3 Pieces of advice for flutists from Emmanuel Pahud
Here at Play with a Pro we have had the honor of working with Emmanuel Pahud, one of today’s most renowned flutists. Critiques widely agree that his technique is exquisite and flawless, his stage presence is imposing and the emotion he expresses while playing, can easily send you into a trance of deep emotional exploration. Since we believe that sharing is caring, we want to share with you some of Emmanuel Pahud’s thoughts and advice for flute players. You can also see the full interview with him for free here.
1.What makes a great flute player in your opinion?
A great flute player is someone who doesn’t feel the limitations of the nature of the instrument or from the technical side. So, it’s a combination of technical ability, sound expressivity and flexibility, and unlimited possibilities. But, a good musician is somebody who tells the story. While the composer writes down with black and white the notes, he is like a writer putting down the words. The whole piece has a development, it has a structure...it’s like a theater play with all the characters.
“A good musician is somebody who tells the story.”
Our job as performers is to find the inspiration of the composer, what made him put these feelings and thoughts on the paper. Our job is to bring these back to life, so that they reach the people out in the hall. Music is a coded language, without words, without pictures and this is why it’s so suggestive. Anybody in the audience, as soon as you catch their attention, they are following the music and they can think whatever they want to think and feel at that moment. So a good musician is a combination of good instrumental skills, good presence and he/she has the talent of telling the story in such a way that people react to it.
Comments
Some Test User | at Sept. 10, 2018, 12:41 p.m.
Our job as performers is to find the inspiration of the composer, what made him put these feelings and thoughts on the paper. Our job is to bring these back to life, so that they reach the people out in the hall. Music is a coded language, without words, without pictures and this is why it’s so suggestive. Anybody in the audience, as soon as you catch their attention, they are following the music and they can think whatever they want to think and feel at that moment. So a good musician is a combination of good instrumental skills, good presence and he/she has the talent of telling the story in such a way that people react to it.
Igor | at Sept. 10, 2018, 12:48 p.m.
A great flute player is someone who doesn’t feel the limitations of the nature of the instrument or from the technical side. So, it’s a combination of technical ability, sound expressivity and flexibility, and unlimited possibilities. But, a good musician is somebody who tells the story. While the composer writes down with black and white the notes, he is like a writer putting down the words. The whole piece has a development, it has a structure...it’s like a theater play with all the characters.