EUREKA!

[bowjest]

Please feel free to delete if necessary, but....

E U R E K A ! ! ! !

I'm as tickled as a dead pig in the sunshine!

I've just found that if I back off the amount of actual pressure I use when I'm trying to play in the mid octave I not only get the notes to come through clean and clear, but they're still just as loud!

Whoo Hoo!

I'm half way to the B section of Morrison's Jig!

Y'all just don't know how happy this makes me!

<bowjest does small dance around living room. Wife rolls eyes and takes cat upstairs>

[ImNotIrish]

You go guy!
Congratulations!
Arbo.

[MichaelR]

E U R E K A ! ! ! !

upstairs>

Good stuff. It's great when you can see the progress!

[ImNotIrish]

E U R E K A ! ! ! !

upstairs>

Good stuff. It's great when you can see the progress!

Even better when you can HEAR the progress!

[MichaelR]

Even better when you can HEAR the progress!

Thanks Arbo...so that's been my problem...must be the newbie in me thinking I needed to see the notes before I can actually hear them. That also explains the horrendous sounds I've been hearing every time I've been practicing.

[bowjest]

Thanks for the encouragement, gents. Much appreciated.

Now, I just need to be able to slur into the mid octave rather than having to step off with a tongued note and I'll be laughing!

Any advice on that, anyone?

[Gabriel]

The key is to adjust your embouchure. It is possible to switch between octaves just by tightening up your embouchure and switch it's angle in relation to the blow edge (imagine to blow a bit higher, and not so much *into* the flute like you do in the first octave). You don't need more air (actually the low octave needs more air than the high one, at least for me), you need the same amount of air with a faster stream. Works just like a valve on a fire hose. The tighter the aperture, the faster the water runs out, but it doesn't become *more* water that way.

[bowjest]

Gabriel,

Thanks! Really great advice.

And I think I know what you mean. When I had my breakthrough, I found that I was blowing less hard and the higher notes came easier. I was, well, astonished.

I've been trying to do just what you said: switch octaves just by adjusting my embouchure. I play a low E, then switch to mid E, low F#, then mid F# (etc.).

What I find funny is that if I play a good, tongued mid octave A or G and then just move down to F# or E bringing down my right hand fingers, I often lose the octave and get something between the lower octave and overtones.

Has anyone else experienced this? I reckon it really is just embouchure and breath control that are the keys.

I'll definitely work on the points you raised. Thanks for your help.

Und, wenn ich fragen darf, kommst Du aus Münster oder wohnst Du nur da?

[Gabriel]

I experienced the same at the beginning. Actually, just one year ago I wasn't able to get any note lower than G from almost any flute.

I did work a lot on my embouchure, up to several hours a day (being a student definitely has it's advantages...), and I'm quite happy with it now, a year later. It's all a matter of practise, and everyone can do it. Just keep it up!

Maybe a hint: some players tend to slam their fingers on the flute when covering holes. Do it gently. When slamming the finger onto the flute, you move it a bit, and that movement is already enough to kill your embouchure, especially when it's not well developed. Blow gently, too. You got that yourself already, but it's really important. You have to be able to play softly and quiet, yet with a nice and firm tone, when you want to be able to play powerful and loud. You have to know your flute. Just blasting as much air into it as possible isn't the key for the powerful style of playing/tone we all like. There's a player here in Germany who's also on this board, and he gets an incredible volume and tone from his flute without blowing hard at all. It's all about the embouchure...

Good exercises are:

• Loooooong notes. Find their center, where they sound best, and try to hit that center from the beginning on.
• overtones, just like you already did with low E, middle E etc. When playing the higher octaves, you actually just play scales based on higher overtones/harmonics. You can play a complete scale with the second, third and fourth harmonic on just three holes of the flute (the RH holes are easier). Try it, it's fun!
  Generally, when you manage to hit a clean third octave d or e or maybe even g, the low D normally pops out without great effort. That is because higher notes need a tighter embouchure, and the first octave benefits from that as well.
• Play quietly. Sounds strange, but it helps. Play the high notes of the second octave as quietly as possible. That'll improve your first octave and breath management a lot.

Ich wurde in Münster geboren, wohne aber in Telgte. Das ist etwa 10km östlich von Münster. Ich studiere aber in Münster und verbringe auch sonst sehr viel Zeit dort, außerdem kennen die Leute Münster halt doch eher als Telgte.

[bowjest]

Gabriel,

I'm going to print that out and keep it with my flute. Just super advice.

Not sure about how to play a scale via overtones, but I'm going to have a go!

Thanks again for taking the time to put all that down for my benefit (and thanks to everyone who gave me your input as well).

I'm really enjoying this instrument. A really nice relaxation from the double bass.

[Gabriel]

Not sure about how to play a scale via overtones, but I'm going to have a go!

It's easy. Try this:

• finger XXX XXX and overblow to first harmonic (i.e. octave of low D)
• finger XXX XXO - e
• and then XXX XOO - f#
• now XXXOOO - g
• now finger XXX XXX again and overblow to second harmonic. You should end on a high a.
• keep the second harmonic going and finger XXX XXO - produces b
• XXX XOO makes a c#
• XXX OOO - high d
• A trick: in case one has a F key, XXX XX[F-key]O produces a nice c natural.

Have fun

[bowjest]

Thanks, Gabriel!

Another keeper!

And you were spot on about my fingerings being to heavy. I played Shandon Bells again, but without ornaments, just concentrating on an even sound and rich tone.

Then I started adding ornaments and instantly recognized that I was bringing my fingers down too hard, jiggling the flute, and wrecking my sound/embouchure.

I'll be doing a lot more practicing first without ornaments and then adding then (all very slowly).

[roj]

Gabriel said...

Maybe a hint: some players tend to slam their fingers on the flute when covering holes. Do it gently

This interests me...I believe I read in a post of months ago about someone (Malloy?) who practised and learned to play with very aggressive fingers.

As a newbie, I've been working on that, and I really like the way it feels to really smack that hole and feel the back pressure...not as much for ornamentation, but generally very deliberate nonetheless. After practising that way for a while, balance isn't too much of an issue, and my "ambush" noting is becoming more accurate.

[bowjest]

I've been working on a solid, but controlled "pop" when I bring down my fingers (particularly on my right hand), but have a very weak little finger, so it is difficult to keep this finger planted and still move my ring finger with ease.

Does anyone else have a problem with limited independent movement between these two fingers?

[roj]

I gave up anchoring the right hand pinkie. I try to keep R3 down as much as possible when not otherwise in use. At first it was challenging, but now it's almost automatic.