Finding Your Flute Tone - FluteTips 153

What are you doing to improve your tone? Too often we think that changing our flute tone is all based on how many long tones that we are doing. Long tones are a fantastic exercise to improve tone, but they aren’t the only exercises that we can do to fix our tone.

Have you ever thought that perhaps your flute tone can change because you actually change your embouchure? It can be scary to think about a change like that. However, the embouchure can completely change in a relatively short period of time for great results.

Be brave and experiment with that embouchure. See if you can find a tone that gives you the tone that you are looking for. You will be happy you did.

Have fun!
DoctorFlute

Finding Your Flute Tone - FluteTips 153

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[yvonneburdine]

Good verbal explanation of how we can change our tone. Much of this I discovered in the late 60's and early 70's (high school) noodling around on my flute in tiny practice rooms at school. For me, it was best to be not too structured, just play tones and tunes Iiked. At the time I was playing a piece of junk $100 beat up Gemeinhart. Just prior to college I bought an open hole Armstrong and used it for 1.5 years, then set it aside for 46 (!) years...you probably remember my previous comment on a video. In November 2019 I bought an Azumi 3 with Altus headpiece, Z cut embouchure hole and rose gold mouth plate. It's heaven. I have a dark rich tone with some edge. All your technical advice on changing one's tone is exactly what I discovered on my own long ago. An aside: I've found men prefer the dark, full-bodied, edgy tone more! 😃 Thanks again for a good video.

[johnkotches]

This was a great discussion about the mechanics of basic embochure and discussions of directing the air stream to change your tone quality...

As always, great content. I'm still surprised you don't have a larger subscriber base.

[dcallan]

Some useful advice I just play for my enjoyment, so thankfully so dont need to follow fashion. Great video 2x👍

[meriharary]

What about rolling out the head joint a little? I’m finding it helps me a little. I think the blowing edge is exposed more.

[monica]

I finally fixed the issue with my tone I pressing the flute to far on my chin I sound so much better but I struggle playing 2nd octave g but I eventually fix it when I play but it is a bit hard when I try to angle the airstream more down

[Mings-nsij]

Hello, I just discovered your channel. I started playing the the 4th grade but had no private lessons. Our band teacher was a saxophone player and when he played flute he had a very pulled back embouchure. My question is I have very large teeth and a prominent overbite (even with orthodontia work). When I try to create space, it is not a finger width as my teeth are too large. Do you have any advice for opening my sound? I do have an intermediate flute which made a world of difference with the sound, but it doesn't sound as full as I would like. i was in marching band in the late 80's early 90's but haven't played regularly since. I have just recently retired and have picked up practicing my flute. I wasn't a great musician, but could play in a pinch for a church service to accompany the choir but my tone was very thin. I try hard to remember to open up and be relaxed, but sometimes I am very flat tune-wise to the piano or organ (whichever the accompanist is playing for the song).Your videos and advice have helped me greatly now that I am finding time to practice my flute again. But any advice you can give would be appreciated.