does it make sense to separate these two factors: straight head vs flute parallel to the ground?
i’m a big believer in the straight head part, particularly as an essential part of an upright, balanced & relaxed posture that makes deep, easy breathing possible.
personally (and in observing others) i haven’t found that a small amount of flute “droop” changes anything for better or worse tonally. i play maybe 15 degrees off from parallel, & up to around 30 degrees doesn’t seem to make much difference. am i missing something here?
It’s funny, this discussion of various positions – I’ve been pondering them myself, as I’ve never in 30 years of playing had any desire to put any flute on my shoulder until the Murray. Not a C flute, not a Bb, not a G alto, not the Hammy which is bigger and heftier, not the Ormiston which is shorter and has a lined HJ so is therefore ostensibly heavier on the head end … but suddenly, I find myself curled around the Murray like I’m trying to attach it to my earlobe or something.
WHY IS THAT???
I’ve noticed this phenomenon with other players, and true to form just saw Dervish the other night, and there was my hero Liam Kelly with flute on his shoulder, neatly tucked under his left ear.
So while I still sound like a lame-o, I guess maybe I at least I look cool?
BIG ol’
Hey. Isn’t “Hot Cross Buns” a duet or round or something? Everybody in the pool!
Janet, I agree with Nelson. If your embourchure that you feel most comfortable with causes you to play somewhat flat, then you need to adjust the headjoint, by moving it in more. If you are already maxed out on your silver flute, then you have a problem. However, on many ITRAD flutes with a tuning slide, this should not be a problem. With a tuner, make the appropriate adjustment so that you are on pitch. Also, with ITRAD be comforted by knowing that many good players are not exactly on pitch. I think that relative pitch is OK. So you are 20 cents flat, so what!
do you folks ever put a tuning meter on your instrument and see where you blow? Im new to fluting and thats the 1st thing I did to learn about my flute.
I go through phases of worrying about different aspects of playing. When I’m working on intonation, I do my long tones with a tuner. When I’m working on tone, I put the tuner away and do my long tones in the mirror to fiddle with what helps there.
I think practicing is like working out. You can’t work every single muscle in regards to strength, flexibility and endurance every single day. You have to shuffle your priorities and try to keep everything in rotation.
Hi Janet. I’ve had to play the flute to the side of my mouth, since my upper lip comes down in the middle, and that section flaps in the wind (so to speak), if I play centered. Also, if I play centered, the airstream becomes divided, and that’s not very productive to a good tone. Someone said that a well know musician (Nugent) plays on the side. Don’t know if that would help you. And besides, I’m playing sharp! So hey, maybe it would… J.
Janet- a couple of ?s and an ! (if you’re still in the mood for this
idea: one pretty sure fire way to raise your pitch is to decrease the area of the embouchure hole that your lower lip normally covers. if you’re now covering much of it (?), you might try learning to blow w/ more of it open. even small changes in the size of the exposed embouchure hole make a significant difference in overall pitch.*
questions: are you more flat at higher or lower pitches/registers? or, are you roughly the same amount flat all over? anything else significant about the nature of your flatness?
enjoy! /dan
*be warned that this is the advice of someone who’s currently tuning the flute sharp and intentionally playing “flat” in search of the “one true reedy tone!”
One of the bands I play with has a harmonium at A-444 and everyone tunes to that if they can (if they have tunable instruments). Now my Irish flute (Seery blackwood) is easily tuned to that with its tuning slide. Its good it has a tuning slide because if its at 448 or something everyone will notice it (including me).
Now some of my bansuri-s (East Indian bamboo flutes) are (in the current weather) at A-448. Although sometimes I do discern that I am out, no one else notices this. In fact the band all loves my bansuri-s and whenever I ask the sitarist or the guitarists or the fiddler, hows this (playing a note), they say, “fine” but, if the Irish flute is a teeny weeny bit out they let me know, no qualms.
I cannot believe this. Yet it happens to me 3 times a week. Any comments?
Working with a tuner is a great habit to get into. We are never as in tune or rythmically “tight” as we think we are–just record yourself some time.
I think Dan has a good idea–you might experiment with uncovering the hole just a little bit more. I have a crooked embouchure and blow into the right side of the hole but I don’t think that affects pitch much if at all–I have always had a good sound (on the metal flute) even with a crooked embouchure.
One other thing you might try… I have done this myself and for a few other people as well: shorten the head joint at the tenon end. But get a really good technician with a lathe or don’t do it at all. I am one of those people who had to play with the head pushed all the way in just to keep in tune with other instruments (in an orchestra). I finally got sick of it and turned about 1 and 1/2 millimeters off the end so that I could occasionally “push in” to raise the pitch.
You sound as if you have lots of intellectual curiosity and a passion for the flute. I’m sure you will solve this problem and move on to the next stage.
Keep up the good work!
the overtone structure of the essentially cylindrical bansuri is different from (& more complex than?) the conical Seery. this, in combination w/ any differences in how you blow the 2 may be “masking” small tuning inaccuracies on the bansuri, but not the Seery.
I’ve been playing with bang’s advice with great success. I usually put the bottom edge of my bottom lip against the hole. I’m working on putting the top edge (not the best description, but oh well!) there instead, thus covering less of the hole. This hasn’t affected my tone noticeably, but has made my pitch go up, up, up! to almost normal region
It does feel a little odd, but I know this is just because I need to get used to it and make it a habit.
So, thanks to everyone for all the suggestions, especially bang who seemed to get to the root of the problem!
And double thanks to everyone for choosing not to pass judgement on my sanity
