You’re referring to what are known as “whistle tones” to Boehm flutists,and is an embouchure exercise. However, the fade-out of Noel’s track as it appeared on WFO1 was the work of the mastering engineer, as the next tune in the set involved other instruments. If I recall correctly, the tune ends with the piano chord that begins the next tune in the set. I’ll have to listen carefully to hear if there is anything whistle-y going on.
Kevin Krell
THis might be way off but it seems like there could be an easy way to visually determine how much air comes out of a flute.
ANybody got a pack of cigarettes?
Just tried this: hang a peice of stickytape so it dangles conveniently down and blow a bottom D at it, when you turn and look the tape is still waving like mad. You get a smaller effect blowing a G, and less still from the second octave. So plenty of air is coming out, the interesting thing is to know would be what proportion of air should go through the flute for the best tone…
Rob
It is not necessary for any air to travel through the tube for tone to be produced - otherwise closed tubes or even blowing across the neck of a bottle would not work. It is the resonance in the column of air in the flute that is important, and that resonance is being produced by the jet of air at the edge of the embouchure hole waggling up and down very quickly. The best description I ever read goes something like this - imagine you produce a very focussed jet and direct it just BELOW the edge - the pressure in the column of air in the flute will increase, much more quickly than you can actually get that mass of air MOVING - maybe it even starts moving but before it has got anywhere, the pressure has increased creating a back pressure which causes the focussed jet of air to lift slightly… now the jet is ABOVE the edge of the embouchure hole, the pressure in the air column in the flute drops, the jet of air drops back down and the cycle repeats, at 440Hz or whatever note you are playing
So, if there is air actually travelling down the flute, air going into the flute that is not waggling up and down at the edge, I would suggest that it is not involved in tone production and is in fact wasted. Similarly, air that is still in a focussed jet but constantly stays above the edge is again not involved in tone production and is wasted.
What do we think?
The long notes exercise does really help, I agree. I was practise this with my flute teacher yesterday evening. It’s something I always do before practising my tunes. Then breathing from the abdomen also helps as well as controlling that embouchure, making my lips flat and “relaxed” looking. However, when I start my flute practise the embouchure is always weaker.
If I’m doing anything wrong here, let me know.
So, thanks a lot for your advice.
I was wondering though how long did it take you to reach that rich buttery sound that I’m still struggling to reach for that Christmas charity performance…?
It’s taking me a long time, a lot longer in fact than I thought. 
Cheers,
F.D.
i played the flute with a downward projectory of the airstream and sounded a long c#, ran my hand along the length of the flute over the toneholes, the bottom two vent holes and finally end of the flute, i felt air coming out every hole. i then removed the flute from my lips but kept the stream going out my mouth and at the same downward projectory. i put my hand in front of my mouth and felt the air coming out and kept moving my hand away from my mouth until i could virtually feel no airstream. the jet did not travel far and it did not appear to be alot of air.
so it might very well be that most the air travels (and vibrates) thru the flute and only a slither is sliced off by the edge of the blowhole and travels in one direction away from the hole.
Re 1) My flutes end cross-sections are similar in size than the embouchure holes, so air should come out at similar speed than goes in, and obviously the same volume (what goes in must come out). So it should feel similarly strong compared to what comes out the mouth when removing the flute, but maintaining ones mouth’s embouchure.
Re 2 and 3) Any resistance to airflow introduced by angles and the walls of the flute, and also the taper in the flute body, will be felt as resistance to the player, and results in a greater effort of blowing to overcome the loss of pressure. So more air is used. Still what goes in must come out, and if less comes out because of resistances to air stream than more actually does not enter the flute in the first place.
Question: How much air does not enter the flute, in proportion of the air moving through the flute, even with the best downwards projection of the air stream into the embouchure hole? Please check with your hand ca. 45 degrees downwards in front of the embouchure hole. I feel it is very difficult to asses and compare to what is felt coming out the other side, and some more scientific way to measure would be great.
It is a lot more. Clarinets need about three times as much pressure to play, if I read correctly, and all the air going into a clarinet comes out the other end. You can blow up balloons with a clarinet (remove the bell to try!), but you couldn’t with a flute.
I agree with you that any air moving through the flute is not involved in tone production. “Blowing across the flute” or “blowing into the flute” are both different ways to describe the angle we aim for our focussed stream of air to hit the blowing edge. The air stream will be split, where it moves then is of secondary importance. Is it wasted? Only a very small percentage of the player’s energy employed is translated into sound energy, so there is a huge waste of energy in playing the flute. Still worth it though!
Flauta, looks like the rest of the forum is more interested in the physics of vibrating columns of air than your question 
How are you doing now? I recall you only started a month or two ago, and you were a bit discouraged at the time. Sounds like you are making progress.
I am on the same journey, perhaps a month or two further along. Two things I have learned:
(1) No matter how discouraged I have felt, if I keep at it long enough, I do make progress. It is slow, but sure.
(2) There is no way to speed it up, as far as I can see.
I think one reason for the slow pace of development is simply that it takes time to grow the necessary muscles! It’s just like playing golf - took me nearly two years before I had a (reasonably!) coordinated swing. In our fast paced modern world, we are not used to having to be so patient.
On the positive side, the slower process means that playing flute becomes far more musical than some other instruments. For example, anyone can pick up a guitar or banjo and be playing Ok in-tune notes after only a few days. However, playing the flute demands a much closer relationship with your instrument and the music - after all, it is amplified breathing! I am finding the music much more rewarding than any of the strings I play, partly because the flute is more expressive and partly because the effort and slower pace of development have forced me to dig deeper into the music. Playing fiddle is probably similar (I don’t play fiddle), but not as intimate as flute.
Anyway, we beginners need all the encouragement we can get. Hang in there and keep posting progress.
Re your last comment: I find my embouchure starts off bad, is a bit better after the long tone exercises, but only starts to peak after playing a few jigs in the second octave. Oddly enough, I can get the lower notes (D,E) better after a good workout at the top of the range. After about 45 minutes, I find the embouchure starts to weaken, then it virtually disappears if I persist. I have found it useful to practice in short bursts (15 minutes) while I work on my computer (ie work on the PC for a while, practice flute for a break, make cup of coffee, work on PC etc).
A timely discussion, this. Jets and vibrations aside, today I embarked on another long tone journey using the online shakahuchi (sp) tuner and this excellent fife booklet called “Better Stronger Faster” by Bill Hart. (I found the book via this board btw, thank you whoever posted it, and got it I think from Fife and Drum online.)
The first exercises are long tone scales and then he goes into an adapted Moyse routine for the fife. I just did all the exercises as written but in flute octaves.
Playing at 8am it was easy to not do this loud. and the first thing I noticed was how flat I was across the boards, even with the hj pushed all the way in. Fixing that I worked on getting the F#'s up to pitch, and seeing how close I could get on half-holing all the mid-way tones like G#, natural F and so on. Playing quiet is really something else!
“Oddly enough, I can get the lower notes (D,E) better after a good workout at the top of the range. After about 45 minutes, I find the embouchure starts to weaken, then it virtually disappears if I persist. I have found it useful to practice in short bursts (15 minutes) while I work on my computer (ie work on the PC for a while, practice flute for a break, make cup of coffee, work on PC etc).”
Ditto Jumbuk, the exact same applied to me. If I practise on High A, B and even getting the 3rd octave at really soft pitch. the embouchure is better. Here’s something though, my breathing is shallow so I practise standing up.
Short bursts of practise are better for me also, as I get tired. I look forward to the day that I will be able to play the flute as well as I do the whistle.
By the way, I can’t seem to play at any decent speed.
I play marches, airs and popular tunes as if I play at speed, I don’t get a decent “value” for each note. Why is this?
[This could lead to another thread, perhaps].
You mean you play a little too fast? It could well be because you have not got enough air to sustain the notes, so you tend to cut them a bit short. Happened to me a lot, and still sometimes when I play too long a section. But it gets better in time with the build-up of breath. Playing really long notes for exercise is helping, and not shying away from airs, even if the tone is not adequate yet. It also may be that there is enough breath, but there is a little fear not to make it, because it does not feel quite comfortable. And this anxiety creeps into the music and upsets the timing. Relax into it is the answer, and play at a speed you feel comfortable.
Two new threads there, I think. First - to sit or to stand? Like you, I have been practising standing up because it is far easier to breath. Now that I have started playing in sessions, I practice sitting down so I can thump my foot on the floor to keep the rhythm steady. I find it difficult to tap my foot standing up (I fall over!).
Second thread - not sure what you mean by “value”? Are you chopping the notes off early? Have you tried any jigs yet? They are good for getting you to think about where to breath and keeping a nice continuous flow of notes going (but if you are learning from a teacher, be guided by her/him).
Just a note on standing vs sitting:
You should learn to play both ways. I have played more sessions sitting than standing, but it has proven itself handy more than once to be able to play a whole session standing up.
Playing a tune or twostanding is no big deal for almost anybody. Play for 2 and a half hours standing without a break and you may find yourself getting a little shaky. Don’t lock your knees or you’ll get dizzy (or worse), and trying to avoid standing stock-still and doing your musical tree imitation, or you’ll feel like you were run over by a runaway garbage truck the next day. Move around a bit, even walk around if the situation permits. Tap one foot a while, then tap the other for a while, etc.
–James
A good thing for more air which I forget about too often, is to sit with your rib cage expanded. If you put your hands straight up over your head and clasp them, that does it. Of course it’s hard to play the flute that way 
but if you notice the ribcage and then slowly bring your hands down while keeping the rib cage expanded, you will have it.
"You mean you play a little too fast? "
What I meant was that I can’t play “fast” as then I don’t get a nice good tone for each note. That’s the problem. I start with the long notes and then with slow tunes…
Any suggestions…? Thanks
Some suggestions from Dave L, which I have found
helpful.
Play a higher pitched flute, e.g. a G or an A.
It requires a more focused embouchure
which transfers well to the D flute.
Also play softly in the high register.
I’m actually going to get a lower pitched flute.
I’ve heard that it helps us fifers.
I’m not sure I wil have the money to buy a Flute in the key of F or G. 
What I am saying is that I can’t play at “speed” because the tone disappears…
