Woodwind Improvisatory Techniques of the Classical Era

Nancy Williams' method presents a flexible and effective introductory guide to "...fully embrace the spirit of the Classical era and to experience the thrill and joy of improvisation."

From the author: 

"The purpose of this method is to provide a progressive means of incorporating aural skills into instruction, provide cultural and historical context to performance practices and improvisational techniques of the Classical period, aid in the realization of ornamentation, and build improvisational skills. It is my hope that knowledge and practice will not only empower the performer, but also create a more meaningful performance. Recent studies have revealed additional benefits such as an increase in student confidence and ability to take risks, greater musicality, and improved tone quality, intonation, and rhythmic accuracy. I've seen marked improvement in many of these areas in my own teaching studio."

The book is structured with the following sections:

Historical Context (5 pages, with many scholarly citations for further reading)

Aural Training and Building Improvisational Skills (7 pages)
Build confidence through risk-taking and experience, progressively improve aural skills, and begin improvising with well-defined parameters

Ornamentation as Improvisation (7 pages)
Learn basic Classical ornament symbols/realizations and how they have changed over time, perform ornaments musically and incorporate them into Classical French solos 

Advanced Improvisatory Techniques (13 pages)
Understand the purpose and structure of diminutions, lead-ins, and cadenzas, and apply them to a Classical solo

Anthology (37 pages)
Examples of cadenzas by Quantz and Regensburg, Printz prescribed diminutions, Quantz diminution tables, two Franz Benda Violin Sonatas with both original and embellished melody notation 

Each section frequently includes musical notation examples to clearly illustrate concepts. Also included are professional recordings of the book's ornaments and advanced technique examples, as well as the anthology material. The book applies specifically to woodwinds, and does not require the use of any period instruments.