Flute Music Critic Blog

Focus: Key signatures, Concert Ab vs. A (F vAmeyaltzin Luera

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Flutes

    I found three different flute players to see whose music is worth listening to. Two are professionals and one is a nonprofessional. I found that there is a big difference between  professionals and nonprofessionals. The three artists are Harold Alexander, Eugenia Zukerman, and the nonprofessional, James Faber. When I listen to professionals they make playing the flute sound easy and play it so passionately and full of emotion. However, when I listen to nonprofessionals it's hard to enjoy the music; it sounds like there's no emotion, a disconnect between the musician and music. But what about the playing makes it sound that way? The biggest issues in non professionals are dynamics, the smoothness of the notes, and a lack of confidence.  

    Eugenia Zukerman’s dynamics are the strongest of the three. In my opinion, dynamics are one of the most important parts in delivering emotion while playing music. She is a classical musician and often plays loud and fast. She manages to articulate her notes and not clump them together while playing fast. Not only that, but she also maintains the loudness of the sound while hitting high notes, unlike when James Faber plays, James Faber struggles with high notes and misses notes while playing fast.

    Harold Alexander is the strongest with smoothness of notes. He is both a saxophonist and and a flute player. His music is a nice blend of funk, soul, jazz, and R&B. When hitting high notes he sounds clear and smooth. His playing is nothing like James Faber’s who, when hitting the high notes, sounds airy and choppy. Harold Alexander is so good, he can go beyond the normal and still sound good. This comes with being a professional, being creative, and passionate. He sings along while also playing the flute. He is a true legend.

    What really stops James Faber from being good is his lack of confidence. He is not as experienced as most musicians. Whenever he plays you can hear his nervousness. It sounds like he's concentrating on not messing up and the professionals sound like they're going with the flow of the song. With more confidence he could sound stronger and closer to the music.  

    I would say that James Faber gets a 2 out 3 for effort. Harold Alexander gets a 5 out of 5 for beautiful music and creativity. Eugenia Zuckerman also gets an 5 out of 5 for outstanding performance. The difference between professional and nonprofessional are big. However i would recommend giving them all a try. You're not born a professional and with time James Faber could be wonderful. Even James Faber is inspirational.