Thursday, 18 September 2014


Use of wind is the single most important aspect of flute playing. It touches many aspects of music-making besides the actual production of notes--such as dynamics, intonation, articulation, tone color, and vibrato production.

Peter Lloyd's concern with this subject began with his teaching at Indiana. Before that, he had basically passed along ideas presented to him by others. "So much had been fed into me by the wonderful teachers that I had experienced, that I was really quite confused as to the way I was teaching." At Indiana, confronted with students who had basic problems, Lloyd had to come to terms with what was important Although teachers everywhere advocate "support," Peter Lloyd believes that a well-directed, controlled wind supply is the key to achieving variety in one's flute playing. It's through the big breathing that you understand sonority and sound and what you can do with it. It's not just a question of volume...but [of] color, control of pianissimo. It all comes from free breathing. So much of this stems from observing and understanding singing; how singers use their mouths, throats, and tongue, and the amount of air needed. Try singing a note and then playing it, using the same shape in your mouth. It tells you a lot about harmonics in sound.

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