I am fairly new to flute (several months) and I just can’t get my fingers to move fast enough, or be able to adjust my breath fast enough to play dance tunes well. I know it just invovles practice, but what else can I do?
Practice slow with a metronome. You should be comfortable with your practice speed or you’re playing too fast. Build up to speed gradually. Do some long tones. Just hold each note for as long as you can and try to focus the airstream. Relax and don’t try too hard. It will come.
Tots
Speed should be - IMHO - the last thing to worry about…literally the last thing. It’s more difficult to play a tune nicely when playing slower, but it’s counterintuitive to play slow after listening to recorded Irish music. You should be playing so slow it feels, well, too slow.
You’re better off trying to get a solid, consistent tone which changes nicely through the octives, popping an ornament in there and your emboucher. If you do all that, and play your tune(s) 1 or 2 thousand times, speed will come.
I continue to learn all of this the hard way.
Best of good luck…and hang with it.
Jeff