Embouchure and tone for a (re)beginner

Bumpbert · Post by **Bumpbert** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 7:14 pm

Hi all. I'm new; played flute for a few years in middle school band and took private lessons in 5th and 6th grade.

I'm a freshman in college and I just picked it up again for fun. Fingerings came back to me swiftly (if not the dexterity for quick passages, but that will return with time) so I'm mainly working on tone and embouchure, which seem to be the most important foundations to me. I already do breath work for my voice lessons.

My big problem right now is that I'm obsessed with my bad third octave. In my opinion, my tone is nice enough in the 2nd and especially 1st octaves, but I'd like my third to be beautiful, and less airy and shrill. I've been experimenting to make it better, since i have no teacher. Couple questions.

1) Is it wrong that my lips get tired? Do I have too much tension? What muscles should I be using the get a firm but flexible and relaxed embouchure?

2) My upper register seems to sound much better if I don't tongue with a "tuh" as I usually do, but instead just "puh" the sound out and keep my lips in the "p" formation.

There is less air, easier transitions from note to note, and a louder but also purer quality, to my ears and in the (poor) recordings I've made.

I've gotten similar, but inconsistent, results by tongueing with a "th" instead of a "t". What are your thoughts on this?

Appreciate any help!

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 7:39 pm

In my mind, your lips getting tired is probably either a sign of too much tension, or the fact that you haven't played for a while (it's hard to tell which without being able to see you). The muscles needed to form an embouchure aren't used too often in everyday life, and chances are they're out of shape, which is probably at least part (if not all) of your problem. Focus on keeping your lips relaxed, and if your muscles begin to ache, take some time off, and come back. There's nothing to be gained through pain when it comes to flute playing. As for what muscles to use, the ones in the center of your lips are really the only muscles directly involved in the creation of an aperture. The ones that drive your jaw, and certain other facial muscles come into play, but for the most part your face should be relaxed. As a way of improving tone (throughout the range, but in the 3rd octave as well), tone exercises such as those in Moyse's De La Sonorite or the Wye book on Tone will do wonders. The third octave is pretty picky on flute, particularly on some beginner instruments. I would suggest you keep experimenting with using your tongue rather than "puh-ing" the notes. "Puh" has it's place (usually a very soft entrance up high), but should not become your default, as it will limit the articulation options (which are one tool of expressiveness) you have available. I hope some of that helps you.

Bumpbert · Post by **Bumpbert** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 9:42 pm

Thanks for the detailed reply. I'll continue to work on relaxation and tongueing. Might be able to get enough cash for one of those books, too.

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 11:11 pm

No problem. Good luck, and welcome back to flute playing! Just as a note, you don't necessarily have to buy a book to do tone exercises. Anything where you don't have to focus on the technical aspects of playing (fingers and tongue), and can set yourself to listen to your tone can become a tone exercise. To get you started, try doing long tones chromatically downward (register doesn't matter too much for this particular exercise). I like to start on a B. From B, slur to Bb, making sure to match the tone of both notes, and get a nice focused, round sound (how focused and round it is will likely change daily, so don't get too frustrated if it's not always the same). Repeat. Then start on Bb, and slur down to A, paying attention to tone throughout the entire note. You want the notes to be pretty long, but don't try to hold them out until you're gasping for breath, or your sound starts to suffer because you have very little air left. Just go for as long as you can comfortably.

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 9:20 pm

Excellent Moyse book, back in print, Tone Development through Interpretation. Mostly short opera, orchestra, or art song themes from around 100 years ago, so some may be less (or un-) familiar. A piano accompaniment is included, so you can concentrate on ensemble and intonation as well. A well-worth-it $30, but I sometimes have my students make their own books, with tone-study-appropriate melodies which are more relevant and familiar to them. I ask that they locate simple melodic material covering various ranges of the flute, and different dynamics, as well as themes that convey a variety of moods, so they can begin to study color changes. Henry Mancini melodies (often Breakfast at Tiffany's and Two for the Road), Disney and other movie themes, hymn tunes, and classical (mostly vocal) melodies have figured prominently in their collections.

Bumpbert · Post by **Bumpbert** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 11:44 pm

Yeah, Disney/showtunes/popular tunes forms a large part of my current repertoire.

I left most of my good sheet music at home, what I have with me at college is either too difficult or too easy (band exercises). So I sound out the tunes I have on my computer and play them.

I have trouble with dynamics, the only thing I can think of to make the sound louder is to blow harder, and that uses more air.

My upper register is firming up, though. I think I figured out a problem; my tongueing is too aggressive, it blows my lips out of shape and that's why "puh" and "thuh" made the high tones purer. I've started fixing that and it's leading to some improvement.

I haven't eliminated tension but my lips are much less tired when I'm done playing now.

Bumpbert · Post by **Bumpbert** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:07 pm

As I get better at making the aperture smaller, and the air moves faster, spit is starting to come out with it!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not slobbering on my flute, but every once in a while a little moisture will escape my lips and mess with the tone.

I think I might still be tongueing too aggressively, and letting the "thuh" push too far forward and carry some spit with it.

...

I've also discovered that blowing down more, or rolling the head joint towards me, makes the tone purer. It might mess with tuning, but I can tune in other ways to compensate I guess.

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 11:42 pm

I wouldn't suggest rolling in too much. It will make a nice sound...For you. Your audience's perception will be quite different, on the other hand. Covering the embouchure hole too much creates a small, tight sounding tone. Rolling out will actually produce the better sound. You want to cover about 25-30% of the embouchure hole with your lip. Too little, and it will be difficult to control. Too much, and you affect your tone negatively. You're right about adjusting intonation in other ways though. Rolling in and out should never be the default for correcting pitch. This should be done with the air. As a general rule, if you're flat, blow up more, and if you're sharp, blow down into the flute more. Spit coming out of the aperture may or may not be an issue. It could be a sign of a tight embouchure, or just a sign that you're salivating while you play. If you notice tension in your embouchure, relax. If not, don't worry too much about the spit. It will clear up as you progress. As for tonguing, envision a solid airstream. The air should not change at all, but your tongue interrupts it very slightly (and very quickly). Work towards a legato (smooth) tongue, and you should lighten up a bit.

Bumpbert · Post by **Bumpbert** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 7:41 pm

Is it generally a long process for the lips to get strong enough to play a focused, quiet third octave? Right now my practice focuses almost entirely on the upper half of the second octave and the third octave; should I not try to rush it?

I know I should focus on much more than just getting out the high notes, but I don't like fearing that my range will always be limited.

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 8:00 pm

It does take a good bit of time. I wasn't even allowed to play the top C until my third year, and I took lessons all during that time. Now I can play well above that, with a very nice tone (At least as nice as you can expect into the fourth octave), and relatively well in tune. You can't expect all of these things just to come immediately. If you're not happy with your sound in the top of the second octave, don't push into the third yet. Do exercises to strengthen your second octave, and then move up from there. Don't worry about your range. As long as you practice, you should be able to get at least the top C eventually. Possibly even higher, though that starts to depend on the flute as well.