Basic Smoothie

EMBOUCHURE

A Smoothie Essential

Your embouchure is how you form your mouth against the instrument in order to produce a tone.

When forming your embouchure, stay relaxed and strive for a natural feeling.

Step 1 - Begin by saying "m". This will bring your lips together while also aligning your top and bottom teeth and separating them a bit.

Step 2 - Now say the sound "pooh". This will create a small opening between your lips. This opening is called your "aperture"

In most cases, the aperture will be oval-shaped (elliptical) and in the center of the mouth.

If it is more round than elliptical, try again and see if you can achieve a more oval-shaped aperture.

If your natural aperture is off to the side a bit, do not worry.

It is very important that you find your embouchure to feel natural and free of tension.

Here is an example of a good flute embouchure by itself:

Here is another with a player who happens to have a bigger bottom lip. It does not matter how big or small your lips are!

EMBOUCHURE ON THE HEAD JOINT

Almost There!

Before you play the flute, it is very important that you are able to get a good, steady tone from the head joint only.

Step 1 - Hold your head joint with both hands, fingertips at both ends with the crown on the left side, the same way it would be if the flute was fully assembled.

Do not cover the large opening on the right side, the "bore".

Step 2 - Bring the lip plate up to your bottom lip, embouchure formed already, and your chin down just slightly.

Step 3 - Align your bottom lip with the back side of the tone hole and your aperture aligned with the center of the tone hole.

The tone hole itself should be pointed almost straight up to the ceiling.

TONE PRODUCTION

Your First Flute Smoothie!

It is time to start making some beautiful sound!

Step 1 - While holding the head joint at the correct position,

take a relaxed and full breath in without allowing your lower lip to come off of the lip plate.

Step 2 - Once you are full of air, you will very briefly close your lips so that you can say the "pooh" sound again.

Say "pooh" without actually vocalizing the word. Air will push your lips open, creating your natural aperture.

Step 3 - When blowing out, try to focus your air into a very narrow and constant stream,

almost as if you are blowing through a coffee stirrer.

Repeat this process and do not get frustrated if you do not get a beautiful sound right away.

Step 4 - Listen for a specific pitch. If done correctly, the head joint alone should produce a Concert A.

If you have a tuner or a piano/keyboard around, check to see if you are producing that pitch.

If not, are you below (flat) or above (sharp) the Concert A?

Step 5 - You can actually change the pitch by blowing a faster airstream!

Try blowing a very tiny, but intense airstream and listen for the same pitch (Concert A), but an octave higher.

Another way to achieve the same result is by covering the bore with your right palm.

Head Joint Smoothie Not Delicious Yet?

Problem: No tone, just a lot of air rushing by.

Why?: This is happening because your lower lip is not firmly on the lip plate and you are blowing completely over/across the tone hole.

Fix it!: Get comfortable with resting your lower lip right on that lip plate, right up against the tone hole.

Aim your airstream down more, toward the inside edge of the front part of the tone hole.

Problem: Some sound, but still a lot of air.

Why?: This is happening because your aperture is too large and too much of your air is escaping the tone hole.

Fix it!: Think "pooh" again and use a mirror to help you form the proper aperture.

Bring your chin down slightly and direct your airstream down a bit.

TONGUING

The Best Way to Kick-Start Your Smoothie!

"Pooh" was really great for starting out, but now that you have a steady tone,

it is time to learn how to start that tone correctly, that is, with your tongue!

Instead of a "pooh" syllable, say "too".

Notice that now the tip of your tongue actually touches the roof of your mouth, just behind your top front teeth.

That is exactly where you want your tongue to touch every time you begin a tone on your flute!

Notice also that after you say "too", the tongue immediately retreats back to the bottom of your mouth, leaving a large oral cavity.

That open feeling in your mouth will help your tone sound resonant and beautiful.

Try these exercises, still on the head joint only:

VIBRATO

No Flute Smoothie is Complete Without It!

Vibrato is pretty much what it sounds like, VIBRATION in your sound!

Vibrato is an essential part of the flute's characteristic tone.

Listen to the recording on the home page of this website again and you will hear it.

The tone does not stay exactly the same. Instead, it sort of moves up and down in a wave.

That, my flute friends, is Vibrato!

HOW???

Very similarly to how a vocalist opens and closes their vocal folds, you too will learn to use your throat to create the vibrato sound.

Literally, vibrato will make your pitch go slightly higher than "in tune" and come back down (but NOT below!) repeatedly, and fairly quickly.

To begin, you must switch your syllable from "too" to "hah".

Relax, this is not permanent, but it will help you learn how to play with vibrato.

Follow these exercises and for best results, use a metronome. Set it at 72 to 80 beats per minute and stay with it!

Click on the next page, "Flavor Boosters" to learn more!