Hello Everyone-
I’ve been strolling through the various forums for quite a while. I’ve played an M&E, which I enjoyed, and currently play a CB flute in mopane, which I love. I’m getting better overall, but notice that some days I sound much better than others. I know there are many factors for this occurring, but I was wondering what you do when that happens. I tend to take a break and start whistling as I think I’m probably tired and lazy with my embouchure. What do you do on those days?
I know this is similar to a recent thread, but I’m not just talking about making sure I get practice in after work when I’m tired. I’m talking about practicing everyday, and just sounding a little different on certain days, for whatever reason. Anyway, I’m babbling…
When I was beginning, I did the same, i. e., would pick up the whistle. Now I figure I’m out of shape and do exercises like harmonics, long tones, etc. It’s really about building up the muscles, of which there are many that go into making good flute music.
The most helpful things to me have been (and this might sound weird)
Check for head stuffiness by popping my ears. I’m very prone to congestion, which distorts what I hear in significant ways. I figure, if I hear what’s really happening more clearly, I don;t overblow the flute. The aural-tactile feedback is much better.
Play outside in a park. When I play at home on a “bad embouchure” day (most of them), I can’t ever get into the flow of playing tunes, being too self critical re: tone. But outside, ya pretty much must play tunes, because they are probably less annoying to innocent bystanders. It ends u p being a lot more fun to play. I’m lucky in that I can play usually nine months out of the year outside.
Try to keep lips in shape and not too dry. Dryness = hiss = bad.
there are some GREAT practice routine suggestions here for developing embouchure.
whether on flute or guitar… on the days when it just isn’t “clicking” i stop for a couple minutes to recognize that it is what it is… then i get back to playing with a slightly different intent.. i play seeking only the joy that brought me to music to begin with… on days when everything is right i work diligently on areas of needed improvement. on “off” days, i just relax and go with it knowing that perhaps tomorrow will be better…
One of the most helpful things I’ve found is to have a routine to fall back on, things like Charlie mentioned: Long Tones, ornaments, octave jumps/harmonics, plus the tunes you’re working on, and so forth. On the days when I’m sucking (or is it blowing) more than usual, I work through the routine, knowing I’ll be better for it in the long run, by way of consistency with regards to practice. I reward myself for sticking to the program by just “Playing around” and doing whatever feels good to play after I finish the structured practice. May be that I play tunes I already know well and like to play, might be that i simply noodle, or I may go play some blues on my guitar. Regardless, I always feel better, and make better progress, when I have some sort of structure to help me through those days when the playing isn’t coming so naturally - and for me that’s still pretty often,
There are simply days where you play better than others. However, the longer you’ve played, the “better” you sound on your bad days.
Everyone has bad days doing just about anything…so why should it be different on flute?
I’m also a head case (congestion-wise) like Wormdiet - that’s a huge cause of my bad playing days. I agree it’s hard to play well when you truly can’t hear yourself.
I just don’t let it get to me. Some days are just better than others. I’ll either just keep playing for the pure enjoyment of it or pick up one of my other instruments.
What I really don’t like is when I’m having a glorious day, playing with a tone that shocks me but no time to record myself to prove I can really do it.
Divide and conquer: On a bad tone day, work on your cuts or rolls or a tricky passage in a tune, etc. On a day when the fingers won’t do as they’re told, spend time working on tone with long tones, harmonics, and the like.
If one’s having an all-around bad day, simply taking a break (even taking the day off) can be worthwhile. Return to the flute when you can focus better, or divide your practice time into a few short chunks, maybe 15 minutes each, with a specific goal for each practice segment.
Another way to “recalibrate” is to simply relax and play the easiest tune you know, something comfortable that doesn’t require loads of concentration or cause any anxiety.
Some days you are the windshield, some days you are the bug. Even the best occasionally have days where they think their lips have gone missing. Enjoy your practice time, and it will get better and better. If you think you have something fundamental that needs looking at, a couple of lessons with a knowledgeable teacher will help get you on track.
Thanks so much everyone. Wow, I didn’t anticipate so many wonderful ideas. It’s nice to get feedback from all of you, especially since it seems you go through the same thing. I think I’ll print this thread and fall back on it on those days, which may be daily…uh, oh, better go laminate the print out to make it last! Thanks again.
Oh, and one more thing – the longer you’ve played, the more good days and fewer totally suck days you’ll have. And, believe me, everybody has bad days. Another thing is that, the longer you play, the higher your standards are, so maybe bad days level off after five or ten years – it’s just that the definition of a “bad day” becomes much looser, or the standard for a not-bad day much more strict.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’d suggest recording yourself. Save it and then record yourself in a couple of months. Listen to that, then to yourself now. Enjoy the difference.
I got back from a business trip yesterday and picked up my flute after three days of being fluteless. I had noticed before I left that I was having a very difficult time maintaining any kind of breathing control and it seemed every fourth or fifth note I played was coming out as an annoying hiss. I was blaming it on a mild headcold, but who knows.
Anyway, I figured I’d be very rusty after days of not sounding good followed by three days of not playing altogether. But I surprised myself by actually having really good tone (for me) even on the first tune or two I played. In fact, I can’t remember in my short flute career ever sounding better.
Maybe taking a breather for a day or three once in a while when you just can’t get it together isn’t such a bad idea. It seemed to work this time for a beginner like me.
