Talking Flutes

'Burn-out'.  The signs to look for in yourself and others, and what you can do as musicians to alleviate the effects of the downward slope. This week, and for the next 5, instead of taking the usual summer break, we are looking back over some of our favourite podcasts from a while back. This week Dr Roelof Joe Stammeijer talks with Clare about a subject we can all relate to 'Burnout' and 'coping w...

"Why you and your actions define you and your flute playing" In the final part of your questions answered pt 4, Clare and Jean-Paul speak about breathing for relaxation and motivation, why taking a summer break is good for your flute playing and creating a 'Mood Board' of melodies is a positive way to utilise your warm-ups with how you are feeling. 'Talking Flutes' and 'Talking Flutes Extra' are p...

"Flutist, Flautist, Flute player?" The name really does matter to some! This week on "Your flute questions answered part 3" Clare and Jean-Paul look at Clare's favourite recording of her playing 'Valse Caprice" by Daniel S. Wood and look at the pros and cons of listening to recordings of pieces you're playing. 'Talking Flutes' and 'Talking Flutes Extra' are podcast productions by the TJ flute comp...

"My parents want me to study an academic subject and I want to study music performance, what can I do?" This week on 'Talking Flutes', Clare and Jean-Paul answer more questions which you have been sending in. From growing your Instagram account to should I study a non musical subject at University? 'Talking Flutes' and 'Talking Flutes Extra' are podcast productions by the TJ flute company.  For mo...

De-Ge-De-Ge or Te-Ke-Te-Ke or Du-Gu-Du-Gu or Tu-Ku-Tu-Ku what is the right way to double tongue? Part 1 or 4 - In  'Talking Flutes' this week, Clare and Jean-Paul begin the process of answering all the flute playing questions that you've been sending in.  "How do you double and triple tongue may seem an easy question to those who can do it but to young flute players, learning to do it is completel...

"Circular breathing is a good warm up!" "We all look at sound in a very unique way.  To some visual people colours work, but to me, it's about vocal sounds..." This week on 'Talking Flutes Extra' Jean-Paul speaks with the brilliant Spanish flute player Frederic Sanchez about his passion for teaching and his journey to help other flute players "find their voice".  Conducted via zoom and also 'Live'...

'Embarkation - The resilience of humanity amid Covid-19'  So this week and with modern technology continuing to be at the forefront (We in the UK still can’t travel to the USA due to covid restrictions) I managed to catch up with Latin Grammy and Emmy winning composer, musician and polymath Jose Valentino at his home in Florida a couple of days ago to speak about his stunning new album ‘Embarkatio...

"We need stimulating studies and not ones that crush or demoralise you!" In 'Talking Flutes' this week, Clare speaks again with the fabulous Elizabeth Walker this time on the important subject of study books.  In this hour long podcast they discuss many areas of flute studies for tone development, finger technique, articulation, sequences and take a look at their favourite  study books in each of...

"We need to cut the umbilical with those nerves and just let go when we improvise - now more than ever we need some fun in our lives" This week Jean-Paul revisits a podcast going back a little while when he caught up in the beautiful Santa Monica in Los Angeles with the then, new Emmy wining musicians José Valentino (flute) and Gualo (guitar).  Since this recording was originally aired, both Gualo...

"I love taking a spark of an idea and being able to formulate a new instrument or changes to an existing one!" In 'Talking Flutes Extra' this week, Jean-Paul speaks with David Farley technical director at TJ flutes in London (U.K) about his last 30 years of working with musical instruments, and his dedication and commitment to learning from the great makers before us. David also speaks about the w...

2000 concerts, 2 million children and 12 years of musical Joy! In part 2 of her interview with Atarah Ben-Tovim M.B.E Clare asks about the fabulous Atarah's Band and how it came about.  "Doing large scale kids concerts in big auditoriums wasn't an easy sell as a woman back in the 60's and 70's." Atarah also speaks about the use of the thumb Bb vs the long Bb fingering and whilst she doesn't get ne...

"If I'd had been a man, life with the flute would have been very different!" This week on 'Talking Flutes' in the first of a two part podcast Clare speaks with the enigmatic, colourful and tour de force that is Atarah Ben-Tovim M.B.E about being involved in the flute playing world for over 60 years.  From breaking down barriers and being Principal Flute in Liverpool during the 60's and the time of...

You only need 10 minutes to re-charge yourself! In a very different  'Talking Flutes Extra' this week, co-host Jean-Paul speaks about the importance for us to spend a little time each day resting the social media 'scrolling' finger.  "We need to regularly reboot ourselves, to destress and find some peace. Meditation / Mindfulness / Creative Visualisation or whatever you wish to call it is the perf...

"The importance of building up rather than knocking down in teaching!" This week on 'Talking Flutes', Clare speaks with the wonderful teacher, performer and founder and conductor of the 'Flutes Unlimited' flute choir and host of the 'Flutes du Soleil' summer flute course held in France Andrea Kuypers. During the podcast Andrea speaks about how she learnt from her own experiences of 'negative' teac...

Whatever standard you are on your instrument we can all play jazz!  Let's start by getting your flute out! This week on 'Talking Flutes Extra' Jean-Paul speaks with Jazz flute player, composer, author and recording engineer Nicola Rizzo from his home in Bari in southern Italy. During the podcast Nicola explains how we can all "break free" and get started with jazz and not only demonstrates how we...

"We live in a world of colour and music is no different!" "Colour creates interest and we can use this in a playing to turn a black and white performance in to a vibrant technicolour one!" In an enlightening 'Talking Flutes' podcast this week, Clare speaks about the wonderful creative area of our music making. Tonal colour.  "All musicians have their own particular palette of colours.  It's what m...

Writing beautiful ambient mediation music. This week Jean-Paul constructs a podcast from an Zoom catch-up conversation he had with London based multi-instrumentalist, composer and recording artist Theo Travis.   Based around a beautiful and newly composed track that Theo sent Jean-Paul for upload on to his thehappyflutist.com website, they speak about how he writes this music and how meditation ha...

"The corporate world is in need of creative people like never before!" "We're inundated with the sense of artificial self growth.  I think it's important that we go back to the chasis of who we are.  The topography of our souls." This week on 'Talking Flutes" Clare speaks to the musical genius that is Christopher Caliendo. A prolific composer of film and TV music, he has also written over 300 work...

"With RoSaWay we become alive!"..."We sleep, eat and drink RoSaWay 24hrs a day!" This week on "Talking Flutes Extra' Jean-Paul speaks with Rachel and Stef, the flute playing, singing and drum duo combination called 'RoSaWay' who are making serious waves in the music world. "We were so close to having our music played on the 'Superbowl', had signed the agreements which would have changed our lives,...

The first female flute playing superstar in a field of men! "If you can play Fauré Fantasy' at crochet - 144 then you can play the flute!" This week on 'Talking Flutes' Clare speaks with the wonderful Musician, flute player, soloist and Flute Professor Susan Milan about her life, Covid lockdown and her continual drive to champion the cause of female musicians. "It's amazing how no so long ago, man...

The wisdom of Pahud! "What are opinions if you can't integrate them in to the modern world" This week on 'Talking Flutes Extra' Jean-Paul speak via Zoom with Russian born musician and flute player, now living in Madrid Ekaterina Kornishina. In this very open podcast, Ekaterina speaks of her sense of awe, boredom and also frustrations with music today.  From her childhood when she first  performed...

The wisdom of mother's and their invaluable support to our music. In 'Talking Flutes' this week, and timed around 'Mother's Day' here in the UK (14th March), Clare speaks about the love and support her own mother gave her when she was a student and also when she too became a mother herself.   How rice cakes and ginger biscuits were her staple diet when she was pregnant through to her conviction to...

"She was playing the tin whistle down the phone at 1 am!" This week on 'Talking Flutes Extra', Jean-Paul speaks with the fabulous London based Irish and folk flute / guitar player Philippe Barnes.  During this longer than usual podcast they talk about the effects of catching Covid and the devastation that Coronavirus has inflicted on 'live' music.  Philippe also gives lots of playing tips for anyb...

A joyful and different flute teaching method. In Talking Flutes this week, Jean-Paul is speaking with composer and musician Andy Scott and usual Talking Flutes podcast host Clare about their wonderful new publication Kickstart flute. There are many beginner books available today, however Kickstart flute and their uniquely composed  interactive 24 duets, is all about learning through the fun of pla...

"That low F is a pain in the butt!" The trials and tribulations of being a specialist flute repairer. This week Jean-Paul speak with specialist flute repairer, flute player, teacher and co host of the 'Screw Loose' YouTube Channel Sarah Stockton, about her life as a repairer and also about her unique bespoke crown designs. You can find out more about Sarah and her crowns by visiting her website ww...