So, recently, I’ve been feeling like maybe I might actually be starting to make progress with this thing (I’ve been having a go for 18 months now). I can start tunes OK, but the tone fades after one or two times through, and the rhythm goes. Here are the two issues I’ve identified, and I need to figure out how to stop doing them! So … help! [Please …]
1 I start blowing fine. Lots of lovely notes, and reasonable tone. Then, after, say a couple of minutes, I start getting lots of spit (water, or whatever it is) in the emouchure hole, and it gets in the way of my blowing, and the tone just disappears. I don’t know if there’s a way not to make so much moisture, or whether I just have to find a way to be able to get rid of it whilst still playing, or what …
2 If I do manage to recover the tone (though usually I don’t get the full tone back without actually stopping, blowing out the flute, and specifically the embouchure hole, and starting again) my right hand fingers then decide to go all lazy and get out of rhythm. This seems to coincide with dipping the right hand end of the flute, which seems to make the moisture problem and tone loss worse …
I mean, do I just keep at it, and hope that these problems go away? Or is there something specific I can do to get over these faults?
I don’t know why, or if you are you are producing too much moisture, a certain amount is always produced, but as regards loss of tone you would probably benefit from developing your embouchure. Sounds like you are wasting too much air, and not focusing your airstream, prehaps even breathing out of your nose? It takes time to be able to sustain a strong even tone throughout a set of tunes. Don’t despair it will come, but you have to work at developing your embouchure. Even then you will have days when it just doesn’t come together.
Good advice above. Over my few years of working at it, I’ve found myself going through a number of stages and self-corrective regimens.
Developing a tight, focused embouchure is the grand over-arching quest, and it’s never ending. You know about that.
Regarding moisture, different flutes have reacted differently for me. Some seem to accumulate more condensation, and at a faster rate, than others. If you keep the flute angled down, any excess will follow gravity, and shouldn’t cause issues. Give it a little shake to move it downward sometimes.
Lately, my embouchure and endurance are improving a lot. The most common problem I have now is that my lips dry out after a few minutes. Then I have to drop out for a beat or two to either moisten them or adjust my embouchure for better attack. Finding places to pause for breath or adjustments in a tune without creating a void is always a challenge. It’s all this little stuff that we indulge ourselves by obsessing over.
It’s so frustrating. Thing is, (I think) I’m starting off with my embouchure sort of in - just 18 months, but I reckon it’s coming … But it’s the bloody moisture that gets in the way. I had a look at myself playing in the mirror earlier, and there was noticeable dampness, occasionally even bubbles (yeuk!) around my mouth where it touches the flute. No, not strictly “around”, more like in the middle - right where the aristream is supposed to be going. I think I need to rig up a mirror for routine practice - at the moment the only ones are in the bathroom or the shower room, and both of those are too echoey - gives me false confidence if I practice in there …
I think what you say there, crookedtune, about stoppi ng for a second or two and regrouping may be the answer for now. That does work. But I don’t want to have to stop!
Grrr!
And, over all that, steampacket’s probably STILL right - I probably just need to get that embouchure even better. I mean, how hard can this bloody thing be?!?!!!
Not as hard as bloody fiddle, in answer to your last… but unlike fiddle it will never be consistently in tune and you’ll never be satisfied with your embouchure even on good days…
I’m far from an expert, but I also have a moisture issue when playing, especially in the first couple of minutes. One thing that I’ve noticed is that if I “warm up” the flute by just breathing thru the embochure for about 30 seconds before I start to play it sometimes helps. Different flutes seem to be more sensative to this buildup as well, at least for me. Worst being the delrin Seery with fully lined head. My speculation is that it is more impervious to moisture absorption that my wood flutes and the lined head holds a lower dewpoint longer than a wood or plastic head. Other aspects also seem to be the relative interior diameter vs condensation drop buildup size (surface tension?). I seem to notice it most when trying to play D, E & F in the first octave, perhaps an indication of the foot joint being slightly occluded? There is room for a full out study here I’m sure.
Of course it may have nothing to do with your problem if it is “spit” not “condensation” as you imply in your second post. If the later all I can suggest is to try raising your chin a bit more when you play.
I’ve tried the ‘warming up for 30 seconds by blowing into it’ trick. It has significantly reduced the problem. This is a flute with an unusually narrow embouchure hole, so maybe that’s the issue. But, anyway, it’s much more manageable now I’m doing the warming thing. Oh, and I’m also trying to keep my head a bit more upright, which actually does seem to have a further slight beneficial effect.
I had a look at myself playing in the mirror earlier, and there was noticeable dampness, occasionally even bubbles (yeuk!) around my mouth where it touches the flute. No, not strictly “around”, more like in the middle - right where the aristream is supposed to be going. I think I need to rig up a mirror for routine practice - at the moment the only ones are in the bathroom or the shower room, and both of those are too echoey - gives me false confidence if I practice in there …
