I’ve been playing the whistle for some time now and recently picked up the flute because I was totally fascinated by the sound of it! I bought Al Mount’s flute in the key of D and another Eb bamboo flute from Steve Cox, and have managed to put a few hours of practise into them since the winter break started. I can now play a few tunes on my flutes, though the breath requirements still leave me dizzy after a short while.
I’m having a problem with my playing now which I could use help with. Though I’m able to play tunes which move into the second octave I find that the notes in the higher octave are slightly-to-considerably breathier than those in the first (depending on how long I’ve been playing at that time). Moreover, tunes which require shifting between the high notes in the first octave and notes in the second elude me - I just don’t get any sound when I play the higher notes immediately after switching octaves. It takes at least a couple of notes and shifting the embouchure before I can get the notes again.
Is there anything I can do to reduce the breathiness? How can I play at the boundary between the two octaves without all the jugglery?
On the whistle you blow louder to sound the second octave. On the flute you adjust your embouchure, both in the lips and inside the mouth. For a good-sounding second octave, you’ll need to tighten your embouchure. Keep at it and it will improve over time.
Thanks Jessie. I read about that somewhere before (may have been on C&F). To me, adjusting the embouchure in tunes that have a lot of octave switches seems like a lot more work than just blowing harder. I hope to get better at it with practise. Anyway, I intend to keep working on it.
And Jessie, the flutes that you made look awesome! I saw the photos you’d posted. Maybe by the time I’m ready for a wooden flute you’ll be selling them too .
Another thing you can do to help reduce breathiness in the second octave is to blow a bit more into the embouchure hole. I usually do this by just dropping my chin a bit. This will also flatten the notes slightly, which is what you want to do with most simple-system wooden flutes anyway, especially for the high A and B, which are naturally sharp in the second octave (particularly the A). That technique won’t work on your bamboo flute, though – those are usually FLAT in the upper notes of the second octave, exactly the opposite of what you’ll find in a conical-bore wooden flute!
Adjusting the tightness of your embouchure and your blowing angle while playing tunes is a tricky thing to learn, especially while playing dance music. But after a while it will become automatic. Just be patient and keep practicing!
I remember thinking, when I first started playing flute, “there’s no way I’ll ever be able to make those adjustments while playing reels at speed,” but now I do it without even thinking about it. It just takes time. Start with slow tunes.
Thanks for the heads up Brad! I learned Battle of Aughrim yesterday and right now I’m working on Hut in the Bog. They both have C naturals; I find it easier to half hole C’s on the flute than on the whistle because of the larger holes.
I really want to play some slow airs. I think they sound way better on the flute than a soprano whistle. Which airs would you recommend for a beginner? Which are your favorites?
Some people say that slow airs should be the last kind of music you learn on an instrument, because playing them well is much more challenging than playing dance music. But slow tunes are great for developing your technique. Some of the more well-known slow tunes that would be good for beginning to intermediate flute players include:
Southwind
Planxty Fanny Power
Inisheer
The Star of the County Down
Si Bheag, Si Mhor (pronounced “she vyug ,she vore” when using that spelling…some people believe “si” should be masculine and thus spelled Si Beag, Si Mor, which would be pronounced “She byug, she more”)
Don’t sweat it mate!
There were some really good advices here. And now, risking to sound mossy, the key is practise.
I’ve had the same problem as you, switching from whistle to flute. First of all the wind requirements of a flute left me dizzy as hell after some tunes. I don’t know if it sitts in the embouchure or in the loungs, my guess would be, a little of both. But fact is that when you play the darn thing for a good time (we are talking months and years now, not hours), you will develop that embouchure and, surely the loungs as well and it will all go a lot more effortless. I feel I’m not quite up to my whistle standard on the flutes (breath wise), but I’m getting there.
Doc, those pages were really helpful, thanks! I found that the way I have been holding the flute in my left hand would soon leave me with CTS . I should’ve known because I could feel the pain in my wrist after playing for a while . Looks like I have a lot of work ahead.
And good luck Henke, fellow-traveller! Given that I’ve just started, I sure can get pointers from you.
You know, that’s what I love about this place - encouragement when I need it . Thanks, everyone!
Jump and jump and jump and jump between octaves and be brave through any attendant ugliness, whilst noting the jumps that work better and what your mouth is doing when those happen. Then try to replicate on other octave spans. This should strengthen your embouchure considerably, and it’s also a good warmup.
4 good lip-builders:
The Random Jig
Dusty Windowsills (aka Austin Barrett’s)
Foxhunter’s Reel
Skylark
.
,
. I should’ve known because I could feel the pain in my wrist after playing for a while