To echo what CAthy said, last night I started getting little squeaks instead of tone, did the simple leak tests, and didn’t find anything. This AM, I started out fine, and then it was back to frustration. It then occurred to me that there could be leak through my fingers-lately I’ve been keyboarding 8 hours a day and my hands feel stiff, and I’ve been playing a lot of tunes that need keys, so I wonder if my hand position was getting sloppy. Somewhat to my surprise, the problem was me, not the flute. When I paid attention to covering the holes, and making sure that my RH was lined up properly, the problem vanished.
I’d also echo the advice that bad times happen. Rather than beating myself up in those bad patches, and getting into a death spiral where things got worse the more I tried, I decided that I would just tell myself that it was one of those days, and use the time to work on other stuff, like breathing, or getting those A rolls even (hasn’t worked yet but they are improving…), or getting up some variations on a tune. Surprisingly often, I’d notice better tone later in the practice, and then I’d just pay attention to what it felt like when I was getting good tone. The brain/nerves/muscles are remarkably good at figuring out what the answer while you are thinking about something else. If you pay attention when the answer is found unconsciously, then it will become easier and easier to get closer and closer to the right answer from the beginning. Even so, the good and not so good cycle will continue, even though the average level of your playing will go up.
Sorry to come to this late, but check your stopper in the headjoint to see if it is not loose-that will make the flute very hard to play well if it is moving around. It should be something like 18-23 mm or so depending on the flute from the center of the embouchure hole to the face of the stopper. All it takes is a loose stopper, and when you swab your flute out, it may move it if it is loose enough, or if it is very loose, it will move on its own. This has happened to me quite a few times now, and I never anticipate it-always takes me by surprise! It’s the only time I’ve ever felt that I lost my playing ability-other than when just starting out. But as others have said, there are more possible causes also.
Good luck Trip-hope it’s something simple like that, so you wouldn’t have to take any breaks from fluting if you don’t want to.
It should be fun. If it isn’t do something else- like play another instrument, such as the concertina or fiddle.
That’s make you appreciate the flute anew.
About good days and bad days, it appears that good days and bad days do exist, but maybe the word “days” shouldn’t be taken too literally.
For instance, in the world of sports (and flute playing indeed could be thought of as being a sport), it seems that even the best of athletes can suffer a “slump” in their performance, a slump sometimes lasting for days, weeks, or even months, and so perhaps the saying about good days and bad days should be taken more figuratively than literally.
The best approach I’ve discovered is in having a regular, daily practice schedule. Moreover, even on the worst of days, I at least get to congratulate myself for having completed such a daily commitment, a small reward but a reward nonetheless!
You are all increddible! Thank you for all the words Is this the best forum or what?
Just to strike out the option of the flute being the cause, yesterday I’ve been at a session and gave my flute to a friend who also plays the flute… seconds before she started blowing, I had a little hope that maybe it’s the flute, but as I knew and felt before, the flute is excellent - her playing tone was full, rich and deffinately not defective.
Of course I didn’t play the flute through the session, tried a few seconds and got frustrated.
Hugh… I wish I could practice tunes or rolls or anything - no sound gets out of the flute, I just place it away after realizing I can’t play it.
Everyday I come home from work, first thing I do is pick up the flute - see if anything has changed, that maybe this was all a bad dream or something.
The reason you’ll get a lot of replies to an issue like this is because it strikes a chord with everybody - been there and back, bought the teeshirt etc. etc.
But I think it comes back to relaxing and not trying too hard. The suggestion to try a completely different instrument for a while is worthwhile. Is this why lots of fluters also dabble in concertina and box etc.?
Take up the pipes. The flute will be a vacation after that.
OK, seriously, I think the “fool around with the other instrument” folk have a really good point. If you have a friend who’ll loan you a spare something, noodle around a bit. If nothing else, you learn a heck of a lot from listening to & learning to play another instrument the way it’s supposed to be played, which can inform your flute playing too.
I would include the tinwhistle in this category, even. IMO, playing it well is quite different from the flute!
Finally … don’t forget that if you’re progressing, your standards of what sounds decent are getting higher. What sounded thrilling (i.e., any sound at all) to you the first day you blew into a flute probably wouldn’t do much for you today. So if you were happy to sound like you did when you first started, I bet you wouldn’t feel as bad about where you are now.
Which would mean … you’re getting better! Congratulations!
Alright I decided on going back to my starting days with the mirror.
It is amazing! seems like something happened to my lip position all of a sudden - shifted towards the flute centre. Basicly I was naturally very off-set from the middle of the hole, so I was blowing on the side of it.
Today I had a full rich tone in front of the mirror… This is fantastic! I was saying haleluya to myself.
Now it feels as if the flute is longer, I need to stretch my hands out a bit more. I need to pay attention to how long the tuning slide is. So it’s time to practice all over again with the position! It is strange how just a month ago I would play sessions without a problem… I guess my brain lost a few cells.
I’m confident I’m going to learn that position perfectly and will sound even better than before…
I’ve just read this whole thread and I’m so glad and relieved to see the excellent advice here, as I’ve been having the same problem with my flute. I’ll definitely follow it and try not to be so impatient with myself in the future. Thanks, everyone!
