Hi all,
I was experimenting with the Nicholson’s grip and embouchure following the article here in Terry McGee’s page http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/nicholson_on_tone.htm
My tone is generally fairly airy and it seems that Nicholson’s talks about blowing more air and in a focused way into the flute. From what I gather the result is a stronger sound rich in harmonics. I’ve been messing around for a couple of days and I find that if I am efficient air-wise I get only the harmonics and a very weak fundamental (for instance blowing a G I lose very little air but what comes out is mainly the harmonic B and a feeble G). If I go back to the way I normally play I can produce the note in tune but the sound is like diffused and not as powerful and reedy as I’d like. The result is that, in certain tunes, that affect my phrasing, therefore my rhythm and consequently my intonation.
Any suggestions out there? Has anyone put together a video showing on embouchure?
Really appreciate any suggestions
Bear in mind that Nicholson had a legendary sound and strong blowing style. His nick-name was ‘Iron-lip’. Some people have said it took them ‘several years to accomplish a strong blow’.
With that thought in mind you should look at the harmonic exercises set forth in Jem’s support material. These have been said to be ‘the keys to the Kingdom’. Blow the second octave D,E,F, and G. Then play the harmonics of the D,E,F, and G for the remainder of the scale. This will help focus and strengthen your lip.
There’s more but that is a fist full of work already.
G’luck
Bob
Cheers Bob,
Where can I find Jem’s support material?
If you look at the first few thread listings in the flute forum, the ‘sticky’ threads, you will see one started by Jemtheflute (Jem Hammond). There will be downloadable documents and links to his Box account with more documents and information. I gave a quick look, and didn’t see the harmonics exercise as such (sorry if I’m wrong, Jem!) so look here: http://iflute.weebly.com/tips-for-students.html and you will find additional resources, including harmonic exercises from Lesl Harker (flute goddess!).
Bob
edit to correct link
The harmonic right hand scale came up un this thread: https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/some-words-of-advice-needed/81756/11
If you can down to the sixth post, from bradhurley (believe me it would be hard to do better than Brad Hurley for flute advice!) you will get the full story. . . 
Bob
I didn’t include further exercises on tone development in my Embouchure help-sheet deliberately as I felt that was a huge topic beyond the scope of my intentions. However, I think that if he hasn’t already used it, the OP might well find helpful things in that document - from his self-description it sounds to me as though the fundamentals of his embouchure formation ( 
pun intended) need attention. Focus is probably the main issue.
Flutingwax, if you haven’t already found my resources, the link is in my “signature” below.
As for the harmonics exercise for improving tone, register control, etc., yes that has been much discussed here and elsewhere. Somewhere there’s an old thread with a core contribution by “daiv” (late of this parish) which produced some fruitful ideas. I should revisit that some time…
Daiv’s tone exercise of which I was thinking is among his other tips in this useful thread - the bit about blowing a pouting 2nd 8ve B and so on in his very long post on the 2nd page. I’m pretty sure that at some point I wrote out an exercise based partly on daiv’s and partly on something I learnt at a workshop, starting from A… but I haven’t found that yet.
Bob and Jem, you are stars!
Thank you for pointing me in the right direction.
“Bear in mind that Nicholson had a legendary sound and strong blowing style. His nick-name was ‘Iron-lip’. Some people have said it took them ‘several years to accomplish a strong blow’.”
I read somewhere (can’t remember where) that when Nicholson played the flute caused women to faint, such was his power. Not that I’m after that… I’d be happy with making their heads spin
“it sounds to me as though the fundamentals of his embouchure formation ( pun intended) need attention. Focus is probably the main issue.”
Indeed Jem. I can always get a tone, sometimes I get a very reedy tone but the problem is consistency. I was made aware, as well as noticing it myself, that I waste a lot of air. The result is that my tone suffers, as well as my phrasing and consequently my rhythm (as I said before). I want to work consciously on WHAT I’m doing and HOW I’m doing it.
I wasn’t really looking for harmonic exercises per se, though I remember reading on Trevor Wye’s method for the silver flute that he suggested to tune the flute with the harmonics, i.e. overblow the bottom D to get the harmonic A and then try to tune the A to that. Interesting exercise but I don’t know if it’s useful it is with our flutes. I mentioned the harmonics because they are part of the reedy sound that attracted me - and probably many of us - to flute playing. I noticed that, while trying to implement Nicholson’s approach -embouchure turned towards me and air efficiency, that is to say focus - I get light-headed as the first day I tried to play the flute and I can’t really get a strong sound, just a strong harmonic and a feeble fundamental. So I wasn’t really looking for harmonic exercises and I wasn’t really aware of them but I think they might be useful, thank you guys for pointing them out.
Flutingwax
Flutingwax, have you looked at this page also? http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/Getting_the_hard_dark_tone.htm
You might find the experiment about halfway down helpful in steering your efforts.
Terry
Thanks Terry,
I will look at that article. I was next on the list. Thanks for sharing your great work with us.
I began to look at the Resonance, embouchure “hissing”… Some words of advice needed.. and at your resources Jem. It all looks very very useful . I think it will keep me busy for a while 
Flutingwax
PS: just having a quick look at the experiment on your article Terry. This is what I have been trying to do for the past while and what prompted this thread. It could have been that I read the article before. I think that my problem is that my aperture is a bit too wide on the sides. I have to learn to focus the jet stream with the small aperture. I’ll re-read it again.
Thanks
What you just wrote is what I meant by focus, and my embouchure help-sheet addresses that from first principles. I really think that if you work through my step-by-step method you will find it helps both directly with the deficiencies you observe in yourself and more widely. I agree that to some extent the conversation on harmonics is a digression, but the reason we all mention it is not to produce harmonics for their own sake or even as components of the ultimately desired tone quality; rather, the point is that doing the suggested sorts of exercises with harmonics actually directly helps with embouchure focus and thence with tone, clarity, intonation, air economy and overall control.
