I was out of town and reach of my flute for 12 days, and when I sat down tonight, I found I had an unusually focused embouchure, and I sounded really, really good. For about 2 and one-half tunes. Then things started to slip a little. But I find myself really living for those moments when everything comes together and there is beauty for one brief shining moment. I find I do much better with my Highland pipes (no embouchure required; just be able to get enough air into the bag, easy as pie, and besides, it’s only got 9 notes. How hard can it be? )
But the flute is a seductive instrument, and sometimes, just sometimes, I understand why I wanted to learn to play it, however embarrassing the attempt may be.
Of course, I won’t let a little thing like a fugitive embouchure stop me, no sirree, not me. I play for my own amusement anyway. And frequently I’m the only person who is amused, but that’s another story…
I had to laugh. That happens to me about every other day. (The days where it doesn’t happen, I’m consistently bad. I’m a beginner.)
When it does happen, I have a solid low register (which I tend to get usually), and can also flip effortlessly to the 2nd octave. 2nd octave is clear and solid, without that horrible lower-octave-outta-tune creeping into the high tone. I can vary between a rounder sound or a reedy sound by rounding or flattening the embouchure. And it lasts for about 1 tune. Aaauuughhh!
I did find from looking in a mirror that what is happening is that I am sort of pushing my lower lip forward a bit to get the upper octave. So now I’m getting a certain amount of improvement by doing that on purpose, but still need to work on getting that perfect aim of the airstream.
Oh: another thing that helped me is to remember (and I have to constantly remind myself of this) not to press the flute hard against my lower jaw. Seems like whenever I remember and let up on the pressure, there’s an immediate improvement.
)