Inhalation

Breath control for flutists may be broken into the same basic steps as singers use: inhalation, suspension, and exhalation. Flutists must make use of every body cavity during all three steps, keeping inhalation and exhalation of breath unimpeded except at the lip. Keeping these cavities open is crucial while playing.

We fill up everything. You look at some of the good players--look at their [chest cavity] size....That's where the resonance is. It's enormous what they use there. It's a wonderfully well-kept secret that nobody tells you about. And that is resonance, and [it is] important to fill and open yourself--to make use of every little pocket of resonance you can find in your body.

The throat and mouth cavities must also be held open, for free breathing. Open your throat. Drop the back of your tongue when you articulate and really feel the openness there, just like a singer has to. Imagine the air coming from low down. It's coming through an almost equal sort of column, straight through the mouth and out into the flute.

The big problem is that you get used to playing with the throat closed....The thing is to get used to opening. I know it's hard, because you've been playing for five or ten years, and when you've got a particular habit it's very hard to change it. But I do think it's something you need to have. There's loads of sound in there, and you've just got to somehow say, "Right," and start to work at it.

Once the flutist's stance is relaxed and free and the body cavities are open, the flutist must take a full first breath. Controlled breathing has been a lifelong pursuit for Lloyd.

As do many other flutists, Lloyd advocates breathing "low." The object is to think of the lower rib cage as a bellows opening, sucking air through the open mouth and throat cavities and taking in the maximum amount. He also cites "back breathing" as a useful visualization for flutists. This concept, from William Kincaid, involves spreading the lower ribs away from the spinal column.

You're losing color, losing sound, because you don't breathe low enough. [Breathe into] an enormous barrel--right down into your ribs. Fill all the way around the rib cage.

Lloyd stresses that the first breath of any work is the most important, because it may be the only full breath the flutist is allowed for some time.

Take the time to get a good first breath ....The point of filling up hugely at the beginning is so that, when you take a breath [later]...you're only topping up. You don't need to go all the way down...and re-start, because you've not often got time to do that.

"Think of the Midsummer Night's Dream 'Scherzo'," he advises. Logically, the more breath one starts with, the more will be available to add to the shorter "topping up" breaths.

In many playing situations flutists are tempted to take a fast first breath during the pickup beat before actual playing starts. This habit hearkens back to early band training in which students are taught to take a breath during the preparatory beat. Peter Lloyd advocates taking the first breath slowly. The logic is that with a slow relaxed intake, the flutist is able to stretch and get more air in than with a tense, quick breath.

Don't breathe in fast when you have time. I said slowly. That doesn't mean too soon and freeze. You must always, with these big breaths, do everything in a rhythmic cycle with the music. A few years ago I did a class in Britain alongside a singer and I happened to know the woman who was running the thing, and I got her to give us a class on breathing....At the end of all that we came to the conclusion that the parallels are just about complete. The only thing different was that the singer said that they can't breathe as far as we can. And I know there are [flute] people who say don't breathe to your full capacity because you can't really start sound like that. That was from singers. But we can, pro-viding that you breathe rhythmically with the music. So never hold it. The whole thing is in a relaxed cycle.

A flutist who has enough breath is much more relaxed than one who does not and is panic-stricken about finishing a phrase. This relaxation enables the secure flutist to take in more air even with short intakes.

Lloyd emphasizes that one must strive to relax, even when taking short breath intakes during a piece. Players tend to try to "make the phrase," rather than using spaces within the music to take several small "snifters" of air.

Remember that we always use breathing to make music--we can't make music from the breaths we need. It's not only in order to get from the beginning of a long phrase to the end of a long phrase. And even if that's the case, you're going to get nervous sometimes and it's all going to go wrong. So, try to always make breathing part of the music. I think that's terribly, terribly important.257 Try to feel that all breathing has to be within phrasing....If you're going to be nervous [about the breath]...change the phrases accordingly....You have to anticipate....If you're going to have a breathing problem, always anticipate it so you've got enough time to re-think your phrase. Never, never...let yourself get to the state whereby you think, "Oh, God, I've got to take a breath!" because then the music's gone.258

Whenever a breath occurs, Lloyd encourages players to take as much as they can, not just what they think they will need.

When you've got a short phrase, take a big breath because usually it's leading somewhere else afterwards.259 Not only that, you get far more control of color and dynamic with a full breath, however quietly you're playing and however short the phrase.260

This is a situation in which flutists often find themselves. A relatively short phrase with, say, a bar's rest before it, is followed by longer phrases that do not allow a full breath. Flutists who take only what they need for the first short phrase will find themselves without reserves as the music continues. Then, panic, tension, and restricted intake [because of tension] ensue.

For practicing relaxed, full intake breaths, Lloyd advises using etudes.

When you practice etudes, you've got a long, long way to go. It's quite easy to play through 2/3 of an etude very well indeed. It's the last third that gets harder and harder, both from the breathing point and stamina point.261

An etude he finds particularly useful is the Paganini Perpetual Mobile. Beginning with a full, relaxed breath, the flutist should play until they have used about half their breath. Then, they should stop, relax, fill again, and play until that breath is halfway gone; then repeat the process.

You've got a lot of lines, miles and miles of [notes]. You can never let your breath get down to the bottom, because you can never recover it....You must breathe earlier, and I say about halfway--unless of course, you can see the end and you know that you're going to make it. Then of course, you can go to the end.262

By practicing taking breaths before they are actually needed, flutists will have enough air to use for color, control, and projection. Plus, they will be more relaxed and confident because they (and the music) will not be at the mercy of their lung capacity. This practice converts easily into musical phrasing.

Mostly, people tend to look at a phrase and say, "Oh, I've only got to get from there to there for the first phrase." And then [when they get to the second phrase] you think, "Oh my God, now what am I going to do?" And then you're sunk. You have to remember to...get ahead.263 For most of those sorts of places [for instance]...a Bach sonata...try to find ways by which to breathe when you still have plenty of air in.264

Stance

Without proper stance, full and free breathing is difficult. Slumping forward, hunching the shoulders or raising them while taking a breath, and holding the arms either too close or too far from the body all make a relaxed, full breath an impossibility.

Peter Lloyd advocates the "Gilbert stance." The Gilbert stance includes the following: (1) standing at least a flute's length away from the music stand, (2) placing the feet about twelve inches apart with the left foot forward and the right foot back, with the flutist's weight resting on the right foot, and (3) turning the body slightly to the right [at the waist] and keeping the elbows lifted a bit and held away from the body.

Geoffrey Gilbert taught students to balance more on the right leg than the front, which keeps the flutist from hunching forward. Lloyd modifies this aspect.

One should balance oneself on both legs equally. Weight needs to be strong on both legs, because otherwise tension comes in if you don't balance properly.

Both agree that flutists should stand back from the music, which eliminates the temptation to raise the stand to head height [muffling the sound and looking ridiculous in performance--i.e., the headless flute player] or the temptation to crook the head down in order to see the stand, impeding the flow of air coming through the back of the throat. The latter is a problem even with advanced flutists.

Peter Lloyd also advises a slight rotation at the waist, settling into a comfortable position facing toward the left. This relieves a great deal of tension in the left arm.

What happens when you play directly in front of the music stand, you're pulling that left shoulder across and that is going to cause you muscular problems. If you start trying to practice for long periods of time....and you've got any pain back there at all, as the years go by, it'll get worse.

Another problem with "band stance"--the stance many flutists learn in marching band--is the tendency to hold the elbows so high that they are almost parallel too the flute. This causes the wrists to become highly flexed and rigid, constricting the blood and oxygen flow to the fingers and inviting carpal tunnel syndrome due to the type of rapid, repetitive movements needed for flute playing.

When you set up, be careful that the left arm isn't higher by too much. The left arm should be allowed to drop, under normal circumstances.

If you're going to balance yourselves, try to balance the flute from the right hand first, onto the [left] shoulder. Then you hang the left hand off. [Then] come round to the right, to wherever your normal position is. This [indicates head, neck, shoulders] floats. You can float right around, you can go as far as it doesn't hurt. Don't go so far that you bring your shoulder in. [Now] you're totally relaxed without pressure on anything.

Don't put that left arm up, if only for the reason that if you go too far, the only [other] way you can support the flute is by pushing it into your lip. And once you start that, you are bringing tension to [the embouchure]....the whole thing is as free and relaxed as can be.

Then, when you're playing, think free wrists. Think relaxed wrists. If your wrists are relaxed, it's probable that the rest of your shoulders is pretty free. If you leave your left hand down [a bit], you're totally free. But if you raise that elbow two inches, you can feel the tension.

Now, usually when that happens you've tightened the muscles here [indicates chest area and back area] and that interferes with your breathing. The whole thing adds up.

The mirror is your best friend....It's going to be able to suggest, point things out. Your development is always in the practice room and the more mirror you use [the better]. [You'll see] problems of tension. If I tell you that you are moving, you don't believe me. Why should you? You can't see yourself. Seeing is believing, okay?

A stance problem that Peter Lloyd points out to many students is the tendency to move about a great deal while playing. This habit was a "pet peeve" with Geoffrey Gilbert, who felt that excessive body movements were "subconscious behaviors caused by not being sure of your ability to communicate expression in the sound." Lloyd feels strongly that too much "expressive" movement can displace the flute from the aperture hole, causing control problems and also constricting the breathing process.

Generally...the more movement and tension, the more it affects the breathing and then it affects the projection. I don't think that anyone should be stock-still. Take a lesson from Monsieur Rampal. When he moves, all this is absolutely stable [indicates flute mouthpiece/ embouchure area]. He moves here [indicates waist].

You've got to keep the stability here [indicates embouchure]. That's the important thing. If I'm moving, I'm going to do it from my body and not from my head. I'm going to move there [indicates waist] because that will keep me stable here [indicates lip] and I think that's terribly important. Otherwise, you could drop this [flute headjoint] a bit and the sound will change.

Displacing the embouchure is not the only problem of overly-expressive body movement. It also causes tension in the upper chest and shoulders, and control is considerably decreased.

When considering the aforementioned instructions and admonitions, Lloyd cautions flutists against becoming over analytical. He feels that trying too hard to be correct in one's stance only results in tension, producing exactly the opposite result intended by his suggestions.

Please try not to try. Stop thinking. Once you've gotten yourself set up well, try to relax and just play. The more tension that comes in from the brain, the harder it's going to be.

Overview

There are numerous types of bamboo flutes made all over the world, such as the dizi, xiao, shakuhachi, palendag and jinghu. In India, it is a very popular and highly respected musical instrument, available even to the poorest and the choice of many highly venerated maestros of classical music. It is known and revered above all as the divine flute forever associated with Lord Krishna, who is always portrayed holding a bansuri in sculptures and paintings. Four of the instruments used in Polynesia for traditional hula are made of bamboo: nose flute, rattle, stamping pipes and the jaw harp. Bamboo may be used in the construction of the Australian didgeridoo instead of the more traditional eucalyptus wood. In Indonesia and the Philippines, bamboo has been used for making various kinds of musical instruments, including the kolintang, angklung and bumbong.

Bamboo is also used to make slit drums. Traditional Philippine banda kawayan (bamboo bands) use a variety of bamboo musical instruments, including themarimba, angklung, panpipes and bumbong, as well as bamboo versions of western instruments, such as clarinets, saxophones, and tubas.^[2] The Las Piñas Bamboo Organ in the Philippines has pipes made of bamboo culms. The modern amplified string instrument, the Chapman stick, is also constructed using bamboo. The khene (also spelled khaen, kaen and khen; Lao: ແຄນ, Thai: แคน) is a mouth organ of Lao origin whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is blown, creating a sound similar to that of the violin. In the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, the valiha, a long tube zither made of a single bamboo stalk, is considered the national instrument.

Bamboo has also recently been used for the manufacture of guitars and ukuleles. Bamboo Ukuleles are constructed of solid cross laminated bamboo strips not plywood. The bamboo solid wood strips are similar to bamboo manufactured flooring. In addition to their strength, bamboo ukuleles have excellent sound & rival ukuleles made out of more traditional woods like Mahogany and KOA. Bamboo makes an excellent choice for an eco-friendly cost conscious ukulele aficionados.

10 Interesting Facts About Flute

When many people think of flute they think of  a transverse flute, which is typically used in bands and orchestras. The flute has been a part of history for thousands of years and has evolved over that time into the instrument that is often seen today. Here are ten facts you may not have known about the flute:

1        A musician who plays the flute can be referred to as a flute player, a flautist, a flutist, or, less commonly, a fluter.

2        There are many different sizes of flutes within the flute family: piccolo, alto, tenor, bass and contrabass flute.

3        Standard concert flute is pitched in the key of C, and has a range of approximately 3 octaves.

4        Alto flute is pitched in the key of G

5        Flutes have been made out of lots of different materials throughout history including: bone, wood, glass, ivory, plastic, resin, brass, nickel silver, silver, gold and platinum.

6        Theobald Boehm helped create the modern Western flute. He started improving flute design and the fingering system of the flute between 1831 and 1847. Most flutists had adopted Boehm’s changes to the design by the second half of the 19^th century.

7        George Washington, James Madison and Leonardo da Vinci all played the flute.

8        Flutes are considered one of the earliest instruments and date back to Germany over 35,000 years ago.

9        Many cultures have their own version of the flute. For example, one of the most popular traditional Japenese flutes is the the Shakuhachi.

10   The earliest use of the word “flute” was in the 14^th century

Step-Up Flutes

Flutists who progress beyond the basics are usually excited to discover the benefits step-up flutes offer them.   Among them are a fuller and richer sound, quicker and more sure response, extended range, and a sense of increased control — all of which creates more enjoyment in playing and increased encouragement to practice.

Step-up flutes are available in three levels: intermediate, performer, and top-line.  While most beginner flutes are made of nickel silver, step-up flutes are made of increasing amounts of solid silver.  Solid silver vibrates more freely, creating a fuller, more pleasing tone with more harmonics.

 An intermediate flute typically has a solid silver head joint.  This step makes a dramatic difference in tone and response that often surprises and thrills a flutist playing one for the first time.  Band directors, fellow musicians, and those with a musical ear notice the improvement in tone immediately. 

The next step up, performer flutes, have solid silver head joints, bodies and foot joints.  They offer additional improvements in tone and response. This level is appropriate for young musicians who take their music seriously.

Music majors or professionals most often play top-line flutes, although others sometimes choose them too.  Top-line flutes have solid silver head joints, bodies, foot joints, and keys.  They provide the best response and tone, and the special attention they get in manufacturing is meant to make them the ultimate instruments.  

A low-B foot is an option that is included with most step-up flutes from intermediate to top-line.  The "low B" is actually an additional key at the end of the flute; to accommodate it, the foot joint is slightly longer.  As well as giving the flutist the additional note, it improves the overall tone of the flute.  

"Open hole" refers to holes in the middle of the keys; the flutist covers them with the fingers when playing.  Open hole/closed hole can be a matter of player preference, although most fine flutists play open hole.  Flutists often say open-hole gives them better flexibility and control of the sound.  An open-hole flute is a safe choice because it can be played as a closed-hole flute by inserting plugs.  Plugs are also helpful in giving a flutist time to adapt to open holes.  

A good model for junior high students likely to continue on flute into high school is an intermediate open-hole flute with a low-B foot.   This model will keep up with their developing abilities and should not have to be replaced unless the student decides to pursue music after high school.   For students who are serious about their music or who might play past high school, a performer open-hole flute with low B foot is a good choice. 

Some schools with strong music programs like their players to play similar brands and models of instruments so the sound blends well and the instruments are in perfect tune with each other.  

A step-up flute, whether intermediate, performer, or top-line, should last— with regular maintenance step-up instruments shouldn't have to be replaced.

A flautist (or flutist, flute player) is a musician who plays any instrument in the flute family.

"Flautist" versus "flutist"

The choice of "flautist" (adopted during the eighteenth century from the Italian word flautista, itself from flauto) versus "flutist" is a source of dispute among players of the instrument. "Flutist" is the earlier term in the English language, dating from at least 1603 while "flautist" is not recorded before 1860, when it was used by Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Marble Faun. Richard Rockstro, in his three-volume treatise The Flute written in England in 1890, uses "flute-player."

The first edition of the OED lists "fluter" as dating from circa 1400 and Fowler's Modern English Usagestates that "there seems no good reason" why "flautist" should have prevailed over "fluter" or "flutist." According to Webster's Dictionary of English Usagehowever, flautist is the preferred term in British English; and, in American English, while both terms are used, "flutist" is "by far the more common."

Also seen from around the mid seventeenth century was "flutenist," but this fell out of use by the end of the eighteenth century.

While the term "flautist" is not found in print before 1860, there is no doubt, considering the influence of the Italian and French schools of flute playing, that the Italian term flautista and French term flûtiste would have been well known in England long before this date. Because many significant composers during the Renaissance and Baroque periods were Italian or trained in Italy, most commonly used musical terms in English speaking countries are Italian in origin.

Today, most players use the term which is dominant in their country of origin, or simply use the neutral "flute player." Famous flute players have frequently entered the debate expressing their own personal views; for instance, Nancy Toff, an American, devotes more than a page of her book The Flute Book to the subject, commenting that she is asked "Are you a flutist or a flautist?" on a weekly basis. She prefers "flutist": "Ascribe my insistence either to a modest lack of pretension or to etymological evidence; the result is the same." Toff, who is also an editor for Oxford University Press, describes in some detail the etymology of words for the flute, comparing the OED, Fowler's Modern English Usage,Evans' Dictionary of Contemporary American Usage, and Copperud's American Usage and Style: The Consensus before arriving at her conclusion: "I play the flute, not the flaut; therefore, I am a flutist not a flautist."

Echoing the Toff quote above, James Galway summed up the way he feels about "flautist," saying: "I am a flute player not a flautist. I don't have a flaut and I've never flauted."

                                 CARE OF YOUR FLUTE

This simple maintenance routine will keep your flute playing and looking its best for many years.

Assembly

·         Pick up the middle joint of your flute and grasp it with your left hand where the name is engraved (so you're not putting pressure on the keys).  Pick up the head joint with your right hand and slide it into the middle joint with a gentle twisting motion.  Turn the head joint until the center of the embouchure hole lines up with the center of the main row of keys.

·         While still holding the middle joint at the engraved name, slide the foot joint on in the same way without putting pressure on the keys.  Line up the foot joint so the rod connected to the Eb key is in line with the keys on the middle joint (as in the picture above).

When you finish playing

·         Disassemble your flute in the reverse order above.

·         Use your swab to remove moisture from inside your flute’s head, middle, and foot joints.  (The cream-colored pads under each key seal the air flow when you play.  Moisture causes the pads to get stiff and leak, making your flute harder to play.)

·         Use your polish cloth to wipe the fingerprints off your flute.  (Fingerprints contain acid and will eat into the finish of your flute, making it look dull.)

·         Put your flute in its case and fasten both latches.  (Most flute damage occurs when it's left out on a music stand, a table, a chair, a bed, or on the floor.  If you'd like to leave it out, use a flute stand.)

·         Don't store anything (music, paper, a cloth, etc.) on top of your flute in its case as it will push on the keys and bend them out of adjustment, making your flute hard to play.

Periodically

·         Clean the finish of your flute thoroughly with a flute polish cloth.  (The flute polish cloth contains a small amount of polish; liquid polish isn't recommended because it can damage the flute pads.)

·         Use a small key brush to clean between the keys.

·         Apply a very small amount of key oil to the pivot points of your keys.  To apply the right amount, put a drip of oil on a saucer; then dip a toothpick into it and touch it to the pivot points on your flute.

·         Wash out your swab or replace it with a new one.

·         Don't tighten the tiny adjustment screws on the keys.  (They're not supposed to be tightened all the way down; instead they're used by the technician to adjust your flute’s keys so they work together properly.) 

·         Bring your flute to the repair shop at least once a year or whenever you feel it's not playing its best.  

Beginner Flute

Beginner Flutes

A beginner flutist struggles to make the first sounds and find the initial notes.  The first few months are the most difficult and are critical for a young flutist.  A flute that won't perform properly is too much of a discouragement for most beginning musicians. A beginner doesn't need the finest or most expensive flute, but s/he does need a flute that responds freely (doesn't require an excessive amount of air), plays the correct notes when the right keys are pressed, plays in tune with the other instruments in the band, and can be repaired and adjusted as it (inevitably) needs it.  (Flutes are sensitive instruments with lots of adjustment screws.)

Appropriate beginner flutes are available from many sources:

·         Buying outright.  If you're sure your child will like playing music and will want to stay with the flute, you could purchase a flute outright. 

·       Renting gives the child (and parents) time to see how s/he likes playing music, consider whether flute is the correct instrument, and consider what type of flute is right for the longer term.  The band director knows and usually advises beginners' parents where they can rent the right kind of flute, considering not just the cost and quality of the flutes rented, but also the condition they are kept in and the support the company provides to keep the instruments playing properly.  A portion of the rent paid can be applied to the later purchase of an instrument. 

·         Buy (or borrow) a used one.  When a good used flute can be gotten at a low enough price, it might make sense to take a chance on the student and buy it outright.  But always check first to assure the flute you're considering is the appropriate quality and will play in tune with the band.  Then take it to a flute repair shop to see what it will take to put it in playing condition.  (Flutes that have been sitting up for a year or more virtually always need some or all of the pads replaced to play properly)

·         Internet.  The Internet is considered a dangerous place to buy a musical instrument, but someone who knows flutes and is careful can sometimes find a bargain.  By some estimates 90-95% of the flutes sold on the Internet are foreign off-brands and inappropriate for school band use; indeed many directors say they are the students' and director's worst nightmare.   Once again, confirm that it is a appropriate brand and model and either check its condition carefully or anticipate repair costs.