No progress on higher register - is it the flute or is it me

[Deidre]

I have been playing the flute for two years. I am very discouraged because I am still having a great deal of difficulty with the tone quality of notes in the higher register. At what point do I say this just isn't for me? I love the flute, but it is no longer fun. My teacher is supportive and has encouraged me to experiment with my embouchure and breathing.

I think she's too nice to say I will never get it right. Would it be beneficial to try a different flute? Has anyone else experienced this dilemma?

[pied_piper]

It's not too unusual that some players hit a plateau at some point and have difficulty progressing beyond it. You didn't say what type of flute you have, so it's difficult to say whether a different flute will help or not. If you have a good student flute, changing may or may not help. It might be worth visiting a few music stores and trying some different flutes to see if you find that others make it easier to play high notes. Has your teacher tried your flute to be sure it's in good working order? There is nothing more frustrating than trying to play a flute that is malfunctioning.

You also did not indicate what types of exercises your teacher has you working on to improve the the upper notes. Many teachers recommend playing lots of long notes to improve tone. One really good book for that is Moyse's "De la Sonorité". While those types of exercises are not always fun, they are necessary to build a good foundation for proper playing. If you can get beyond this hurdle, it should become more fun to play again.

You stated that your teacher has suggested that you "experiment" with your embouchure and breathing. Some teachers are great at teaching "natural" players but cannot offer concrete guidance on how to fix embouchure problems. I won't necessarily suggest that you should change teachers, but it might not hurt to get an evaluation from another teacher for at least a couple of lessons. A different teacher might spot a flaw with your embouchure and be able to tell you how to improve it.

[Deidre]

My flute is a Gemeinhardt 2SH. When I bought it in 2009, it was a year old. I have kept it maintained and feel that it is in good working order.

I have been using Trevor Wye's tone book and basically going through the exercises for middle and high registers.

I don't have too many options for flute teachers where I am located. Also, if I played another flute, I am not sure that I would be able to tell in just a few minutes if it was easier to play.

Thanks for your suggestions.

[azgoth]

You may ask your teacher to try your flute !
For the high register, don't roll in the flute, make a frank "T" attack, blow directly with a strong air jet, tighten your lips without crisping...
Do you have a good tone in the middle and low octaves ?

[Deidre]

I have decent tone in the low and middle registers. I have tried very hard not to roll the flute inward on the upper register. How much harder should I blow in the higher register? I get conflicting advice on this. Should I have a noticeably strong stream of air with the higher register? I thought it was the size of my embouchure that made the biggest difference.

Thanks!

[azgoth]

It's a mix of these two. You have to blow with more pressure (increase air speed) and make a smaller embouchure to focus the air stream. These embouchure changes are very smooth while you go higher, there is no radical change when you reach the 3rd octave (except for some "hard blowing" notes like F#3). Also you may try a "kiss shaped" embouchure, it's what my lips looks like when I play high notes softly


Actually the 3rd octave uses less air than the 1st, because you keep air from getting out too rapidly with your lips. You can try the opposite by playing a low C : even if the air speed is slow, the embouchure is a lot larger ("relaxed embouchure"), and you go out of breath quickly.

I noticed the high notes response depends a lot on the flute. With my old flute, I can make decent highs even if I roll in and have an extra-small-crispated embouchure. With my new flute it's totally different, I must be relaxed in order to have a good tone without breath noise

[Deidre]

Thanks for the suggestions for the higher register. I have recently tried a different flute and found that the higher notes are easier to play. I was playing a Gemeinhardt 2SH. I am now trying a Yamaha YFL221 and find that it is also lighter. I am considering buying it (just renting it now) and trying to sell my Gem.

I still consider myself a beginner after two years of playing. I hopefully have found a teacher that can help me with my progress.

Thanks.

[StephenC]

Thanks for the suggestions for the higher register. I have recently tried a different flute music and found that the higher notes are easier to play. I was playing a Gemeinhardt 2SH. I am now trying a Yamaha YFL221 and find that it is also lighter. I am considering buying it (just renting it now) and trying to sell my Gem.

I still consider myself a beginner after two years of playing. I hopefully have found a teacher that can help me with my progress.

Thanks.

I guess all of us will still continue to learn even after years and years of playing. Good thing you resolved it or you could have stopped playing the flute.