A complete guide for anyone who plays the flute or ever wanted to. Use it along with flute lessons or even to teach yourself! This book covers everything you need and more -- selection and care, flute technique, fingering, playing by ear, reading music, flute history, flutes around the world, and modern folk flutes. "How to Love Your Flute" will appeal to all flutists, from beginning to advanced.

////////////////////////////

Mark Shepard is the author of "How to Love Your Flute," hailed by Paul Horn as "a model for our times," as well as the craft guide "Simple Flutes." He has played flute professionally in a folk music trio, as a modern dance accompanist, and as a solo theater musician.

////////////////////////////

"Shepard has come up with the most unique flute manual I have ever seen. It is direct, complete, informative on every aspect, and -- most important -- comes from the standpoint of pure love and respect for the instrument. . . . [This] book serves as a model for our times, and it is an inspiration for those who want to get more out of life through the joys of flute playing." -- Paul Horn, from the Preface

"Shepard`s soul-felt passion for the flute resonates through his book like music. It`s a comprehensive guide with something for everyone, from novice to professional, and so well written that it`s a pleasure just to browse through it. This book inspires." -- Diana Barich, The Next Whole Earth Catalog

"Comprehensive and concise . . . . A highly readable and inspirational guide for flutists of every age and ability." -- Jeanne Baxtresser, first flute, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

////////////////////////////

CONTENTS

Preface, by Paul Horn
Introduction

Part 1 ~ FLUTE LORE
The World Family of Flutes | The Story of the Western Flute

Part 2 ~ SELECTION AND CARE
Finding Your Flute | Caring for Your Flute

Part 3 ~ FLUTE TECHNIQUE
Embouchure and Breath | Posture | Playing Notes | More About Embouchure and Breath | Fingering Technique | Tuning | Advanced Techniques | Special Effects

Part 4 ~ MAKING MUSIC
Scales and Chords | Playing by Ear | Reading Music | Living Music

Part 5 ~ MODERN FOLK FLUTES
Finding a Folk Flute | Caring for a Folk Flute | Playing a Folk Flute

APPENDIX
How the Flute Works | Miscellaneous Fingering Charts | Reading List

////////////////////////////

SAMPLE TEXT

Question: Should I take lessons, or instead teach myself?

Answer: There are advantages to both ways. You may be a person who will benefit more from personal instruction than from reading a book. Or you may be the type of person who needs the deadlines of a scheduled lesson to get you to practice. If you are serious about performing classical music, you will want to become absorbed in a tradition that seems imparted best in a teacher/student relationship.

There are also advantages to teaching yourself. Money and/or schedule constraints could be factors. You might prefer the freedom of organizing and pacing your own learning process. Or you might even have trouble finding a teacher with whom you work well, or who can teach you the kind of flute playing you want to learn.

Whichever way you decide to go, don`t let anyone tell you that you can`t learn the flute without lessons.