"Evil notes" - A2 - C#3

[Lyle]

Hello Guys!

I am new to this forum so I hope it is ok for me to barge in asking a few long questions about my flute playing

I used to play the flute for 2 years back when I was younger (15 years ago - am now 29 years old). I've been playing it again for the past six months (in the process I've also purchased a new advanced flute since my old one was really old and not functioning well).

I have a few questions that really bother me ...

1) When I play the first 15 minutes everything is cool and the sound I produce is for the most part pleasant (one can always improve though).
It is afterwards when the flute dampens from my own saliva that I start struggling to produce a nice sound out of the higher part of the 2nd octave. It is usually extra horrible when these notes are slurred from or to. By and large C3 & C#3 are the most spiteful and it gets slightly better as I descend .
Needless to say the situation is exacerbated as I further struggle to produce these notes making a mess out of the other notes as well... Strangely enough, cleaning the flute at this stage is hardly helpful.

2) When I get 3 (or more) "all 1/16 notes" measures I have trouble breathing and choke towards the end, especially if the measures contain high notes (usually if the highest note is C3 I'd be able to finish 3 measures but it takes so much air from me that I get exhausted). I should also point out that I have some form of asthma or bronchitis (which my playing the flute actually helps keep at bay) that probably hurts my chances of completing these measures.

Is there anything that can be done to alleviate breathing through such throngs of 1/16 notes measures?

3) Slurring from E2 to D2 and from E2 to F#2... How quick are you to resort to trill fingerings when fast slurring is required? should I insist on getting my pinky and ring fingers agile enough when I play 1/16 notes and only resort to trills tackling 1/32 notes?


Thanks for bearing with me through this long post

[pied_piper]

For the saliva problem, I'll bet you are tending to look down while playing and your chin is too close to your chest. If so, gravity is pulling the saliva toward your lips and then blown into the flute. Try keeping your chin up - just in a natural forward looking position - don't overcompensate and raise it too high. That will help keep the saliva in your mouth where it belongs.

For the breathing, be sure that you are breathing deeply from the diaphragm (belly) area. If your chest moves more than your belly, you are breathing incorrectly. Most of the movement should occur below your rib cage, closer to your belt rather than your shoulders. Your shoulders should not move up and down when you breathe in and out.

To improve your breathing, practice playing long (whole or longer) notes rather than 16th notes. Long notes will improve both your breathing and your tone. You need to lay a good foundation before putting on the roof...

When playing longs phrases of 16th notes, it really depends upon the time signature and the tempo. Just for comparison, let's assume 4/4 time at 120 bpm. At that tempo, it might be possible to play 4, 5 or even 6 measures without a breath. At slower tempos (i.e. 54 bpm) you might be able to play only 2-3 measures before breathing. Sometimes, composers forget that wind players need to breathe and may write ridiculously long phrases. In that case, the only choice is to pick a strategic place and omit a note or two to get a breath.

Trill fingerings are intended for, ... well, trills. Again work the basics, breathing, longs tones, PROPER fingering etc. before you try to recapture your technique for faster notes. Occasionally, trill fingerings or other alternate fingerings may be needed for very awkward passages, but you should first concentrate on trying to develop the normal fingerings before resorting to alternate/trill fingerings.

[Lyle]

thanx for your reply! I'll try using your techniques and hopefully I'll get some of those troublesome note sounds and breathing difficulties out of the way

[etc-etc]

You might want to swab the flute bore ever so often during playing.