I've been a trumpet player for over 35 years. I'm now 73 and i Just ordered a flute. I think it will be much easier to play. These videos you have made will really help. Thank you for masking them.
my teacher helped me a lot to change octaves by thinking of pronouncing an A sound (“Aaah”) when playing the lowest octave, an E sound (as in “Ex”) when playing the mid octave and an I sound (as in “in”) when playing the high octave. It really works wonders on my tone and ability to hit the notes correctly
You are so awesome in your explanations. I've been playing for 39 years. So much of what you say is so true...but I learned so much just from this one video that I didn't know! You are a gift to the flute world!
Thank you so much for this video (and the rest)! I’m a sax player and double on the flute, but sometimes neglect the flute if it’s not required for a while. The techniques you put in these videos always get me right back into shape and my tone improves so fast when I use them. Thank you and keep up the great work!
Thank you so much for this video! Ive had trouble with my tone being finicky since i started playing 2 years ago and through this video i realized that my embouchure is slightly off to the left. magic!
I consider myself a good player but there's one flute player in my band that has unbeLIEVable tone. super clear. U hear no air just the sound of the notes. I've been trying to achieve this and looked to ur videos for help but any bonus tips? i have been following what you say but still not there yet...
Perhaps you can describe what kind of sound you are getting? Sometimes players can also have a too relaxed embouchure and this creates a lack of focus in the sound. Perhaps you would like to describe the sound you are getting so I can give more specific advice :)
The Flute Practice. its just airy. not too bad but when I tongue and just in general its never straight to the sound of a note there's the air going through the flute that u hear first, and as i play certain notes. (ps its not my flute because I recently had it fixed and checked up due to a broken key). thanks for any advice ! :)
I'm so grateful to have found your videos. I played flute in high school and college and have recently picked it up after more than 20 years of not playing (please don't do the math on my age!), and this is really helping me get my chops back. Thank you! :)
This is such a great video! I've been playing flute for about a year and I'm pretty good but I've always struggled with my tone so this really helped me get a better tone.
Thanks. It’s a funny old business. I’ve been mucking about with flutes for years (since 1981) but I have never developed a good tone. Thanks for posting advice
THANKYOUSOMUCH! I really needed help on tuning, you see on the end of our music me and only 4 other people had to hold out the note and i was trying to find a great video for tuning, and I found it! :)
I am taking flute as a therapy but i don;t have any musical background and it was a living hell for me not to be able to produce a sound but this is really helpful, i just want to know the right sequence of the videos to make sure that i am on the right track, because i am clueless here and you have lots of videos so i want to know where i am standing :D
I am going to be starting a proper beginner sequence of videos soon. I made a quasi playlist for this but I need to fill in the gaps! I will get going on this as soon as possible! ua-cam.com/video/QNyqaAsqZYw/v-deo.html
Many thanks, that a very valuable tips for me as a beginner. This instrument can bring a lot of fun if anyone took the tips piece for piece and not too fast appropiates. Your tips a really very good and interesting. I´m glad i have discovered your channel. Greetings from Germany, and I´ll stay with your channel and with the flute.
I am so glad you are enjoying your instrument and find these videos helpful! I really enjoy making them too :) Let me know if you have any special requests :)
Thanks so much teacher, this tutorial was extremely very helpful. I just picked up the flute a after 20 year hiatus:). Your tips just fixed up my sound from horrendous to getting better. I'm struggling with the high notes...I got a long road ahead to recovery.
Hi Harold! High notes are a matter of air speed and air direction. When playing in the higher octaves you need to increase your air speed, change your embouchure to more of an "ooo" shape (not too much as you don't want to whistle) and with that change of embouchure your air direction will be more straight across. Look ahead of you and aim for a spot on the other side of the room. See if this helps.
You have really helped my tone in the lower register since relaxing my “smile.” It is fuller and warmer. Obviously missed the part about aperture as my upper register over the last few years has NOT been to my liking. I shall practice the embouchure (I DO play off center). However the main question is could recent dental work (new caps on the two front upper incisors) pose a relearning period and could it have been responsible for this change?? Have never been a Galway but had a much more clear “sweet” tone. Thanks. LOVE your videos!!!!
Thanks for the tip. I seem to have quite an angle of attack feeling more comfortable with tone hole really turned toward me forward of alignment with keys. Not sure if this limits my intonation flexibility, but it seems to feel better and less airy. These are very good learning videos- presenting straightforward techniques that help. Very interesting to watch-- and yes especially the touches of humor haha. Vibrato would be a great subject I'll be watching for if you'd ever consider a video on the subject. Thanks again for sharing your talent and experience. Looking forward to watching (and learning) more...Lance
Thank you for the feedback and for sharing with your students. I hope they will be able to really experiment and surprise you in the next lesson with a new sound or tone color! ;)
Thank you! Your playing is lovely, and I look forward to watching the rest of your videos and to putting these ideas into practice. I have a suggestion for you. When you link to a previously-posted videos as you did in the video above, please consider putting the links underneath the video in the information box. That way we can keep the flow knowing that the link will be waiting for us in due time.
Thanks for presentation. Do you have a set preferred alignment point of the tone hole looking down to the keys when you assemble the head joint on the flute?
Hi Lance, I have actually tried several positions over the years until I found a position that I really like. Everyone will have a slightly different position but what is important is that you are not covering too much or too little of the tone whole. So moving the head joint will actually be more important for the balancing of the the flute in the rest of your hands. Play around with the position until you find something you feel comfortable with. Here is my suggestion: line up the flute in the middle (so tone whole in line with keys). Take some nail polish and make a small mark on the head joint and the body of the flute to show the point. From here you can easily see how you are moving your head joint when you experiment! This is a good idea for a future video so perhaps I will do one on this very soon! Hope that helps a bit :)
I recently started playing flute and have struggles making a sound when I blow. I can make a clear sound with just the head piece just not the body, please help!
Coolgal762 my best advice would be to perhaps get a few lessons and work with a teacher. They will help make sure you are really putting the flute in the correct position. Have you tried putting the flute together and then without holding the instrument properly find the head joint position and just blow? Also helps to play with just the head joint closing the one end with your hand. Can you do this?
The Flute Practice yes, thank you. Taking lessons now and turns out the flute had been rusted up since we rented it and I got a better one, thank you for helping! I can now make a sound!
hi, Just bought a flute, although 20 years ago I had played :). Guestion is do I have to make some Flute head adjustments with cork if im getting all my notes half step too sharp and C# full step to sharp. im gettirng rid of this sharpnes if I close the hole with lip more, but my sound gets not so dynamic and a little muffled? Please, please some idea?
Maris Liepins hey there, yes I would definitely have it checked out! I did a video fairly recently on checking and adjusting the Head joint cork. So maybe go check that out to give you an idea of something is wrong with it.
Idea is manufacturer is putting cork bybits standarts, but, when you search for your perfect tone you find it with more closed or.opened hole. And that changes off course the pitch?
Actually i measured, to get stable pitch i have to insert flute head in body only about 1.1inch or 28milimeters. Is it a good practice to do so or readjust cork to have possibility to inseart flute head till the end where it will sit more steady? 🤔 Sorry for my not knowing flute things😂
i am starting to be a beginner and i am so happy that i found the right tone from your very simple instruction but my other problem is that i cannot hold enough air and fall short everytime i blow my flute.. help me.
Pain in the jaw may be a sign that your jaw is too tight and that you need to release it. Completely release your jaw so that it is just hanging and try and play. Don't expect to get any sound out just release it. have you seen my vid on how to relax a tight embouchure as well as the latest on playing high notes? There really should never be pain :/ So it is important to check it out! You are welcome to send me a video and I will have a look and see if I can comment and help!
Hi Tatiana, thanks for these excellent tips! I developed a habit called anchor tonguing where I use my tongue to make up for the support I haven't yet developed in my lower lip. This helps support the tone but I can't use my tongue for articulation because it's too busy holding my lower lip! What is the best way to fix this habit? Cheers
hmmm. Good question. Perhaps explore playing around with articulating on just 'puh' or 'huh'. I did a video on this as well. The 'puh' helps develop the lip muscles without the tongue and the 'huh' helps develop the support. Then slowly add the tonguing. The other good thing to practice would be to do the biting down on the tongue exercise I did in one of my vids as well. Sorry to direct you to my vids only (a little playlist of articulation vids to play with) but this is what I know best..lol. If I see anything else that may be helpful I will let you know! ua-cam.com/video/Cktphs2hPfI/v-deo.html
Hi Marcelo and Tatiana, I experienced this issue myself some years ago, and I think the idea that was most helpful to me in correcting it was that, as Tatiana describes in the video above, ideally your lower lip is laying in a fairly relaxed fashion across the lip plate. This allows you to use your lower teeth as a sort of support/foundation, instead of trying to use your lower lip to manage that. Most of the alteration in embouchure/aperture (changing air direction or aperture size for changes in octave or tone quality) will take place in your upper lip or as a result of raising or lowering your jaw. So the lower lip is more of a passive participant in the embouchure. Tatiana, does this seem accurate to you? Your videos are a fantastic contribution to the flute community, thank you!
Hi, i have a question about Flutter tonguing, there are two methods rolling your R's and the throat method,i have tried to do both but cannot, does it matter if you play the flute and can't do flutter tongue at all??? Ps i have tried to roll my R's for over 35 years with no success,and the throat method for 15 years.
It does not matter AT ALL! This is something I would love to explore more and discover if there is a way to help those that really struggle like you or for whom it seems to be impossible. It may be a physiological thing: your tongue is just not able to do that movement. It is only one technique of so so so many extended techniques and all it means is avoiding pieces that use it a lot...not a train smash! If I figure out a really cool way to approach this I will make a video. I have made a video about flutter tonguing but I presume it is all stuff you have tried already!
I cover "too much" but it's a choice. It's also how I was taught to play. It wasn't until college that I experimented with anything but the darkest color I could find.
After searching several video, yours is the most helpful. I am still practicing my 'breathing support' - please give us more tips on this particular technique.
That is actually a good question. I will see what I can find out about it. It may change to sound you create a bit. That would be my guess and maybe it is a bit more comfortable for the metal flutes to have a lip plate to rest your lip on.
Could your tone also be affected if your keys have been bent in the past?? A while back, I had accidently put to much pressure on my keys when I would be packing it up. Eventually, the keys got bent from the force and had to be fixed. I also think that I might of bent them again this past year, but I haven't gotten it checked yet.
Perhaps go get it checked. I actually do not know exactly how that would affect your flute but I am going to my flute repairman today so I will ask him!
i took that cap on the top of my flute off and put it back on now it sounds really like scratchy and buzzing and I don't have that little measuring tool help and how can I put it back to sounding good
thank you for very helpful videos 😊😊. I have questions for you, how to make my high notes (especially 3rd octave) intonation more flat?my high register note is way too sharp. and I don't know how to change that. please help me. 😢
Hi :) I am glad the videos are helpful. There are a few things that may be going on. Firstly it is important to check that the cork in your head joint is in the correct position. If you do not know how to check this I will try explain...or better create a quick vid:) If it is then it is important to look at how you are achieving your sound on the top register. Do you tend to tighten your embouchure and just blow harder? Getting out those top register notes is a combination of a smaller opening of the lips , raising the air stream by bringing the jaw forward and more support BUT we often do to much. It should not feel pinched or forced. When you have achieved this, or if you are doing this already there is another technique I like to use which is to think more down with the air stream. Don't imagine you are reaching up for the note but rather playing down into it. I have no idea if that makes sense :/ this could be a great topic for a video :) Then I can show what I mean. Good luck!
How to get smaller opening of the lips without tighten my embouchure? Yeah I tend to get my lips muscle going up ( thats my teacher said 😢) and when I start to practice flute, my teacher thought me about used the smiling embouchure. And just this year, I got opportunity to had masterclass with professional flutist in here. Oh, I live in Indonesia by the way. And she told me about the angry ambouchure. That you have relaxed your muscle, and your lips is going down. Oh my God, I'll appreciate so much, if you make a video about this. thank you so much for reply my comments it's an honour for me. 😊
It is a huge pleasure. Busy trying to recover from a bit of a shoulder injury (note to self: NEVER pick up really heavy bags a week before a concert :O). As soon as I am up and playing again I will do this. In the meantime experiment with completely letting go of the embouchure. Almost play without one...It will sound horrible but it is just training. Then see how much tension you need to get a sound out. Start in a comfortable register. You are welcome to send me a private video of you playing so I can see and maybe help more...or if you are brave even post it on my Facebook page so others can see and learn. But I totally understand that that is very persona and scary!
+The Flute Practice oh my God I hope your shoulder get well soon. 😊 ah, okay I'll try it.. that's very nice of you, but on Facebook I'm not brave enough to do that 😅 . if you don't mind, can I send my video via email?
Hi there, it is from a piece called toats ma goats which is available on my website: www.theflutepractice.com/buy-sheet-music The full UA-cam video of this piece is also there
Thanks a lot for that very interesting and helpful lesson. I play the flute for a long time but never managed to get a really satisfactory sound. I'll surely try your advices. It would be nice if you could speak somewhat slower sometimes. For a non native speaker like me it's sometimes hard to follow. (I'm more used to the American accent)
I am a sax play using the flute as a extra instrument and by listening to your video I picked up a few good pointers Thank you. I do have a question regarding using a mic with a flute. I have being using a clip on and recently been having feed back and have tried using a vocal mic but have had no success as I am getting too much air being pushed into the mic and getting a horrible sound. Do you have any suggestions?
I have not tried using a clip on mic to be honest. What I do find works really well with vocal mic or directional mics (SM57) is making sure the air stream is not going directly into the mic. Sometimes I try find a spot just off to the side or even a step back. I actually really like the SM57 mics for that reason. I find I do not have to play into the mic quite as much and can control the sound a bit better. Perhaps others have some ideas too?
Just start out with just the mouth piece so you can get a consistent flow of air into the flute without constratoin on the fingerings that will then be the next stage no point in worrying about the notes that will be the second stage when you have control over getting a consistent flow of air into the flute
AHA. I did not tocuh any keys like you did and my flute sounds like yours. My flute sounds like D natural when I just blow through it. Is my flute broken?
My fingers have become stiff and inflexible. It is same with my tone as well. I would love continue to practice. What would you advise me in my daily practice. Thanks for your valuable advice
I would really advise starting off each day with some physical exercises. Sounds silly but if you are feeling stiff and inflexible I would really recommend. You even do some exercises in your embouchure! Just moving it around and getting it going. You can also do stretches and exercises between practice sessions and I would advise keeping practice sessions very short to prevent too much tension building up. I have a video on a few exercises that I use. You are welcome to check it out! ua-cam.com/video/IKP8HRkfneg/v-deo.html Also you may really just want to make sure that your hand position is nice and round and relaxed when you are playing. Hope this helps. If it continues to be a problem let me know!
Airy tone is often means you are not getting enough focus. This may mean that your embouchure is too loose and the aperture that is forming between your lips is too big. It may also mean that your position is not quite in the center of the flute. Check to to see where your embouchure is forming and then make sure the tone whole of the flute is in the middle of that.
I used to have great tone as a kid, but I'm 40 now and have full dentures top and bottom and its really messed up my tone. I can play but I sound so breathy. So upset, the dentist assured me I would still be able to play with them.
I am sorry to hear this :( how long have you been playing with the dentures? Have any of these tips helped? I am sure it is frustrating and would love to help in any way I can!
Definitely helping. I hadn't thought about how much more I am tensing up when I play now. I think I was tensing up to try and keep my mouth piece steady, but just relaxing my mouth is helping a lot. Note bending is helping too. Really helping me to work out where is a good position for me in the top registers.
I've only been playing a couple of months with the dentures. I gave up for a while because at first I couldn't even get my flute to sound. I got refitted and a new set which really helped and now I can play but it is going to be a long journey to get good again.
I can imagine how frustrating it must be. I was unable to play for only a few months due to an injury and getting back into playing was so incredibly difficult. I also really struggled with tension and honestly, there were moments were I felt like I just could not play any more. I would love know how you progress and keep strong. It may take time and many frustrated hours but you will get there. If you need some help, want to send me some videos or ask questions please feel free! You can email tatiana@theflutepractice.com :)
The Flute Practice Thank you. sorry for the slow reply. i found myself homeless a few months ago and had no internet access. i actually just posted some videos of me playing a couple of songs I'm working on.
That is no problem at all. I will do a video soon about what to do if your aperture is not exactly in the middle. Nothing to stress about just make sure the basic principals are there, such as lining up the aperture and the tone hole and making sure the bottom lip is parallel to the flute.
It takes some time. Remember that getting dizzy is usually from breathing too much not too little so see if you can hold longer notes as well! many breaks and in time your stamina will build :D
That’s very kind of you to apologise, but better to her, not to me. I just think it’s rude to say something like that, especially to a teacher who is helping a lot of people. Unless, of course, you know her personally and she was interested in your opinion, in which case, I apologise for my comment. Her opening video is very artistic with an unusual piece of music and my opinion is that it all fits very well together. Anyway, have a good day.
I've been a trumpet player for over 35 years. I'm now 73 and i Just ordered a flute. I think it will be much easier to play. These videos you have made will really help. Thank you for masking them.
my teacher helped me a lot to change octaves by thinking of pronouncing an A sound (“Aaah”) when playing the lowest octave, an E sound (as in “Ex”) when playing the mid octave and an I sound (as in “in”) when playing the high octave. It really works wonders on my tone and ability to hit the notes correctly
You are so awesome in your explanations. I've been playing for 39 years. So much of what you say is so true...but I learned so much just from this one video that I didn't know! You are a gift to the flute world!
Thank you. This comment really made my day! Thank you :)
Thank you so much for this video (and the rest)! I’m a sax player and double on the flute, but sometimes neglect the flute if it’s not required for a while. The techniques you put in these videos always get me right back into shape and my tone improves so fast when I use them. Thank you and keep up the great work!
Thanks for your generosity..had my first flute lesson on the 11 of September 2024... very excited... very helpful lesson
Thank you so much for this video! Ive had trouble with my tone being finicky since i started playing 2 years ago and through this video i realized that my embouchure is slightly off to the left. magic!
Thanks so much! I have been struggling with this for so long. After applying your techniques I finally have full clear tones!
This makes me want to do cartwheels with joy! Such an exciting moment when you finally find the sound you want!! Awesome :)
I consider myself a good player but there's one flute player in my band that has unbeLIEVable tone. super clear. U hear no air just the sound of the notes. I've been trying to achieve this and looked to ur videos for help but any bonus tips? i have been following what you say but still not there yet...
Perhaps you can describe what kind of sound you are getting? Sometimes players can also have a too relaxed embouchure and this creates a lack of focus in the sound. Perhaps you would like to describe the sound you are getting so I can give more specific advice :)
The Flute Practice. its just airy. not too bad but when I tongue and just in general its never straight to the sound of a note there's the air going through the flute that u hear first, and as i play certain notes. (ps its not my flute because I recently had it fixed and checked up due to a broken key). thanks for any advice ! :)
Super Mommy811 my flute is silver it’s just me lmao. But thank u I will try to follow ur advice with the long tones
I’m honestly surprised at how helpful this was. Thank you!
Thanks again. I am have been practicing scales forward and backward, and learning easy songs online. You inspire me to new things.
I'm so grateful to have found your videos. I played flute in high school and college and have recently picked it up after more than 20 years of not playing (please don't do the math on my age!), and this is really helping me get my chops back. Thank you! :)
Glad you are playing again! Hope your chops are slowly returning :)
This is such a great video! I've been playing flute for about a year and I'm pretty good but I've always struggled with my tone so this really helped me get a better tone.
I am so happy to hear that. A nice tone on the flute makes all the difference!
Jules Buchanan n
I was looking exactly for this kind of tip !! The position of lips over the plate thank youuu!!
So glad it helped :)
Thanks. It’s a funny old business. I’ve been mucking about with flutes for years (since 1981) but I have never developed a good tone. Thanks for posting advice
THANKYOUSOMUCH! I really needed help on tuning, you see on the end of our music me and only 4 other people had to hold out the note and i was trying to find a great video for tuning, and I found it! :)
Yay! awesome to hear that it helped. I will hopefully get to some more videos on tuning in the future!
Yes, I have a feeling that this is the most helpful. Going to try it now
This video was really valuable. It helped me a lot. please continue your initiative. God bless u
great advice on relaxing and opening up throat - so helpful thankyou
I am taking flute as a therapy but i don;t have any musical background and it was a living hell for me not to be able to produce a sound but this is really helpful, i just want to know the right sequence of the videos to make sure that i am on the right track, because i am clueless here and you have lots of videos so i want to know where i am standing :D
I am going to be starting a proper beginner sequence of videos soon. I made a quasi playlist for this but I need to fill in the gaps! I will get going on this as soon as possible! ua-cam.com/video/QNyqaAsqZYw/v-deo.html
Thank you Master, very good teaching.
ONG I NEEDED THIS IVE BEEN TRYING AT THIS FOR SO LONG THANK YOU
I’m still trying to understand how James Galway gets that smooth, clear beautiful sound.
It's easy, you just need to be as smooth, beautiful and "well-rounded" as him.
@@GrigoNiko And to have done the thousands of hours of playing.
Thank You For Lesson on Tone Thanks for help the breath mark I have when i blow seems to be at two seperate sides of blow hole
tysm!!! 0:45 i finallt learned how to make a noise on my flute!
WOOOOOOOOHHHHOOOOOOO.....Welcome to the world of flute playing :) :)
Sometimes you just make my day
Many thanks, that a very valuable tips for me as a beginner. This instrument can bring a lot of fun if anyone took the tips piece for piece and not too fast appropiates. Your tips a really very good and interesting. I´m glad i have discovered your channel.
Greetings from Germany, and I´ll stay with your channel and with the flute.
I am so glad you are enjoying your instrument and find these videos helpful! I really enjoy making them too :) Let me know if you have any special requests :)
Thanks so much teacher, this tutorial was extremely very helpful. I just picked up the flute a after 20 year hiatus:). Your tips just fixed up my sound from horrendous to getting better. I'm struggling with the high notes...I got a long road ahead to recovery.
Patience, patience, patience...frustrating I know but remember all those embouchure muscles are also just remembering what to do!
Hi Harold! High notes are a matter of air speed and air direction. When playing in the higher octaves you need to increase your air speed, change your embouchure to more of an "ooo" shape (not too much as you don't want to whistle) and with that change of embouchure your air direction will be more straight across. Look ahead of you and aim for a spot on the other side of the room. See if this helps.
Very good, thank you.
I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS!! So much useful knowledge. Thank You!
You have really helped my tone in the lower register since relaxing my “smile.” It is fuller and warmer. Obviously missed the part about aperture as my upper register over the last few years has NOT been to my liking. I shall practice the embouchure (I DO play off center). However the main question is could recent dental work (new caps on the two front upper incisors) pose a relearning period and could it have been responsible for this change?? Have never been a Galway but had a much more clear “sweet” tone. Thanks. LOVE your videos!!!!
Thank you very much, Tatiana! This is a great video :)
thanks, for sharing
Good help thanks! I just got a wooden flute, and your video seems to work for it too. At first I couldnt get it to make a noise at all. lol
Thanks for the tip. I seem to have quite an angle of attack feeling more comfortable with tone hole really turned toward me forward of alignment with keys. Not sure if this limits my intonation flexibility, but it seems to feel better and less airy. These are very good learning videos- presenting straightforward techniques that help. Very interesting to watch-- and yes especially the touches of humor haha. Vibrato would be a great subject I'll be watching for if you'd ever consider a video on the subject. Thanks again for sharing your talent and experience. Looking forward to watching (and learning) more...Lance
Yes! I am planning a vibrato video very soon :) Thank you for the feedback and kind words! Very encouraging :D
Really nice presentation. I will share this with my students.
Well done!
Thank you for the feedback and for sharing with your students. I hope they will be able to really experiment and surprise you in the next lesson with a new sound or tone color! ;)
Great tutorial ! You are brilliant .
Thanks
Thank you! Glad it was helpful :)
You are the goat man
Thank you, I found your tips very helpful
It's been 3 year and I'm still searching my tone 😢😢😢
Major7 sus2 3 years too bro
Major7 sus2 sameeee
Very Nice. Thank You Madam.
Thank you! Your playing is lovely, and I look forward to watching the rest of your videos and to putting these ideas into practice. I have a suggestion for you. When you link to a previously-posted videos as you did in the video above, please consider putting the links underneath the video in the information box. That way we can keep the flow knowing that the link will be waiting for us in due time.
thank you! I will do this. great idea and thank you for the feedback :)
Funny beginning 😂
Thank you this helps a lot!
Hey you actually ended up forgetting everything 😳👌
I have a band consert today, I was wordering if you had any tips.
Good wishes💐🎂💐🎂💐
Thanks a lot!
Muito bom mesmo parabéns pelas suas dicas...
Thanks for presentation. Do you have a set preferred alignment point of the tone hole looking down to the keys when you assemble the head joint on the flute?
Hi Lance, I have actually tried several positions over the years until I found a position that I really like. Everyone will have a slightly different position but what is important is that you are not covering too much or too little of the tone whole. So moving the head joint will actually be more important for the balancing of the the flute in the rest of your hands. Play around with the position until you find something you feel comfortable with. Here is my suggestion: line up the flute in the middle (so tone whole in line with keys). Take some nail polish and make a small mark on the head joint and the body of the flute to show the point. From here you can easily see how you are moving your head joint when you experiment! This is a good idea for a future video so perhaps I will do one on this very soon! Hope that helps a bit :)
OMG, I like this video 😄
Thank you.
You're a good teacher
Thank you :)
Do you give private lessons? I've been playing since 13 yrs old, now 61, but still need advice on hand position and tone.
I recently started playing flute and have struggles making a sound when I blow. I can make a clear sound with just the head piece just not the body, please help!
Coolgal762 my best advice would be to perhaps get a few lessons and work with a teacher. They will help make sure you are really putting the flute in the correct position. Have you tried putting the flute together and then without holding the instrument properly find the head joint position and just blow? Also helps to play with just the head joint closing the one end with your hand. Can you do this?
The Flute Practice yes, thank you. Taking lessons now and turns out the flute had been rusted up since we rented it and I got a better one, thank you for helping! I can now make a sound!
hi, Just bought a flute, although 20 years ago I had played :). Guestion is do I have to make some Flute head adjustments with cork if im getting all my notes half step too sharp and C# full step to sharp. im gettirng rid of this sharpnes if I close the hole with lip more, but my sound gets not so dynamic and a little muffled?
Please, please some idea?
Maris Liepins hey there, yes I would definitely have it checked out! I did a video fairly recently on checking and adjusting the Head joint cork. So maybe go check that out to give you an idea of something is wrong with it.
Here is the video: ua-cam.com/video/2ULjykGUGko/v-deo.html
Check that first and then tell me if there was a problem.
Yes, i sen this. But from manufacturers perspective the cork sits as it needs and as guided by manual😁
Idea is manufacturer is putting cork bybits standarts, but, when you search for your perfect tone you find it with more closed or.opened hole. And that changes off course the pitch?
Actually i measured, to get stable pitch i have to insert flute head in body only about 1.1inch or 28milimeters. Is it a good practice to do so or readjust cork to have possibility to inseart flute head till the end where it will sit more steady? 🤔
Sorry for my not knowing flute things😂
i am starting to be a beginner and i am so happy that i found the right tone from your very simple instruction but my other problem is that i cannot hold enough air and fall short everytime i blow my flute.. help me.
What About Pain In Jaws? Is That Normal If There Are A Lot Of High Notes Or Your Working Harder. Is That Good For Your Emboucure?
Pain in the jaw may be a sign that your jaw is too tight and that you need to release it. Completely release your jaw so that it is just hanging and try and play. Don't expect to get any sound out just release it. have you seen my vid on how to relax a tight embouchure as well as the latest on playing high notes? There really should never be pain :/ So it is important to check it out! You are welcome to send me a video and I will have a look and see if I can comment and help!
The Flute Practice all right sorry this is late but I will check out the video and might send u a video of my flute emboucure and sound and look
Hi Tatiana, thanks for these excellent tips!
I developed a habit called anchor tonguing where I use my tongue to make up for the support I haven't yet developed in my lower lip. This helps support the tone but I can't use my tongue for articulation because it's too busy holding my lower lip! What is the best way to fix this habit?
Cheers
hmmm. Good question. Perhaps explore playing around with articulating on just 'puh' or 'huh'. I did a video on this as well. The 'puh' helps develop the lip muscles without the tongue and the 'huh' helps develop the support. Then slowly add the tonguing. The other good thing to practice would be to do the biting down on the tongue exercise I did in one of my vids as well. Sorry to direct you to my vids only (a little playlist of articulation vids to play with) but this is what I know best..lol. If I see anything else that may be helpful I will let you know!
ua-cam.com/video/Cktphs2hPfI/v-deo.html
Hi Marcelo and Tatiana, I experienced this issue myself some years ago, and I think the idea that was most helpful to me in correcting it was that, as Tatiana describes in the video above, ideally your lower lip is laying in a fairly relaxed fashion across the lip plate. This allows you to use your lower teeth as a sort of support/foundation, instead of trying to use your lower lip to manage that. Most of the alteration in embouchure/aperture (changing air direction or aperture size for changes in octave or tone quality) will take place in your upper lip or as a result of raising or lowering your jaw. So the lower lip is more of a passive participant in the embouchure. Tatiana, does this seem accurate to you? Your videos are a fantastic contribution to the flute community, thank you!
I play classical eastern bamboo flute. Have you ever tried eastern bamboo flute? What's the price of the flute you're playing?
Where do you play? Where can I here your music?
Hi, i have a question about Flutter tonguing, there are two methods rolling your R's and the throat method,i have tried to do both but cannot, does it matter if you play the flute and can't do flutter tongue at all??? Ps i have tried to roll my R's for over 35 years with no success,and the throat method for 15 years.
It does not matter AT ALL! This is something I would love to explore more and discover if there is a way to help those that really struggle like you or for whom it seems to be impossible. It may be a physiological thing: your tongue is just not able to do that movement. It is only one technique of so so so many extended techniques and all it means is avoiding pieces that use it a lot...not a train smash! If I figure out a really cool way to approach this I will make a video. I have made a video about flutter tonguing but I presume it is all stuff you have tried already!
Hi, could you help in helping me, how to blow easily from the F note(key) upwards
I cover "too much" but it's a choice. It's also how I was taught to play. It wasn't until college that I experimented with anything but the darkest color I could find.
You're Nutz !! ....... But that was fun, and very helpful as I start to take my flute practice more seriously. Thanks
Hehe! Thank you...I have been told so before :P
After searching several video, yours is the most helpful. I am still practicing my 'breathing support' - please give us more tips on this particular technique.
Excellent! do you play baroque flute? congratulation from Caracas-Venezuela!
Hi and thank you! I play a bit of Baroque flute yes. I am hoping to get my own instrument sometime soon so I can practice and learn more about it!
Thanks for your teachings . I am learning Indian Flute we don't use Lip-Plate . what is the benefit of Lip-Plate.
That is actually a good question. I will see what I can find out about it. It may change to sound you create a bit. That would be my guess and maybe it is a bit more comfortable for the metal flutes to have a lip plate to rest your lip on.
What country are you from?
Could your tone also be affected if your keys have been bent in the past?? A while back, I had accidently put to much pressure on my keys when I would be packing it up. Eventually, the keys got bent from the force and had to be fixed. I also think that I might of bent them again this past year, but I haven't gotten it checked yet.
Perhaps go get it checked. I actually do not know exactly how that would affect your flute but I am going to my flute repairman today so I will ask him!
i took that cap on the top of my flute off and put it back on now it sounds really like scratchy and buzzing and I don't have that little measuring tool help and how can I put it back to sounding good
Hi! Do you still have any kind of cleaning stick? And what flute do you play?
The Flute Practice no I Dont have a cleaning rod and I play the same flute as u
thank you for very helpful videos 😊😊. I have questions for you, how to make my high notes (especially 3rd octave) intonation more flat?my high register note is way too sharp. and I don't know how to change that. please help me. 😢
Hi :) I am glad the videos are helpful. There are a few things that may be going on. Firstly it is important to check that the cork in your head joint is in the correct position. If you do not know how to check this I will try explain...or better create a quick vid:) If it is then it is important to look at how you are achieving your sound on the top register. Do you tend to tighten your embouchure and just blow harder? Getting out those top register notes is a combination of a smaller opening of the lips , raising the air stream by bringing the jaw forward and more support BUT we often do to much. It should not feel pinched or forced. When you have achieved this, or if you are doing this already there is another technique I like to use which is to think more down with the air stream. Don't imagine you are reaching up for the note but rather playing down into it. I have no idea if that makes sense :/ this could be a great topic for a video :) Then I can show what I mean. Good luck!
How to get smaller opening of the lips without tighten my embouchure? Yeah I tend to get my lips muscle going up ( thats my teacher said 😢) and when I start to practice flute, my teacher thought me about used the smiling embouchure. And just this year, I got opportunity to had masterclass with professional flutist in here. Oh, I live in Indonesia by the way. And she told me about the angry ambouchure. That you have relaxed your muscle, and your lips is going down. Oh my God, I'll appreciate so much, if you make a video about this. thank you so much for reply my comments it's an honour for me. 😊
It is a huge pleasure. Busy trying to recover from a bit of a shoulder injury (note to self: NEVER pick up really heavy bags a week before a concert :O). As soon as I am up and playing again I will do this. In the meantime experiment with completely letting go of the embouchure. Almost play without one...It will sound horrible but it is just training. Then see how much tension you need to get a sound out. Start in a comfortable register. You are welcome to send me a private video of you playing so I can see and maybe help more...or if you are brave even post it on my Facebook page so others can see and learn. But I totally understand that that is very persona and scary!
+The Flute Practice oh my God I hope your shoulder get well soon. 😊 ah, okay I'll try it.. that's very nice of you, but on Facebook I'm not brave enough to do that 😅 . if you don't mind, can I send my video via email?
Totally understand that! I will inbox you my email :)
what is your intro piece please answer
Hi there, it is from a piece called toats ma goats which is available on my website: www.theflutepractice.com/buy-sheet-music
The full UA-cam video of this piece is also there
Thank you very mouch. Keep making videos they are very helpful❤️
Thanks a lot for that very interesting and helpful lesson. I play the flute for a long time but never managed to get a really satisfactory sound. I'll surely try your advices.
It would be nice if you could speak somewhat slower sometimes. For a non native speaker like me it's sometimes hard to follow. (I'm more used to the American accent)
I am a sax play using the flute as a extra instrument and by listening to your video I picked up a few good pointers Thank you. I do have a question regarding using a mic with a flute. I have being using a clip on and recently been having feed back and have tried using a vocal mic but have had no success as I am getting too much air being pushed into the mic and getting a horrible sound. Do you have any suggestions?
I have not tried using a clip on mic to be honest. What I do find works really well with vocal mic or directional mics (SM57) is making sure the air stream is not going directly into the mic. Sometimes I try find a spot just off to the side or even a step back. I actually really like the SM57 mics for that reason. I find I do not have to play into the mic quite as much and can control the sound a bit better. Perhaps others have some ideas too?
Just start out with just the mouth piece so you can get a consistent flow of air into the flute without constratoin on the fingerings that will then be the next stage no point in worrying about the notes that will be the second stage when you have control over getting a consistent flow of air into the flute
AHA. I did not tocuh any keys like you did and my flute sounds like yours. My flute sounds like D natural when I just blow through it. Is my flute broken?
My fingers have become stiff and inflexible. It is same with my tone as well. I would love continue to practice. What would you advise me in my daily practice. Thanks for your valuable advice
I would really advise starting off each day with some physical exercises. Sounds silly but if you are feeling stiff and inflexible I would really recommend. You even do some exercises in your embouchure! Just moving it around and getting it going. You can also do stretches and exercises between practice sessions and I would advise keeping practice sessions very short to prevent too much tension building up. I have a video on a few exercises that I use. You are welcome to check it out! ua-cam.com/video/IKP8HRkfneg/v-deo.html Also you may really just want to make sure that your hand position is nice and round and relaxed when you are playing. Hope this helps. If it continues to be a problem let me know!
Any BODY know a other flute channel because each video I watch says the same thing over and over again and it doesn't help and I need serious help!
I always get an airy tone, any tips?
Airy tone is often means you are not getting enough focus. This may mean that your embouchure is too loose and the aperture that is forming between your lips is too big. It may also mean that your position is not quite in the center of the flute. Check to to see where your embouchure is forming and then make sure the tone whole of the flute is in the middle of that.
what if i have no lips?
intro song ?
The problem is I can't read my notes I can with some of them but can you give me any tips
Which notes do you struggle reading? Just the high notes or generally?
I used to have great tone as a kid, but I'm 40 now and have full dentures top and bottom and its really messed up my tone. I can play but I sound so breathy. So upset, the dentist assured me I would still be able to play with them.
I am sorry to hear this :( how long have you been playing with the dentures? Have any of these tips helped? I am sure it is frustrating and would love to help in any way I can!
Definitely helping. I hadn't thought about how much more I am tensing up when I play now. I think I was tensing up to try and keep my mouth piece steady, but just relaxing my mouth is helping a lot. Note bending is helping too. Really helping me to work out where is a good position for me in the top registers.
I've only been playing a couple of months with the dentures. I gave up for a while because at first I couldn't even get my flute to sound. I got refitted and a new set which really helped and now I can play but it is going to be a long journey to get good again.
I can imagine how frustrating it must be. I was unable to play for only a few months due to an injury and getting back into playing was so incredibly difficult. I also really struggled with tension and honestly, there were moments were I felt like I just could not play any more. I would love know how you progress and keep strong. It may take time and many frustrated hours but you will get there. If you need some help, want to send me some videos or ask questions please feel free! You can email tatiana@theflutepractice.com :)
The Flute Practice Thank you. sorry for the slow reply. i found myself homeless a few months ago and had no internet access. i actually just posted some videos of me playing a couple of songs I'm working on.
❤
what about function and placement of tip of thong
Weird. I'm a beginner and I don't smile when blowing. I then tried smiling and I found I was going to the next octave!
You meant the beginning of the Faure Fantaisie not the Poulenc! I enjoy your channel though.
My aperture kinda falls the right a bit lol
That is no problem at all. I will do a video soon about what to do if your aperture is not exactly in the middle. Nothing to stress about just make sure the basic principals are there, such as lining up the aperture and the tone hole and making sure the bottom lip is parallel to the flute.
Ok thank you!
thank you so much cosmopolitan music soul. plz provide your email for futher questions. thank you
Lütfen Türkçe alt yazı
Thank you......(Syedali Flutist Nagore)
I am dizzy!
It takes some time. Remember that getting dizzy is usually from breathing too much not too little so see if you can hold longer notes as well! many breaks and in time your stamina will build :D
Thanks!
she talks to fast
your beginning short video that you use in all your videos is very ugly. In one photo you bite the flute.
Mehdi Karim That is a rude comment.
@@snowleopard2257 I am very sorry that you have been offended. I didn't want to be rude. I have just said my idea.
That’s very kind of you to apologise, but better to her, not to me. I just think it’s rude to say something like that, especially to a teacher who is helping a lot of people. Unless, of course, you know her personally and she was interested in your opinion, in which case, I apologise for my comment. Her opening video is very artistic with an unusual piece of music and my opinion is that it all fits very well together. Anyway, have a good day.