1. Good technique = Being able to play fast?
While the ability to play fast is something we all want, but playing fast messily with no intention of musical idea is by no means “good technique.” I am very often tired of musicians uploading videos about how fast they can play the Flight of the Bumblebees, as it gives an impression to the younger novice musicians that playing fast is the ultimate goal” for musicians. I really love what my flute professor at UNT, Terri Sundberg, said when I was preparing for a competition:” Playing slow and soft is virtuosic too.”
In my opinion, good technique means:
1) being able to play the notes fast and clean in a relaxed manner
2) being able to play a wide range of dynamic and tone colors
3) Having proper breathing technique so that you can handle phrases of different lengths
Playing fast, according to Geoffrey Gilbert, is just facility.
2. Ignoring articulation markings
Playing the right note not only refers to the note itself, but also the articulation. The articulation of wind instrument is equivalent to the bowing of the string instruments, which both should be carefully obersved. Playing the wrong articulation can distort the character of a piece and weaken the practice result of an etude.
Common articulation mistake:
1) Playing the slurred large intervals articulated
3. Playing a piece that's way above your current level
While being ambitious is a good quality to have, playing pieces way above your level can build up tension and anxiety. It is always nice to play an easier piece musically than playing a hard piece like a train wreck.
4. No breath markings
Breath markings are like punctuations in writing. Ideally, breaths should be taken between musical phrases. However, some phrases can be significantly longer than others. In this case, the flutist needs to plan the breaths ahead and take catch breaths within the phrases if necessary.
5. Treating etudes as "finger works"
When I was a kid, I treated the etudes like hard-labor work. I didn’t put any musical intent and effort for a beautiful sound, or smooth intervals when playing the etudes. For me, they are just finger works. Later on, I found myself hard to play the technical passages in the pieces nicely. The fingers are working, but there is no support behind the sound, and the intervals sound rough. Please treat the etudes as sound exercises!