Comment J'ai Pu Maintenir Ma Forme/So Blieb Ich In Form/How I Stayed In Shape

I don't know what kind of shape an embouchure would have to be in to begin with, to merely STAY in shape with the daunting etudes Moyse gives us in his staying-in-shape book. I've played the flute all my life, quite intensely at times, and I almost fainted when I saw the first page.But take heart! Moyse also gives us many short and lovely pieces to use for "the piece you just love playing" to play with every practice session for pure pleasure -- and to bring ourselves back to tone and expression after a hard technical workout. Many are transcriptions from opera arias, and a few even have some of the words to help us make the flute sing. Others are from works for other instruments or bits from orchestral solo passages tweaked to complete the story. Most have brief, helpful comments on techniques for getting that expression.These little pieces -- it would be a shame to approach them as "studies" -- and the text bits make the book worth the price, and more. The text is a good read. It isn't all painstaking detail about technique (as in the Moyse technique books on tone, articulation, and so on), though there's enough of that to help, but has some interesting history ("Vibrato in 1905" should give anyone working on a piece of 19th century flute music something to think about) and lots of passionate and even humorous ("When I hear a talented flutist... I want to ask him the following questions... 'Where did you buy your lips?'...) thinking-in-print: on flute playing, flute playing styles, flutists and their teachers, a life in flute...I found that some of the exercises weren't such killers as I thought when glancing at a page. A few times over the first few measures to get them into the body systems and they're almost possible if one expunges all thought of Moyse and Galway from the mind.As if this weren't enough, the book is a pleasure to handle -- very clear print, with the music of reasonable size, firm sturdy paper, sturdy enough cover, yet thin enough so that it doesn't -- once all the pages have been opened and flattened-- want to jump off the stand. I'd recommend it to any pupil who showed signs of being a serious flute player -- but I don't think I'd start with the first etude!

This is an excellent book for an advanced player who has a busy schedule and limited practice time. It helps to organize your practice time efficiently. It is also useful to show advancing students effective etudes for specific problems.

Yes, very good book. Keep you busy for life. This is hard work for any level of player. A bit like training for the olympics. I have not got through it all yet but I will keep up the good fight.

All of my intermediate to advanced students use this book. The Reichert etudes, alone, are worth this book's weight in gold! For those who practice correctly, progress has been near miraculous. This is a "must buy" for serious students.

When, at the preface, Moyse says it's tailored for "musicians who don't have much time to practice", it might be a little joke. The exercises on it are exhausting. I wonder what would be his book for someone who has all the time to practice...Excellent work, as all of Moyse's books! For serious advanced musicians. 10 out of 10.