Please feel free to delete if necessary, but…
E U R E K A ! ! ! !
I’m as tickled as a dead pig in the sunshine! 
I’ve just found that if I back off the amount of actual pressure I use when I’m trying to play in the mid octave I not only get the notes to come through clean and clear, but they’re still just as loud!
Whoo Hoo!
I’m half way to the B section of Morrison’s Jig!
Y’all just don’t know how happy this makes me!
You go guy!
Congratulations!
Arbo.
Good stuff. It’s great when you can see the progress!
Even better when you can HEAR the progress!
Thanks Arbo…so that’s been my problem…must be the newbie in me thinking I needed to see the notes before I can actually hear them. That also explains the horrendous sounds I’ve been hearing every time I’ve been practicing.
Thanks for the encouragement, gents. Much appreciated.
Now, I just need to be able to slur into the mid octave rather than having to step off with a tongued note and I’ll be laughing!
Any advice on that, anyone?
The key is to adjust your embouchure. It is possible to switch between octaves just by tightening up your embouchure and switch it’s angle in relation to the blow edge (imagine to blow a bit higher, and not so much into the flute like you do in the first octave). You don’t need more air (actually the low octave needs more air than the high one, at least for me), you need the same amount of air with a faster stream. Works just like a valve on a fire hose. The tighter the aperture, the faster the water runs out, but it doesn’t become more water that way.
Gabriel,
Thanks! Really great advice.
And I think I know what you mean. When I had my breakthrough, I found that I was blowing less hard and the higher notes came easier. I was, well, astonished.
I’ve been trying to do just what you said: switch octaves just by adjusting my embouchure. I play a low E, then switch to mid E, low F#, then mid F# (etc.).
What I find funny is that if I play a good, tongued mid octave A or G and then just move down to F# or E bringing down my right hand fingers, I often lose the octave and get something between the lower octave and overtones.
Has anyone else experienced this? I reckon it really is just embouchure and breath control that are the keys.
I’ll definitely work on the points you raised. Thanks for your help.
Und, wenn ich fragen darf, kommst Du aus Münster oder wohnst Du nur da?
I experienced the same at the beginning. Actually, just one year ago I wasn’t able to get any note lower than G from almost any flute. 
I did work a lot on my embouchure, up to several hours a day (being a student definitely has it’s advantages…), and I’m quite happy with it now, a year later. It’s all a matter of practise, and everyone can do it. Just keep it up!
Maybe a hint: some players tend to slam their fingers on the flute when covering holes. Do it gently. When slamming the finger onto the flute, you move it a bit, and that movement is already enough to kill your embouchure, especially when it’s not well developed. Blow gently, too. You got that yourself already, but it’s really important. You have to be able to play softly and quiet, yet with a nice and firm tone, when you want to be able to play powerful and loud. You have to know your flute. Just blasting as much air into it as possible isn’t the key for the powerful style of playing/tone we all like. There’s a player here in Germany who’s also on this board, and he gets an incredible volume and tone from his flute without blowing hard at all. It’s all about the embouchure…
Good exercises are:
Ich wurde in Münster geboren, wohne aber in Telgte. Das ist etwa 10km östlich von Münster. Ich studiere aber in Münster und verbringe auch sonst sehr viel Zeit dort, außerdem kennen die Leute Münster halt doch eher als Telgte.
Gabriel,
I’m going to print that out and keep it with my flute. Just super advice.
Not sure about how to play a scale via overtones, but I’m going to have a go!
Thanks again for taking the time to put all that down for my benefit (and thanks to everyone who gave me your input as well).
I’m really enjoying this instrument. A really nice relaxation from the double bass.
It’s easy. Try this:
Have fun
Thanks, Gabriel!
Another keeper!
And you were spot on about my fingerings being to heavy. I played Shandon Bells again, but without ornaments, just concentrating on an even sound and rich tone.
Then I started adding ornaments and instantly recognized that I was bringing my fingers down too hard, jiggling the flute, and wrecking my sound/embouchure.
I’ll be doing a lot more practicing first without ornaments and then adding then (all very slowly).
Gabriel said…
Maybe a hint: some players tend to slam their fingers on the flute when covering holes. Do it gently
This interests me…I believe I read in a post of months ago about someone (Malloy?) who practised and learned to play with very aggressive fingers.
As a newbie, I’ve been working on that, and I really like the way it feels to really smack that hole and feel the back pressure…not as much for ornamentation, but generally very deliberate nonetheless. After practising that way for a while, balance isn’t too much of an issue, and my “ambush” noting is becoming more accurate.
I’ve been working on a solid, but controlled “pop” when I bring down my fingers (particularly on my right hand), but have a very weak little finger, so it is difficult to keep this finger planted and still move my ring finger with ease.
Does anyone else have a problem with limited independent movement between these two fingers?
I gave up anchoring the right hand pinkie. I try to keep R3 down as much as possible when not otherwise in use. At first it was challenging, but now it’s almost automatic.
does anyone not have that problem?
…without spending years doin’ really odd finger exercises?
Roj,
I started out that way. Basically allowing the ring finger of my right hand to come down and rest just one side of (or just before) the R3 hole.
I was concerned this was having an impact on my sound as I was moving more and more to partially covering R3 as it was more comfortable.
I might go back to this, but thought I’d try anchoring the pinkie just for increased stability and control of my embouchure (tended to jiggle the flute otherwise).
Any exercises I could try to increase the strength in the two fingers?
Do other people have this problem?
It is an anatomical fact, sure, but I can’t say it has ever been a major problem for me musically - I learnt Boehm flute originally, though not to any high level - or even intermediate! - but enough that I got the Eb/little finger habit, which I have never dropped - it even works an imaginary Eb key when I play whistle! As a result, I have never had a problem with that aspect of balancing either flute or whistle, or of locating R3 tone-hole, or other such issues that come up from time to time. These are among the reasons I advocate having and using Eb keys! I have to admit though that I don’t fully, assiduously do all the opposed movements of R3 & 4 to “correct” classical standards - my low C/C# to correctly vented E shifts are…not.
Jem,
Thanks. I ask about the finger problem because I don’t have this issue on my left hand.
Indeed, I have a strong independence between the left ring and little fingers, so have always wondered why this is not the case on my right hand.
I asked my wife if she found the same and she said, yes, but the problem is with her left hand, not her right hand (we are both right-handed).
Just seems a little odd to me, but then I’ve never discussed it with anyone before, so maybe it’s very common.
I’ll just keep practicing. Even after just a few days I can feel and hear a positive difference, so I must be doing something right.