Fluteland.com Flute Message Board

First you need to decide what the intention was. I've seen that notation used for portato, mezzo staccato, and spiccato. I'm sure it's also used for phrase markings and other things as well.

If off center is the way she needs to play, then so be it, but I have never heard anyone describe off center playing as an asset! There's nothing wrong with an off center embouchure. I'd recommend encouraging your student to experiment in case there are better ways to form her embouchure, with the ...

I don't want to mess up and then feel embarassed in front of a bunch of people I don't know. Join the club. :) Just remember that you're performing for the audience. If you make a mistake the only thing you can do is suck it up, recover as quickly as possible, and keep going without letting your ho...

If your only concern is feeling nervous, then this sounds like the perfect opportunity to get more experience playing in front of an audience. Everyone gets nervous when playing for others, and learning to play through it is part of becoming a musician.

"Yea, you can use those, but better is to use a dollar bill" this comment was the one thing that definitely made my decision not to go back. More important than knowing everything is being willing to learn from the student. I had a flute teacher who gave me the exact same advice about a dollar bill...

It seems that I am blowing harder and harder as the notes get higher. A little harder is technically fine, but for higher notes it should feel as if you are using the same amount, or even less air. The trick to making clean movements up the range is the size of the hole in your embouchure, and the ...

I do think it's the player and not the instrument, but it's also possible that the instrument might play a part and playing loud has simply become a habit for the best possible sound. First and foremost, approach it by not assuming that this player is in the wrong. Dynamics are up to interpretation,...

Blow the same way, but make the hole between your lips smaller. At a certain point you'll increase the air pressure enough to "overblow" into the second octave E.

My experience with Armstrong has been good, but there are much better options for the same price range. The others I've either not heard of or wouldn't recommend to a new student. If you must choose from the brands you mentioned, Armstrong is your best bet. The 104 model is built like a tank and doe...

If you're allergic to either silver or nickel, that makes your choice for you. And if you're allergic to both, you need to consider other options, like gold plating (which can be done by a repair shop if necessary). In terms of maintenance and appearance, nickel is easier to maintain, but silver ten...

>For a split second, no sound comes out at all. Then I'd guess it's taking you a split second to find the sweet spot. The only way to fix that is practice. Try working on your scales up and down by increasing intervals, and focus on remembering what it feels like to get a good response and tone on e...

"Catch"? Meaning no sound comes out at all, or you get a bit of the second octave before hitting the right pitch, or something else entirely?

>Is it common for someone like me to encounter this breathyness >and in time will less breathyness come with practice? If you're teaching yourself then I would expect it, yes. In my experience teaching, a breathy sound is usually the result of one the following: Blowing too hard to make an octave. Y...

>My low notes sound lush and full. My high notes? Shrill and thin. And when you get your high notes just right, your low notes suffer. It's a never-ending cycle of suffering. ;) I see this a lot, and it's because a lot of people tailor their embouchure to an extreme that only works well for approxim...

A flute is a big enough investment that you shouldn't settle for less. I had a similar situation a while back with a used flute that was a good deal except for the fact that it was inline (which I don't like). I considered that a deal breaker and turned down the offer because I can't see myself payi...