Not long ago I started wondering about both the content and the structure of my warmup, and whether I was able to explore the widest range of color and emotion I was seeking in my playing.I also wanted to have a warmup that would bring me joy in the process.
At a flute fair in Rochester, NY I came across a lovely 5-note scale-based exercise attributed to renowned flutist and teacher Sam Baron called “Each Motif One Fast Puff of Air.” This simple exercise – modal in nature – caught my attention. I began using it in my warmup routine and felt it provided me with important feedback about sound, embouchure, fingers, and breathing, along with space to notice what I was feeling and hearing as I practiced. I found myself improvising little modal melodies and ended up developing a book that would be published with Conway Publications titled “Modal Flute Warmup.”
As I continued compiling this book I kept reflecting on the idea of discovery. If we are practicing with a sense of discovery, we take on an active role, creating space for reflection, asking questions as part of the learning process, and seeking out solutions to problems. When we engage in discovery as learners, we are open to what we might find, with awareness and perception heightened in the moment. We can glean further meaning about the idea of “discovery” by looking at some synonyms: encountering, exploring, sensing, feeling, hearing, finding, uncovering, unearthing, realizing, spotting, detecting, learning. Discovery can also lead to “aha” moments and revelations.
Most importantly, bringing an air of discovery to our practice can help lead us to an increased understanding about our flutist-selves and our playing. The book aims to encourage flutists and their teachers to bring this air of discovery to their practice. We can explore sound discovery in our playing by being aware of what we are doing as a whole – what we hear, what we feel, and what we notice as we are creating sound on our flute.
Through the use of modes, this book also offers further opportunities for discovery. Modes invite us to experience new sounds, new fingering combinations, and new emotions, providing an expanded color palette that goes beyond tonal harmony. Using these exercises, you can investigate and decide for yourself where the tension/release of a phrase might be, and the unusual intervals and note combinations will fill your practice with new technical possibilities to explore and solve.
The book is organized into two main chapters.
Chapter 1 has nine sections to help explore “sound discovery” in your flute playing (what we hear, what we feel, and what we notice as we are creating sound on our flute). A different aspect is presented in each section. By taking time to explore and discover each of these aspects, your playing benefits as a whole. You can begin to hear, feel, and notice what you are doing as you create sound on your flute.
The Start to Discover sections include:
• Body Awareness
• Breathing
• Embouchure
• Tone
• Technique
• Articulation
• Expressive Elements
• Practicing• Your Flute
Example of a Start to Discover section from Chapter 1 “Body Awareness”
Chapter Two includes the 6-part modal warmup that gives opportunities for further sound discovery as well as color palette expansion. The 6-part warmup provides opportunities to explore exercises for our air, lips, fingers, creativity, and sonority, using modes to explore a holistic sense of our sound – sound discovery – and an expanded color palette for our ears.
- Part 1: Modal Airy Sounds
- Part 2: Modal Harmonics
- Part 3: Modal Patterns
- Part 4: Modal Root Patterns
- Part 5: Modal Noodles
- Part 6: Modal Melodic Patterns
Let’s explore each of the six parts, with examples of the exercises along with descriptions about each.
Part 1: Modal Airy Sounds
“Airy sounds” are an important part of warming up as these help us activate our air. Windy Tones in Lydian uses “wind tones.” A wind tone is created by blowing air across the embouchure hole. Aim to only hear air, not any flute tone. As you create the regular tone, direct the air more into the embouchure hole. You might find it helpful to start and finish each line by playing the note with regular tone.
Exploration and discovery:
By exploring what constitutes or doesn’t constitute a centered tone, we can learn more about how to produce the tone we are seeking. Do these exercises provide help in expanding your concept of tone? If so, how?
Part 2: Modal Harmonics
These don’t need to have a clear tone; explore these with lots of continuous air and with an open, free sound. Let the lips be free. All of these have regular notes followed by harmonics. When you play the harmonic, the timbre will change, but the note will remain the same. Freely Phrygian mode feels mysterious and mystical – what do you hear? First play the two measure melody as written. Then play the next two measures fingering the notes below but sounding the same melody that you played in the first two measures.
Exploration and discovery:
Like “airy sounds,” harmonics can also help expand our concept of tone. What do you hear or notice as you change from the regular note to the harmonic, or vice versa? Which exercise resonates with you the most? Why?
Part 3: Modal Patterns
This part is based on the initial 5-note scale-based exercise by Sam Baron mentioned earlier. It has been expanded with all transpositions (all Modes in C, C#, etc.) and it is called Modal Patterns. Organized in Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian.
Part 4: Modal Root Patterns
In Part 4 we will move through the Modes on the same note (or root). It is the same material presented in Part 3 but organized in a different way: Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian, Locrian.
For part 4, in organizing them in this way we keep the same note as the root, and we create the different modes around that note. Listen for the one note change between exercises.
Exploration and discovery for both Part 3 and 4:
Go beyond their technical nature. While these look like finger exercises, approach these from a mindset of air and exploration more than technical facility. Concentrate on quality of air and sound and less about “fast fingers.” Remind yourself that these are meant to encourage you to discover and reflect on your flute playing. Listen to the changing colors of the modes, move with the whoosh of each phrase, visualize your air, and let your body be at ease. Listen to your sound, notice what you feel. Let your ears be open and be receptive to the thoughts you have as you play through these.
Part 5: Modal Noodles
The Modal Noodles in this part provide an opportunity to enjoy a modal color in all transpositions. Noodle through different modes while exploring your flute playing! “Floating” (Lydian Modal Noodle) – The first modal noodle is in what is considered the brightest mode, Lydian. Aim for a floaty, fluid sound, connecting all the notes with continuous air.
Exploration and discovery:
Modal noodles offer new fingering combinations, new colors, and new emotions to explore. There are also opportunities to explore improvising. Did you experience any new fingering combinations? Are there certain emotions, colors, words, or images that you associate with certain modal noodles or modes? Did you improvise? What was that experience like?
Inventing your own music based on a particular mode without any other constraints can be a wonderful way to explore your creativity and become more familiar with modes, too. There is no right way to improvise. Instead, I encourage you to let go of any expectations you might have about creating your own music. You can let the prompts be a guide to help you get started.
Part 6: Modal Melodic Patterns
Like Part 4, this part keeps the same note as the root and creates the different modes around that note. Wrap up your warmup session with these modal melodic patterns and listen to the single note change in each line.
Exploration and discovery:
Think about the suggested colors for each mode. Think about how you can express these colors as you play.Reflect on your experiences in playing the modes throughout this book.
When you have been playing the modes, have the colors in the Suggested Color Spectrum of Modes resonated with you? Would you assign another color to any mode? What did you learn or discover by playing modes?
As you practice, reflect on what you hear, feel, uncover, and learn about your playing. I hope you enjoy exploring these samples from the book. Please see below about purchasing a copy of the book in its entirety. Please be in touch – I’d love to hear about self-discovery experiences!
About Laura Lentz: “She plays beautifully, with enviable control and supple phrasing,” says Sequenza21 of flutist Laura Lentz. Hailed for her “striking, meticulous flute playing,” is praised by audiences and composers for her “incredible, gorgeous tone.” She has a deep commitment to sharing the work of today’s most forward-thinking composers and is dedicated to both performance and mentorship through her work as a soloist, collaborator, and teacher. Ms. Lentz is highly regarded for her applied flute teaching, insightful master classes, and arts leadership courses, and has four solo recordings. She is currently based in Rochester, NY.
www.lauralentzflute.com
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Modal Flute Warmup by Laura Lentz
Modal Flute Warmup: Sound Discovery and Color Palette Expansion by Laura Lentz with foreword by Lea Pearson, author of Body Mapping for Flutists. Here is an essential book for any flutist who is eager to explore a new warmup approach that invites a sense of discovery and sparks joy in the process. Based on modes, this book is for flutists (high school level and up) and their teachers.