airy flute sound

[Jamie_Babie]

Yes, i have this problem too.

[MeLizzard]

A flute sound is an edge tone (physics, anyone?) and will naturally have a little air in it. Excessive air escaping from the embouchure, among other things, will cause an unfocused, too-airy sound. Do you do regular tone work? Try some long tone, even just a scale in whole notes, listening carefully to each tone. Experiment with the airstream direction, controlled by the center muscles of your upper lip.

[Masters7]

For some reason, American flutists adopted and accepted excess air, or "chiff," as a biproduct of sound production in the early 80s. In my mind, producing a sound with so much air escaping the hole is just wasted effort. Gone are the days of a steady compact air column that produces a solid flexible sound that also carries to the back of a concert hall. This "airy" technique has caused flute makers to drastically change headjoint designs to get the same acoustic result out of much more work from the player. Keep it simple, focus the air column, and relax your body. The compact air flow will vibrate the entire flute body, in all registers, with much less physical work, and a lot less "chiff."

[flutytooty91]

I also suffer from an airy sound. It drives me crazy at times. I also notice that my high notes are the worst and I don't know what to do. I just got braces and that certainly didn't help. LOL Also, in band class we have to play alone in what we call playing quizzes. I get nervous and I know my air stream suffers.

[flutepicc06]

Doing tone exercises like those found in De La Sonorite or Trevor Wye's tone book will help immensely (provided you do them regularly). Chances are you are using more air on the high notes than you really need to (in an effort to force them out), and that's providing the airy sound. A well focused air stream is far more likely to produce the high notes with a pleasant tone than spitting out as much air as you possibly can. You'll get used to the nerves...Everyone, at every level of playing has them to some degree. Just keeping playing in uncomfortable situations, and you will get over it.

[MeLizzard]

With your braces (or in general), can you bring your upper lip out farther and blow down more, into the flute rather than across it? Try to create more space between your teeth and your jaws and lips.

[flutepicc06]

With braces on, adding a few pieces of masking tape to the lip plate might help. The braces change the angle of the air as it contacts the far wall of the embouchure, but adding layers of tape can help return that angle to normal. Just apply the tape where your chin rests one layer at a time, being sure not to let it lap over the embouchure hole, until you hear an improvement. The tape will come off easily when it needs replacement (should it get dirty), and is quite easy to work with.

[fluteguy18]

Yes, good suggestion flutepicc. I have recommended that a few times before. Another thing you need to think of is, Support. Is your airstream fast? Think of focusing your air, using a fast airstream, and pushing your air out. Not just exhaling, but using your diaphram to compress, and push the air out. Like a syringe (spelling?) when a doctor pushes on the rod that goes into the tube. It pushes the medication out. Think of your lungs like the tube of the syringe.

This is one way my prof. had me explain to her how I thought about how to do breath support and sound quality etc.

Also, one thing I have found useful, is making your apurture (spelling?) (the hole your air comes out of) taller (bottom lip to top lip), and relaxing your embouchure. If your embouchure is too tight, it is acting like a gardening hose when you put your thumb over the end. The water (or in this case air) goes everywhere, and it is not focused. If you take your thumb off of the hose end (or in this case, loosen your embouchure) the water (air *theoretically*) comes out in a solid stream. Or like in a previous suggestion, your air will be like a "column" of air.

Also, if there is a book published by Mel Bay on learning the flute. The beginning chapter(s) are very helpful. There is a very nice chapter on embouchure. It helped me change mine a lot (mine used to be WAY too tight).

[MeLizzard]

'aperture'

[jtflautist99216]

The airy sound could also be caused by ones embouchure. It could be to tight and constricted. The sound would therefore be small and very airy. To get a less airy sound in addition to a bigger sound, simply open up your throat and use a looser embouchure.

I tell my students, to puff out their cheeks and blow 2-3 times more air into their flute. it's going to sound ugly so don't worry. Try a high note like 3rd octave F or a high note of some sort. Remember though, keep the cheeks puffed but with an embochure SLIGHTLY tightened.

The reason for doing this is because, a tight embouchure doesn't allow the flute to vibrate as well. This little technique I found is to allow more air to enter the flute. And remember to SUPPORT WITH AIR with this technique