Exactly!
[That is, in fact, what I meant, but, re-reading it, I realise that it was ambiguous, to say the least. 
]
I think that’s probably mostly true (the reply, that is; the “myth” quote not so much). But asking successful fluters about this is self-selecting. People who tried but failed for whatever reason are not posting here.
I used to play some (Boehm) flute as part of the Big 3 (sax. clarinet, flute) more or less required for doubling (well, tripling) for combo playing, jazz, etc. And I was OK, but it was always a real struggle because of some very specific, personal lip and dentition issues. I overcame these to the degree needed for my purposes, and the average listener wouldn’t have cringed at my fluting. But in my case, getting past just OK to very good would likely have required medical intervention, which was a commitment (and expense) too far for what was a tertiary instrument.
I agree that biology is not necessarily destiny. But there may be physiological reasons that one instrument suits one player better than another. There’s no reason not to work assiduously with what you have if you’re really motivated. But you can’t always get what you want, and there are always many alternatives to satisfy your musical Jones and find a good match of tool to express your musical voice.
And that failing, there is always a lipectomy, which I will perform for a reasonable fee in my kitchen,
for those who have trouble getting a consistent foghorn sound in one week.
Cupid’s bow? No problemo!
Less lip from you, Jim Stone.
Aye, and perhaps trumpet, trombone or tuba would have levelled the playing field for me (NB have recently got a pBone just for fun!)… but guess woodwinds just feel the most right (whether through some genuine natural ‘connection’ or merely the longest experience) of all the other unsuitable things I play!
Yeah, for school band we had an aptitude test for musical instruments and I was told that trombone would be a good choice for me. I have a feeling that long arms for my age was my special “talent”. Of course, back then I never would have been told the flute was a good fit because I wore trousers instead of a skirt.
Well, I see “the world” has somehow survived…
Meanwhile, I have now made some significant revisions and additions to the Flute Embouchure document, including correcting the link to the Flute Hold document. Moreover, I have rearranged the folder on Box.net so that all the Flute Resources are now in a separate sub-folder.
Anyone who downloaded the original version of the Embouchure doc. may care to replace it with the current, improved version.
that’s much nicer, isn’t it!
If I download one if 'em, say like “Flute Embouchure”
and open it with whatever program that came up when I clicked it
the first three links did not work for me. (got a flyover of “Ctrl Click to …”) though.
whatever program didn’t do Ctrl Click either.
Not quite sure what you mean, Denny. I just re-checked the first 6 hyperlinks in the text of the Embouchure Word. doc on my computer and they all opened what they were meant to, and I also opened it in the Box.net preview and they all worked correctly from there too… Are you having trouble from the Box.net preview window or from an actual download to your 'puter? I’m working with fairly antique stuff here, Windows 2000 and Word in Office 2003 - shouldn’t present any compatibilty problems, I wouldn’t think.
ah, MS Office
I’ve a new computer. I’m on Open Office now.
never mind!
After ten days of minimal practice, I was able to play the low Eb and then switch to the upper octave and then back again. I haven’t had time to do a lot of serious practice because of my schooling schedule and my child, but I’m getting better (mostly) at finding a sound, although I still can’t play a scale, and even maintaining the strength of a note, once I’ve found it, is difficult. A lot of times it just fades away and then I can’t find it again.
It’s a bit depressing, but I really want to learn how to play the flute, so I can be one of those people that plays whistle or flute, whichever tickles my fancy at the time, and not be one who plays whistle because I can’t play flute. Also, I don’t have anything else in Eb, so if I want to play in that key, I’m going to have to learn the thing.
I feel that I need a month of solitude, in the mountains somewhere. Just me and the flute. I would grow a beard, and when I came back, I would proudly play Mary Had a Little Lamb, or Hot Cross Buns for my wife, who would be difficult to placate, even with my new talent, due to my disappearing and leaving her alone with the little one for a month.
I’m not sure if this is worth a new thread, but here goes.
I’ve taught myself how to play flute on a PVC flute I made over the summer. I’ve gotten pretty good at it too. Now, however, I’ve recently come into possession of a wooden fife. I’m not sure if it’s the higher pitch, the size of the embouchure hole, the bore or any other of a million possibilities, but for some reason it’s much harder for me to play than my big PVC flute. I can get the top half of the first octave and the second octave pretty well, but the bottom three notes in the first octave are just dead for me.
My question is: with the smaller bore and everything else, would I want a tighter embouchure or looser? Or is it just a matter of aiming properly? Essentially, if you play both flute and fife, what do you change between the two?
Basically, what you do on a (military-style) wooden fife is not play much in the first octave. It’s optimized for the second and third octaves. To achieve this, the maker compromises the first octave, and so the notes below first octave G are naturally weak.
Good training for the embouchure they are, though! And lots of fun!
That’s good to know. I guess I’ll just resign myself to playing it really loud and really high, which makes sense since that’s what the instrument was made for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkF5dOWmV64&feature=youtu.be
A couple of months into it. I haven’t practiced much though. It’s getting better.
If you notice anything glaring that I could be doing better, feel free to speak.
It’s coming on well IMO
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practise as much as possible regularly everyday even if it’s only for a short time - better than leaving it for a few days between practising
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try and get some one to one tuition if you can it will save a lot of time
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it’s hard to tell but you’re embouchure is perhaps a bit 'loose" - I was told to tighten my embouchure up by pulling the lips out (flat or slightly down) more at the edges like this . rather than this . should help in getting the upper register.
There is some useful advice on Terry Mcgee’s website and some interesting videos on youtube of James Galway on embouchure etc.