is there a special technique for getting a strong low d and e, or exercises you can do to acquire a firmer emboucher if that’s what’s required to achieve a good tone on these notes?
These are two of the hardest notes to hit solidly on the Irish flute. Really, on any flute.
For these to sing and resonate, your embouchure must be exactly centered, with no wasted air at all.
The temptation is to back away from them a bit but it’s a mistake–give them air. If if you overblow at first, give them air.
A good method to approach this: start with low G. Play it with a full, strong sound. Not just for a second; really play it, say for 16 beats or so. Let it ring.
Then move down a half-step to F-sharp, and play it until you get the same ring and resonance the G had. Then hold it and listen to it, and try to remember how you’re holding your mouth and lips in relation to the flute.
Then go down again to E, and repeat. Then once E is solid, do D.
If you do this every day, those notes will gradually get stronger and your difficulties diminish.
Best,
–James
http://www.flutesite.com
Practice, it’ll come.
This is why this forum is so important to me. Little jems like James post are sometimes a very timely smack upside the head. As a total new-bee to the flute, in a way out of the way place, alone with this tube of holes on the brink of maddness my life is made hole once again by a simple regament to add to my practice session. I dont have a structure to practice. I am only just learning that this is not playing the whistle. I am only just learning that I can forget about playing a song on this thing until I can make a consistant noise first. I know there are any number of web sites that have all the info in the world on learning to play the flute but I don`t have time to read them and its a timeing thing. I have also only just learned that I will get a handle on this animal know matter what.
Soooooooooo I come here in hopes of a timely bash in the head.
Thanks James 
Tom
What James said, plus make sure you’re sealing all of the holes well. It seems pretty obvious, but It matters the most on those lowest notes.
I’ve got my old Bohm flute “The sieve” that I can get good tone on most of the notes except the lowest few, and they’re a real struggle.
For what it’s worth, I think that you have to be careful in developing your embouchure for the bottom notes on the flute. James is dead on about starting on a G (or maybe A) but the danger is that you might develop an embouchure that changes as you go down the scale.
Assuming that you’ve got a good quality flute (life is too short for lipping!) the lip position shouldn’t vary much at all to give a good result from B down to D in the first octave. (It can be varied later for effect, when you have more control.) You have to develop your embouchure by searching for those low notes but make sure that whatever you do applies for all notes. To some extent, IMHO, if enough attention is given to getting a full, clear sound on A and G then D and E will look after themselves. And maybe further, if you think your A and G are OK but you’re having trouble with the bottom notes, then maybe there’s room to improve the top hand notes. I think that my own playing has benefitted greatly from this approach and I’d be interested to hear opinions.
And as James says, give it air! If it hisses too much that’s a message for you, not a reason to blow more softly.
Jim
Also just a last word that developing a strong low D and low E takes a certain amount of time no matter what approach you use.
You aren’t going to get a low D you can stand up on in three weeks of practice no matter what you do!
Best,
–James
http://www.flutesite.com
I’ll add a bit to what James is saying. Air is the key. To get those stong low D’s and E’s you’ve got to overblow them a bit. Keep them right at point before the note wants so jump up an octave. Doing this makes the note much fuller and it also puts some tone and character in the note. If you underblow these notes you’ll come out with a bit of a woo-e sound instead of the proper tone (something I’m still guilting of). And besides all that, Practise, Practise, Practise.
On 2003-02-14 11:22, JGrant-Skerries wrote:
For what it’s worth, I think that you have to be careful in developing your embouchure for the bottom notes on the flute.if you think your A and G are OK but you’re having trouble with the bottom notes, then maybe there’s room to improve the top hand notes. I think that my own playing has benefitted greatly from this approach and I’d be interested to hear opinions.
Jim
I have to agree here as well. One of the surest ways to develop a strong embouchure is to work on your upper notes. You do have to blast the bottom a bit more to get the hard D you’re after, but if you can get a strong, pure upper octave with less air (the upper notes don’t require and should in fact not be hit as hard) you probably will be in good shape for the bottom notes.
Beyond that, James’ advice for those bottom notes is certainly sound.
[ This Message was edited by: Gordon on 2003-02-14 20:36 ]
make sure all the joints on the flute are sealed nice and tight. it makes a huge difference.
Chris
A couple of months ago, I purchased an Overton Low D, short reach version, made by Bernard himself. The quality is remarkable to look at, the problems come when you start to play. I had problems with both the low E and D, in particular the E. It was very airy and did not balance well with the other notes. I actually found the low D quite easy to hit, and boy when you hit it, it is beautiful. I thought though that it was the whistle that was the problem (short reach version), but found that, with practice, you learn to treat the whistle with individual respect. Once you do, you can master them on all notes such that each note blends in and comes easier with time. My summary here is, treat the whistle like your own child, have patience, practice, and you’ll end up with a perfect relationship. All whistles have their own characters, you have to get to know each of them perfectly. P.S. I am just about to attempt to get my hands on a Copeland low D, to get to know this one. I do not expect to have an instant hit even with the expense, but i’m sure i’ll come to love it over time!!!
Howdy hackwellwire!
I could be wrong, but I think we’re talking about flutes here.
That said, Overtons do have beautiful low D notes, don’t they?
M
Hi all:
Here’s some advice I got from my sister the professional flute player. If you snap the fingers of your right hand down as you play the low D, especially when you’re approaching it from a much higher note like a B, it seems to help make the low D speak. Don’t know why, though I suspect that it has to do with placing your concentration on your fingers instead of worrying about whether or not the low note will come out!
Takes some practice, but it does work.
Tim
I have done this trick, but I usually use the ring finger left hand.
It does seem to work on a Boehm-system; I have heard the reason given as it starts the air column vibrating.
If it helps you, use it.
I think the real benefit is it an aggressive, percussive motion, and I think it tends to cause the flutist to use more air than they normally would to start a low D. The lowest notes need a good gust of air to speak well, so it comes out strong.
Again, I don’t think it matters why it works; try it and if it works for you, all to the good. Worry about why next lifetime.
Best,
–James
http://www.flutesite.com
I’m an experienced classical flutist, here is my two cents on a few practice exercises I remember back in the day when my flute teacher use to nearly make me faint from hyperventilation ) The pressure is important to help you with the second factor ? angle of attack.
Of course, the angle of attack (the angle you blow air into the mouthpiece) is the first thing you struggle with as a beginner, but continuing to tinker with that angle is important in order to obtain a clear tone, and also differing tone qualities depending on the style of music (dark and foreboding, light and airy, etc). Experiment with rolling the flute in and out slowly to see what kind of tone changes result. Here is what I have discovered, - notes in the high register have a slightly different optimum embouchure shape/position than notes in the low register. When I play, I can achieve very dark, resonate low E, D, and even C, and (I have a C foot on my flute) by rolling the flute head in towards me, increasing the angle of attack (which also flattens the note slightly, something you will have to compensate for by pushing the flute head in a bit). The more you over-blow the note, the more resonate it will become till it finally flips to the second octave. The tone should actually buzz just before it flips. With practice, you will find the right angle of attack and the right embouchure focus that will allow you achieve the greatest amount of resonance and/or darkness in the tone before it flips to the second octave. Going down the scale as mentioned above can be helpful ? once you are able to get a strong resonate low note, consider starting from the bottom and work your way up, trying to maintain the darkness and resonance as you go up the scale (this will help keep your high notes from being thin and squeaky). It takes a lot of practice unfortunately, but you can get strong, clear notes in both octaves, and after awhile, making the minute changes in embouchure position and shape for the desired tone will become instinctive. It is one of the things that I appreciate about the flute over the whistle.
I will also offer this… The instrument can make or break you. When I was in sixth grade, my flute instructor (who was first chair of one of the major symphonies of American (I can?t remember which, and paid a couple hundred bucks an hour for private lessons from one of America?s foremost) took me to a music store and played well over 30 flutes of various makes, priced between $600 and $1200, narrowed it down to two of the best playing and gave me the choice of either. Now, 15 years later, I still get compliments on the tone quality of my instrument and its playability, and I have never had to ?upgrade.? I can remember shopping around for a second flute, one that I could use outdoors and not be afraid to ruin. I went to this nice ladies house who was selling a second hand flute that belonged to her 20 year old daughter. The daughter had played the flute for three years in middle school and then given it up totally discouraged because she couldn?t hardly get a note out of it. I picked up the flute and couldn?t blow more than six decent notes on it… Sad… It?s worth it to get a good instrument. If you try and try and still cannot get a decent low note, or high note, it may not be you, it may be the instrument.
Continued playing in high and low registers will develop your lip, though, so be aware of the possibility.
Justbarak - great post! and welcome to the forum.
BillG
here is what helped me tremendously…
have a willing victim listen to you blow and sustain (for one full long breath) each note starting at G, then F#, E and finally D. Get honest feedback about the purity of each note. Think pure, focus, relax , elongate.
also try altering the shape of your embrouchure using the vowels a, e, i, o u.
for instance, starting at the note G and working down to D, as you blow and sustain each note for one full breath, use the embrouchure that is shaped by the lips as if you were saying the vowel “a”. Repeat
using the embrouchure shape formed when saying the vowel “e” so on and so on.
purify the low D note. notice the difference in the shading of the tonal notes by shaping and reshaping the embrouchure.
you can then “command” the type of “D” you want when you want thru intention and not accident.
The “presence of tone” and loudness are different.
patience is a virtue.
overblowing isn’t really necessary once the embrouchure “muscles” develop.
[ This Message was edited by: rama on 2003-02-18 21:55 ]