I recorded myself last night practicing the Bach Partita in A minor.
I had a couple of goals in doing this. First, I wanted to listen away from the flute and hear if what I was doing musically was working. For instance, all that stuff on the second page of the first movement--say 2:45 til 3:30--not making much sense to me now that I hear it. My articulation in the fourth movement is still pretty crappy, I must say. I'm also trying to breathe more quietly (but still take in air), and it seems like it's getting better. Sometimes I catch myself faking a breath but not really inhaling--maybe I'm resetting my embouchure? I don't know.
My other big plan is to confront the psychological issues of knowing that I am being recorded. For some reason it doesn't bother me on my little jazz gigs, but stuff like this is different. I can feel myself playing for the recording. The voice in my head begins writing a critique before I'm finished the first phrase!
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