MAYKA
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To access MAYKA: CONCERT ETUDES FOR FLUTE WITH PERFORMANCE GUIDE, click below:
MAYKA DRONES
About MAYKA
MAYKA - Playlist
MAYKA is a book of ten concert etudes written in the style of Serbian folk music. In addition to Serbian sounds, these etudes are a fusion of tonal and more “classical” sounds, and some contemporary elements through a few, simple, extended techniques.
In the scope of flute literature, flutists have a wide range of etudes and studies to explore. This book is a great addition to flute pedagogy literature as the focus is not to provide “finger breakers,” as there are plenty of amazing studies already written in that manner. The focus of MAYKA is the expressive significance of different techniques, rather than the technical aspect. This unique approach is reflected in the music asking the question of why we play certain things a certain way, or why particular techniques should be utilized rather than how. In addition, the main focus was trying to “fill the gap” by using non-traditional methods, to explore traditional techniques and to utilize some familiar practice techniques by incorporating them into music. Each of these concert works focuses on a limited amount of technical and expressive issues in order to make etudes more accessible to a wide range of players and their abilities.
MAYKA attempts to represent the sounds of traditional Serbian music and also make them more familiar and accessible to flute players around the world. My intention was to create an original work exclusively for flute that holds characteristics of Serbian traditional music.
In addition, each of the concert etudes has a narrative. The reason for narrative is to bring the style closer to the performer, and to help with understanding each etude’s expressive significance. Some etudes were inspired by people and events, some by specific dances, music, and literature from Serbia. As the etudes are of programmatic nature, they are a great choice for themed recitals. The idea was to write pieces short enough to be good program-fillers, not too hard to put together yet effective, and also suitable for short performances in venues that do not have a piano.
The book is titled MAYKA, Serbian for mother, to honor my mother, my mother’s mother, and my Motherland, Serbia. Motherland is represented through the style and tonal language of all of the concert etudes, and my mother and grandmother have been the biggest inspiration for the narratives.