Fluteland.com Flute Message Board

[sacket]

hi! i'm new here. i'm twenty years old and have been playing the flute on and off for almost a year. i play a gemeinhardt 3SB.

i've got some major overblowing issues. everything from E2 to C#3 is really iffy. sometimes i get those notes, and sometimes i don't, and i can't figure out what changes. i quickly rush through them in scales because if i try to sustain one of those notes, it usually falls to the lower octave and sounds all kinds of nasty. doesn't seem to matter whether i'm playing them loud or softly either, just seems like luck of the draw with these notes. the third and first octaves are pretty darn good. i can play a c-scale well by just skipping the middle portion, haha.

i've been a trumpet player for nine years, so i don't think air support would be an issue here. maybe my embouchure is messed up? or the direction of the airstream? or the angle of the headjoint in the body of the flute? i usually play with it turned inward a little bit, with the center of the hole lined almost with the edges of the keys...if that means anything. also, i should note i did have surgery (a labial frenectomy) years ago, when the tissue connecting my upper lip to my gums was cut and removed. so i may be lacking upper lip control. how crucial is this tissue to playing flute successfully? my upper lip seems kinda weak/limp, and sometimes i wonder if it's getting in the way of my airstream.

sorry for the verbosity. i just can't afford lessons AT ALL, and my friends haven't offered any good advice, so i am turning here for help to solve this issue. i'm almost afraid to keep practising the flute until i resolve this, because i may perpetuate bad habits.

finally, i don't think it's a problem with the flute, because i played on my friend's flute and i had the same issue.

thanks muchly! let me know if you need any more details.

[pied_piper]

Unless the surgeon botched it and cut into the lip muscles, your surgery probably had little or no impact on forming a flute embouchure.
Since you stated that you played trumpet for 9 years, you may be experiencing a certain amount of "muscle memory" in the lips where they sort of involuntarily revert to a more trumpet-like embouchure.

Take a look at these videos of James Galway. He gives a good explanation of how to form a proper flute embouchure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcXRzZZv1mE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQg0vScnQ8E

Here's some more links that might be helpful. They show a variety of pictures of flute embouchures and discuss the topic. Look in a mirror and compare yours with the pictures and with the Galway videos.

http://www.jennifercluff.com/embchpx.htm
http://www.larrykrantz.com/embpic.htm
http://www.larrykrantz.com/misconcp.htm
_________________
"Never give a flute player a screwdriver."
--anonymous

[sacket]

thanks for the links. the galway videos seem to contradict the next link though, which suggests beaking the upper lip out. so i'm really confused. i'm trying all different embochures, and none seem to be working, so i don't know what i'm doing wrong. i give up. i have no control of the center of my upper lip, so it just kind of sags and flutters like a big teardrop whenever i pull the corners of my lips down and play.