Baroque flute embouchure vs boehm system embouchure

[Card2132]

Hi,

I've just acquired a beautiful baroque flute (Aulos,Stanesby jr.) and I find it difficult
to produce a clean sound: as a 30 yrs flute veteran, I've tried to reproduce my current
flute embouchure to the Aulos with a very "windy" result..
How is the baroque flute embouchure different than the modern flute?
Any tips on producing a good sound?

Thank you in advance...

[pied_piper]

The basic flute embouchure should be essentially the same for any sideblown flute. That said, modern flutes manufactured today generally have greatly improved cuts on the embouchure hole. The modern cuts to which we are accustomed may require some embouchure adjustments to get the best possible sound on an older cut such as on a baroque flute. Experiment with minor embouchure adjustments to try and improve the sound. i.e. blow higher, blow lower, change the focus of the airstream to be more or less focused. You probably won't get instant results, but with a bit of time you should be able to improve.

The other possibility is that there may be a flaw in or damage to the embouchure hole. It might be a good idea to to ask an experienced flute tech (preferably one familiar with baroque flutes) to inspect the hole and the blow edge.

[Card2132]

Thank you for the info...I keep experimenting and I have read somewhere that you may have
to cover a part of the blow hole with the lower lip in order to obtain the desired sound (geez,that blowhole is awfully small!).

Thanks again!

[pied_piper]

(geez,that blowhole is awfully small!).

You could probably get a flute tech with embouchure cutting experience to enlarge it, but then that could alter the sound so that it becomes uncharacteristic of a baroque flute. So, your best bet is probably to grit your teeth (figuratively ) and just practice with it until get used to it.

[Card2132]

Just an update: I finally got the "twist" of the thing and even if my sound is not 100% clean,
it is really enjoyable...It is a very well made instrument:Everything works fine except the high E that does not come out!
I'll figure it out sooner or later...Thanks again for your advise!

[SylvreKat]

So what was the "twist"?

>'Kat