Vade Mecum. . .a walk through C Major/minor
This blog post is dedicated to Dr. Emily Butterfield and the University of Central Oklahoma Flute studio!
The Flutist’s Vade Mecum by Walfrid Kujala is one of my favorite daily exercises. For me, it’s equivalent to going to an exercise class at the gym. You basically just need to show up and someone else tells you what to do! Mr. Kujala takes you through many variations of intervals, scale patterns, arpeggios, etc in a specific key or related keys. He has also provided a practice chart based on the key. You can find the practice sheets here.
I am going to take you through the C, the first key in the book and tell you what I do for each exercise.
Page 13-14 C Major and minor scales and arpeggios.
-I look to do the first 3 lines slowly, with a metronome, and with a C drone.
-The remaining exercises on the remainder of the 2 pages are pretty straight forward. I do use a metronome and it’s okay to vary the tempo. Pay close attention to the articulation.
Page 31 Triads
-The triads practiced for this section are on the 3rd line. There are 4 triads: diminished, minor, Major and augmented.
-Follow the pattern and articulation with a metronome and play through the 3 lines in each triad for a total of 4 times (one run of each triad). For example. The first time you play through the 3 lines your key signature is a diminished triad so all E’s and G’s are flat.
-For extra credit, repeat these exercises up the octave!
Page 33 Open Triads in Open Position
-Line one is composed of the same triads as the previous exercise
-I play these slowly and make sure that transitioning from note to note is as smooth as possible.
Page 34 Seventh Chords
-This exercise is similar to the Triads, but replaced with 7th chords. All of the same instructions apply.
Page 36 Tone Study based on the opening of Beethoven Symphony No. 1
-This is a great long tone/vibrato, intonation exercise. Play the first 2 lines
-I play at the suggested tempo of q=76, with a tuner, and follow the dynamics closely
Page 38 La Scala Kujala
-This is one of my favorite exercise. Play from m.1-43
-Notice the patterns and key signature of each rehearsal number. This will help organize your fingers for even technique. Vary the dynamics any way you want and I use a metronome.
Page 47 Extended Intervals: Attaining Defter Fingers and a More Supple Embouchure
-This is also one of my favorite exercises! It is a great finger warm-up. This exercise is great for practicing finger isolation. Practice m. 1-48
-vary dynamics and articulation
-repeat each measure twice until the fermata
Page 62 Chromatic Expanding Intervals
-m. 1-26. I like to play this exercise slowly with a variation of dynamics to guarantee evenness.
-I like to play a continuous slur, but Kujala does suggest varying articulation.
Page 67 Alternating Minor and Major 2nds
-m.1-38. Repeat each bar twice
-This is another great finger exercise. I play with a continuous slur
Page 72 Composed Accelerandos
-m.1-25 A metronome is a must! Play once in C Major and repeat in c minor
-I play with a continuous slur. This exercise is a written out accelerando and rallentando. Count carefully!
-Extra credit: try this up an octave!
Page 76 Trill Drills
-m.1-30. I play these with a metronome. Kujala suggests that eventually each section should be the same trill speed. For example m. 1, q=163, m. 2, q=116, m. 3, q=90
-I practice these slowly starting around q=60 until I am comfortable with equal trill speeds as Kujala suggests. Repeat the first 3 measures of each line twice.
Page 79, 81, and 83 Broken 4ths, 5ths, & 6ths
-Play lines 1-3 one time in CM, cm, C#M, and c#m. Use a metronome
Page 85 Miscellaneous Interval Studies
-Play the first 4 lines
-I use a metronome and practice all slurred. You can use any articulation you wish.
Page 90 Pentatonic Scales
-Play from letter A to M. Use a metronome, vary the dynamics, and follow the articulation closely.
Page 103 4-note Scale “Tops”
-As Mr. Kujala states: “Almost every instrumental player has a tendency to rush the scale turnarounds” This exercise the practicing the “tops” of 8 types of scales.
-m.1-42. Use a metronome, follow the articulation closely, and repeat each scale measure twice
Page 113 Studies Based on Typical Chord Progressions
-m.1-7
-More than anything the is a great ear training exercise!
Page 116 Short Etudes Based on Chord Progressions from Prominent Orchestral Passages
-Exercise 1
-I definitely practice this as if I am preparing en etude. Have fun with this!
Voila! I hope this was helpful. Have fun!!!
