Embedded Files
Follow each step carefully. It's okay if it doesn't work at first. The hardest part of flute is the very beginning! Be patient and ask your teacher for help.
Posture - 1
Posture - 1
Sit in a chair with no arms that allows your thighs to hang lower than your pelvis.
Posture - 2
Posture - 2
Not like this.
Posture - 3
Posture - 3
Rock forward and backward until you find the most comfortable sitting position.
Posture - 4
Posture - 4
The proper posture will be somewhere between your most rocked forward and most rocked backward.
Breathing - 1
Breathing - 1
Deep breaths are crucial to your flute playing. Try taking a few deep breaths through your mouth.
Breathing - 2
Breathing - 2
Make sure you are full of air when you play and never breathe through your nose!
Embouchure - 1
Embouchure - 1
Carefully open your case so that the buckles flip up.
Embouchure - 2
Embouchure - 2
Remove the head joint and place your right hand over the large hole like the picture shows.
Embouchure - 3
Embouchure - 3
Rest the lip plate underneath your lower lip.
Embouchure - 4
Embouchure - 4
Position the head joint and your lip so that your lower lip can feel the tone hole.
Embouchure - 5
Embouchure - 5
Say "weee" and notice how your corners pull back slightly.
Embouchure - 6
Embouchure - 6
Say "tooo" and notice how your lips come together and your tongue starts the word.
Embouchure - 7
Embouchure - 7
Now try miming "weee" followed by "tooo" with your air. This is the basic embouchure!
Demonstration Video - "wee-too" embouchure formation
Demonstration Video - "wee-too" embouchure formation
20200715_183622.mp4
Air Size, Speed, Direction- 1
Air Size, Speed, Direction- 1
No sound yet? No worries! Try making a smaller air stream by closing your lips slightly. Remember "weee".
Air Size, Speed, Direction - 2
Air Size, Speed, Direction - 2
Still no sound? Still no worries! The speed of your air matters as well. If you're getting a really high whistle, try slowing your air down. If you're getting no sound at all, try speeding it up.
Air Size, Speed, Direction - 3
Air Size, Speed, Direction - 3
Finally, the direction of your air is crucial. You want about 60% of your air stream to go directly into the tone hole. Try aiming your air lower.
Tonguing - 1
Tonguing - 1
Let's make sure you're tonguing correctly. Each stream of air should start with your tongue. Say "toe" and notice where you're tongue is--that's the correct tonguing position.
Tonguing - 2
Tonguing - 2
Make sure not to tongue between your teeth or lips. "Toe" not "thoe" (image on the left is of incorrect tonguing)
Try recreating each sound below by following the instructions. It is highly suggested you be able to make each of these sounds before moving on.
Try recreating each sound below by following the instructions. It is highly suggested you be able to make each of these sounds before moving on.
covered a vid.mp4(Covered A): Make sure your right hand is completely covering the large hole on the end of the head joint. If your head joint sounds higher than this pitch, try rolling the flute out slightly and covering less of the tone hole.
uncovered a vid.mp4(Uncovered high A): Make sure you completely uncover your head joint and use a focused and small air stream. If your pitch sounds lower (or deeper) than the recording, try rolling your flute out slightly and covering less tone hole with your lower lip.
covered e vid.mp4(Covered high E): You make this sound by covering the end of the head joint with your right hand, and blowing over the tone hole slightly. The size of your air stream is smaller than on the lower notes. If it's hard to create this tone, experiment with air speed, size, and direction.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse