#ferling 48 studies

[charlottejmusic]

SAXOPHONE PRACTICE DAY 23

21/1/19

I’ll admit it. DAY 22 was a bit of a dud start to WEEK 4. But on DAY 23 I was feeling a lot fresher, and was ready to get back into the swing of things proper.

Here is the WEEK 4 practice routine:

What’s great about this week is that all the different sections of practice are included. From here on it’s just about extending the time I take practising each one. If the worst comes to the worst and I don’t have the full length of time one day to practise that week’s routine (WEEK 5 and onwards), I can slot in a WEEK 4 practice routine, and still cover all my bases.

You might have noticed that the new addition to this week’s routine is studies. I’m using that book that all saxophonists know: Marcel Mule’s transcriptions of Ferling’s 48 Ètudes. Originally written for oboe, this book includes a fast and a slow study in every major and minor key, starting with C major (no flats of sharps) and ending with Gb minor (6 flats). It’s designed like this so that each study is progressively more difficult, and in theory once you’ve learned all of them you’ll be a pro at playing in all 24 keys.

Now I have been using this book for donkeys years, but never got to the end. I usually practise the first few, then end up leaving studies out of my practice routine for a while, then come back to it and start again. I have practised the first two studies in the book so many times that I couldn’t face playing them again, so this time I am starting with Study 3 - a slow one in A minor. I’ve decided to learn this one on sop, and maybe the next one on alto. I need to figure out a system to decide which ones to play on alto and which ones on sop.

Jazz and Classical players alike use this book; Charlie Parker was known to have practised each study in all 12 keys. I want to follow in his footsteps and do the same, so that I can improve my technical facility (generally what ètudes are for) and more finely tune my ears. I also want to compare the sax versions to the original oboe ones, as I’ve done this for a couple and it turns out that Marcel Mule has a habit altered the dynamics, phrasing and articulation pretty drastically. I want to go over each one and figure out which elements of the oboe and sax versions work best for me, and create my own interpretations.

Here’s where I am with Study 3 at the moment. I’ve got some sense of line but feel like it could push forward a bit more in places to give it more of a sense of direction. Also the way and places I’m breathing are breaking it up a bit, so I need to work that out. The tuning on a couple of top notes wobbles so I need to get it in tune and keep it steady, and I need to have crisper articulation. Finally although some note endings are nice, I can give most of them (especially on the last note) more rounded endings.