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tonebase Flute Course

Tone Color and Vibrato

Taught by renowned flutist

Mark Sparks

This course is a thorough introduction to the concepts of resonance, timbre, and vibrato. Mark Sparks speaks at length about the technical theory behind each, and provides a wealth of repertoire examples to guide our application of these devices.

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    Difficulty: 
    All-Levels
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    Duration: 
    2
     hours
     hour

Course Syllabus

Resonance

In this lesson, Sparks defines a focused tone, how to create one, and how to control dynamics and register independently.

Timbre

Also called color or density of sound, timbre is the unique overtone profile of our sound. Sparks uses examples from the repertoire to discuss how to create different timbres.

Vibrato

Vibrato is often hotly debated, but there are many constant principles that govern its technique and use. Additionally, Sparks provides examples of things to avoid when applying vibrato.

Expressive Devices

Sparks discusses how to apply timbre and vibrato to more examples from the repertoire.

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Mark Sparks
meet YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Mark Sparks

Mark Sparks is the former Principal Flutist of the St. Louis Symphony. With a commitment to nurturing the next generation of flutists, Mark Sparks showcases his versatile musicianship through captivating performances as an accomplished flutist and a faculty member of DePaul University and the Aspen Music Festival.

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Mark Sparks
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