First, here are some comments by Michel Debost from the September 2012 edition of Flute Talk magazine which are great insights regarding etudes.
“Etudes are different from basic playing fundamentals like scales or tone work. Fundamentals hone playing skills day in and day out at any level. Etudes are temporary fodder, changing every week or at every lesson.”
It is said that Kincaid always required students to learn the Berbiguier 18 Exercises, whereas Marcel Moyse had a predilection for Andersen,Op.15.
I (Debost) used to think that long 4 or 5 page etudes,like those found in Andersen Op. 60, the de Lorenzo or the Koehler Op. 107 should be used to build up endurance, but decided that was not realistic. They are deliberately repetitive and monotony is the mother of boredom. I came to the conclusion that Andersen’s 24 Progressive Studies or Etudes in all keys are an optimal length.
The best road to good playing is to play relatively easy and familiar basics i.e. moderately fast scales in all imaginable articulation patterns and comfortably timed and tonal arpeggios,like in M.A. Reichert’s Exercices Journaliers, especially #2, #4 and #7.”
Michel Debost Recommends:
Berbiguier: 18 Exercises
Boehm: 24 Carpices, Op. 26
Andersen: 24 Exercises, Op. 15, 21, 33
Bach-studien: 24 Concert Studies based on J.S. Bach’s works (Universal) J.S. Bach Obbligatos from, the Cantatas (Franz Vester/Universal)
Donjon: Eight Etudes de Salon
Furstenau: Le Bouquet des Tons, Op. 125
Paganini: 24 Violin Caprices (J. Herman/Wummer)
Karg-Elert: 30 Caprices, Op. 107
Bitsch: 12 Etudes
Amazing Studies Selected and Arranged by Howard Harrison
This book was recommended by an adult student who loved working in it. The pieces were selected because they are all musical not just technical studies. The pieces also cover a wide range of musical styles. The Index allows you to actually choose a technique to work on, say rhythm or tone. There are multiple studies for each technique. If you find a song you particularly like there are notes on that page recommending other songs in that key, in that style as well as some harder or easier. Quite a delightful set-up especially for an intermediate adult student.
Andersen 24 Progressive Studies, Op. 33 edited by Charles DeLaney
Carl Fischer Music published this new edition in 2010. A favorite even at the college level. DeLaney’s notes are the finishing touch to these studies. He has added notes on the upper register, practice notes for each etude and “DeLaney’s Daily Dozen”.
Platonov Thirty Studies for Solo Flute by Ervin Monroe
This is an excellent study book especially for an intermediate student who is going to prepare for Solo & Ensemble Contest or for playing in a Youth Symphony. The studies cover major and minor key signatures, dynamics, many different rhythms and articulations and isolate important technical patterns and techniques. Each etude includes at least a new key signature, a tempo and an articulation. There are etudes which include double sharps and double and triple tonguing. Most are very delightful to play.
- C Major – simple exercise for speed
- a minor – early mordants and inverted mordants; move tempo when able; some trill/ alternate fingerings will sound different than regular ones.
- G Major – double tonguing practice
- e minor – Melodic exercise for speed and middle finger F# practice
- G Major – Good early trill fingering exercise
- a minor – Practice quick breaths
- D Major – Work on tonguing high notes from a jump up from a lower note
- d minor – Good for practicing speed and breathing
Favorites of Patricia George
Complete Method, Soussmann Advanced Etudes
Kohler Etudes
Furstenau, Twenty-Six Studies, Op. 107 Volumes 1 and 2
As she revisits etudes she works on playing them in different ways, say in a different octave with a different rhythm or articulation pattern or a different dynamic design.
Joseph Mariano
“Never leave an etude un-tongued.”
Joseph Mariano, Eastman School of Music flute professor
By this he meant, first play it as the composer intended and then repeat tonguing the entire etude.
William Kincaid, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia
Includes the following in his lessons:
Maquarre Daily Exercises, memorized
Anderson Studies, beginning with Op. 33
Kuhlau Divertissements