LFP 024 | Another Piece of Important Equipment for Flutists

Hello today and welcome to the Learn Flute Podcast. I’m Rebecca Fuller your host and expert at all things flute and especially learning how to play. Today we’ll be discovering another important piece of of equipment flutists need to be successful.

Well, hello hello. I hope you’re having a great day. I definitely am. I am. I live in one of the most beautiful places, and the weather is just incredible today! I actually had to stop and go out to take a few pictures because I wanted to savor it even more.

I hope wherever you are that it’s a great day for learning a little more about playing the flute well, because we have a new subject to discuss, and that is some of the other equipment you need to learn to play the flute well and become a real musician. We’re talking about one particular accessory to your learning and that is … the metronome!

You know, when I was younger.. way way younger I remember not liking the metronome. I think that’s because I have a strong enough personality that I don’t really like someone or something telling me what to do, and pretty much that’s what this piece of equipment is for! It clicks and clicks (or beeps depending on what kind you have) and the idea is that you learn how and where to put your notes in relation to how fast it’s ticking away.

Basically, it rules your practice session, and the only way to have a good time with it is to conform to its demands.

I may have mentioned this before in an email or article somewhere that you may have seen, but I vividly remember my oldest son, who is an amazing musician – I mean concertos by age nine and several instruments later I’d say he’s very fluent in the language of music – and a little side-note here is that because of all his music training and especially in the way I teach and practice with them at home, he’s become quite a polyglot as well. 

That just means he speaks different languages fluently, he speaks four different languages- at only age 22! Well, anyway what I was going to say a Hello today and welcome to the Learn Flute Podcast. I’m Rebecca Fuller your host and expert at all things flute and especially learning how to play. Today we’ll be discovering another important piece of of equipment flutists need to be successful.

Well, hello hello. I hope you’re having a great day. I definitely am. I am. I live in one of the most beautiful places, and the weather is just incredible today! I actually had to stop and go out to take a few pictures because I wanted to savor it even more.

I hope wherever you are that it’s a great day for learning a little more about playing the flute well, because we have a new subject to discuss, and that is some of the other equipment you need to learn to play the flute well and become a real musician. We’re talking about one particular accessory to your learning and that is … the metronome!

You know, when I was younger.. way way younger I remember not liking the metronome. I think that’s because I have a strong enough personality that I don’t really like someone or something telling me what to do, and pretty much that’s what this piece of equipment is for! It clicks and clicks (or beeps depending on what kind you have) and the idea is that you learn how and where to put your notes in relation to how fast it’s ticking away.

Basically, it rules your practice session, and the only way to have a good time with it is to conform to its demands.

I may have mentioned this before in an email or article somewhere that you may have seen, but I vividly remember my oldest son, who is an amazing musician – I mean concertos by age nine and several instruments later I’d say he’s very fluent in the language of music – and a little side-note here is that because of all his music training and especially in the way I teach and practice with them at home, he’s become quite a polyglot as well.  

That just means he speaks different languages fluently, he speaks four different languages- at only age 22! Well, a bout him is that he used to absolutely hate the metronome when he was younger. I used to turn it on for him and then walk out of the room. When I returned, it was always off and hidden somewhere. He thought he was so funny by making his mom and music teacher find it. Basically, he just didn’t like that it forced him to put his notes in place. 

Haha, if I could only have made him understand this at that time… but no worries- he was always an obedient child and he blossomed into a full-fledged musician. We were persistent and positive. And, we never threw away the metronome. Of course we both really like it now.

One day several years later from these ‘hide the metronome from mom’ incidents, my son had his own music teaching studio with many students of his own. He was showing other young music enthusiasts how to play and enjoy it as well. 

Here’s the interesting thing to note – I remember being at the top of the stairs and kind of hesitating slash listening to him as he explained to this young student of his how to use the metronome and that it was super cool because it would help him learn to play music that sounded relaxed and organized.

“Woooooooow” I thought. I guess he did finally understand what that extra piece of equipment on the music stand was for.

I’m here to declare to all of you who may be in the reach of my voice that no matter our best intentions, we just can’t focus on everything at once- and especially the beat. Turning the metronome on at a slow enough pace so that we can get from note to note while paying attention to all of the other many details is going to establish the kind of order you need to take your music to a polished level.

Basically, I’m trying to help you win over the idea of turning on the metronome often here because it does make a huge difference in your playing abilities.  I can always tell between a student who just practices haphazardly and one who keeps the ticky-tock evenness in mind.

There are exact tricks and tips about the metronome I’ll be showing you in the lessons that will help you use this device to your advantage as well. When the time signature and the rhythms lend to changing the pace, I’ll show you.

I guess there is a lot more to learning how to play the flute than just… playing the flute eh?

Today I thought I’d share a comment from one of my good online students because I want you all to know that you are not alone. You have many many friends who are along this journey with you. It’s fun, challenging, and rewarding as well.

Today’s comment comes from a nice lady named Ellen. Now Ellen sent this in to me, and I kept it because it was just so friendly and encouraging, I wanted to make sure I shared it with you. She says, “ Hi Rebecca! I am so glad I found you! I played flute very briefly about 45 years ago. I decided to learn again to fulfill the desire I had as a young child. I love your teaching methods and am breezing right through these modules. I am hoping to prove the old adage, “You can teach an old dog new tricks!” Thanks you!”

Well, you are very welcome Ellen, I am very glad that you are on this quest with us. Thanks for sending that in.

Let’s make sure that we all enjoy the learning process. I’d like to leave you with this thought today that “Music is a basic need of human survival. Music is one of the ways we make sense of our lives, one of the ways in which we express feelings when we have no words, a way for us to understand things with our hearts when we can’t with our minds.”
I hope to see you in a lesson module soon. Have a great day!