All,
I have a Mopane Burns Folk flute and I’ve noticed that if I change my embouchure the sound changes. Anyway, If I ‘tighten’ my lips I get a big reedy what I would call a Pratten sound. I love the sound, but at night the volume is a little much. So, is it possible to have that big sound, but low volume? What practice techniques are there to develop that?
Thanks,
Tony
Playing soft on flute while holding up the intensity isn’t easy…fact is, it’ll work the fire out of you.
But it is an excellent way to build that reedy tone and to work on a well-supported air column…because you have to be supporting the air well to play soft with with high intensity. It’s not possible otherwise.
There’s no secret…just practice. Practice going soft then loud again. Make sure pitch doesn’t fall, and be careful that the intensity stays put with a reedy, firm, well-supported tone, even when it’s whisper-soft.
It’s doable, but it takes lots of practice.
–James