Ok, so raise your hand if you’ve ever been handed Stars and Stripes Forever and said “How am I ever gonna get this up to tempo?” 🙋♀️
Writing to you as a fellow flute player, I know just how that feels. Cut time, lots of flats, various trills, and a tempo so fast that the music just kind of blows by..... it can seem IMPOSSIBLE. And to top it all off, sometimes the music is super hard to read!
If this is you, I promise there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with you. It’s a piece a lot of us woodwind players struggle with. But it IS possible to play it up to tempo. Here are some of my favorite practice strategies for increasing that tempo and cleaning up the technique.
(and pro tip: use these same strategies for any difficult music you come across!)
1. Practice your scales
Practice your scales in 2 octave form (or 3 octave if you can). Practice them at different speeds. Slurred. Double tongued. Basically, we want you to really push yourself with your scales to increase your technique and get your fingers moving faster!
2. Practice it slowly with a metronome
Pick out a 4-measure phrase that is super difficult for you, and practice it slowly with a metronome. Then, gradually increase the tempo. You can also find out my favorite way to practice tricky passages in my Fast Fingers Workshop.
3. Practice Some Long Tones
When it comes to playing fast notes, we gotta make sure our breathing is on-point so that we have enough momentum to get through all the tricky bits! To make sure your breathing and tone is fully maximized, practice some long tones before practicing Stars and Stripes.
4. Listen to the piece (and follow along)
One of the best ways to play something difficult is to know what it sounds like, and even be able to sing it in your head. Listen to recordings of the piece along with the music to get a better feel for how it’s supposed to go. If you feel like a lot of recording are too fast, we recorded several slow versions (WITH the notes to follow along) that you can check out on our Youtube channel.
5. Get a private teacher
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make in their practicing is spending weeks, months, even years trying to practice it on their own…. When just ONE private lesson could have made them reach their goal so much faster.
Being able to get feedback on your posture, tone, articulation, hand position, etc…. that can save you COUNTLESS hours of stress in the practice room. It’s great to have a lesson BEFORE you start practicing away, to make sure you’re getting started on the right foot. Don’t wait until you’ve already practiced it for months!!! You can click here to email us if you’re interested in a lesson. We would love to hear from you.
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