how to improve tone and pitch?

[Godsflautist]

I started playing the flute in high school and participated in our city's "All City High School Marching Band" While I enjoyed it tremendously and found that it came rather naturally (I have a long history of playing several musical instruments) I did not keep it up after I graduated.

About 2 years ago, I started playing in our church's worship team. And recently the music director for our church is working with the instrumentalists featuring each of our individual instruments.

I'm having a hard time producing a good tone in the high registers and it sounds harsh. The director mentioned that I have a great quality that is rich and she likes my use of vibrato. But I can't seem to do that in the high registers. Even to me the sound just seem shrill and I'm not sure how to improve on this. I'm usually tempted to just drop it to the lower octive, but I also don't want to "run away" from this challenge.

The second problem I'm having is keeping my intonation throughout a piece. I've begun to use a tuner and just keep it on throughout the piece, but I'm not sure what habits affect my intonation. I find that the notes that I have trouble with usually run flat, and I have always tried to remedy this by rolling my flute out. But then, as you can probably predict, it affects the notes that I normally do play in tune. I'm not sure how to adjust/maintain my embouchure to achieve more consistent intonation.

Can you suggest ways I can improve in these areas and maybe some exercises that will help me? Thanks

Emi

[fluteguy18]

Tone:

First of all, don't be afraid of the high notes. Really go after them. Make sure that your throat is open, your jaw is lowered, and that your are not pinching your lips. Your aperture should actually be quite large and open. High notes are all about support and airspeed; not about a tighter embouchure. Tightness is contrary to tone production.

Intonation: First, check all of your fingerings with a good fingering chart. Dont cheat by not using the pinky or keeping your pointer finger down on middle D and Eb. Second, you just have to work on it. I recommend getting Trevor Wye's book on Tone and his other book on Intonation. The excercizes he has in there will help quite a lot.

[fluttiegurl]

To add to what fluteguy said, make sure you are not clenching your teeth in the back. That is an issue I see with a lot of students.

[Muckdogzen]

The best exercise I have found for intonation is singing melodies in solfeggio. (recommed moveable Do). On playing in the upper registers, I have been experiencing the same problem you have discribed. I didn't play for over twenty years, and really only played the silver flute for about two years way back when. 'Way back when' I didn't have any problem with the upper registers. Now twenty five years later I have to attack the upper register with what seemes to me to be alot more energy and guesto. I even sometimes go to the extream of playing upper register notes using only 'Ka' tonguing. It seems to generate more air and it puts attention on the back of the tongue. With time melodies in the upper register will start to take shape.

[Godsflautist]

Muckdogzen, I'm not sure I'm too familiar with the term soffegio? I know I've heard it used before but I can't remember the context. Can you offer me an explanation/description of this technique? I too took a long break from the flute and pretty much all of my music for about 15 years after I had my children. Now I have more time to devote to practicing again and realized how much I missed it and how relaxing it is for me.

For others who suggested it, I bought a couple of Trevor Wye's books (book 1 for tone and book 4 for intonation and vibrato) I don't have a piano at home to work with for some of the exercises in the beginning of book 4 (I only have a synth) but I think I am familiar with the concepts. I am having a hard time distinguishing all the harmonics, although I am able to hear some of the overtones when I play. Are harmonics and overtones the same? if not what is their differences?

I also looked at a progressive study book by Philip Sparke and a method book by H Soussmann. Both of these are pretty basic and elementary, but I was interested in them because they have a variety of exercises that might help me build up some muscle memory, not to mention some of the longer phrasing would help me improve my breath control. I had fogotten how different playing marching band pieces and concert band pieces really are and I could really build up some stamina to play longer phrases. Are any of you familiar with these authors or do you have other books that would help me reestablish muscle memory and breath control?

I have been able to improve on the use of vibrato on the high registers, but I still can't seem to soften the tone especially when I get into notes including and above Eb6 but I still notice a definite change in the quality of the tone after C6. I have solo pieces that go as high as G6 and one I think that goes to A6. So far I have tried to avoid these pieces, or drop the passages in these numbers down an octave, but then it makes the whole song sound off.

[Muckdogzen]

Solfeggio is the Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do. ie. in the key of C. Do = C. It is traditionally a singing exercise but is great for ear training and developing good intonation. It always helps me to take the time to sing the melody using the solfege sylables. I like to play the harmony on the keyboard while singing the melody using the solfege sylables. This is a great time to get a good feel for the rhythm.