Flute Playing Videos: PRACTICING STACCATO with Krzysztof Kaczka (3/10)

This is the third of a ten part video series we recorded with top international flautist Krzysztof Kaczka. Throughout the videos Krzysztof will talk about various techniques and exercises to help improve your flute playing, whatever your level.

3. Flute Playing – Practicing Staccato Passages

Following on from our first video (warm up) and second video (tone exercise) we’re now looking at a method to use when practicing staccato passages. Playing clean staccato is something a lot of flute players worry about. It’s interesting that Kryzstof suggests that he essentially regards it as a shortened legato.

“Staccato is short legato…never forget to make a singing line.”

This change of mindset could be useful when you’re faced with a particular tricky staccato passage in a piece of music. If you practice it at half speed and legato it will help the fingers start to learn their way around the music first. Then after some time you can speed up and introduce the technical change of playing it in a staccato way.

Not only will this help when practicing but also in the performance. If we remember that its base is actually in legato it will stop it becoming too abrupt and snatched.

We’ll be back soon with the fourth video so stay tuned to our Flute Newsletters for the latest release. Many thanks to Pearl Flutes for supporting this video series.