Brown , Rachel - Five Concert Etudes (Solo Flute)

Traditional Etudes with a melodic flavour to suit performance. The Etudes practice speed, agility, expression and solo work, and are bright, rhythmic and full of expression. Etude No. 1 is a solo for grade 8 and above that practices fingering, note jumps, dynamics, breathing control, concentration and stamina - it is a wonderfully melodic exercise that when played well, and at the correct speed, will go down a treat in any concert. Etude No. 2 is an exercise practicing triplets whilst changing from staccato to slurred notation - this exercise as written will be useful to most students from around grade 3, and can be played in the higher octave from around grade 6. Etude No. 3 is a fast solo practicing note jumps, speed and playing in the highest octave - the exercise uses top C on several occasions and is suitable for grade 8 and above. As the piece is also melodic, it makes an excellent concert piece when played well at the correct speed with dynamics and expression. Etude No. 4gives practice in playing in 6/8 with note jumps and triple tonguing, and would suit players around grade 6 standard. Etude No. 5 is a solo practicing longer passages and arpeggios, reaching top C and suitable for grade 8 and above. The higher passages can be easily played in the lower octave to give lower grade students fingering practice.

Review: "Five bite-size manageable studies by Rachel Brown suitable for about grade 6-8 level. Each study focuses on a different aspect of technique from articulation, dynamics, intervals and they cover the entire three octaves of the flute. Some come with suggestions of taking them one step further by practising them up the octave. They also cover arpeggios, scales and broken chords and modulations and would be a useful book to work on such areas especially if a student is looking for a compact study book and doesn’t already possess numerous others. The print is nicely set out, clear and easy to read." - Dr. Rachel Smith DMA, MA, BMus (Hons), FTCL - September 2014.

Review: "If played with enormous panache and flair, these pieces would indeed make impressive concert items, but they are essentially technical studies. The first one is 78 bars of semiquavers in the middle range of the flute. The second consists of triplets articulated with one staccato note, two slurred, with an instruction to perform the etude an octave higher. The third is mostly semiquavers, the final eight bars challenging technical facility up to top C. The fourth is triplets with a variety of articulations and dynamic levels. The fifth consists of a series of slurred arpeggios.  The whole set would be excellent background practise for a student preparing for Grade 8." - Alison Uren in Music Teacher September 2008