Hello,
I just posted yesterday about the transition from whistle to flute. I found an old G flute that I had made out of PVC a few years back in my storage closet today. I tuned it and it plays in great tune. Its a great primer for me to get started with while I am hunting around for a good first time “real” flute.
I have the embrochure down pretty good, I can produce a tone on command, but when playing some of the same jigs I know on the whistle, I run out of breath much earlier playing the flute. I was dizzy after continuously playing as well. Should I tighten my embrochure to conserve air, am I blowing too hard? Or is breathing more frequently during a jig just the way if goes with the flute?
Thanks
Just give it time… it will take you a few weeks, possibly two or three months to increase your lung capacity, learn to use the air efficiently, etc. What you are experiencing is normal, IMHO.
Keep on playing. Your lung capacity will get a little bigger, but mainly your embouchure will improve as your technique and lip muscle tone improves, and you’ll get a lot more milage out of the air you do have.
Read the chapter on diaphragm breathing in any beginning Boehm flute method book and practice that if you don’t already know how, but apart from that there isn’t a shortcut.
I think everyone has had this problem. I know I did atleast. You feel that you get consistent tones when you blow in the flute and therefor you think that your embouchure is pretty good. This is not really the case though. Even if you get consistent tones from the flute and you maybe thinking that you get pretty good volume you probably are month’s (or years) away from a decent embouchure. Keep playing and in a few months you will notice that you don’t have to breathe as much and you will probably get a lot more volume by then. It takes a lot more practice that it feels initially.
I agree with all of the above that this will come
with practice. Also it’s something like the garden
hose that squirts water further if partially covered.
Closing your embouchure so that there is
a narrow and focused stream will use less
air. May help to keep this in mind, and
it will work out in any case.