I agree with most of this video, except for the part with the flute needing to be parallel. As I've learned from my professors, the flute doesn't need to be parallel, and that it's actually better to have a slight angle. Of course, the crazy Moyse angle doesn't work with everyone. However, I found, for myself at least, a slight angle improved my sound and my right hand had far better evenness. I was told this was due to that when you do a perfect parallel, as I call a "Marching Flute Position", it causes more tension in your right hand/arm that is unnecessary. So I feel that a slight angle is better than the perfect parallel flute position, especially since I did the parallel thing for so long. That's my personal opinion on it, some people may find perfect parallel works better with them, and that's fine. Also, add on, when it comes to breathing, make sure you don't raise your shoulders when you expand your chest. You weren't doing it of course, but many student I find do. I personally still do it when I'm extremely nervous. Anyway, I do absolutely agree with everything else!
Thanks for the great points and totally agree about the raising shoulders! Yes. I actually also totally do agree about the parallel flute...if I could go back and refilm the video I would maybe be more specific and say it is possibly more about getting the lower lip parallel to the lip plate. Especially for people with off center embouchures or uniquely shaped lips they need to play around with the position of the lips and flute and this often does mean a bit of a slant of the flute. I actually believe this was the case of Moyse! Thank you for your valuable comment! Hopefully I can do a follow up video soon and include some of the points I have learned from you guys!
I'm someone who never played flute before, so I don't have any experience to build on, but I'm already alerted to what I should never do. I really appreciate this!
I've noticed that angling the flute downward can really effect the amount of tension in the left wrist. In my case, angling the flute down really cures it. I started studying under James Galway's 'First Flute' course and adopted the posture that he teaches, and I noticed immediately that it was great for my right hand and terrible for my left wrist. Angling the flute down as I had been doing before cured that, and all the pain went away. Also, holding the flute with my right thumb on the side of the flute rather than underneath it, so that my right hand was no longer bearing the weight of the flute, really allows my right hand to become much more relaxed, free, and quick. To anyone who's left wrist hurts like hell after playing, try disregarding the advice to keep your flute straight. It may be the solution you need.
What a wonderful, articulate teacher are you dear girl.... I've played jazz for 4 decades and been doing it all wrong.... bless you for helping all of us.... will subscribe and listen to everything you say...... my tone is already becoming fuller, more flute like.. ha ha...
thanks for all the videos, I'm a musician that doesn't have time or extra money for lessons. You helped me get a grasp on a lot of concepts. Also my altissimo chart is photos of you holding the notes.
You are a fantastic teacher and really help me excited to restart playing the flute, thank you so much for your approachability and all your efforts in making flute playing more accessible and easy to understand
I played bassoon, clarinet and saxes professionally for 30 years - every now and then practising the flute to try and bring it up to an acceptable 'fourth double' standard. I failed, despite spending hours on long note practice. Speed was not a problem, but speed is no help if the sound is weak and half the notes disappear. I am now starting again aged 82 and will follow the advice in your videos, mainly eliminating those habits and embouchure-jerk reactions that hinder progress. I am using the Nuvo flute, with a curved head joint, as its weight is half that of a metal flute, and, unlike metal curved head joints, once the Nuvo curved head joint position is set, it stays there.
Love your videos. Super helpful. I'd love one on how to deal with nerves when playing in front of an audience. I guess that's more of a soft skill than technique.
About 10 and famous examples. I saw in my life people who are doing things, that are going in the way of there playing and have really good results. I think it's just because there are people who are just talented. If we have guys who can achieve 30 year old average musician level in 10 it's not strange at all that we can see adults, that are awesome but not 100 % effective in there practice and playing, so I look first what teachers say after seeing pupils with various levels of talent, and only then look how the best do.
Great points. Appreciate you showing us differences between best and not so good :-) May I ask, with your first point: if we are gently turned but we move our head to be parallel to the stand-doesn’t this change our airway? Are we softly constricting the throat/even feeling it a bit on my right cheek? Thank you so much!
Jane Smith it is possible to have tension while gentle rotating the head but if we rotate with a balanced head from the spine we should not have any restriction of the airway. Twisting the body to accommodate the flute will cause greater restriction, I think. There is always a playoff with the lopsided position of the flute but I really believe there is a way to play with the least tension, obstruction and freedom. A lot of my approach is based on the body mapping and Alenxander technique approach.
Gripping too hard and tension in my R shoulder/R elbow are probably my two biggest problems, followed by a tight embouchure (I, too, was taught to smile). I managed to catch the raised shoulder and elbow and am now consciously dropping them, but they still creep up from time to time when I get anxious or frustrated. And the gripping too hard comes from having arthritis and a very short hitchhiker's R thumb, so the flute often feels unstable in my grip. I've partially solved the problem by using the Rockstro grip (R thumb behind the barrel instead of underneath). Embouchure I'm still working on relaxing; that's going to take a long time.
I found very interesting the feeling of the nuke by our hands to built a conscience of it so that we can use it as a reference to the general position of the flute before our body.This is new for me.Thank you very much.
I find myself being very tight whether it's my lips my throat or my arms even my fingers gripping the flute I really have to be very conscious of Letting Go and lightening up. It definitely affects my playing and I feel like sometimes I just can't get that light feeling in my plane because I'm so tight and pressing so hard on everything. Thank you for your text
I'm always seeing people correcting professional flutists on their use of the term flutist vs. flautist. A 3 second google search reveals that flutist is perfectly acceptable English. "The Oxford English Dictionary states that the word flutist (1603) is a much older established word than flautist (1860). Since the English term flute is related to the modern French flûte, it follows therefore that the player of that instrument would be a flutist."
I do notice, more and more professional flute players do have an angle that brings one corner of the blow hole slightly lower than it would be if the flute was perfectly parallel to the line the lips make when the lips are touching each other. I find that even rolling the flute hole away from your lips does improve the sound the flute makes, rather than rolling the flute hole towards the opening of lips. Seems to me, it allows for any excess air to move easily out of the way of kinda blocking the air that you are blowing, from the air that is trying to get out of the blow hole, that you just blew into. In other words, the air coming in, doesn't interfere, with the air coming out. But like you said, each player should find their own best 'position' that frees up their hands and the sound the flute makes. But all that being said. James Galway, from what I see, actually has the blow hole pointing directly into his mouth, the lip hole does seem larger than most other musicians use and I doubt there is a better flute player than James Galway. But damn, when I try to do what he does, it don't work for me, and so i roll the hole out, instead of in and although I don't make it sound like Galway is playing, I do find the more I practice and pay attention to the feelings of the air being blown into the flute, it's sounding better.
It's really all about experimentation. You experiment until you hear the sound you are looking for. I had many different teachers with different angles of blowing and I tried them all to see if they helped me. In the end I probably am a combination of all my teachers!
Ok great lesson but I just started February 5th 2019 my first flute it's a Mendini I need you to do a close-up of your lip when it touches the mouthpiece the Arbiter if I'm pronouncing that correctly exactly where the bottom of your lip comes in and into your chin where you blow the air on the Outer Rim finding the sweet spot but no one seems to be doing any close-ups on the inside like take the camera and put it next to your two lips let the camera and film you exactly where you're playing in Bologna are in that do that over and over again when you can try all the video whatever you want but not only myself a lot other people had that trouble finding a sweet spot and I know about practicing with the head joint for two weeks first and doing all these things but in order for us to learn correctly you must show us how to blow the air incorrectly and do clothes close up with you where your lips touch the hole and where exactly cuz I watched you tonight and you took it and roll it to the bottom part of one third of your bottom lip and then blue are right in there that's why we need to see a need to see that sweet spot so we can create our own sweet spot but if you don't help us create our sweet spot by not showing us we cannot learn it but your video was very very good because I was bringing my shoulders up I seem to tend to push my luck shoulder forward and then play like like that but I am keeping your parallel to the floor thanks again your videos really great Robert New Jersey
Robert Haller hey Robert! Thank you for the really great idea!!! I love this and will definitely try making a video like this as soon as possible. Really appreciate the feedback!
So, if you are sitting on a chair, should your chair be slightly on an angle so your head is turned toward the music stand? I have been wondering what the best and most comfortable way is to sit. Sometimes I get a soar neck after playing for a while, and I am thinking I am sitting or standing in a wrong way.
thx for the video 😍 anyway i play the flute for 1 year and i think my flute isn't a good one . i want to buy another ,can you tell me which is the good flutes??
The important thing is that the embouchure is blowing air straight across the tone hole. Your head and arms can relax from there. Marcel Moyse used to have a very relaxed arm position but his tone was fantastic. Also check out Denis Bouriakov (principal with the LA Phil) he is tilting a lot!
Very good advice! I would really agree with that! I think it is always important to play around with what you are doing as well and make sure that it really is the best for you and is helping you get the sound you want with the least strain! All of us are so different :)
The advice below is great. The only thing I would monitor is that you are also being gentle to your neck :) If you get any pain or strain then that may be a reason to change the position but if you are not and you are getting the sound you want then absolutely :)
I agree with most of this video, except for the part with the flute needing to be parallel. As I've learned from my professors, the flute doesn't need to be parallel, and that it's actually better to have a slight angle. Of course, the crazy Moyse angle doesn't work with everyone. However, I found, for myself at least, a slight angle improved my sound and my right hand had far better evenness. I was told this was due to that when you do a perfect parallel, as I call a "Marching Flute Position", it causes more tension in your right hand/arm that is unnecessary. So I feel that a slight angle is better than the perfect parallel flute position, especially since I did the parallel thing for so long. That's my personal opinion on it, some people may find perfect parallel works better with them, and that's fine. Also, add on, when it comes to breathing, make sure you don't raise your shoulders when you expand your chest. You weren't doing it of course, but many student I find do. I personally still do it when I'm extremely nervous. Anyway, I do absolutely agree with everything else!
Thanks for the great points and totally agree about the raising shoulders! Yes. I actually also totally do agree about the parallel flute...if I could go back and refilm the video I would maybe be more specific and say it is possibly more about getting the lower lip parallel to the lip plate. Especially for people with off center embouchures or uniquely shaped lips they need to play around with the position of the lips and flute and this often does mean a bit of a slant of the flute. I actually believe this was the case of Moyse! Thank you for your valuable comment! Hopefully I can do a follow up video soon and include some of the points I have learned from you guys!
I confess to being a key smasher and also resting flute against my right hand! Thanks for the reminders.
betsy mach God same heere....been doing the same for 11 months in a row now to get out of it....not easy
I'm someone who never played flute before, so I don't have any experience to build on, but I'm already alerted to what I should never do. I really appreciate this!
My embouchure was tighter than a ducks behind, its better now and getting a good sound which improved quickly, thank you!
I've noticed that angling the flute downward can really effect the amount of tension in the left wrist. In my case, angling the flute down really cures it. I started studying under James Galway's 'First Flute' course and adopted the posture that he teaches, and I noticed immediately that it was great for my right hand and terrible for my left wrist. Angling the flute down as I had been doing before cured that, and all the pain went away. Also, holding the flute with my right thumb on the side of the flute rather than underneath it, so that my right hand was no longer bearing the weight of the flute, really allows my right hand to become much more relaxed, free, and quick. To anyone who's left wrist hurts like hell after playing, try disregarding the advice to keep your flute straight. It may be the solution you need.
Oh, and your voice and tempo of what you share is so so nice. Your voice is feminine but not high and squeak-ums. ☺️
Jane Smith thank you!
What a wonderful, articulate teacher are you dear girl.... I've played jazz for 4 decades and been doing it all wrong.... bless you for helping all of us.... will subscribe and listen to everything you say...... my tone is already becoming fuller, more flute like.. ha ha...
thanks for all the videos, I'm a musician that doesn't have time or extra money for lessons. You helped me get a grasp on a lot of concepts. Also my altissimo chart is photos of you holding the notes.
You are a fantastic teacher and really help me excited to restart playing the flute, thank you so much for your approachability and all your efforts in making flute playing more accessible and easy to understand
I played bassoon, clarinet and saxes professionally for 30 years - every now and then practising the flute to try and bring it up to an acceptable 'fourth double' standard.
I failed, despite spending hours on long note practice. Speed was not a problem, but speed is no help if the sound is weak and half the notes disappear.
I am now starting again aged 82 and will follow the advice in your videos, mainly eliminating those habits and embouchure-jerk reactions that hinder progress.
I am using the Nuvo flute, with a curved head joint, as its weight is half that of a metal flute, and, unlike metal curved head joints, once the Nuvo curved head joint position is set, it stays there.
Graham Lyons you are such an inspiration. this is truly amazing
Agreed! Wow...So glad you are taking up this fluting adventure...Very interesting about the head joint...would not have thought!
Sierra: get in touch with me when you're 82, and we'll compare notes.
Try to cover the mouth piece hole more than you do now and you'l get a more concentrated sound. Something like two thirds of it.
Graham Lyons
good luck Gramps!
Very informative...thanx!
Love your videos. Super helpful. I'd love one on how to deal with nerves when playing in front of an audience. I guess that's more of a soft skill than technique.
About 10 and famous examples. I saw in my life people who are doing things, that are going in the way of there playing and have really good results. I think it's just because there are people who are just talented. If we have guys who can achieve 30 year old average musician level in 10 it's not strange at all that we can see adults, that are awesome but not 100 % effective in there practice and playing, so I look first what teachers say after seeing pupils with various levels of talent, and only then look how the best do.
Great points. Appreciate you showing us differences between best and not so good :-)
May I ask, with your first point: if we are gently turned but we move our head to be parallel to the stand-doesn’t this change our airway? Are we softly constricting the throat/even feeling it a bit on my right cheek? Thank you so much!
Jane Smith it is possible to have tension while gentle rotating the head but if we rotate with a balanced head from the spine we should not have any restriction of the airway. Twisting the body to accommodate the flute will cause greater restriction, I think. There is always a playoff with the lopsided position of the flute but I really believe there is a way to play with the least tension, obstruction and freedom. A lot of my approach is based on the body mapping and Alenxander technique approach.
Gripping too hard and tension in my R shoulder/R elbow are probably my two biggest problems, followed by a tight embouchure (I, too, was taught to smile). I managed to catch the raised shoulder and elbow and am now consciously dropping them, but they still creep up from time to time when I get anxious or frustrated. And the gripping too hard comes from having arthritis and a very short hitchhiker's R thumb, so the flute often feels unstable in my grip. I've partially solved the problem by using the Rockstro grip (R thumb behind the barrel instead of underneath). Embouchure I'm still working on relaxing; that's going to take a long time.
I found very interesting the feeling of the nuke by our hands to built a conscience of it so that we can use it as a reference to the general position of the flute before our body.This is new for me.Thank you very much.
I love all these tips but keep in mind that beginners don't usually stand up while playing
Thank you! 💚
Thank you very much! Your video helps a lot!
I find myself being very tight whether it's my lips my throat or my arms even my fingers gripping the flute I really have to be very conscious of Letting Go and lightening up. It definitely affects my playing and I feel like sometimes I just can't get that light feeling in my plane because I'm so tight and pressing so hard on everything. Thank you for your text
* Flautist ;) sending lots of love Tats! so impressed with all your vids!
Carl James Ashford
I'm always seeing people correcting professional flutists on their use of the term flutist vs. flautist. A 3 second google search reveals that flutist is perfectly acceptable English.
"The Oxford English Dictionary states that the word flutist (1603) is a much older established word than flautist (1860). Since the English term flute is related to the modern French flûte, it follows therefore that the player of that instrument would be a flutist."
you get this was a joke right?
I do notice, more and more professional flute players do have an angle that brings one corner of the blow hole slightly lower than it would be if the flute was perfectly parallel to the line the lips make when the lips are touching each other.
I find that even rolling the flute hole away from your lips does improve the sound the flute makes, rather than rolling the flute hole towards the opening of lips. Seems to me, it allows for any excess air to move easily out of the way of kinda blocking the air that you are blowing, from the air that is trying to get out of the blow hole, that you just blew into. In other words, the air coming in, doesn't interfere, with the air coming out. But like you said, each player should find their own best 'position' that frees up their hands and the sound the flute makes. But all that being said. James Galway, from what I see, actually has the blow hole pointing directly into his mouth, the lip hole does seem larger than most other musicians use and I doubt there is a better flute player than James Galway. But damn, when I try to do what he does, it don't work for me, and so i roll the hole out, instead of in and although I don't make it sound like Galway is playing, I do find the more I practice and pay attention to the feelings of the air being blown into the flute, it's sounding better.
It's really all about experimentation. You experiment until you hear the sound you are looking for. I had many different teachers with different angles of blowing and I tried them all to see if they helped me. In the end I probably am a combination of all my teachers!
Ok great lesson but I just started February 5th 2019 my first flute it's a Mendini I need you to do a close-up of your lip when it touches the mouthpiece the Arbiter if I'm pronouncing that correctly exactly where the bottom of your lip comes in and into your chin where you blow the air on the Outer Rim finding the sweet spot but no one seems to be doing any close-ups on the inside like take the camera and put it next to your two lips let the camera and film you exactly where you're playing in Bologna are in that do that over and over again when you can try all the video whatever you want but not only myself a lot other people had that trouble finding a sweet spot and I know about practicing with the head joint for two weeks first and doing all these things but in order for us to learn correctly you must show us how to blow the air incorrectly and do clothes close up with you where your lips touch the hole and where exactly cuz I watched you tonight and you took it and roll it to the bottom part of one third of your bottom lip and then blue are right in there that's why we need to see a need to see that sweet spot so we can create our own sweet spot but if you don't help us create our sweet spot by not showing us we cannot learn it but your video was very very good because I was bringing my shoulders up I seem to tend to push my luck shoulder forward and then play like like that but I am keeping your parallel to the floor thanks again your videos really great Robert New Jersey
Robert Haller hey Robert! Thank you for the really great idea!!! I love this and will definitely try making a video like this as soon as possible. Really appreciate the feedback!
My thumb is probably too far forward, but the flute is stopped from rolling backwards by my left hand, I'm not sure whether is matters too much?
So, if you are sitting on a chair, should your chair be slightly on an angle so your head is turned toward the music stand? I have been wondering what the best and most comfortable way is to sit. Sometimes I get a soar neck after playing for a while, and I am thinking I am sitting or standing in a wrong way.
How to avoid from getting b flat instead for b?
We don’t stand in band class we just sit in chairs and play
thx for the video 😍 anyway i play the flute for 1 year and i think my flute isn't a good one . i want to buy another ,can you tell me which is the good flutes??
I probably made all of the above mistakes
I seem to be raising my left shoulder up for some reason?
hi
I have a question: "If my head goes in the same parallel position that i make with the flute, that can´t be wrong"? Is this right?
The important thing is that the embouchure is blowing air straight across the tone hole. Your head and arms can relax from there. Marcel Moyse used to have a very relaxed arm position but his tone was fantastic. Also check out Denis Bouriakov (principal with the LA Phil) he is tilting a lot!
Very good advice! I would really agree with that! I think it is always important to play around with what you are doing as well and make sure that it really is the best for you and is helping you get the sound you want with the least strain! All of us are so different :)
The advice below is great. The only thing I would monitor is that you are also being gentle to your neck :) If you get any pain or strain then that may be a reason to change the position but if you are not and you are getting the sound you want then absolutely :)
Thanks you for your answers, they helped me very much.
You are great teachers, Michael
this one I think is only me but I ALWAYS ACCIDENTALLY PUT MY ELBOW ON MY CHAIR WHEN PLAYING
Miss T its me Sarah
Flute player ... Flayer
first guess I say you're a Capricorn second guess Aries?
my teacher was doing a bio poem and she she told the class to say nice things about her one person said she was thick
Stand like a boxer