I’ve got a tipple 2-piece 6 hole, and I’m having problems hitting the low D and sometimes E. While I can sound the note ok, I can’t seem to ‘attack’ it at all. I get a rush of air before the note sounds, and when it does sound it’s pretty quiet. What am I doing wrong?
It just takes time, keep practising.
It might be helpful to take a lesson or two with a flute teacher at this stage even if you plan to learn by yourself (which I think is perfectly fine). It is virtually impossible to advise you through a message board, though.
Be patient with yourself, and keep playing. 
peace,
Sonja
Ditto what Sonja said. The exercise my teacher gave me in my first lesson for this is blowing short notes. Pick a note – sounds like D and possibly E are giving you fits, so start on F#. Hold the flute normally and blow very short puffs – like a quarter to a tenth of a second. Experiment with holding the flute at different angles, blowing at different angles, shape of the lips, etc. Go till you can get a really good accent. Then go down to E and do the same. Stop when frustrated and go on when you feel good.
I still have problems with accents on low notes in context, but it’s getting better.
Pretty soon you’ll start having moments, and even hours, when the flute seems to play itself. Of course you’ll continue to have times when you can’t make a sound, but they’ll start being fewer and further between. Not to worry!
might want to try blowing a wee bit more into the hole
I’m not sure if advice like this can be given by remote diagnosis, to be frank.
The angle in which the air stream hits the embouchure hole edge is only one aspect that can be varied, others are tightness of face muscles, speed, width and height of the air stream, size of lip opening, breath pressure, space between tongue and roof of the mouth, openness of the throat, position of the lower jaw, and many others I forget now or was never conscious of.
The ability to analyze and observe all these aspects and then experiment with them, and to listen to oneself, to observe what feels easy and produces a tone one likes, and what doesn’t, is what makes autodidactic learning possible and motivating. One enters a kind of feedback loop where the brain learns new stuff very fast, and most of it happens unconsciously. It is important to notice what feels and sounds as desired, and try to remember the feeling. Then, the next day, start over and don’t expect it to be as good as the day before.
But what exactly you have to change for these low notes to get better people here can only guess.
yep…quite right!
ya might want to make sure that one of you fingers isn’t leaking a bit…
Thanks for the advice. I found if I widen my embrouchure (sp?) that seems to help a bit as well.
One of the things to remember…
it is possible
keep dinkin’ around 'till ya figure out how
refinement you can work on forever.
Yes!
Another exercise is to play very quietly, in a comfortable range. Seems to help with a whole bunch of things.
another exercise is long tones, with special attention to the low notes.
Improving one’s embouchure is likely to help.
I appreciate all this advice. I just recieved a CB Folk Flute. It is the easiest playing flute I have tried to play. I am having trouble hitting the E and D consistently. I can play from F first octave up to D in the 3rd octave without problem. I love it.
Ron
Seconding this. If the note isn’t coming out then make sure the holes are covered completely.