Help me with my tone!

[JasonTongRulz]

My tone is developing nicely mostly... but I have a complaint..

I find the middle register D, Eb, E, F and F# are too airy for my liking...

How can I make these notes less airy? I know it's because the tube/air column is longer but I'm not sure of a good way to fix it.. I've experimented with embouchure movements but they have been unsuccessful.. And how can I improve the quality and smoothness of my diminuendos?

Also, I occasionally find the attack on C3 and B2 unclean.. how can I make this more consistent?

Sorry for reading my long list of questions and Thank you very much in advance!

[James_Alto]

Errr..try getting a teacher?


If you're finding your tone too airy - try covering more of the embouchure and blow more into the hole. What happens?

It's kind of too diffuse to explain - there's a lot of you tube clips on embouchure. I wonder if you've looked at these?

Btw - if you have a student flute, some of them are really awful in the third octave. I've played some which made me screech with the 3rd octave E+ notes. It was more to do with the free-blowing embouchure - very little scope for tone colour with these budget student flutes.

[JasonTongRulz]

I do have a teacher But she thinks it's not extremely bad and that I'm just being fussy.. regardless, I'd still like to work on it! (It's not extremely airy, only slightly). It's only these notes and not the others ones that are slightly airy.

Thank you for your tip about the embouchure hole! To accomplish this would I push my bottom lip forward?

[James_Alto]

Hmm. I'm probably the last person to help you on this issue then.

As an alto player, my C concert playing is a whisper whistle-ey.

If you move your lower lip forward, that will achieve your octave notes stronger. If you cover more of the embouchure hole, by rolling the headjoint in towards you, that should generate a stronger higher octave tone too.

Try it and see. I understand what you mean about teachers not being fussy. Maybe they aren't looking for you to progress as fast as you would like to

[JasonTongRulz]

Thanks, my E's and F's sound a lot more stronger when I push my bottom lip forward!

I guess it's because I'm trying to progress too quickly.. I've only been playing for about 6 months but I'm around Grade 5 or 6 standard... I'm working towards the grading but I'm rushing everything too quickly

I have faith in my teacher, she's really good!

Thanks again!

[James_Alto]

Cool Jason - glad you'vre mastering it

FWIW, anytime I play Grade 8 pieces, I still suck after I put my flute down for a few umm...years lol.