Fluteland.com Flute Message Board

I've only been playing the flute for 7 months and I was told it might be a good idea to play the flute for a while longer before trying the soprano. I would agree with that advice. With only 7 months on the flute, it's probably best to let your flute embouchure develop for at least a few years befo...

Yep. I play soprano and alto sax plus a little clarinet and tenor sax sometimes. I frequently use the soprano sax and flute combo. It's something that you get used to, but yes, if I play any of the reed instruments for extended periods of time, I notice a very slight degradation in some of the finer...

So I loosen the crown cap a couple of turns then push in and the cork should move? Then do I re-tighten the crown cap or leave it be-- once the cork is in position? ... Right. When the cork is positioned correctly, you should VERY gently tighten the crown back until you feel it touch the end of the...

I do not have calipers but using a mm ruler my cleaning rod mark appears to be 17.?mm so it is pretty close. In my case the crown plug is too far back (towards the crown) by about 1mm. Would this pitch up or down the intonation?? I know different crown plug designs supposedly have an effect on the ...

I've heard differing opinions on the cork position - 17.3mm is the one that I've frequently seen rather than 17.4. When sighting into the embouchure hole, there is some margin for error depending upon whether your eye is perfectly centered over the hole. However, the difference between 17.3 and 17.4...

You might want to try some of the fingerings listed here: http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/flute/ Specifically, the various alternate fingereings for G#3 are here: http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/flute/fl_alt_3.html The second fingering in that chart (standard G#3, plus RH 2&3) is a good alternate, especiall...

Do you have a visual tuner? That would show you whether you are flat or sharp. It's a good tool for helping to train your ear.

Breathing through the mouth is generally preferred. Breathing through the nose is something that should be used sparingly and for a specific reason. For example, if you needed a quick partial breath, but want to keep your embouchure in place, breathing through the nose might be an option.

It sounds like your flute has a leak someplace, but the only way to be sure is to get it checked by a technician or at least by another experienced player. The low D & C speaking in the next higher octave is a pretty good indicator that there is a leak. Since you indicate that F and lower are not pl...

I use a blend of 4 & 5, but usually more 4 than 5.

I agree with kodalyflutist. I, too, am a former band director and found that demonstrating any of the brass instruments caused me problems with my flute embouchure. Sax and clarinet are somewhat natural doubles for flutists. If you think you might enjoy playing shows, flute, sax, and clarinet are co...

...ask for a receipt from the work done. Make sure it was from a reputable tech. Call me Mr. Skeptic, but sometimes that is difficult to determine. Anyone with a computer and a decent printer can print a legitimate-looking receipt. If the repairs were performed at a music store or big repair shop, ...

Good advice. I should have placed a similar warning. Actually I did not have to disassemble anything. I just slid the paper cut out between the tone hole and pad AND closed the key to push the paper in place. BUT I USE PAPER! I DID NOT USE ANYTHING HARD THAT WOULD DAMAGE THE PAD. Right. I understoo...

WARNING : If you are not experienced with disassembling/reassembling your flute and comfortable gluing something into a tone hole , it's definitely best to leave this to the professionals... J.L. Smith sells High-E facilitators (donuts) similar to those installed by many flute makers. They are avai...

kodalyflutist wrote: Galway advocates holding the flute very tightly against the lower lip. I have observed him in masterclass asking flutists to anchor the flute tightly against the lower lip - so much so, that if someone else were to try to remove the flute from the lip of the player while playin...