1 comments about A Trevor Wye Practice Book for the Flute, Vol. 4: Intonation and Vibrato.

1. Trevor Wye has a fine series of books for flute players and this is book 4. This is a "must buy" book for all flute players starting after the 1st year on to professional.
   
   Why? Well, Mr. Wye explains some complicated aspects of tuning in a simple, almost folksy, but complete way especially for flute players.
   
   He even guarantees the results - - - if you follow his instructions carefully and put in lots of time!
   
   Have you heard those strange extra sounds (difference tones) when you play in the higher notes with another flute player? This book explains the effect and even has a written flute trio for two players using those difference tones.
   
   As an author of an intonation method, my main interest was just about tuning, but the vibrato section has many helpful ideas. The book ends with some excellent studies for intonation.
   
   John Gibson, JB Linear Music, author of Advanced Clarinet Technique; and Advanced Intonation Technique for Clarinets

5 comments about Reading Between the Lines.

1. In New York her best friend wannabe actress Dorothy Hughes persuades flutist Elizabeth Ash to accompany her to a rummage sale. Elizabeth buys a few used books including a fascinating Regency romance by Harriet Mueller. However, the love story that hooks her is not part of the published novel, but instead written in BETWEEN THE LINES by a former reader to her "Darling" along the margins. Elizabeth feels the couple seems very familiar and wants to give the book back to the husband.
   
   Casting director Jim Lockhart has moved on somewhat past the death of his beloved wife by diving into his work at Babcock, Crier, and Nelson and turning to prayer. The vocation keeps the loneliness away while asking "Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me. Make haste to help me. Rescue me and save me. Let thy will be done in my life" This provides him some solace. He casts Dorothy Hughes in a commercial and she introduces him to Elizabeth. Both will agree that the Lord works in mysterious ways
   
   Rotating perspective between Jim and Elizabeth, READING BETWEEN THE LINES is a warm second chance at love tale starring two likable but fearful individuals. Readers will sympathize with Jim who mourns the loss of his beloved spouse who was too young to die from cancer and lonely Elizabeth too afraid to take a chance on a permanent relationship. Readers will enjoy their endearing courtship filled with doubt, fear, and love.
   
   Harriet Klausner



2. As a young man author Rick Hamlin moved to New York City "to pursue singing and acting," which he "more than dabbled in." But for decades he has made his living as an editor of Guideposts magazine --- not exactly the career path he had in mind. That much of Rick's life might have slid into his contemporary romance, set in Manhattan.
   
   In a prologue we meet Jim Lockhart, a 31-year-old widower. We soon learn that he had come to New York after college to be an actor but had settled in, now with considerable cachet, as a casting director at an ad agency. In chapter one we meet Elizabeth Ash, a professional flutist who's piecing together a living --- giving lessons, playing in theater-pit orchestras, performing on occasional solo tours to cities such as Cheyenne or Boise.
   
   At a church rummage sale Elizabeth picks up some old Regency romances by Harriet Mueller, a genre novelist of some fictional renown. Back home in her small apartment, she discovers that some previous reader has written in purple a "book" of her own in the margins and between the lines --- love letters. By whom? To whom? And why were the novels with such intimate marginal notes for sale in a church basement?
   
   >From the outset, you know that Jim's deceased wife wrote these letters to Jim and that Elizabeth and Jim are destined to find each other. Even though you know that eventuality, getting from the beginning to the end of the book is an entertaining read, as you discover the personalities, the New York milieu, the delicate dance of a blossoming relationship.
   
   I didn't notice identifying dates, but I sensed that the story is set in the 1990s. Clues? This is an old-fashioned, low-tech romance, in which communications rely largely on land-line phones and face-to-face meetings --- some of them "chance" encounters that might make you think that Manhattan was a small town.
   
   This would be a good book to give to a seeker, someone unchurched with spiritual interests. Religious themes are present but subtle. Several times a day, principally in the morning when he's at the gym doing "reps" with weights, Jim prays what is sometimes called the "Jesus prayer": "Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me. Make haste to help me. Rescue me and save me. Let thy will be done in my life." It's almost a mantra that he doesn't clearly understand, that he repeats because his wife asked him to do so, right before she died. As the plot unfolds, the prayer --- and the faith it represents --- becomes more meaningful to him, though he doesn't go to church. Nor does Elizabeth, except in the context of pursuing some intrigue in a church-basement thrift shop run by Mrs. Halladay, who becomes an interesting and pivotal character --- especially as she reaches past her professional reserve and summarizes her own life story when Elizabeth most needs to hear it.
   
   As you might guess, Jim's wife, Lois, liked to read Harriet Mueller romance novels. "When Lois took out a Harriet Mueller, [Jim] knew she was considering something that was beyond thought...She needed to be someplace else for a few days. Someplace between the covers of a romance novel." Maybe the same could be said for readers of this Rick Hamlin romance.
   
   --- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence



3. Rick Hamlin has done a superb job of creating the special people in Reading Between the Lines. Jim and Elizabeth are real people with real life journeys that will warm even the coldest places in your heart. Dorothy and Scott are true friends.
   
   If you read this, Rick, thank you for a beautiful story.



4. As a praying Christian, I've read a lot of books that try to convert and others in which prayer and belief are just part of the fabric of the story. I far prefer the ones where the prayer is there, but you are not always told "Believe, believe, believe!" This is just such a story. The low key approach will be far more likely to snare some reluctant seekers than the out and out conversion attempts that are far from subtle. The characters are well written and the story is believable. i would recommend it to a wide variety of readers - romance lovers, musciians, and seekers for the truth.



5. If you need hope and assurance that God truly is at work in our lives, curl up with this book and let the message of the story speak to you. I finished it with a "God's in Heaven, all's right with the world..." feeling.

No comments about Trevor Wye Practice Book for the Flute, Vol. 5: Breathing and Scales.

2 comments about Mel Bay Sacred Solos for the Flute Volume 2 Book/CD Set.

1. 5 stars for the score but 3 stars for the CD.
   
   Dona Gilliam and Mizzy McCaskill's arrangements are very beautifully written and fresh sounding. They've done a great job of preserving the original beloved tunes by setting them in accompaniments that sound clear and familiar, yet surprising. My pianist likes these as much as I do. These are not the usual ho-hum bland arrangements that musicians so often encounter, but fresh, beautiful, yet easy to play interpretations. It's listed with accompaniment for piano and organ, but these arrangements also play beautifully on harpsichord.
   
   The set has solo flute part, accompaniment part and a CD. If you aren't blessed with access to a wonderful accompanist, then you can use the CD as accompaniment in a pinch. Unfortunately, the performance on the CD is extremely bland. This is the first of this type of CD accompaniment I've ever listened to, and perhaps the sterile interpretation on the CD is typical? done intentionally to allow the flutist freedom of a completely blank slate to interpret the lines as s/he chooses? When I tried to use it I found the CD confining, but some flutists may find it helpful.
   
   I give it a 5 star rating because the score is beautiful and well worth the asking price - even if you don't plan to use the CD. It's also a great piece to have on hand during the holidays when you're asked to play something for Christmas because of the Medley of Traditional Christmas Carols.



2. I recently played some of these solos for my cousin's wedding. I thought the arrangements were decent although I wish they were more advanced. This would be ideal for a beginner or intermediate flute player. The cd accompaniment that comes with it is not great at all. It is very square and doesn't allow for much freedom or rubato. It isn't a real piano playing either. It is a MIDI recording. I would suggest playing with a pianist.

1 comments about Mel Bay Presents Complete Book of Wedding Music for Flute or Violin.

1. Since I play violin solo for weddings on occasion, I bought this collection. Unfortunately it proved to be not very useful for the following reasons:
   (1) There are several long 8va passages. Give me ledger lines any day! 8va's are like clef changes - hard to process on the fly. For intermediate players this may be okay since it gives them the option of playing the melody in the lower octave.
   (2) Key for Mendelssohn's Wedding March was changed from the original C major to A-flat (4 flats). Not only is the key more difficult, it doesn't sound quite as good.
   (3) The violin/flute part for Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring only has the chorale melody. The triplet melody that this piece is best known for is in the piano accompaniment, which is okay unless you plan to play this piece solo.

   A much better collection is the Violin & Piano Wedding Collection from Latham Music Ltd. (run the name through a search engine).

1 comments about Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute: The Story of Lady Wen-Chi.

1. It is most unfortunate that this book is no longer in print. It is an illustrated story of Lady Wen Chi, who was abducted from her home in China in 195 CE, and taken into Inner Mongolia where she became the wife of a nomadic chieftain. By the time she was found and ransomed, she was forced to choose between her husband and children in a land which she hated, or to return to her homeland. The story has become a classic theme in Chinese literature, and was translated to a painted scroll in the twelfth century. The fourteenth century copy of the original scroll is published in its entirety in this book.

   Although I am exceedingly fond of the story, the value of this book lies in the scroll, which details the clothing, gear and encampments of the Mongolian Steppes during the Song and Yuan dynasties. An exceptional primary source for articles that are difficult to research and document.

1 comments about Practice Book for the Flute: Book 2, Technique.

1. This book is not for the light hearted but improving technique takes a lot of work, work, work. Scales, more scales and patterns. You have to be dedicated to stick with it but well worth it. I suggest spending a few dollars more and buying the edition with volumes 1-5 so that you all have the tools to become a well rounded flutist. Vol 1-5 should be in the library of every serious flutist.

2 comments about Disney Solos for flute.

1. The CD doesn't match the music, which for a beginner is very important. I would recommend this more for a 2-3yr player than a beginner. The Disney Piano book was actually better for my 1st year violin daughter (plus it has the words!)



2. I'm a flute teacher with a large studio, and use this book occasionally for sight-reading. My students enjoy playing something familiar. I agree with the other review that it is not a book for first year students. The range is quite wide, and the rhythms are not simple. The key signatures are true to the original, so several flats are common.
   
   I played through it myself when it first arrived. The CD is accurate to the book. It offers the choice of accompaniment with or without the melody, which is helpful for learning. The band accompaniment is less "cheesy" than some out there. It sounds like live as opposed to synthesized instruments.
   
   A very nice collection of familiar tunes.

No comments about Music Minus One Recorder, Flute, Oboe or Violin: Echoes of Time (Renaissance Music) (Book & CD).

No comments about Music from Titanic: Flute.