Doctor Flute Blog
Musings on the Flute
Loosening Your Embouchure While You Are Playing
Have you ever lost your low notes during a recital, or solo festival, or even in an ensemble? It is very common for flutists to be able to get a really rich low register in the practice room right before a performance only to lose those bottom notes on stage. It is so...
How Not to Crack on Your Middle Register Notes
I really detest cracking notes. It is one of those pet peeves that drives me crazy. Really, I do not ever want to crack again. But you know what? It happens! One of the areas where it happens a lot is in the middle register: C, C#, D and Eb. Those notes can often be...
Working on Those Difficult Spots in Your Solos
We all have pesky problems in our music that are difficult to solve. We work on them and then that same problem comes back to haunt us again the next day. Do you have a method to fix these spots and more importantly, how is your method working? Sometimes you can go...
Would You Woodify?
Have you heard of the Woodify Ring for Flute? It’s a wooden ring you fasten to your headjoint to improve your tone in various and mysterious ways. I made a video of myself testing 3 different Woodify Rings: Cherry Wood, Walnut, and Beech Wood.
All 3 rings noticeably changed the sound of the flute and produced different sounds than the other rings.
But do they measure up to the manufacturer’s promises?
Concentration and Stamina in Your Playing
Concentration and stamina are two areas of flute playing that we all need to work on. These are skills that you can learn. I know that I can work on those too. These are things that I've learned later in my performing and teaching career. They're not something that I...
Getting a Better Tone Quality on Your Middle Notes C C# D Eb
How are your middle register notes? Not the best? This is a very common problem. These pesky notes can be difficult to get a good tone quality. The tone on these middle notes is often thin at best. What is the reason for that and how do you fix it? The reason that the...
Fixing the D to E Glitch
The notes of high D (D6) to high E (E6) is often a really bad spot for creating glitches. We have to put down fingers and lift up others at the same time. It’s a tricky spot. Try it yourself and listen to the problems that are created by going back and forth between...
What Do Gold Springs Do for Your Flute?
Have you read the term “gold springs” in a flute description and wondered what it meant? Me too! My professional model Haynes flute has a gold riser. This gold changes my sound in a way that appeals to me. So, I always thought that any gold on your flute should also...
Comparing Soldered Tone Holes with Drawn Tone Holes
Do you know the difference between soldered tone holes and drawn tone holes? Which is better? Which is worse? Or is it just preference? Well first I did extensive research to learn what the flute makers say. Then I compared two professional model Haynes flutes – one...