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Fingerings for notes, scales and tunes: To read, or not to read?
If you're already familiar with how flutes operate, have a good overall knowledge of music, and clearly understand the following paragraph, you don't really need most of the information in this section! But if the paragraph baffles you, read on... ...Typically, simple bamboo flutes are made in a basic major-scale pattern; starting from the bottom and ascending note-by-note, that's what you'll hear. However, for a number of reasons most of my diatonic flutes are made in minor keys. (See the Minor Manifesto.) With this minor scale, if the six fingerholes are opened to ascend in sequence a natural-minor scale results. In addition, the thumbhole vents the major seventh, so the harmonic-minor scale can be produced using this hole. With this system, the flute's primary major scale begins on the third note from the bottom, i.e. T+++/+oo This information should help to guide your first practice sessions on the flute. Now, for Musical Newbies: People often ask about music for bamboo flutes, and I usually advise them not to try reading printed music--at least at first. These flutes aren't systematically standardized, as conventional instruments are. Therefore, no written literature has evolved for them, and no specifically appropriate sheet-music is commercially available. My goal here is to familiarize new players with some simple melodies and scale patterns, while avoiding standard musical notation. This method will be effective no matter what KEY your flute is in, as long as it's of the right SCALE: Natural Minor, with a major-seventh thumb hole. (See the "Minor Manifesto.") At first, we'll address only the most essential fingerings, those strictly in the "home" key of the flute, in what is termed a diatonic scale. A surprising number of tunes can be played with simple diatonic scales, and this is where a beginner should start. More-advanced fingerings and exercises for notes beyond the diatonic realm will be addressed later Assignment of Fingers to Holes, and Interpretation of Fingerings Most of my ordinary-sized flutes are made in minor keys, as noted above. This design is rather unusual, but advantageous in many respects. (I'll address major-key flutes later.) The standard model has three fingerholes for the right hand, and three fingerholes plus a thumb hole for the left. To begin, I'll present a numerical tablature system; don't worry for the moment if you're unfamiliar with some of the musical terms. Many will be clarified later, and I'll also suggest some sources of further information. This material is designed for self-study, independent of other instruments. Don't worry about "what notes"--as in A, B, C, etc--you're playing for now; that only matters when playing along with other instruments. Our first concern is learning to play the flute with itself! In this system, there are seven main characters for each note's indicated fingering, which correspond to the seven fingerholes. The characters for the left and right hands are separated by a backslash ( / ). Note that the right hand is used for the three holes farthest down the tube--that is, farther from the blowhole. The left hand is for the upper holes. (Refer to pictures) Normally, the index, middle and ring fingers of each hand are used to cover their respective holes. (In some cases where reach is an issue, the right little finger may be used on the lowest hole, but I don't recommend using the left pinkie in a similar way.) Here's how the fingerings are represented: 1) The left thumb is written as: T when the thumbhole is covered, and as a capital O when the thumbhole is open. 2) The six other fingerholes are written as: + for a closed hole, and as small o for an open hole. If all of the flute's holes are to be covered, the schema would be: T+++/+++. If all seven holes are open, it becomes Oooo/ooo. Example: The fingering for a note having the left thumb and all left-hand fingers CLOSED, but all right-hand fingerholes OPEN is written as: T+++/ooo Another: The fingering for a note with the left thumb and fingers OPEN, but all right-hand holes CLOSED is: Oooo/+++ Here are four random fingerings. Make sure to interpret them clearly before continuing: T++o/ooo T+++/+oo Tooo/+++ O++o/++o Therefore: If we start at the flute's lowest tone (all holes covered) and ascend hole-by-hole, the pattern will look like this: ...T+++/+++ (Lowest note)
...T+++/++o (Next note up) ...T+++/+oo (And so on...) ...T+++/ooo ...T++o/ooo ...T+oo/ooo ...Tooo/ooo ...Oooo/ooo The net result in the above example is to progressively shorten the flute's resonating length, by opening holes one by one in their sequential order. A shorter tube produces a higher note, and vice-versa. Note: When attempting to play the flute at first, it's easier to start at the top and work downward, adding one finger at a time. In this manner, the fingers are individually trained to fall into their proper position. You don't need to squeeze to seal the holes; positioning is the real secret. Any leakage will interfere with the sound; when in doubt, go back to the top and work downward again, making sure to seal each hole along the way. The eight fingerings given above cover the basic notes for the first octave. Each of these notes can also be overblown to a higher octave, as discussed in the previous section on tone production. For the MOST part the fingerings are the same for these first two octaves: To continue the ascent through the flute's upper range, the fingering sequence is merely repeated, with each note overblown to the second octave. Note that since this is a minor-scale design, the resulting scale will have a minor tonality. One advantage of this simple numerical system is that it will work for any sort of simple flute--or reed instrument, for that matter--regardless of the intsrument's key or scale. It's just a matter of tailoring the tablature to reflect the scale, and when time permits, I intend to write new tablature for the commonly encountered major-scale flutes (of which I do make a few, especially on special order.) Eventually, I'll write tablature for my "clariboo"-type reeded instruments as well; stay tuned for future developments! Assigning Numbers to Fingers: Digital Programming Made Fun 'n' Easy Now comes the fun part. For the sake of concise notation, we're going to assign a number to each of these basic fingerings. This number is only to indicate the fingering, and has no relationship to its position as a musical interval. (Conventional musical theory makes much use of numbers to explain the interrelationships of notes, known as intervals--but that's not what we're doing for the moment.) The simplest way to assign numbers to the fingerings is to indicate how many digits--meaning fingers--are down! I prefer to number only the actual fingers--the number 6, for example, means that all six of the FINGER holes are covered. For the sake of clarity, the thumb is notated a bit differently. Here's the system: RULE: The thumb is assumed to be closed at all times, unless the symbol X is used. "X" means that all holes, including the thumb hole, are to be open. Here are the numerical assignments for each fingering, again in ascending order: T+++/+++ = 6
T+++/++o = 5 T+++/+oo = 4 T+++/ooo = 3 T++o/ooo = 2 T+oo/ooo = 1 Tooo/ooo = 0 Oooo/ooo = X Thus the basic fingerings are numbered from six down through zero, plus X. Let's notate the simplest imaginable nursery-rhyme song as an example. You guessed it: Mary and her wayward lamb are on the rampage again! Following is tablature for ONE way to play Mary Had a Little Lamb (it could also be played in other keys.) I'll separate each phrase of the song, followed by its tablature representation: Ma-ry-had-a lit-tle-lamb: 2-3-4-3-2-2-2 Lit-tle-lamb: 3-3-3 Lit-tle-lamb: 2-0-0 Ma-ry-had-a-lit-tle-lamb-its-fleece-was-white-as-snow: 2-3-4-3-2-2-2-2-3-3-2-3-4 --Can you see how the numbers correspond to the words/syllables in the song, and then make sense of it on the flute? Since we're not using standard musical notation, it's best to start with painfully simple tunes that practically everybody knows. One advantage of this approach is the avoidance of a need to notate RHYTHMS, since most people already know how these songs "go." This way, one can quickly start grasping the melodic underpinnings of tunes, and ultimately begin to figure out both familiar and newly encountered melodies on your own--or to improvise freely! This approach is merely intended as a jump-start down that road. Before we go farther, here's an important hint on a fingering-quirk: Remember how the symbol for the note with all holes open, including the thumb, is "X" and the symbol for all the FINGER holes open, but the thumb CLOSED, is "0"? On these two notes, it's a good idea to get into the habit of closing the three right-hand fingerholes at the same time. This may appear to be contradicting the directions just given above, but its logic will become apparent in time. The hint: "0" is fingered: Tooo/+++
"X" is fingered: Oooo/+++ This helps to stabilize the flute--to hold it more firmly when so few fingers are otherwise placed on the holes. There are other advantages; another important benefit is that it makes the transition upward into the second octave (or back downward) less awkward. Covering the right-hand holes has a negligible effect on the sound of notes O and X, because the three open holes in the left hand provide plenty of venting for the tone. Which brings us to: RULE: When a note is indicated simply by its number, it's assumed to be in the lower octave. But since each note also has (at least) a second, overblown higher-octave counterpart, the indicator for the second-octave version of each note is a carat, thus: ^ So: 3^ indicates note 3, but in a higher octave. As an example, let's play that song about Mary again, but in a different KEY--a different position in the scale of the flute, and one which will overlap both octaves! It goes like this:
6^ 0 1 0 6^ 6^ 6^---
0 0 0-- 6^ 4^ 4^--- 6^ 0 1 0 6^ 6^ 6^ 6^ 0 0 6^ 0 1--- See how that works? The 6^ and the 4^ are overblown into the higher octave, while all the other notes remain in their low register--the fundamental. All notes in the second octave (or higher; more on this later) are referred to as overtones. (Dashes indicate notes that are normally held out longer in the melody, just as a general guide.) At first, it may seem difficult to pass between the registers--the term for the different octaves in the flute's range. In the "Mary" example above, passing from 6^ to O or vice-versa involves a change in register, and several fingers must move at once. You'll soon see how it helps to close the right-hand fingers on note 0, as advised above: When this is done, fewer fingers have to move during the switch: just the left-hand ones, rather than ALL fingers at once! It takes a little practice, but this sort of thing becomes second nature in time. So far so good? Next, here's tablature for the all-time classic "Twinkle Twinkle, Etc., Etc." Thanks to little Wolfgang for this one!
4 4 0 0 6^ 6^ 0---
1 1 2 2 3 3 4--- 0 0 1 1 2 2 3--- 0 0 1 1 2 2 3--- 4 4 0 0 6^ 6^ 0--- 1 1 2 2 3 3 4--- Note that in playing Twinkle Etc. the melody comes to rest on note 4; it also begins on note 4. This is the key-note of the tune, referred to as the tonic. It's the note where the tune feels "finished" to the ear, and as a matter of fact, almost all simple tunes end on their tonic note; it gives them a feeling of completion. This is a useful point to remember in learning to play by ear; the ear can be trained to recognize these aural signposts--this occurs both consciously and sub-consciously. The Major Scale-- As Played on Minor-Key Flutes! Now, Twinkle Etc. is a song in a major key. This is not the place for a full explanation--we're just working on fingerings for the moment! But a major key is one in which the familiar "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do" sequence applies. Singing (or playing) that sequence once through yields a major scale over a one-octave range. For the moment, we'll assign note 4 as our tonic in major-key tunes--it's the easiest starting point. Now let's play a complete major scale--the scale represented by the Do-Re-Mi, Etc. sequence. This starts on fingering 4, and ascends for one octave. The pattern will thus overlap the first and second registers: 4 3 2 1 O 6^ 5^ 4^
do re mi fa so la ti do (Note that the thumb is not used in this scale; it remains still, covering its hole. We'll get to note X--with thumbhole open--when we discuss minor keys.) Next, we're going to play the same pattern--in reverse! All this means is that we start on the high 4^ and reverse the finger action, so the sequence descends. Here's the numerical sequence for the descending pattern: 4^ 5^ 6^ 0 1 2 3 4
Exercise: Now play the two sequences together: Start at the bottom 4, play to the top 4, then reverse direction without pausing and play back to the bottom. Voila! These are the building blocks of music! Practice Songs Once you've gotten this far, you're well on your way. The study of music is never-ending, and the rewards come from each small discovery and technical victory. There isn't some magical point at which one finally "knows how to play" an instrument. Musicians should be lifelong students, and the pleasure comes from the process of continual discovery and improvement, combined with ever-increasing tools for self-expression. Enjoy the path, and never let frustration predominate, although it may sometimes appear. Next, you'll find tablature for a few simple tunes in major keys, followed by some useful scale-pattern exercises. Row, Row, Etc. (Again, the 4 is tonic in a major key)
4 4 4 3 2 2 3 2 1 0--- 6^ 6^ 6^ 0 0 0 2 2 2 4 4 4, 0 1 2 3 4--- Are You Sleeping, John-Bro?
4 3 2 4 4 3 2 4 2 1 0-- 2 1 0--
(In the last line, the melody jumps up to the second octave.)
0 6^ 0 1 2 4 0 6^ 0 1 2 3 4^ 0 4^-- 4^ 0 4^-- Happy Birthday Etc. This tune is somewhat more difficult, since it rises high into the second register. Here's the chart:
0 0 6^ 0 4^ 3^-- 0 0 6^ 0 3^ 4^-- 0 0 0^ 2^ 4^ 5^ 6^-- 1^ 1^ 2^ 4^ 3^ 4^-- Note the jump from 0 to 0^ in the third line -- see the section on Registers/Overblowing for practice hints. Speaking of the octave jump, it's a good idea to practice each note in octave-jumping patterns to help train the embouchure, like so: 6-- 6^-- 6--- 5-- 5^-- 5--- 4-- 4^-- 4---, and so on...hold the notes out, and concentrate on the tone, as always. Try to make a smooth transition between octaves--I know, it seems hard at first! Play the reverse pattern as well: 6^-- 6-- 6^--- 5^-- 5-- 5^--- etc. Amazing Grace -- a very well-known ballad, or slow tune.
4 1 1-- 6^ 0 1 6^--
6^ 0 1-- 3-- 4-- 4 1 1-- 6^ 0 1 6^-- 0 6^ 4^--- 6^ 4^ 4-- 6^ 0 1 6^-- 6^ 0 1-- 3-- 4-- 4 1 1-- 6^ 0 1 6^--- 0-- 1----- At this writing, it's early in December; the annual onslaught of Christmas songs has begun. These songs present a very rich source of potential material, since they tend to be simple and to stick close to the diatonic scale--and they're certainly familiar to just about everyone! So let's try a few... Silent Night
0 6^ 0 2--- 0 6^ 0 2---
3^ 3^ 5^--- 4^ 4^ 0--- 6^ 6^ 4^ 5^ 6^ 0 6^ 0 2--- 6^ 6^ 4^ 5^ 6^ 0 6^ 0 2--- 3^ 3^ 1^ 3^ 5^ 4^-- 2^--- 4^ 0 2 0 1 3 4--- Deck the Halls... (while resisting the temptation to deck your boss/creditors/mate/kids/etc.)
0--1 2 3 4 3 2 4
3 2 1 3 2--3 4- 5- 4- 0--1 2 3 4 3 2 4 3 2 1 3 2--3 4- 5- 4- 3-2 1 3 2-1 0 3 2 1 0 6^ 5^ 4^ 5^ 6^ 0-- 0--1 2 3 4 3 2 4 6^ 6^ 6^ 6^ 0-- 1 2- 3- 4--- We Wish You a Merry...
0 4^ 4^ 3^ 4^ 5^ 6^ 6^ 6^ 3^ 3^ 2^ 3^ 4^ 5^ 0 0 2^ 2^ 1^ 2^ 3^ 4^ 6^ 0 0 6^ 3^ 5^ 4^-- (Repeat this first section; next comes the bridge, or "middle part"): 0 4^ 4^ 4^ 5^-- 5^ 4^ 5^ 6^ 0-- 3^ 2^ 3^ 4^ 0^ 0 0 6^ 3^ 5^ 4^-- (Then repeat the first section to finish) O Tannenbaum (Christmas Tree)
0 4^ 4^ 4^-- 3^ 2^ 2^ 2^-- 2^ 3^ 2^ 1^ 5^ 3^ 4^-- (repeat section) Bridge: 0 0 2 6^-- 0 0 1 1-- 1 1 3 0-- 1 1 2 2-- (Then repeat first section) I could go on to list dozens--hundreds--of additional tunes, and will compile a longer collection in the future. If you have a tune you want translated into tablature, contact me and I'll decide whether it's a practical candidate. My translation fee is on an hourly basis, and will be billed at the same rate as your lawyer! (Actually, there are a few tunes that would require legal action for me to transcribe!) Next, let's try a few time-tested scale patterns; these are very useful for gaining fluidity and assurance in the fingers. Major-Scale Patterns to Practice Try this classic:
4 3 2 4-- 3 2 1 3-- 2 1 0 2-- 1 0 6^ 1-- 0 6^ 5^ 0-- 6 ^5 ^4^ 6^-- 5^ 4^ 3^ 5^ 4^---
Here's the above pattern descending, in reverse:
4^ 5^ 6^ 4^-- 5^ 6^ 0 5^-- 6^ 0 1 6^-- 0 1 2 0-- 1 2 3 1-- 2 3 4 2-- 3 4 5 3 4--
Another all-time practice-room classic:
4 2 3 1 2 0 1 6^ 0 5^ 6^ 4^ 5^ 3^ 4^--
And Descending:
4^ 6^ 5^ 0 6^ 1 0 2 1 3 2 4 3 5 4
Minor Scales Now we really get to the interesting stuff; it's where my minor-scale based flute system really comes into its own! The Natural Minor scale: This scale is what you get when you start at the flute's lowest note and--playing the same basic notes we've already covered--proceed upward for an octave, like so: 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 6^ --Naturally, you'd reverse this order to descend the scale. This scale is termed "natural" minor because it uses the very same notes as the major scale--but reckoned from a different key-note, or tonic. In this new, minor key, the tonic of the key becomes note 6--rather than note 4, as it was in our preceding major-key examples. Here's a tune based on the natural-minor scale: Summertime (and the playin' is easy)
2^ 4^ 2--- 3^ 4^ 3^ 2^ 4^ 6^ 2--- 2^ 4^ 3^--- 4^ 6^ 4^ 6^ 4^ 5^--- 2^ 4^ 2--- 3^ 4^ 3^ 2^ 4^ 6^ 2--- 2 0-- 2 0 6^ 4^-- 2^ 3^-- 4^ 4^ 6^---- Observe that "Summertime" ends on note 6--again, the tonic of the minor key is reinforced in this way, just as it was on the major tonic notes of previous examples. The major-scale "patterns for practice" in the preceding section can--and should be--practiced in minor, as well! As originally written, they all start on note 4; simply move the starting point to note 6, and play the same patterns in minor--once you've learned them well in the original, major key. Another example of a minor-key song is: Scarborough Fair
3-- 3 6^-- 6^ 2- 1 2 3---
This tune is actually written out in the key of 3 minor, so to speak; we aren't limited to using just one minor key, and Scarbourough Fair falls melodically into place most easily in this key.
6^ 4^ 3^- 4^ 6^ 5^ 0 6^--- 2^ 2^-- 2^ 3^-- 5^ 5^ 6^ 0 1 3--- 3-- 6^ 0-- 1 2 3 4 3---- One more Christmas song--this one is in a minor key. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
6^ 6^ 2^ 2^ 3^ 4^ 5^ 6^ 0 6^ 5^ 4^ 3^ 2^-- 6^ 6^ 2^ 2^ 3^ 4^ 5^ 6^ 0 6^ 5^ 4^ 3^ 2^-- 2 1 3 2 1 0 6^ 2 3 4 6 5 4 3 4 3 2-- 1 2 2 3 4 5 6-- 4 5 6 3-- 4 3 2 1 0 6^ 2 3 4 5 6---- (Note that we start in the high octave, then switch to the lower octave in the middle part of the song; this is in order to stay within the range of n Here's a James Taylor song from the '70s: Ain't No Sunshine (When She's Gone)
6 4 3 1-- 2 4 3--
6 4 3 1-- 2 4 3-- 3 3 1 6^-- 0 1 0-- 0 6^ 1 3 3 3 4 3-- 1 0 1-- 3 4 3 3-- (Repeat section) Next, there's an interlude that goes something like this: (Where James T. says "Well I know, I know, I know, I know...etc.")
6 4 3- 4 3- 4 3- 4 3- 6 4 3- 4 3- 4 3- 3 1-- 6^ 6^ 4^- 6^ 0 1 0-- 6^ 6^ 0 1-- 3 4 3--
(Then back to first section) The Harmonic-Minor Scale--Now we're havin' some fun! Here's where we finally get to use that thumbhole! The harmonic minor scale is the same as the natural minor--with the exception of one note. With this new scale, the thumbhole is used to raise the pitch of the seventh degree--whoops, veering a bit too close to music-theory terminology! Let's just say for now that the next-to-the-last-note in the scale--that is, the note immediately before the octave of the tonic is reached in ascending--becomes a half-step higher. To do this, we use the thumbhole note--note X--to produce that raised seventh scale-degree. Here's how the harmonic minor scale will look in ascending: 6 5 4 3 2 1 X 6^
See how that works? Notice that in passing between notes 1 and X, the index finger and thumb move as a unit, coming off (or onto) their respective holes at the same moment. Also, remember the hint given earlier: When playing notes 0 and X, it's a good idea to get into the habit of closing the right-hand holes. To review: 0 = Tooo/+++
X = 0ooo/+++ Again, it's much easier to pass between notes 0 or X and note 6 if this fingering trick is used to advantage--fewer fingers are required to move at once! Now, play the harmonic minor scale descending: 6^ X 1 2 3 4 5 6, and then put the ascending and descending forms together: 6 5 4 3 2 1 X 6^ X 1 2 3 4 5 6. Can you hear how the harmonic minor scale has a mysterious, "exotic," sort of belly-dancing, quasi-Middle Eastern sound? This is one of the coolest, most-fun scales to play around with, and it's great to use in free improvisation; the ease with which this particular scale can be played is an advantage of my minor-scale flutes. Once you get comfortable with this scale, you can play all sorts of interesting melodic figures with it. I'll give some examples of harmonic-minor patterns next, so you can start to become familiar with this neato-mosquito scale! Samples of Harmonic-Minor Patterns 2 1 X 6^ X 1 2--- This little snippet is great to practice until you've got it wired forward, backwards, and upside-down! I find that it's very effective to treat note 2 as a melodic focal point when playing in the natural minor mode--it really accentuates the scale's piquant, Middle Eastern sort of character. 2 X 1 2 5 3 2--- Again, the note 2 functions as a home base. 2---1 2 5 3 2 X 5 3---- This is the first phrase of Duke Ellington's great tune "Caravan." (But it gets a lot trickier from there on!) 5 3 2 1 X 5^ 6^--- Popped into my head just now! X 6^ X 2 1 5 2 6-- Ditto. 6 2 6^ 5^ 4^ X--- 6^ 2 4 6-- 4 2 3--- This is the opening phrase of the jazz classic "Harlem Nocturne." (See warning for "Caravan" above.) I could write out many, many more samples of harmonic-minor "licks." The scale lends itself to all sorts of melodic inventions, and you'll surely discover favorite patterns of your own once you become comfortable with it. Here's hoping you have a blast! My Favorite Things: check it out!
6^ 2^ 2^ 5^ 6^ 6^ 2 6^ 6^ 5^ 6^-- 6^ 2^ 2^ 5^ 6^ 6^ 2 6^ 6^ 5^ 6^-- 6^ 2^ 3^ 6^ 5^ 0 0 3^ 4^ 1-- 2 1 0 6^ 5^ 4^ 3^ 2^ 3^ X--- (Repeat section) Then: 2^ 2^ 2^-- 6^-- 3^ 3^ 3^-- X-- 4^ 4^ 4^-- 2 6^-- 6^ 6^ 5^ 6^ 5^ 6^ 5^ 4^ 3^ 4^ 3^-- 4^ 2^ 1^ 2^ 1^-- 2-- 3--- Notice how "My Favorite Things" uses the harmonic-minor scale, but then ends on the MAJOR keynote. Frequently, major keys are described as sounding bright, chipper, positive, upbeat. Minor keys are typically described as mournful, mysterious, poignant, wistful, etc. This song uses exactly those tendencies to accentuate its lyrics; the words speak of various afflictions (minor key) but then everything ends on a bright, positive note--in major: "And then I don't feel so baaad"... Pretty slick, eh? Finally for the moment, here's a Van Morrison song that seemingly will be played on FM radio forever! This song contains both notes 0 and X, since both the natural and harmonic minor scales are present in its different sections. Moondance
2 6^ 5^ 4^ 5^ 6^ 5^ 6^ X 6^ 2-- 6^ 5^ 4^- 5^ 6^ 5^ 6^ X 6^--
6^-- 5^-- 4^ 5^ 6^ 5^ 6^ X 6^ 2-- 6^ 5^ 4^- 5^ 6^ 5^ 6^ X 6^-- 6 5 4 1-- 0 1 2 6-- 5 4 3-- 4 3 2-- 6 6 6 1-- 0 1 2 6-- 5 4 3-- 4 3 2-- 6^- 0- 2- 6^- 6 4 2- 2- 3- 4- 6-- 6 6-- 6^- 0- 2- 6^- 6 4 2- 2- 3- 4- 6-- 6 6-- Pentatonic Patterns As the name implies, a pentatonic scale is one consisting of five notes. These scales are very widespread, and have universal appeal in their simplicity and immediate accessibility to the ear. They're widely encountered in all sorts of folk and ethnic music, in rock-and-roll, and elsewhere. Pentatonic scales are very useful when learning to improvise music; a great part of their appeal is their inherent lack of strongly dissonant "wrong" notes! One can noodle around all day on a simple pentatonic scale, and proceeding from any given note to another within the scale has an inherent melodic logic. Pentatonic scales can occur in both major and minor settings; as with other scales, this depends on the designated tonic note, and on the harmonic context of the tune. Note that the tune "Amazing Grace" (transcribed earlier) is a purely pentatonic tune, which helps to account for its timelessly appealing character. "Summertime," also notated above, is pentatonic except for one extra note--the note for the word high in the lyric--"And the cotton is high..." Here are a few examples of pentatonic patterns: 6 4 3 2 0 6^ 0 2 3 4 6--
extending the pattern:6 4 3 2 0 6^ 4^ 3^ 2^ 0^ 2^ 3^ 4^ 6^ 0 2 3 4 6---
A useful pattern variation on this scale: 6 4 3 6 4 3 2 4 3 2 0 3 2 0 6^---
(Extend this one upward too)
The above pattern in descending form: 6^ 0 2 6^ 0 2 3 0 2 3 4 2 3 4 6--
(now, play the ascending and descending forms as a seamless unit)>Another pentatonic scale: 5 3 2 0 6^ 5^ 6^ 0 2 3 5--
And another: 1 0 6^ 4^ 3^ 1^ 3^ 4^ 6^ 0 1 3 4 3 1--
Here's still another one, using the thumbhole: 2 X 6^ 5^ 3^ 2^ 3^ 5^ 6^ X 2---
Another pattern based on that scale: 6 5 3 6 5 3 2 5 3 2 X 3 2 X 6^ 5^ 6^ X 2---
When you're familiar with the feel of these scales, extend them as far as you can go comfortably--or uncomfortably!--over the flute's range, and try to come up with different pattern ideas. Hold some of the notes out looong, and skip lightly over others; strive to express these simple scales in a matter that seems musically valid to you. Good stuff! There are many, many other possibilities for pentatonic scales, and vor various patterns based on them; I've just shown a few to give you some ideas. As always, have fun with 'em! Chordal Patterns: Arpeggios A chord is the simultaneous sounding of two or more notes--although normally at least three notes are involved; simple three-note chords are termed triads. With a naturally chordal instrument such as the guitar, this is the first area of study. However, the flute is a melodic instrument, able to play only one note at a time. Nevertheless, we can simulate the sound of chords by playing individual notes in succession; an arpeggio consists of the notes of a chord played in this manner. Arpeggios are great practice material, very helpful in attuning the ear to music's harmonic underpinnings. Now we'll look at a few basic arpeggios that are particularly suitable for this flute system. I'm not going to explain the complete theoretical rationale for each arpeggio/chord's name, nor are we assigning specific A, B, C, etc. labels to the chords; we'll be concerned only with the type of chord. We'll also stick--for now--with chords that fall naturally into place in this diatonic flute design. Again, for more information on terminology: http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/ The Major Chord First, we'll base this chord/arpeggio on Note 4: T+++/+oo
4 2 0 4^--- 4^ 0 2 4--- 4 2 0 4^ 2^ 0^ 2^ 4^ 0 2 4--- 4 2 0 4 2 0 4^ 2 0 4^ 0^ 4^--- And here's a Major arpeggio based on Note 1 as tonic: 1 6^ 4^ 1^--- 1^ 4^ 6^ 1---
1 6^ 4^ 1 6^ 4^ 1^--- 1^ 4^ 6^ 1^ 4^ 6^ 1 4^ 6^ 1 4 6^ 1 4 6 4-- 1--- And on Note 0 as tonic: 0 5^ 3^ 0^--- 0^ 3^ 5^ 0---
0 5 3 0 5^ 3 0 5^ 3^ 0 5^ 3^ 0^--- 0^ 3^ 5^ 0^ 3^ 5^ 0 3^ 5^ 0 3 5^ 0 3 5 3 0--- The Minor Chord Based on Note 6: 6 4 2 6^--- 6^ 2 4 6---
6 4 2 6 4 2 6^ 4 2 6^ 4 2^ 6^ 4^ 2^-- 2^ 4^ 6^ 2^ 4^ 6^ 2 4^ 6^ 2 4 6^ 2 4 6--- Minor chord based on Note 3: 3 1 6^ 3^--- 3^ 6^ 1 3---
3 1 6^ 3 1 6^ 3^ 1 6^ 3^ 1^-- 1^ 3^ 6^ 1^ 3^ 6^ 1 3^ 6^ 1 3 6^ 1 3 6 1 3--- Minor chord based on Note 2: 2 0 5^ 2^--- 2^ 5^ 0 2--
2 0 5^ 2 0 5^ 2^ 0 5^ 2^ 0^-- 0^ 2^ 5^ 0^ 2^ 5^ 0 2^ 5^ 0 2 5^ 0 2 5 0 2--- Seventh Chords Seventh Chords are four-note chords; they consist of either a minor or a major chord with an additional note--the seventh--added to the basic triad (three-note chord.) From now on, I'm just gong to give the basic tablature spelling of the chords/arpeggios. For practice purposes, it's a good idea to extend these over your full range on the flute, and to explore various patterns along the lines of the exercises given earlier. There are several types of seventh chords, and here are some examples. Major-seventh chords: These consist of a major triad with an added major seventh. Based on Note 4: 4 2 0 5^ 4 ^
Based on Note 1: 1 6^ 4 2^ 1^
Minor-seventh chords: A minor triad with an added minor seventh. Based on note 6: 6 4 2 0 6^
Based on note 3: 3 1 6^ 4^ 3^
Based on note 2: 2 0 5^ 3^ 2
Seventh chords: In musical shorthand, a chord consisting of a major triad with an added minor seventh is referred to simply as a seventh chord; i.e., G7, D7, etc. (It's also called a dominant seventh, for reasons we won't cover at the moment.) Based on note 2: 2 X 5^ 3^ 2^
Based on note 0: 0 5^ 3^ 1^ 0^
There are other, more specialized seventh chords, but the three above are the most important. Here are a couple of other interesting chord-types: Diminished: 3 1 X 5^ 3^
Augmented: 2 X 4^ 2^
There are numerous other chord-types; these are just a few to help you get the feel for chordal patterns under your fingers, so to speak. I'd like to emphasize once again--especially for those who already have some knowledge of musical theory--that all the numbers I'm using at this point pertain only to the fingering tablature--not to the notes' theoretical intervallic relationships! Sample Chord Progressions Now that we have a vocabulary of a few basic chords, they can be put together to form chord progressions. This is a vast subject, and we'll look at a very few of the possibilities for the moment. First, here's the most widely-heard chord progression on the planet: 3 minor seventh--0 seventh--4 major (seventh) --Get it? This is a three-chord progression which can be cyclical, repeating itself over and over. The 4 chord can be a basic major chord, or optionally (as indicated) can be a major-seventh chord, for more "color." The 0 chord is a seventh chord--that is, a major triad with added minor seventh; the 3 chord is a minor seventh. The tablature spellings for all these chords were given above; here's a brief sample of an arpeggiated pattern outlining this progression: 3min7...... 07th........ 4maj7..............
3 1 6^ 4^ 3^ 5^ 0 1 4^ 5^ 0 2 4--- Another progression--a four-chord sequence which was heard in many, many 50s and 60s pop songs including Duke of Earl, Teen Angel, etc., etc. 1 major--6 minor--3 minor seventh--0 seventh--(repeat forever) ...And here's a sample melodic pattern that limns this progression (there are six notes in this pattern for each of the four chords of the progression.)
1maj......... 6min........ 3min7.......... 07th........
4 2 0 4^ 5^ 0 6^ 2 4 6 4 2 3 1 6^ 3^ 4^ 6^ 5^ 0 1 3 5 3 (repeat) A similar, longer cyclical progression is the one underlying "Pachabel's Canon"...... 4 major--2 minor--1 major--4 major--1 major--4 major--3 minor 7th--0 seventh.... ..And here we go with this one: 4maj........ 2min........ 1maj........ 4maj.......... 4 2 0 4^ 0 4 2 0 5^ 0 2 0 6^ 1 4 6 4 1 0 2 4^ 0 2^ 4^ 1maj........... 4maj........ 3min7.......... 07th........ (4... 6^ 4 1 6^ 4^ 6^ 0 2 4^ 0 2 4 3 1 6^ 4^ 3^ 4^ 5^ 0 1 3 5 3 (4... Just to make this clear: No matter what type of chord is specified--minor, major, seventh, whatever--the particular notes that make up that chord may appear in any order, in terms of which is the highest, lowest, in the middle, etc. It's still the same chord no matter how the individual notes are arranged. The term for these various placings of a chord's notes is inversions. Beyond the Basics: Extending the Range Upward, and Exploring the Extra-Diatonic Realm In all of the foregoing tablature and musical examples, we've stayed strictly in the home key of the flute--the diatonic realm. We've also stayed well within a two-octave range, and the highest note given so far has been X^. However, there's much more that can be done, even on a simple bamboo flute. The first topic we'll explore is pushing the range up into the flute's third octave. Playing these highest notes can seem to be a real strain at first, and your first efforts will almost certainly strain the ears of anyone nearby! But the ability to play high notes with a pleasant, sweet, unlabored tone is a mark of a truly skilled flutist. The high range is also a real test for the flutemaker--many a bamboo flute has been made that won't really play beyond the second octave (if it even plays decently for two octaves--but that's another soapbox!) A contemporary, mechanically-keyed orchestral flute has a standard range of three octaves, plus two or three fourth-octave notes. The best of my bamboo flutes have almost as much range, and will play well into--and sometimes all the way through--the third octave. However, most casual bamboo-flute players will be content to play just a few third-octave notes, and even these few extra notes are of great value in opening up the flute's expressive potential. Overblowing to the third octave is just like overblowing to the second--only more so! The lips will be even more compressed, the orifice (OO) very small and narrow, the angle of the airstream more across as opposed to into the blowhole. I'll even concede that a bit more breath support may be in order here--which is lurching dangerously close to advising you to "blow harder"--one of my pet-peeve misconceptions about flute playing! You do need more airspeed to get the high notes, but as observed earlier, this mainly occurs as a natural result of the OO's being smaller; this is referred to as the venturi effect... http://www.googlism.com/what_is/v/venturi_effect/ This is also where we first encounter the technique of half-holing. Any time a hole is only partially covered by its finger, it's called half-holing--but please note that the actual amount of hole that's covered must be determined by the ear, and may range from a small fraction of the hole, to almost all of it. This technique is used for several purposes; the first one we'll examine is in facilitating some of the higher notes. The symbol for a half-hole is: p Example: Tp++/+++ indicates a fingering with all holes covered--but the left-hand index finger is a half-hole, only partially covered. The "p" thus stands for "partial." A Few Third-Octave Notes We're not going to be too ambitious at first, and will just cover a few notes; this should be plenty to occupy the beginner. A third-octave note is indicated by a double carat, thus: ^^ The first note of the third octave is 6^^. In the third octave, there's much more variation in fingering. Two different flutes may respond quite differently to various fingerings, and the ear must guide. All third-octave notes that I'll suggest will have two or more fingerings; the player must simply find out which one works best on a particular flute. If you don't have an electronic digital tuner yet, this is a good moment to get one! I recommend the Korg CA-30 Tuner, and you can get it here for only twenty bucks, as of this writing: http://www.zzounds.com/cat--Korg-Tuners--3169 All right, let's give it a shot. Here are my suggested fingerings for 6^^...
Tp++/+++
Tp++/ooo p+++/+++ p+++/ooo To++/ooo T+++/+++ Here are possible fingerings for 5^^... T++o/++o
T++o/o++ T++o/+++ T++o/ooo --And for 4^^... T+o+/+oo
T+oo/++o T+oo/+oo In every case, these fingerings are listed in rough order of preference; if the first fingering shown works well in response and tuning, stick with it for the moment. Often, the alternate fingerings will later prove useful in various musical situations, depending on which notes immediately precede or follow them. This is as far as we'll go into the third octave for now... You've noticed that the fingerings for the third octave are more complex; often, there are one or more closed holes below an open hole or holes. This is referred to as cross-fingering, and cross-fingering also comes into play, along with half-hole fingerings, when we venture...boldly...forth... ...Beyond the Diatonic Realm! Every fingering and note given so far has been within the diatonic home-key of the flute. There are more notes out there, of course! So now we'll tackle the chromatic scale, and a bit of background information is in order. In the Western system that's evolved over the past few hundred years, an octave is divided into twelve equally-spaced increments, or half-steps. This is the chromatic scale. If you go to a piano and plunk out all of the notes--white and black keys--in order, after twelve notes your starting note will repeat--an octave higher or lower. The modern orchestral flute was invented by a brilliant fellow named Theobald Boehm, in the middle years of the 1800s--not so long ago! The Boehm flute has an elaborate and elegantly conceived system of keys, pads and levers designed to facilitate the chromatic scale. But in the days of Mozart and Handel, classical flutes typically had only one or two keys--for their very lowest notes--and the player had to produce the chromatic scale via crossfingering and/or half-holing. The history of non-mechanically-keyed flutes is vastly longer than that of keyed flutes! In fact, we can even play more notes than those that appear in the chromatic scale! An unkeyed flute actually has expressive advantages over a keyed one, in that notes can be "bent," "slid," or "smeared," producing a gliding effect, known as glissando. Notes that are actually of smaller increments than the standard half-steps are termed microtones. Speaking of microtones, here's a flute player you simply must hear: Hariprasad Chaurasia! http://www.musicalnirvana.com/hindustani/hariprasad_chaurasia.html (Note that in the photo, H.C. is taking a breath, not actually blowing into the flute; that would be a pretty huge OO! Also, he plays the flute "backwards," holding it out to the left side!) This guy is an amazing flute player, but he's a classicist--he sticks pretty close to the tradition of his training, and does everything completely differently from what I've been teaching! There are many ethnic traditions of bamboo flute playing, and much can be learned from them--but beware the traditionalists! They're likely to tell you that there's only one proper way of doing things, and that's fine--if you want to immerse yourself in one specific tradition. My focus has always been on studying as many approaches as possible, and then gleaning what works best in general application. --Where were we? Ah, the chromatic scale. When we enter the chromatic realm, things start to get jiggy! I may suggest several different fingerings for various notes. As with the third octave, one must experiment to find what works best with your particular flute. --Have you gotten that electronic tuner yet?-- But before we get to the actual fingerings, a bit more technical background. The twelve chromatic increments dividing an octave can be referred to by terms that denote their distance from a given starting point. I think this is a good time to tell you how these designations work. Here is what the twelve notes in the chromatic scale are called, in ascending order from the tonic, or starting note. These designations of distance from the given tonic are what are called intervals; the interval between any two adjacent chromatic notes is one half-step.
1...Starting note (tonic)...
2...Minor Second 3...Major Second 4...Minor Third 5...Major Third 6...Fourth 7...Diminished Fifth (Same as Augmented Fourth) 8...Fifth 9...Minor Sixth 10...Major Sixth 11...Minor Seventh 12...Major Seventh ...(Next comes the octave, where the whole cycle starts over) Th-th-th-th-that's all, folks--"all the notes!" You recall our earlier coverage of diatonic scales. A diatonic scale is a mixture of half steps and whole steps. The interval of a whole step is equal to two half steps. The particular character of a given diatonic scale--that is, whether it's major or minor, etc--is determined by just where the half steps and whole steps fall in the scale's construction. From now on, for the purpose of explaining chromatic fingerings, we'll designate the flute's lowest note--note 6 in our fingering system--as the starting point. So, without further ado, here is the chromatic scale, as it's applied to our bamboo flute system. Chromatic Scale, Expressed as Ascending Intervals from Note 6 as Tonic: (Notes in parentheses are new to us at this point)
Tonic: T+++/+++
(Minor Second: T+++/++p) Major Second: T+++/++o Minor Third: T+++/+oo (Major Third: T+++/poo) or: T+++/o++ Fourth: T+++/ooo (Dim. Fifth: T++p/ooo) or: T++o/++o or: T++o/+++ Fifth: T++o/ooo Minor Sixth: T+oo/ooo (Major Sixth: Tpoo/ooo) or: To++/+++ or: To++/ooo or: To++/+oo (etc.) Minor Seventh: Tooo/+++ or: Tooo/ooo or: O+oo/ooo or: O++o/ooo Major Seventh: Oooo/+++ or: Oooo/ooo You'll find that the best chromatic fingerings will often depend on which octave you're in; it may be that a halfhole will work best with a particular note in the low octave, whereas a cross-fingering is better for its higher-octave counterpart--or vice-versa. Experiment... Well, now that we've looked at the chromatic scale, what on earth will we do with it? Obviously, a bamboo flute doesn't exactly lend itself to playing a piece such as "Flight of the Bumblebee," with its frenetic, dizzying chromaticism! At first, playing chromatically can seem terribly daunting, but fear not--in practice, the notes can be gradually assimilated. There are many, many instances in which a tune will be mostly diatonic, and might require only one or two visits to a chromatic neighbor-tone. This is a long-term project, and you should expand beyond the diatonic realm very gradually. This is a good time to bring up one more point relating to the embouchure. You may have already noticed that it's possible to slightly change the pitch of a note by varying the amount of the blowhole that's being covered by the lower lip, and by altering the blowing angle. Covering more of the hole and blowing more into it will lower the pitch, and pulling back and blowing more across will raise the pitch. This can be taken advantage of--especially when exploring the possibilities of chromaticism. Often, with halfhole and cross-fingerings, notes can be improved in tone and pitch by varying the embouchure as just described. The fingers should work in tandem with the embouchure, with both being ultimately guided by the ear. Did I ever say all this was going to be easy? |