I’ve rented a Boehm flute from a local music store–it’s
a Gemeinhart open hole silver plated (they say) jobby,
costs 26 bucks for the month. I don’t plan to keep it longer.
The idea is to see what
playing a Boehm flute is like, possibly I might want
one (I would buy an intermediate flute if I did and probably
online). Also to get some hands-on understanding of what replaced
the wooden simple system orchestral flutes.
I’m doing OK with the open holes. I’ve got a finger chart
online and I can sound the flute OK. In short, it works, basically.
It seems not a bad flute though the sound is so far less
appealing than that of a wooden flute.
I know some of the people here have a good del of experience
with these, so I would be grateful for any tips or advice
as to how to approach this.
Jim, you’ll have to adjust your embouchure to get a strong sound. A wooden flute embouchure sounds cloudy on a Boehm flute, and a Boehm flute embouchure sounds cloudy on a wooden flute.
Assuming the flute’s pads are sealing properly and that it’s in decent adjustment, this one change, which could take a while, should do wonders.
Experiment with opening and closing your airstream and see what works best.
I get a lot of enjoyment playing ITM on a Boehm as well. As Jessie said, the embouchure is much different. You can be much more relaxed and blow hard, especially in the second register to get it singing. At least that is something I have to attend to.
And make sure you find some tunes that require a high D/E, or play something from one of Chris Norman’s albums.
My advice (on any flute, Boehm or Irish) would be to practice long tones, or simple slow phrases initially, and work toward getting the clearest sound you can, not necessarily aiming for a huge sound at first. Then add long tones with a crescendo-dimenuendo, i.e. <<<<<--------->>>>>, while trying to keep the pitch constant. Slurred octave skips (without hammering the 2nd octave) are also helpful. These exercises add both flexibility and strength to one’s embouchure. At that point, you’re ready to add whatever character to the sound you want.
I’ve gotta add that these things take time. I would measure progress in years, not months.
different, different, different embouchure.
on wooden flutes, i think the generally accepted idea is to play quite rolled in with a small jetstream of air, whereas with the boehm flute you’d want to be covering maybe just 1/3 of the embouchure hole.. and i think of the sound (and my embouchure, mouth, throat, everything) as more open and round with a boehm. listen to some pretty flute music. that always helps me loads when i’m feeling uninspired and don’t know where to go with my tone!
ah, boehms. i love them. they’re so flexible. try making lots of different shapes and textures with your sound. it’s fun.
Also, there are dramatic differences in how far you can go with a flute that has been well-padded and well-maintained, as opposed to one that is just “ok.”
Even a fantastically good flute won’t sing if the pads don’t seal or the keys aren’t vented correctly; conversely, a decent flute that has been carefully padded and lovingly cared for may play like a real gem.
As someone working from the opposite side (Boehm fluter learning simple system), I might be able to give you some good advice, since Boehm fluting has been my life’s work!
Firstly, as some others have said, roll OUT! This may feel totally strange at first, but believe me - the richness of the overtones gets lost on a Boehm flute if one plays too rolled in. The sound may seem clearer initially if one plays rolled in, but actually it is “covered” and one dimensional. Rolling out and uncovering the embouchure plate as much as possible lends itself to a rich sound full of colors and possibilities.
Also, experiment with opening the aperture as much as possible. The distance of the space between the upper and lower lips is very important. If it is too small the sounding tone will become “pinched”…If the opening is large and relaxed, there is no need to force the air and the tone will become smooth and effortless! It’s fine even if your cheeks are so relaxed that they start to “flap in the wind” a little bit!
OK…hope that helps a little! Have fun! Long tones are the fastest way to improving, even though they can be frustrating to practice.
When I was 12 I asked my orthodontist if I could play boehm flute.
He took out a book, Woodwind Deformities, and explained
to me that flute playing would shrink my upper lip
and make me look like a woodchuck. So I didn’t
play flute.
Now I’m 64 and I’m going to play Boehm flute.
At my age it doesn’t matter if I look like a woodchuck.
This is exactly what I’ve found, and it brings up a question.
I’m mainly a Boehm player, but I also have an Olwell bamboo and a Casey Burns folk flute. In time, will practicing them all give me a better tone on all of them? So far it seems to, but maybe that’s just because I’m developing a stronger embouchure. Could they interfere with each other?
I don’t believe Mr. Stone measures time in those units, Dana. Could you perhaps translate this into the number of different flutes he would need to go through (either by actually getting one and trying to play it, or more likely by asking an uninformed question about its properties on C&F, and then moving abruptly on to the next flute) before he will start seeing some progress?
Hmm. In general, I think playing a flute will help your embouchure in general. That said, if you need to play a certain flute in public, practice on THAT flute for a while that day before you have to play it. The first tone you blow on a different flute than you’ve been playing can be less than stellar.
I always liked switching embouchures - and fingerings. More fun than crossword puzzles! Hee hee.
I’m mainly a Boehm player, but I also have an Olwell bamboo and a Casey Burns folk flute. In time, will practicing them all give me a better tone on all of them? So far it seems to, but maybe that’s just because I’m developing a stronger embouchure. Could they interfere with each other?
I played Boehm flute for about 15 years before exclusively switching to simple system about 3 years ago. I tried to do both at once–I mean concurrently…I can’t play two flutes of any sort simultaneously–for a little while, but I’ve had better success at doing one or the other.
