30 years since I had played flute in college and I had forgotten many of the fingerings. With this book, I was back playing in a few hours. Money well spent.



5. This is one amazing little book-as a beginning flute player in middle age with previous experience on classical guitar,this guide has outdone another method book I'd gotten even tho it came with a DVD. Lavishly illustrated,the author shows you how to get the best tone,how to hold the flute,how to get higher notes vs lower notes,and most important he explains the "why?' behind all of the proper way to do this or that. Easy to read diagrams make learning to read music a fun and delightful experience. Highly recommended!

5 comments about Flute Fingering Chart: For Flute and Piccolo (Amsco Fingering Charts).

1. Brenda Murphy's Flute Fingering Chart is a good, basic, accurate fingering guide for the beginning flutist. It's made of durable, laminated paper appropriate for young students. (If you have more than a passing interest in the flute, then a thorough guide to all the fingerings you could ever need is in James Pellerite's classic fingering guide, Modern Guide to Fingerings for the Flute).
   
   Brenda Murphy's chart is simple and easy to read. It has standard fingerings for what is generally considered the full range of the flute and piccolo, and uses both staff notation and octave numberings to show the sounding pitch of the notes - however trill fingerings are not included. Also I would prefer it if she had given the two standard fingerings for B flat, rather than combining them as she does. If you don't already know about them that could be confusing.
   
   The back of the chart contains some information on musical notation and very basic information on flute care. Most students encounter problems with flute care not from what they neglect to do, but rather from what they do in an overly zealous attempt to care for the instrument.
   
   It is a helpful starting guide, though think this chart would be greatly improved if she had incorporated a basic trill-fingering chart on the back, which is also essential to beginning flutists, rather than the material on musical notation and flute care.



2. Just what I was looking for, a great visual, wonderful to have it in plastic for durability sake, perfect size, folds open... folds into thirds. I like that I can limit what octave I'm looking at. I've seen other charts and this one's the best. Crystal clear as to the information and a pretty color too.



3. My daughter just started playing the flute and this thing is awesome! It reads a bit complicated for a beginner, but I have enough flute/music experience to help her decipher the finger placement and notes she needs right now as opposed to those she doesn't yet. Wonderful!



4. I am teaching myself how to play the flute (after a few weeks of lessons many years ago) and I couldn't have done it without this guide. It has big diagrams of each of the notes, showing which keys to press. It folds out into 3 sections so you can lay it next to your music book and check which fingerings you need to play the correct note. I found some of the beginning flute books to be lacking in this department. Either the diagrams of what keys to press are quite small, or they are scattered throughout the books so you'd have to keep searching for them. This is a great learning tool!



5. I'm in the middle of liking it and hating it. I would have prefered it was one page and printed on both sides for easier use and transportation. Since it's laminated and lasts quite a while, I can ignore that. I has basically all the fingerings you need, but should have listed ALL since it is 3 pages, lol. Awesome nonetheless.