… if found, please return to the skull at the left.
Thank you.
But seriously — this is a new problem for me. I’m not quite sure how to describe it, but I’ll try. Over the last month or so, I’ve found that after playing my fife for 15 to 30 minutes, the middle of my lower lip seems to lose its ‘push’ - almost as if the muscle has atrophied or something. Consequently, I can’t get a sufficient embouchure to support the high (read: all) notes on the fife. Any exercises anyone can recommend to beef up my lower lip again?
What’s odd is that I haven’t really changed anything that I do (at least consciously). Perhaps it’s because I’ve been playing more flute and D folk fife (thanks, Jordan!) than I had before, and my lip can’t remember what shape it needs for each instrument. The only thing I can think of doing to pump up my lower lip is to start playing my sax again – my wife continuously reminds me how ‘plump’ my lower lip used to be when I played my sax more - was that just a pumped-up muscle?
It certainly does take a strong embouchure to support the fifes, and the high flutes. I’ve watched Ralph Sweet wrap his embouchure to a flute many times, and, he being a long time fife player, his lower lip is an impressive show to watch, very strong!
Therefore, and as a guess, I suspect that your more recent playing of D flutes could have something to do with it, the more relaxed embouchure and all.
Originally configured as a military communication means, fifes simply are meant to be played with a certain fortitude, and with nothing less than that.
That is, I doubt that anybody has ever heard of a “concert” fife.
fyffer, I think Cork’s right. It’s the D flute. Just play the fife more and it comes right back. I have those days too.
And on the “concert” fife topic. There are some nice instruments out there. I have not tried the Cooperman but I play a Healy 10 hole that is a very nice instrument. Yes, it’s high pitched and loud but it’s quite versitile and the first octave is quite usable too.
I tried a Cooperman/McDonough 10-hole before moving up to Irish flute. I didn’t get too far. (The problem was mine, not the fife’s).
I could probably do more with it now that I’ve been playing flute, but fifes are not the best instruments for tinnitus sufferers. In fact, I’m not sure I’d recommend them for urban dwellers either, except maybe as a defensive weapon!
One oddity I have found is that I try to play the flute loud and the fife soft.
On the flute, tightening up to play quietly does not work on the bottom register, but in the second and third it does. The fife you can tighten up and play very sweet tones in the upper registers, but I never try to play quietly in the bottom register. For the most part I feel like I am pushing the flute and pulling back on the fife.
