The Swan Lake is a romantic ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, first performed in 1877. Despite the fact that this melodious music did not achieve success during the first performance, Swan Lake is one of the greatest masterpieces in today's world. Indeed, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's creation seems to transcend time, and all the generations as well. We should also thank Marius Petipa for the revised version of the score!

If the first act opens with a beautiful piano sound, our ears are then seduced by a rather long cadenza by the flute, which represents all the bird songs throughout the ballet. Violin, flute, piano, harp, clarinet, bass drum... all of these musical instruments produce the most romantic ballet music ever, a music combining love, supernatural, tragedy and some kind of sinister. Whether you have some basic knowledge or you are new in the world of music, you may want to play Swan Lake using a flute. You are in the right place to learn to play the flute, especially when our app provides the Swan Lake digital music sheet. What is the story of this easy on the ear music? What are the tips to get better at flute? Here you are!

The story behind Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet music

Inspired from Russian and German folk tales, this enchanting music narrates the story of the doomed love of Odette, a princess transformed into a swan by an evil wizard's curse, and of Prince Siegfried. One night, when the latter went out hunting, he encountered a flock of swans. One of them, Odette, the Swan Queen, turned into a young woman. The Princess explains that an evil sorcerer, the Baron Von Rothbart, cursed her and her companions, who were transformed into swans.

However, there is one and only way to break this spell, that is, if someone whose heart has never been taken before swears his allegiance and undying love for the Swan Queen. Prince Siegfried declares his feelings to the Swan Queen and promises to marry her.

A reception was organized to celebrate the Prince's birthday. The latter has also to choose a bride among the girls present during that particular reception. To mislead the Prince and to prevent Odette from becoming a human again, Von Rothbart turned Odile, his own daughter, into a swan. Misled, the Prince thought that Odile was Odette. Filled in with love and seduction, he asked her hand. The Swan Queen, Odette, witnessed the scene! Nevertheless, when the Prince realized his mistake, it was too late.

He begged for forgiveness and Odette, also fully in love with him, forgave the Prince. Yet, since the Prince broke his vow, the spell could not be broken anymore. They threw themselves into the lake to die together.

How to transpose a score on your Swan Lake digital music sheet

If you wish to play Swan Lake on flute and if you are a beginner, it is important to transpose the score according to your level. This indeed will help you to progress and eventually to produce amazing sound. Here are some guidelines to transpose a score on our amazing music app:

Above all, make sure you download Metronaut app.
Choose the music score that suits your musical instrument, here the flute.
Among the setting features, you will see the option Transposition Parameters (for example, this setting will help you to change a key or an interval on Swan Lake digital music sheet) as well as Display Parameters. Use them to select and adjust the features of your choice. This personalization will help you to progress and to play flute at your own pace.
What is interesting with Metronaut digital music sheet, is that it allows you to add indications and annotate a score. Moreover, if ever you prefer to work on paper, download and print the digital music sheet.

Swan Lake music: some flute playing tips to improve yourself

Even though the flute is one of the most amazing musical instruments to play, learning the flute is not that easy. It's all about patience and getting the right techniques to enhance your music skills. These tips will be of great help, whether you are a beginner or an advanced flute player, aspiring to play at another level:

Flute playing: work on your breath

Your breath plays a key role in the way your flute produces sound. You must take a deep breath and when you breathe out, it should be like a slight smile which makes a "too" sound. While doing so, you must not change the shape of your lips. This is the secret to produce quality sound while playing Swan Lake melodious music. Moreover, it is good to know that the speed of your breath defines the pitch. For example, faster breath will definitely give you a higher pitch and the same applies for slower breath.

Practice as much as you can

Whether you are a solo player or you are playing in a group (with other musical instruments like piano and violin) if you want to play Swan Lake perfectly, practice as much as you can. If you can practice on a daily basis, feel free to do so, but do enjoy yourself.

School of Violin Technique Book I Op.1 – 1. Finger-exercise on One string

Otakar Ševčík