Flute Advice and Tips

Simple Tips for a Better Sound.

Hello! Back again for another chapter here! So this chapter (as you read) is about simple tips for a better sound. There are many ways to have a better sound, but here are the simplest that I tend to forget.

First step is posture.

There are about three ways of correct posture on the flute: standing, sitting, and marching, but I will only talk about standing and sitting.

When you're standing, your whole body has to be relaxed yet high. Strive to have a straight back and chin slightly up. Legs are apart and shoulders are slightly down. Your flute should NOT be parallel to the ground, unless that feels normal to you, because it is unusual for our arms to be at that angle, making out body tense therefore making our sound tense.

When you're sitting, it's basically the same but sitting down. Never have your back on the back of the seat and keep your feet on the ground.

Now that posture is out of the way, here are some random ones.

Have your face completely relaxed, besides your mouth area. When you play your flute, your lips should never curl upwards, and try to have as much space between your teeth as possible. It helps a ton! I never realized it, but my private lesson teacher and band director noticed a huge change in sound and say that I sound like a different person (in a better way). I'm not sure if I believed it cause I'm not that good at hearing, but I asked my friends and they say when I do that, it's better.

Besides that, there is also hand position.

A good hand position helps technique and makes your hand feel more relaxed. If your pinkies lock, try hard and get used to keeping it bended. On your right hand, the thumb must be under your pointing finger and be slightly curved inwards. Also check mentally that when you play, the buttons on your flute must be pointed at the ceiling.

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So these were the tips from my last few private lessons during the school year (when I wasn't busy with solos, ensembles, marching band, auditions, more auditions, ugh so much stuff that I'm off topic).

It's great to have a technique book, I recommend practicing on études and minor scales since they come up on auditions sometimes. I use Melodious and Progressive studies for the Flute.

That's all for this chapter! Sorry, I didn't put much thought into it cause I'm really tired and wanted to have a chapter in by midnight. Till next chapter!