Linda Chesis: On Cultivating a More Beautiful Sound and Becoming a Better Practicer

21 snips

Apr 6, 2025

Linda Chesis, an accomplished flutist and educator who studied under Jean-Pierre Rampal, shares her expertise on cultivating beautiful sound and effective practice techniques. She discusses the importance of self-reflection through recording, using technology for skill enhancement, and balancing perfection with practicality in performances. Chesis also offers a checklist for sound production and strategies to manage overwhelming practice sessions, making her insights invaluable for musicians striving to improve their art.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Sound Concept from Breath

The concept of sound originates from breath and is influenced by many physical factors like tongue position and oral cavity shape.
Linda Chesis emphasizes that sound should feel fluid and organic, not manipulated or overly controlled.

ANECDOTE

Kinesthetic Sound Empathy

Linda Chesis has a long habit of sensing sound kinesthetically rather than through verbal concepts.
She relates to others' voices by physically imagining their oral cavity while they speak, even from childhood.

ANECDOTE

Healing Through Singing and Playing

Linda discovered her semi-paralyzed vocal cord due to long COVID through a vocal scope.
Singing and playing flute simultaneously compensates, helping her produce a better sound despite vocal issues.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Ever get that overwhelmed feeling in the practice room? Where you know there’s a ton of work to be done, but you’re not quite sure where to start or what exactly to do?

Maybe you’re not happy with your sound, or your intonation is sketchy, or perhaps it’s one of those days when it feels like everything needs attention?

We only have so much time and energy, so what are we to do?

Flutist Linda Chesis is a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and festival director. She was a student of Jean-Pierre Rampal at the Paris Conservatory, a top prizewinner at the Paris and Barcelona International Competitions, and has been a longtime faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music and Chair of the Woodwind Department.

In this episode, Linda shares insights on how to cultivate a more beautiful sound, walks us through a checklist for what exactly to listen and look for when listening back to recordings of ourselves, and how to manage and organize our practice time when we have too much music to learn and not quite enough time:

Get all the nerdy details and connect with Linda here:

Linda Chesis: On Cultivating a More Beautiful Sound and Becoming a Better Practicer

* * *
Have you been feeling a little stuck or stagnant in the practice room? Or has performance anxiety and the gap between practice and performance been a nagging issue that hasn’t changed, no matter how well you've prepared for performances, auditions - and even lessons?

If you’ve been wanting to experience more joy in the practice room and play more like yourself on stage, but haven’t been quite sure how to make that happen, starting July 22, 2025, I’ll be teaching a live, online, accelerated 2-week class on the most essential mental skills and practice strategies that can make a difference in your practicing and performing.

We’ll meet twice a week via Zoom and work on a series of exercises and techniques in four essential skill areas (effective practice, managing anxiety, focus, and confidence), together as a group. And to make sure the concepts become consistent habits, I'll show you how to gently integrate these new skills into your (or your students’) daily practice through bite-sized practice challenges alongside a supportive group of practice buddies from around the world.

Over 2000 musicians, educators, and students and learners of all ages have participated in the course to date. You can find out what alumni are saying, and sign up to join Cohort 24 at:

bulletproofmusician.com/essentials