Lower Notes

[newflute]

Hi guys, Total newbie here. Basically my background is
pop/rock I play guitar, bass and piano although I also studied a few years of
classical piano/guitar and can read music. Well so out of the blue I decided to
learn flute. I always wanted to learn a woodwind instrument and saw this offer
for a cheap starter flute on a website and went for it. I''ve bought myself
some books and also subscribed to the fluteland lessons so far so good ! (I''m
mainly self taught on my other instruments) anyway more to the point ! I''ve
gone through the video lessons and can now assemble, align, and maintain my
flute. I''ve also learnt the first few fingerings for F, G, A, B, Bb and C2.
My problem at the moment is getting a consistent sound seems the lower i go the
more airy my sound gets. C2, Bb, B and A are no problem but my G is quite
erratic and F well sounds like a puff of smoke ! Any tips ? I understand its
early days and need to develop my embochure but any help is very welcome ! Ernie
www.eazi-k.com/flute - my flute

[fluteluversmom]

For me working in the lower register requires a more
relaxed embochure. I would suggest working with long tones a bit. This way you
can play with each note for a bit and try to find your sweet spot. The Trevor
Wye Tone book is also great Kim

[fluteluversmom]

Oh and I forgot to add that when playing the low notes try
to direct more air into the tone hole rather than across it. Kim

[johnbegud]

If the sound is airy, that means not enough air is
travelling inside the tube. Work out on your embouchure and proper positioning
on the embouchure hole. You can do this by blowing on the embouchure hole with
the head joint alone (not connecting the middle and foot joint) and find the
clearest tone you can play. Try it again with the middle and foot joint
connected. Hope this helps. vic

[embum79]

For me, the lower register has been an ongoing challenge,
even after 14 years of playing! I still have times where it just doesn't seem
to go right. You are not alone, and you may often have difficulties with it. We
all want to have a beautiful lower register, and it does take hard work. Good
luck with your practice! [:)]

[newflute]

thanks guys... after daily practice it is slowly getting
better so I suppose eventually I'll get it right ! Ernie

[newflute]

Well I finally worked this out !

the problem was the cheapie flute I bought was not closing the seals properly on the 2 & 3rd keys, press them a bit harder and hey presto notes !

any ideas for fixing this ?

I'm visiting the US in Oct so seriously considering buying a proper flute.

Ernie

[noseflute]

I only just read this thread, and right up to the last post I was thinking "check that all your keys are sealing properly!!"... but looksl ike you already figured it out.

Firstly, check that all the screws are screwed in completely (the screws at the end of the long rods, NOT the tiny adjusting screws at the top of each key!!). If that's all ok then you'll need to take it to a repair=person to get this problem fixed. It's not as simple as it might seem! They'll have to remove the pads from under the keys, and then insert 'shims' to build up the pad height so it seals properly. Very fiddly and time-consuming!!

Did you get any kind of warranty with your flute?

[newflute]

thanks its a cheapie $99 flute I bought from a website called musicyo not really worth the bother having it repaired unless I can do it myself.

I'll check the screws are tight.

any recomendations on what to get for a new student flute ?

[newflute]

wow man it worked ! the end screws were loose !

I wish I'd known that back in March thou

I thought it was my technique or something

anyway I've got practising to do now

Ernie

[ick27]

Actually, the screws at the end of the steels on the flute body are not meant to be screwed in all the way. The way to tighten these screws is to tighen them down until the keys start to bind, then loosen the screw slightly until the keys just start moving freely again. This assures you have the screw in as far as it needs to be. On some flute, you can screw the screw in all the way without the keys binding. Some flutes are designed this way, and hold the keys perfectly when screwed in all the way. On the cheap flutes I've worked on, the screw goes in all the way, but needs to go in a bit further to properly hold the key, so you might as well just tighten the screw down all the way.
If you do find your keys are binding though, that's what it is.. You'll need to loosen the end screws a little bit so the keys move freely again.

[newflute]

yep the screws are all the way in and tight and the keys aren't binding so it seems to be ok.

thanks for comments, might be useful if the keys start binding

[FOXOMATIC]

My brand new $45 Bestler chrome plated flute has twice the volume on the lowest notes that my solid silver Artley M# 9-0, 1975, open hole (plugged) flute ever had. The Artley has had a recent complete repadding but still has never had a decent volume for the low B, which cannot be played quickly without popping the attack. Then it is just barely audible. I would have thought solid silver would have enhanced the volume, as well as the tone. I have a leak light to find leaks and haven't really found a problem. Maybe I don't know a leak when I see one. I am putting off blowing cigarette smoke into it with the end plugged too to find leaks. Thought it might cause a stickiness on the pad surface that will cause other problems. Sure, I can take it to a technician, but first maybe you all may have clues or tips on how to find very small leaks (which surely it must be). [/b]

[flutepicc06]

I would steer away from cigarette smoke. Not only can it leave residue on the pads, but it can be absorbed into the softer parts of the instrument and leave behind a nasty smell. There are ways to find small leaks, but most of them are not plausible for the average person. You can use feelers, as a tech would, but the technique is difficult to properly transmit over the internet (though I believe I tried recently, so looking through some recent messages about leaks might yield that post), or a magnahelic, which is a machine (a relatively expensive machine for what little use most people would get out of it) that can help you locate the leaks. Leak lights are less than effective, as some pads are translucent and will allow through light even when there is no leak, not to mention that only the very lightest pressure must be used when trying to detect leaks, and that's hard for some people to get the feel for. Material may or may not have any impact on tone, but it does not have an impact on volume. That's all related to the cut of the head and the like, so the fact that the Armstrong is made of silver does not mean it should play louder than the Bestler. The best move would be to take your instrument to a tech.

[fluteguy18]

Absolutely. I was going to post something very similiar a few hours ago, but I had to run off to practice, so I didnt get the chance.

Do not blow smoke into your flute. My first band director smoked, and once she borrowed my flute for a presentation to the elementary school kids (recruiting new students by showing and playing each instrument for them). She was a heavy smoker. The flute smelt bad for about a week. And that was just her breath, so imagine blowing actual smoke into the instrument......

Ewwwwwww............


And I also agree with the comment regarding material. It is very hard to say if material really does affect tone. I personally think that it does but that is based off of when I tried some flutes made by david williams. I tried a few of his flutes that he personally made, and they all had the same cut in the headjoint. True, they were all slightly different because they were hand crafted, and it is difficult to reproduce something identical to something else if it is made by hand. But, they all had very similiar projecting qualities, and overall abilities (very similiar in response), but their tone changed with the metal. So, I think that if they are well made, then material changes sound, but it varies by maker.

I know that as an amatuer harp maker that different species of wood does change the harp's tone quality (wood density and age), and I think the same properties apply to metal. However, it can be argued very well either way.

Just my .02