resonating sound? READ THIS ONE
Moderators: Classitar, pied_piper, Phineas
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alex411
resonating sound? READ THIS ONE
ok, so my flute instructor constantly tells me to lower my air stream and roll out to get a more powerful sound, i always get complemented on how dark and clear my tone is.. but as ive been training my ear and listening to alot of flute pro flute players im starting to understand that my instructor doesnt want me to have that dark clear tone, but a powerful resonating one, where there is almost a underlying tone or something.. mihi kim, and emmanuel pahud are good examples of the type of tone im talking about.. the tone they normally play with.. does anyone have any tips on how to do this? my instructor always tells me that im tightening my lips to much and that the ends of my lips are really tight.. does anyone have anytips on how to get that more resonating sound?
Re: resonating sound? READ THIS ONE
Well lots of practice you won't get this over night I accelerated my progression by using circular breathing , that enabled me to find the sweet spot on my head joint along with good breath support also !
Doug
Doug
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Grasshopper
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2013 2:03 pm
Re: resonating sound? READ THIS ONE
Hello there,
In terms of having a resonating sound, why not try experimenting with increasing the total volume of your thoracic and nasal capacity? That sounds really weird, but what I mean is try relaxing your throat while widening the opening. Lowering the tongue in the mouth, and playing with warm air (as suggested by Nina Perlove) also assists in the improvement of tone quality. Some might say that this capacity-business is a waste of time, but with the correct "OPEN OPEN OPEN" mindset, surely such experimentation will eventually have a positive impact on your tone production? There is also some scientific reasoning to this. After all, what is sound? It is the vibration of air molecules that do so in perfect harmony so as to produce that wonderful tone that we all strive to acquire- or as I often bluntly put it a sound wave that travels at that magic frequency that makes our brains happy. By trying this expansion, you're basically giving the flute more air to resonate with. I find, and I myself am a troubled 'resonator', that this not only produces a tone that projects, but also one that posses an unstrained, clear and effortless quality- that is what everyone dreams of right?
However, like Mr/s Dogster suggests, this can only be achieved by a serious number of hours of practice. It took me about.. 3 months to find the correct recipe? It's all about persistence! Of course, a well-rounded flautist must never use the same tone quality for every piece as that would make for extremely boring music making. This experimentation also helps to increase the tonal palette you have access to, so that you may apply your own 'style', if you like, to every genre of repertoire you play.
I hope that sheds some light on the matter Perfect Stranger. Have a great career!
Your Friendly Neighborhood Grasshopper
In terms of having a resonating sound, why not try experimenting with increasing the total volume of your thoracic and nasal capacity? That sounds really weird, but what I mean is try relaxing your throat while widening the opening. Lowering the tongue in the mouth, and playing with warm air (as suggested by Nina Perlove) also assists in the improvement of tone quality. Some might say that this capacity-business is a waste of time, but with the correct "OPEN OPEN OPEN" mindset, surely such experimentation will eventually have a positive impact on your tone production? There is also some scientific reasoning to this. After all, what is sound? It is the vibration of air molecules that do so in perfect harmony so as to produce that wonderful tone that we all strive to acquire- or as I often bluntly put it a sound wave that travels at that magic frequency that makes our brains happy. By trying this expansion, you're basically giving the flute more air to resonate with. I find, and I myself am a troubled 'resonator', that this not only produces a tone that projects, but also one that posses an unstrained, clear and effortless quality- that is what everyone dreams of right?
However, like Mr/s Dogster suggests, this can only be achieved by a serious number of hours of practice. It took me about.. 3 months to find the correct recipe? It's all about persistence! Of course, a well-rounded flautist must never use the same tone quality for every piece as that would make for extremely boring music making. This experimentation also helps to increase the tonal palette you have access to, so that you may apply your own 'style', if you like, to every genre of repertoire you play.
I hope that sheds some light on the matter Perfect Stranger. Have a great career!
Your Friendly Neighborhood Grasshopper
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fluteguy18
- Posts: 2311
- Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2006 3:11 pm
Re: resonating sound? READ THIS ONE
I think I understand what you're getting at but without seeing and hearing you in person we can only give general advice. Chances are that you are hearing one thing (as the player) and what the 'audience' your teacher hears as the reality of your playing. From what you're telling me I think you're suffering from an overly tight embouchure and are compensating the tightness by rolling in resulting in a clear but 'covered' sound. These sounds are generally very dark and clear (almost edgy) but lack depth but lack projection and body.
Do something for me. Hold your hand in front of your face, spread your palm flat and then kiss it. The shape your lips make when you kiss your palm is very similar to the shape your embouchure should be. Lips should be strong yet supple and flexible. They should also be brought forward instead of being stretched across your teeth.
Also do this: place your finger on your jaw bone right in front of the triangular piece of cartilage that covers the opening of your ear. Then press inward on your jaw as you yawn. Your finger should sink into the socket which is called your 'head hole' if you're talking to singers. Doing this opens all of the spaces in your head by also allowing your tongue to drop down and to slide forward.
Work on these two things and see if it gets you anywhere. Don't be afraid to ask your teacher questions. Just say 'I don't understand.' Get a conversation started to help bridge the gap between your brain and your teachers brain. Ask questions like 'What do you hear?' or 'What is the end goal? What are we trying to achieve?' 'This is what I think I'm doing. How does that differ from what you think I'm doing and how is that different from what I should be doing?'
A good teacher won't shy away from serious questions from a dedicated student. In fact they should encourage it. Asking questions encourages critical thinking which is crucial to actual learning.
Good luck!
Do something for me. Hold your hand in front of your face, spread your palm flat and then kiss it. The shape your lips make when you kiss your palm is very similar to the shape your embouchure should be. Lips should be strong yet supple and flexible. They should also be brought forward instead of being stretched across your teeth.
Also do this: place your finger on your jaw bone right in front of the triangular piece of cartilage that covers the opening of your ear. Then press inward on your jaw as you yawn. Your finger should sink into the socket which is called your 'head hole' if you're talking to singers. Doing this opens all of the spaces in your head by also allowing your tongue to drop down and to slide forward.
Work on these two things and see if it gets you anywhere. Don't be afraid to ask your teacher questions. Just say 'I don't understand.' Get a conversation started to help bridge the gap between your brain and your teachers brain. Ask questions like 'What do you hear?' or 'What is the end goal? What are we trying to achieve?' 'This is what I think I'm doing. How does that differ from what you think I'm doing and how is that different from what I should be doing?'
A good teacher won't shy away from serious questions from a dedicated student. In fact they should encourage it. Asking questions encourages critical thinking which is crucial to actual learning.
Good luck!