Moderators: Classitar, pied_piper, Phineas
Longtones are only useful as long as you're going somewhere with them. If you're working on crescendoing and decrescendoing without losing pitch (which requires a tuner in front of you), then you're getting something done, but if you're just sitting on a note as long as possible, you're going to notice very little improvement. As for how to improve your pitch, first make sure your flute is set up properly. Play low C (I'll call it C1), and lift your left thumb so that C2 sounds. Adjust the headjoint until the pitch of the two octaves matches (if your flute is built on a reasonably good scale, C3 should be pretty close too). Now check Low D (D1) against D2. Once the you've got a pretty good match, the headjoint is in the position it should be in, so don't screw with it (pulling out or pushing in, rolling, etc.) as you play. Checking the head like this ensures that the greatest number of pitches are the most in tune naturally that they can be. After you've positioned the head, you need to work on flexibility so that you can adjust pitch with your mouth/air. It's not terribly difficult to go a 1/2 step sharp or flat just by manipulating the air. You'll find that raising the airstream raises pitch, and lowering it drops pitch. Since you're having problems with going flat in the low range, aim your air slightly higher, and do some tuner work moving chromatically up and down. It might help to find a note that's easy for you to get in tune (even if it's in the middle register), and move downwards chromatically, watching a tuner to be sure your intervals are the right size. I'd also suggest playing "perfect intervals" (octaves, fourths and fifths) to get a feel for where those are, as well as scales and arpeggios in their varying forms so you can start hearing the pitches and intervals more easily. I've also found that when you're in tune, your tone is clearer and easier to manipulate, so eventually you should be able to hear when your pitch is off and adjust it without needing to consult a tuner. Hope some of that helps!Miss.MoonLight Sonata wrote:okay, im in a concert band in middle school and one of the things my band director just HATES with a great passion is flutes tuneing SO...
d
oes anybody have a good practice or tequnique to stop me from going flat in the lower registers (3rd Line D and down for me)
cause all my band director tells me is to get my flute checked;which i did
and to practice longtones . and i have done so religously
-sorry for spelling errors
Why it works is that it raises the airstream, which causes pitch to rise, just as I said in my post above.gotflute wrote:If you're going flat down low, you may be cutting away the air to get your low notes out. To conteract this, air your air at your band director's head. I'm not kidding.... just think of blowing at him or her, and your pitch will go up.
Tune in (no pun intended) later for an explanation of why this works. Sorry if this hint is kinda short, but I'm a little tired (concert tonight).
That's all true, but in my opinion, related more to tone production than to pitch. I was separating tone from pitch, and since the OP didn't inquire as to tone production, I stuck to the pitch side of things. I don't agree, however, that playing above pitch is necessarily a sign of tension. It's possible to play with a nice relaxed airway, and still bring pitch up pretty high. It certainly can be indicative of tension, but there are other potential causes as well.gotflute wrote:That's not all of the story.
Blowing at a far away target (not the music stand or their feet like most students do) also encourages the air to move properly. Some people call it "fast air", some say that its "more supported". It doesn't matter. The net result will always be a more in tune, clearer sound. If the pitch goes to high, the student is not relaxed enough, either in body or vocal cavity or jaw or.... you name it.
Just remember, lots of air over relaxed lips. But make sure you do both.
Now, I'm going to bed (I promise).
I just play around with a tin whistle 
now and then, but I know the experience of notes that aren't quite where they should be. I tried a program that converts the sound of a voice or a musical instrument into sheet music. What a shock 
I got with a tin whistle that isn't supposed to be producing enharmonic notes anywhere they aren't present on a D-major scale whistle, but did again and again and again.... 
The long tones are a physical exercise to make your lungs stronger and give you a little more comfort 
with the instrument during longer musical works. Keep at them. 
(Note: If you're going to play the flute, it helps to stay in good, physical shape.) Breath control is important for low notes, and long tones can help to build the related strength and control. Otherwise, you'd go for the "fast air" and push the pitch up a tad if you were going flat; its not that hard, even with these dizi's I just acquired, to shift pitch +/- fifty cents. ) and where you point the airstream to get the pitch where it needs to be on problem notes. 