Let's Start at The Very Beginning

I spent two-and-a-half days in bed with a head cold, and today I'm still not healthy enough to practice. Playing the flute sets me coughing. Using as straw to work on my airstream sets me to coughing. Frustrating, but I still managed to do put in some "flute" time.

During my time in bed, I picked up Music Theory for Dummies, which I received for Christmas. As with all the Dummies books, it's written in short sections, which were perfect for short periods between naps. I resisted the temptation to skip the first sections and go right to the stuff I know little or nothing about. I'm now in the middle of Chapter Six, "Tempo and Dynamics," the last section of Part I, "Rhythm: Keeping the Beat." Still stuff I'm familiar with.

Eventually, I'll get to new material. Usually it's a good idea to start at the beginning, even if the first part is a review of things you already know. I also plan on supplementing my reading with some lectures from iTunes U. Even then, it will only be basics of music theory I'll have gotten under my belt. At this point, that's probably all I really need to know.

Maybe...

Flute for Dummies

I first encountered the for Dummies books almost twenty years ago when I worked at Pitney Bowes. I forget which of us stumbled across them, but our department head ordered a set for us: Word for Dummies, Excel for Dummies, and PowerPoint for Dummies. Those books were a godsend. They gave us a great working knowledge--a PRACTICAL working knowledge--of the software programs we used every day. Since then the series has grown beyond anyone's wildest expectations and now includes a web site.

So when I learned they came out with Flute for Dummies, I figured I should at least take a look at it. Finding it locally turned out to be a little more difficult than I anticipated. For an instrument that is played by a lot of people (most amateur ensembles have to turn flutists away!), you don't see many books on the subject in local bookstores, even the big chains. Guitar, yes. Piano, yes, though slightly less. Flute, no. When I finally found it in stock at one of the nearby Barnes & Nobles by looking online, I drove over to pick it up.

I looked in the Instruments section and found the relative multitude of guitar books. I found the many piano books. I couldn't find Flute for Dummies. I looked amongst the new releases. Nope, no flute. Where else do you look? When in doubt, try the Information Desk. Ah, they found it shelved in the Classical Music section.

I've been spot reading it, and I've been pleasantly surprised. I don't know why I was surprised, given my past positive experiences with the for Dummies series. Karen Evans Moratz has provided a good overview of the basics and then some. I even learned something new: There's a third way to play B flat.

This is a book I wish I'd had during my brief stint as a teacher. I think it's a book that should be given to every beginning student!

Jennifer Cluff has written a short review. And I will probably write more as I read it more thoroughly.

You can also check out the book's Facebook page.

Settling In

This morning I arrived at work and remembered that my office is now on the second floor. I used the stairs to get there. This is what awaited me when I reached 231.

First, I shifted the computer.

Then I organized the bookshelves.

The bottom two shelves on both sides are set up for children. On this side I have some Godly Play thing set out. That's the Parable of the Good Shepherd on the bottom shelf.

The Post-it Notes are up.

And I set up my prayer space.


Just waiting for them to come and hang the pictures and the crosses. And upgrade my computer.

Peace,
Jeff

Open Mouth...

If you mention practicing your flute in one of your sermons, count on the parish's music director asking you to play at an upcoming service.

He asked me about a particular Bach piece but couldn't remember the name. Based on his description, it sounded like the Arioso, so yesterday I took my copy in to show him. He said it was the piece he'd been thinking of and mentioned that he had an arrangement for organ and flute that was in a different key. We'll be doing this piano and flute arrangement. We didn't settle on a date, but it sounded like he'd like me to perform sometime during Lent.

By the way, do you notice anything peculiar about this copy of the Arioso?