One time I was going for a high D (4th octave) at a performance with a quartet that I was in, and I did not plan well enough for that high D. So, it did crack, and that has been bothering me ever since. I am talking about this because it is near and dear to my heart.

Kid Sister

Planning for your 3^rd octave starts with a kind of empathy or understanding that leads to a special type of care or concern. I remember a theory teacher who talked about the French sixth chord as being kind of like your little sister. We must treat it carefully (meaning resolve it). That’s a great analogy for our third octave notes. They are like your little sister. You must treat these notes a little bit more carefully than you do the first two octaves. In our third octave we must do something different. Our first two octaves are so similar. We change our embouchure between the first two octaves, but they are subtle changes. We can’t use a middle register embouchure and play great resonant low notes. I’m not saying everything is the same, but we have two octaves where we’re basically using the same fingerings and not a huge difference in our air supply. But soon as we go above that high C and we get into that third octave, there are more things to be conscious of as we approach these notes.

Support

First, they need more support. I need to have tighter muscles pushing up on those high notes. These muscles must be much tighter, and they actually have to push up. So, if I’m going for a high B flat in this Hindemith Sonata I’m preparing ahead of time, making sure I have enough air and then enough air pressure in those stomach muscles to get that high Bb without cracking. My stomach contracts so that I can get that high note out and not blast. So, if I use that extra lift in my support and push up, then it doesn’t have to screech out. I can hold that air in, keep the embouchure relaxed, and keep the tone so that it doesn’t become shrill.

Plan Ahead

Now when you are playing a fast passage, you must plan ahead. You must know that this high note is coming and take the kind of breath you need ahead of time in order to prepare for that note. If you are going to the top of that range and you’ve lost your support because you’re running out of air, guess what’s going to happen? Nothing good!

For the piece I was performing I had to play a 4th octave D after a B and followed by a C#. I wrote on my music where to breathe with a Big Breath which I abbreviate BB. This means tank up as much as I can and then tighten up and hold that air. Sometimes I’ll also write “hold” over that passage to remind me that I can’t use up too much air so that I have enough air to make it to that high D. You might need to write notes. And then you know what? Practice, practice, practice. You’ve got to practice your plan.

Practice Your Plan

So where are the high notes that you’ve missed in your solos? Go find those spots and make a plan, what do you need to do to prepare your mind? You’ve got to get your head around it, prepare your breathing, get your support ready, and allow your embouchure to be open. Prepare for those high notes. Failure to plan is a plan to fail, and you don’t want to have that happen in a performance situation. Hey, we’ve all performed and not done our absolute best. We all have those times, so I’m not ashamed to admit that I missed that high D, but I’ll tell you that that’s the only time I’ll miss that high D.

Go For It

It won’t happen again because I know I need to not let that little niggly doubt creep in. I need to just go for it because I know that I’ve planned this out so there’s no failure. I have planned and now I’m going to get that high D the next time I perform it, which is next week, I have another performance on that piece with my quartet slash trio, and I will be playing that piece again and I guarantee I’ve got my plan in place and it’s going to work this time.

You check out where your high notes are and don’t miss them because you’ve planned it. You’ve mentally prepared for it. Your breathing is in place and it’s going to work for you. Then go for it. Sometimes that’s what you must do. Go for it!

Have fun!
DoctorFlute

Watch me demonstrate this:

Failure to Plan for Your 3rd 8va Notes is a Plan to Fail – FluteTips 181

FluteTips 66 Easy High Notes

Getting Spin on Your Third Octave Notes – FluteTips 171

Octave Slurs for Better High Notes on the Flute – FluteTips 125

Perfecting Your Third Octave Flute Tips 105

Piccolo 3rd Octave Notes

Practicing Octave Slurs

The post Failure to Plan for Your 3rd 8va Notes is a Plan to Fail appeared first on DoctorFlute.

There are some things that you can do to work on your low register and know that that is also helping your high register. Now, that does not mean that you can stop work at anything in the high register because your low register was nice and rich. You still need to be thinking about how you are playing and how your low register reaches that upper register, and even just taking the high register out all on its own.

Round & Full

But let’s just talk about the low register. So, what are some things that you can do to fill it out, to make it strong? Long tones, of course, down in that low register, just doing from B down to low C is a really good place to get started for building your low register. And what you are thinking about is how round and full can you make this low register. You are not thinking about playing softly. You want to fill it out, to make that low note really round.

You also want to think about:

The shape of your embouchure
Opening your jaw wider
Putting air in your cheeks

These are things that will help you make it rich and resonant and full.

You also want the sound to come from behind your sinus cavity. So, the back of your tongue should be down, and the roof of your mouth is arched up. This is how singers have the sound resonate. And then that sound can be rich and full all the way down.

Low to Middle to High

Now, if that is tenuous or if you crack a lot, or if it just does not stay there, you know that there is probably going to be something that is affected above it because that roundness, that fullness, that resonance can move into your upper register. This is why when you do long tones for the third octave, we actually start on middle B and we go up instead of always descending. Because if you can get a round full low register, then middle, then do long tones going up.

So, you keep what is full in the low, move it to the middle, and then take it higher.

Keep it really full. You are not trying to play really softly. There is a time and a place for doing your long tones with diminuendo and trying to play really softly. But right now you are not trying to do that. You are trying to get your high register to be rich and full and beautiful, just like your low register. So, you are going to work from a low note to a middle note as in those octave slurs, and then work to keep that resonance all the way up.

If you start with a good low note, you can match those registers and it becomes a beautiful sound that you can work with and build on all the way up.

A Word on Hearing Loss

If you are going to work your long tones in your third octave, wear ear protection so it does not damage your ears. You can just use those foamy things if you do not have real kind that allow sound in, but keep out the higher harmonics. If I am going to work in the third octave, I usually wear ear protection same as if I am playing piccolo.

So that is how you can fill out and strengthen and make your third octave be so much more resonant and beautiful. You start with a low register that is fabulous. That is the foundation that pushes up and holds up that third octave. Then you can make it just as glorious as your low register.

Have fun!
DoctorFlute

Watch me demonstrate this:

You Can’t Have a Good High Register Without Having a Really Good Low Register – FluteTips 172

FluteTips 66 Easy High Notes

Getting Spin on Your Third Octave Notes – FluteTips 171

Putting Air in Your Cheeks to Lower Your Pitch – FluteTips 32

Resonate to Improve Your Tone – FluteTips 178

The post You Can’t Have a Good High Register Without Having a Really Good Low Register appeared first on DoctorFlute.

The post Getting Spin on Your Third Octave Notes appeared first on DoctorFlute.

Now, these are probably my younger students. My college students have learned to work this out a little bit. Sometimes the compensation to not be forté is to make your embouchure really tiny. If you do that so that your third octave, and the top of your second octave is not a forté or a double forté, you are not going to get the tone you want in those octaves.  When I play through these octaves, I want them to be even all the way up. Now, there is going to be a difference in timber because the sound wave is faster, or the wave lengths are closer together as you get higher.

So don’t get confused with the sound of the timbre and forté. As you play through the octaves, flutists tend to either blow harder for the 2^nd and 3^rd octave or they squeeze their embouchure. If you are not blowing harder, you are tightening up your embouchure to compensate for getting those high notes out. What is the key here to getting your high notes out and not blowing harder?

Air pressure

Air pressure is the answer to so many problems we have with tone on our flute. If you maintain that pressure all the way up, you free your embouchure to be loose, and to get those notes out with the best tone quality, while not being forté. Do I have to do some adjusting of the embouchure too? Certainly, we must adjust our embouchure as we go higher or lower. Your job is to listen to yourself as you play through the octaves. As you are playing through your music ask yourself; am I changing my embouchure getting tighter? Am I blowing harder or am I compensating by getting tighter in my embouchure? Or am I allowing my air pressure or support to hold up those notes which then frees up my embouchure to be nice and open?

When I play a high note, I aim to have quite a loose embouchure. Now, I might be a little more firm right here in the center of my embouchure. But it is still very loose and relaxed. However, each note that I move up to, I have to push more from my stomach muscles. There needs to be a little bit more pressure to hold those notes up. When I do this correctly with air pressure, I get evenness of tone through the octaves. It doesn’t get louder. It doesn’t get softer or buzzier. I also kept the same color all the way up and all the way down.

So, record yourself then listen and see what you are doing through those octaves. What do you think you are doing with your embouchure or your pressure? And are you maintaining the same dynamic level?

Have fun!
DoctorFlute

Watch me demonstrate this idea:

Evening Out Your Registers – FluteTips 169

Getting Spin on Your Third Octave Notes – FluteTips 171

FluteTips 11 Support – Ribcage Air

FluteTips 71 Tapers

How to NOT Go Flat at the End of Notes – FluteTips 168

The post Evening Out Your Registers appeared first on DoctorFlute.

As you may already know, in July of 2018, I conducted my very first test of the LefreQue by playing my professional Haynes with a Rose Gold LefreQue and then a Silver LefreQue. The resulting blog and video of this test included a blind test and became one of my most viewed videos. Additionally, this test spurred a lot of questions and comments about the LefreQue from the simplest of questions desiring to know the correct pronunciation of this musical accessory, to the most cynical charge that it is nothing more than the proverbial snake oil.

At the end of that test, I was not certain that the LefreQue improved my tone and increased the ease of performance in the way that the inventor suggested. But I knew it did do something positive for me.

So, this time around, I wanted to dive a little deeper by demonstrating how the LefreQue Sound Bridge can actually change the sound (and feel) of 3 levels of flute; to answer some of the most commonly asked questions that I have gotten about the LefreQue; and to include some details about an independent test conducted by a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Will this finally put to rest the question of whether or not YOU should get a LefreQue because it is THE solution that you have been searching for to improve your tone? Of course not! But what I can say with certainty is that if you get the correct LefreQue for your instrument, and attach it correctly, that it will in fact do for you – at least some of – what the inventor claims it will do. That is, in many ways it will improve your sound, and make it easier for you to play, especially the high notes and low notes.

The real question, that only you can answer is whether you like what it does for your sound. And whether the cost is worth it for you. It all comes down to preference. Do you prefer your sound with a LefreQue or without a LefreQue? I do hope that you will test them out and let me know your results.

In my opinion, if you have outgrown the flute you own, and cannot afford to upgrade your flute or headjoint, then a LefreQue is a much more economical option to extend the life of your instrument by helping you to produce a better tone and to have more enjoyment from performing. That is, the intermediate player stuck on a beginner flute, or the music school candidate looking for an edge with their intermediate flute would do well to look at the LefreQue.

Promises Made

The LefreQue is composed of two small pieces of metal that are bent in such a way to produce a small hump that “bridges” the lip between the segments of the flute: flute body and headjoint, body and foot, headjoint and crown. The LefreQue is designed to overcome the acoustical impact of these segments by allowing the tone to move with less resistance through the flute.

LefreQue promises you will achieve the following:
• Purer overtones
• Accurate tuning
• Clear response
• Smooth intervals
• Surround projection
• Extended dynamics

Promises Kept

On June 12, 2021, an independent article was published in “Acoustics” which is a peer-reviewed journal of acoustics science and engineering. This article is helpful in that it validates that the LefreQue Sound Bridge actually has an acoustical impact on the sound produced. It also describes the claims made by performers and conductors. Further, it provides an excellent definition of how the thing works.

Here is their definition, followed by a heavily edited quote about their results, and a link to the article for those who wish the read the somewhat technical jargon. As of the publication of this blog post, that article has had over 1,700 views.

“It is shown that a gold-plated device mounted… can change two characteristics of the radiated sound… thus, being beneficial for live performances in small halls with minimal acoustic optimization. The data further indicate that the occasionally hearable “rumble” [from playing out of tune with each other] of a wind instrument orchestra… might be reduced (or avoided).”

“The general concept of the sound bridge is to facilitate the transfer of vibrational energy from one part of the instrument to the next connected part. It is assumed that, at the first loose connection between the mouthpiece and the body of the wind, a loss in the transfer of vibrational energy occurs, which can be reduced through the use of a metal bridge, which is designed to transfer vibrational energy.”

The Magnitude of the Frequency Jitter of Acoustic Waves Generated by Wind Instruments Is of Relevance for the Live Performance of Music

By Alexander M. Rehm

https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics3020027

Commonly Asked Questions:

How do you pronounce LefreQue?

The correct pronunciation is “le freak” as in “the frequency.” Although the inventor is not offended if you pronounce it like the ogre named Shrek as in “le freck” as long as you buy one, you can call it whatever you want.

Where do you place the LefreQue on your flute?

You can place the LefreQue on any or all the 3 places on your flute where metal pieces connect:
1. Crown to Headjoint
2. Headjoint to body
3. Body to footjoint

It is most commonly placed between the headjoint and body. In this position, you can use either the 76mm LefreQue which will bridge both ridges at the top of the body, or the 41mm LefreQue which will only bride the topmost ridge.

Regardless of which position you choose, the LefreQue should be attached to the bottom of your flute where there are no keys above or below it. In addition to the acoustical benefits of this placement, it also gives your audience a perfect view of the LefreQue when you are in playing position.

What does the LefreQue cost?

That depends on which LefreQue you buy. They run from the very economical under $100 USD (Brass) to the very expensive $10,000 USD (24K Solid Gold), depending on their metal composition.

The inventor says that you need to select a metal that is above the quality of the metal of your instrument. So, you would not use an inexpensive LefreQue on a professional model flute because it probably would not give you the desired results.

The 4 LefreQue that I tested:

76mm Fine Silver Gold-Plated – $675
41mm Red Brass Rose Gold-Plated – $300
41mm Red Brass Silver-Plated – $110
41mm Red Brass – $65

The prices listed were at the time of this publication and are subject to change with the whims of the spot prices of precious metals.

Will the LefreQue scratch your flute?

The simple answer is that the LefreQue could scratch your flute. Therefore, you are prohibited from attaching a LefreQue to a flute that is on loan to you for a trial.

You want to be very careful when you attach it to your flute. You are more likely to scratch your flute if you move the LefreQue after you have already attached it to your flute. If you forgot to place it where there are no keys, then the trick to moving it without scratching is to hold your flute firmly by the handle, then with your thumb and index finger pull the LefreQue away from your flute – stretching the band slightly – then reposition the LefreQue and gently release the tension in the band. By doing it this way, you will not slide metal on metal. This is what causes the scratches.

So, just be careful and you will not scratch your flute.

Do flutist perform with the LefreQue on their flute?

Yes, definitely! Because if it does what you want it to do – enhances your tone, makes it easier to hit some notes, better tuning, etc. – then of course you would want to perform with it on your flute.

Does the LefreQue weigh your instrument down?

The LefreQue does add weight to your flute, especially if you use 2 or 3 at the same time. But the real questions are whether the added weight is enough to give you hand problems, and does it throw off the perfect balance of the flute.

So, if you already have hand problems, then any additional weight added to your instrument may exasperate those problems. Otherwise, I did not find that the added weight of even the 76mm LefreQue to add too much weight that I thought it might cause me any problems. Additionally, it did not seem to throw off the balance in the slightest way.

How do you attach a LefreQue?

It is actually quite simple to attach them, once you get the hang of it. I have written out the process and published a blog with photos and made 2 videos demonstrating how to attach them properly. I hope you find these helpful. Have no fear. You will figure it out!

The Trials

Here are the combination of flutes and LefreQue that I used in my trials, and my opinions about what I heard and felt when I played.

Professional Haynes with 76mm Fine Silver Gold-Plated LefreQue

I could definitely hear a difference! I feel like it took the edge off, the diffused edge of my tone, and gave me only the center. So, I do think that it gave me a better tone, a more focused sound. I also think that it gives me a little bit bigger sound. And I think that while you could say it made my tone smaller, I think what I heard is that this has given me just the pure tone, which then projects a whole lot better.

You do in fact feel a difference in the resonance. The flute feels different. The LefreQue takes some of the vibrations that go through the flute and dampens them a little bit. So, the flute feels different in your hands because of that dampening.

I did not find the weight of this to be overwhelming. It does not really feel like it throws the balance off. Which I was probably a little bit concerned about.

When I was playing with the high register and really doing some high B’s and high C’s, I do think it responded a lot easier. With my flute, I feel like I do have to work kind of hard in the third octave to really make it respond and sound good. This LefreQue made those notes come out easier for me.

Professional Haynes with 41mm Red Brass Silver-Plated LefreQue

So, I thought this was a nice improvement. I like what it did for my tone. It did not make it feel smaller at all. It definitely felt a little bit more refined. I thought it gave a warmer quality to my tone and I could definitely hear the focus it gave to my tone.

I am not sure that it gave my high register any real boost as far as tonguing or response goes. It might be better intonation.

Professional Haynes with 41mm Red Brass Rose Gold-Plated LefreQue

Again, I could hear a difference. I am not sure it was the most beneficial for my tone. I actually felt like my tone was cracking a little bit more than usual. But I do feel like it opened my lower register, and it gave me a little bit bigger sound.

It is an in interesting sound that is definitely different. But is it better? I’m not sure.

Haynes Amadeus Intermediate with 41mm Red Brass Silver-Plated LefreQue

I think it really did add something to this instrument. It gave me a little bit more projection. I really did hear that. I felt like the sound really projected differently on this instrument. It also felt different in my hands – just like it did with the professional model flute.

I am not sure that it did anything in particular for the low register, other than generally overall I thought the tone changed.

Haynes Amadeus Intermediate with 41mm Red Brass Rose Gold-Plated LefreQue

I thought that this one really does something completely different with my tone. I felt like it warmed the tone up. But also, I felt like the response time is a little bit quicker in the low register and the high register.

So, to me there is a big difference in how this LefreQue sounds on this intermediate flute.

Trevor James Beginner with Red Brass LefreQue

I did hear a difference. I think that even this red brass takes off some of the edges that are a little bit more diffused and gives a more solid sound in the middle. So, I think that this is an improvement. And if you have a beginner flute and you don’t have the funds to upgrade right now, a less than $100 fix can give you a nice change that I think you would really appreciate.

Trevor James Beginner with Red Brass Silver-Plated LefreQue

I definitely heard a bigger sound. I think that this flute is projecting more too. It not only took off the edges like the red brass did, but it gave me a little bit more sound.

This could be a good solution for an intermediate player, playing a beginner flute. An economical solution that can extend the life of your beginner flute.

Trevor James Beginner with Red Brass Rose Gold-Plated LefreQue

This one gave me a totally different tone color! The Rose Gold seemed to sweeten up my tone. It still improved the projection. But it also gave me a little sweeter sound.

I really felt like the gold made a difference. And going from the brass to the silver plated to the gold plated, really three different sounds, three different price points – all economical choices to help you get the tone you’re looking for.

But for me, playing on this beginner flute, if I were to choose, I would go with the gold.

Conclusion

Now you might take the LefreQue off your flute and decide that you like your tone better without the LefreQue. That is perfectly fine and acceptable.

While my test showed me that the LefreQue does actually make a difference in my tone, I still think that the bottom line is preference.

Do you like your sound better with the LefreQue or without the LefreQue?

Do you find it easier to play your high and low registers with the LefreQue or without the LefreQue?

Do you like the way your flute looks and feels with the LefreQue or without the LefreQue?

If you can answer these questions, they will help you decide whether to buy them. In my opinion, they present an economical choice to improve your sound.

Let me know what you decide!

Have fun!
DoctorFlute

Watch my video demonstrating all these different LefreQue and let me know what you hear. Do you hear differences? If so, are they positive, negative, or neither?

LefreQue for Flute Testing 4 LefreQue on 3 Flute Levels – FCNY Sponsored

How to Attach a LefreQue to Your Flute

To LefreQue or Not to LefreQue. That is the Question. Can You Hear the Difference?

How to Attach a LefreQue to Your Flute Close Up

Woodify Ring for Flute Review by DoctorFlute – FCNY Sponsored

KraftGeek Capsule Music Stand Review by DoctorFlute

Here’s a list of the gear tested in this video:

William S. Haynes Handmade Custom Flute – Solid silver, hand-cut headjoint with 14K gold riser, silver body and mechanism, .016” standard wall tubing, inline G, B footjoint.

Haynes Handmade Custom Flute in Coin Silver – New

Amadeus by William S. Haynes Model 580 – Haynes Amadeus silver-plated headjoint with sterling silver (.925) lip plate and riser, silver-plated body and mechanism, drawn tone holes, French (open hole) model, pointed key arms, (.016″) tubing, offset G, B footjoint.

Amadeus by Haynes Model 580 Step-Up Flute – New

Trevor James Model 10X – silver-plated straight headjoint, body and mechanism, closed holes, C footjoint, offset G key, Pisoni Lucien Deluxe pads.

Trevor James Model 10XC (New)

76mm Yellow Gold-Plated Solid Silver Lefreque Sound Bridge

76mm Yellow Gold-Plated Solid Silver Lefreque Sound Bridge

41mm Rose Gold-Plated Red Brass Lefreque Sound Bridge

Gold-Plated Red Brass LefreQue Sound Bridge with Band

41mm Silver-Plated Red Brass Lefreque Sound Bridge

41mm Silver-Plated Red Brass Lefreque Sound Bridge

41mm Red Brass Lefreque Sound Bridge

41mm Red Brass Lefreque Sound Bridge

If you follow these links to The Flute Center of NY, tell them I sent you by putting my code: “DrFlute” in the box labeled “Influencer Code.”

Thanks!

Thank you, Flute Center of New York, for sponsoring this video.

The post LefreQue – Results of Testing 4 LefreQue on 3 Levels of Flute appeared first on DoctorFlute.

Or perhaps a weak it depends. Should they be the same thing? I can definitively say no they should not be the same thing. But sometimes they are the same, based on your interpretation. 

Blowing harder is what every beginner student does in every register. They use too much air blowing and consequently get a bit dizzy from too much oxygen to the brain. Do you remember getting dizzy when you were learning the flute?

As you get older, regardless of private lessons, you usually learn to adapt to the amount of air needed. Generally, the 3^rd octave gets way too much air. When this happens, the embouchure has to compensate for that amount of air, by becoming very small and tight. Yes, your 3^rd octave will respond. But what are the problems? The tone is thin, the dynamic range is small and there is no color change that can happen.

High note success is built on fast air and a relaxed embouchure all wrapped up together. 

The key to all high notes is the trilogy of embouchure, support, and air speed. The embouchure has to stay open, loose and remain free of tension. When support is then added, the embouchure is free to stay open and the air speed can quicken and stay steady. The problem is that students have difficulty making this trilogy work together. The result is faster air becomes blowing harder which then necessitates the embouchure to tighten to control that air. It is a sticky wicket!

Have your teachers used the term faster air? The term is usually used when referring to the speed of air needed in the 3^rd octave. The speed of the air needs to increase in order for the 3^rd octave notes to come out. If the air stream is not a certain speed, you will only get notes from the lower two octaves. Faster air is needed to maintain a steady 3^rd octave note.  We do not want to change that fast air to blow hard – as blowing hard indicates a lot of air expelled with no control except with a tight embouchure.

In truth, I do not use the term faster air, nor do I use the term blow harder on a regular basis. When I use the term faster air with younger students, their response is to blow harder. I don't want them to blow harder, but they don’t know what fast means.

Another thing that a young student will do if you tell them to use faster air is they will blow harder and pinch the embouchure. It does produce a purer sound, so they think that is great! But because it is such a small hole that the fast air is going through, all they can get is a tiny sound.  The dynamic levels are very limited from a forte to a piano.

High note production must have the embouchure be open. It must have a lot of air pressure pushing up on the high register so that your embouchure can stay relaxed. If you do not have support (air pressure) then your only recourse for control is for the embouchure to shrink. It is going to get tiny and tight.

I know that as you get higher your embouchure does shrink, but you know what? I am never going to say that to a student, because if I do, they will go to the extreme. They will concentrate so much on their embouchure that it will get small and tight. However, if I tell them to keep it open, just make the air faster and use a good push from support, then generally they do the correct amount of everything.

Experiment with blowing harder and keeping your embouchure open. Do you like what you hear? Probably not. When you blow harder you do not have any control. This is why everybody tightens up when they blow harder. The good stuff happens when you keep that embouchure from shrinking because you use so much support.  You know what will naturally happen? Faster air. It will naturally happen. But if your high notes want to go low, think a little faster and that problem will go away. Can I control that air? Absolutely! Because of that air pressure, your embouchure is free to control forte and piano.

Practice in front of the mirror to see if you are pinching. You can identify if your embouchure is tight. Does it look like you do when you have a natural closed mouth position? You do need to change your embouchure, but can you keep it as natural as possible?

Sometimes I like the term “intense” to better describe the air stream for high notes. If I use the term intense air stream, then we can take the “faster” and “blowing harder” out of the equation.

So, your job is to find out if you are blowing harder, or if you are using faster air.  If you are blowing harder, you can tell because blowing harder means you have to pinch. If you use the faster air stream or a more intense air stream and a lot of support pushing through there and keeping your embouchure as open as you can, then your sound can be beautiful. It can come out free and unencumbered because there is nothing that is pinching it.

If you are blowing harder, there is no control except to pinch. Use the mirror. The mirror will tell you. But some of you already know, when you play high notes for too long, then your embouchure starts getting tired. If it gets tired, you know that you are doing it wrong. Barring a few really long high pieces, I probably could play all day long without my embouchure getting tired. The only thing that gets tired are my arms holding my flute up.

Is blowing harder your problem? Are you pinching when you play or are you staying open with that relaxed embouchure making your air stream a little bit more intense?

Have fun!

DoctorFlute

In this video I will teach you how to use faster air to gain the high register with control and without blowing harder or tightening your embouchure.

Join me and watch as I explain how create the tone you want using faster air:

Faster Air vs Blowing Harder on the Flute - FluteTips 128

Controlled Air Stream on the Flute - FluteTips 129

Finding Color in Your Musical Line – FluteTips 146

The post Faster Air vs Blowing Harder appeared first on DoctorFlute.

A great tone in the high register is often elusive. The high tessitura often creates an embouchure that is tight and small. You can use octave slurs as a technique to conquer this range.

Learning how to play in the higher registers without getting tight and small is a matter of training the embouchure. The embouchure needs to learn to stay loose and open - not small and tight. Once you have learned how to do octave slurs correctly then you will be able to apply this to all high register playing and be able to get the sound that you will love.

Now, what do I mean by an octave slur? Exactly that: begin with a low note and slur up the octave. At this stage of the game, it is best for you begin with a 1^st octave note and slur up to the 2^nd octave. Once you understand the principle behind what to do you can transfer that information to slurring up to the 3^rd octave from the 2^nd.

What are the usual problems with high notes? The first problem is getting the octave because you are blowing too much air. Check yourself and see of that is you. It is so easy to blow more air for the upper octave. The second problem is tightening your embouchure and closing it to a very small opening. Now this type of player is still blowing harder for the high notes. But because they have a small opening they can control the air. What is the problem with doing that if the sound is still clear? The tone will always be small with no range of dynamics. It is impossible to play a true forte when there is such a small space for the tone to come out. But there are solutions to this. It can be conquered with careful study. When you work on these octave slurs, you learn to open up your high register and play with a beautiful sound that is not overblown.

When you begin to work on octave slurs it is important to remember to slur rather than to articulate the notes. Sometimes when we play up the octave, or really high or really fast and we're not comfortable with playing that octave, we tongue the notes on the high register because it's easier to get your high register out when you tongue it. When you put that little punch of fast air and articulation all together, it's easier for that high note to come out, and it's harder to do it when you slur. But if you work with slurring you force yourself to get it correctly.

To begin with I want to have the absolute best low note I possibly can, such as a fantastic F. A nice, rich and full sound with my jaw lowered and my airstream down because that's how I need my airstream when I'm in the low register. The teeth are apart, and the embouchure is nice and big.

When you have a great low F, you are ready to slur up the octave. Your embouchure goes from ah to ooh. If you notice, to go from ah to ooh, the jaw has to move out not necessarily up.

Now practice just that, move your jaw from ah to ooh. Don't even try to get the note to come out because it is so often very difficult to feel like you can move your jaw the first time when you're playing, so you need to sort of go extreme; go all the way so no sound comes out except air.

After you have gone extreme, then try to move half that amount and just see what happens. Sometimes that is all that needs to be said, because the octave happens. If you have tried this and nothing but air comes out, you are still doing it perfectly. You need to experience what the jaw has to do before you can really make the octave sound.

The first step is going all the way. The second step is moving the jaw halfway and see what happens. If it pops up the octave that is fantastic. For most of the students, air is still the only thing that comes out. Do not give up. Keep going.

Now, let's talk about another aspect of these octave slurs. When you go from ah to ooh, your embouchure tends to close up. The teeth get closer together and that brings the lips closer together. This then does not allow that sound to come out. When I go ah to ooh, I want to stay open and keep open but still with an “oo” embouchure. Why the “oo”? Because the embouchure raises the air stream. Consciously move the air stream to a straight-out flow.

If you are struggling, you can play a G and hold your flute with just your left hand. Then while playing move the right hand down in front of the lip plate and feel where you air is blowing. If it is still down, then you need to move it up. If you feel it move up great!

Remember when using the jaw to move the air stream you do not need to use more air. Listen to yourself and make sure that you are not pushing more air through your instrument.

A third step in the octave slur journey that often helps people get their high note is to raise the upper lip. Yes, raise your upper lip to get the upper octave. Warning, this is an easy thing to overthink. We cannot easily move the upper lip separately. However, you can move it a little bit, and that little bit is just enough. Try it. It works.

Try these octave slurs beginning with F, G, A and B. If you feel like your B sinks and you keep getting the lower octave a low note, that means you must move a little bit more. Remember to keep supporting your notes with your air. If I do not have support, especially as I move to B and higher, then it is probably not going to work, either. You must have support to gain the upper octaves.

If I control it because my airstream moves, then I get the tone I am looking for. My tone is going to be phenomenal in that upper register because I am using my support to get it, not squeezing, and not overblowing, so that it just jumps out at you.

That is using octave slurs to improve your tone. It is going to help you in many ways. It is a little bit tricky to work on, and sometimes people find it a little bit tedious. But it's pays off. Do the work, pay the piper, and you will be happy that you did.

Have fun!

DoctorFlute

Watch me demonstrate this:

Octave Slurs for Better High Notes on the Flute - FluteTips 125

FluteTips 66 Easy High Notes

Getting Spin on Your Third Octave Notes – FluteTips 171

Perfecting Your Third Octave Flute Tips 105

Failure to Plan for Your 3rd 8va Notes is a Plan to Fail – FluteTips 181

Piccolo 3rd Octave Notes

Practicing Octave Slurs

The post Octave Slurs for Better High Notes appeared first on DoctorFlute.

Control is what you want when the ensemble director yells for you to play softly on a 3rd octave B. You as a college student are looking at the director thinking "are you crazy? It's a high B! I can't possibly play that softly." That's precisely when the embouchure just closes right up. Yes, it helps to play softer and control that sound. But you lose the resonant tone quality. Plus it's rife with intonation problems.

When I work with a student, that has a very tight embouchure in the upper register, I let them know that they have a very nice tone. Because a small embouchure takes out the air. A tone with little air becomes clear and controlled. The problem is that it has the depth of a half millimeter.

That's as much as you've got.

You don't have any range. That kind of tone can't get loud and it doesn't get much softer either. The tone stays right there.

To work on your high register, you need to do the opposite of your instincts. Open up more than you think you can. Being more open will give you a more resonant tone quality. Because opening up the embouchure allows more partials or harmonics to appear in your tone. Sometimes students don't believe that you can actually play a note when you are that open. But when they actually try, they believe! You just have to believe that opening up, keeping it more open than you possibly think is the best way to go.

We also want the 3rd octave to have as much of a dynamic range as possible. When you open up, all of a sudden there's some sound and it's not tiny. This sound could be played softly but also could be a forte!

I remember when I used to have a tight embouchure. Anytime I had to play any length of time in the 3rd octave, my cheeks got so tight and tired. I felt like I needed a facial massage to loosen my cheeks. By opening up, it loosens the embouchure up. Because you can't be tight and open at the same time. They don't go together.

Believe me, it can be fun to play in your third octave. You don't have to be afraid of it. So try opening up your upper register. Don't let it be tight. Open your teeth and your lips more open than you possibly think you can.

Have fun working on that. Your upper register, your third octave can be fun and beautiful, without being screechy and harsh.

Have fun!

DoctorFlute

Watch me demonstrate this FluteTips 90 Opening Your High Register

FluteTips 66 Easy High Notes

Getting Spin on Your Third Octave Notes – FluteTips 171

Octave Slurs for Better High Notes on the Flute – FluteTips 125

Perfecting Your Third Octave Flute Tips 105

The post Opening Your High Register appeared first on DoctorFlute.

Is your embouchure flexible?
Does it adjust to the octave in which you are playing?

The embouchure is an amazing
thing. It has the ability to move and adjust to help us get the best tone. The
problem comes when we don’t move the embouchure but leave it static. The reality
is that our embouchure needs to be in a state of
flexibility all the time while we're playing. It needs to be able to
change and move depending on where we are playing in each octave.

If
you're playing in the 2^nd or 3^rd octave, you need to have the
embouchure that helps to get high notes. But
what if right after that high section you need to play down in the first
octave? So many players keep that high embouchure to play those low notes – and
it doesn’t work.  if you’re immediately going
low, you're embouchure needs to be able to move and be a low embouchure.

This
is probably the number one problem that I see with my college students when
they come to study with me. Their embouchure is stable. It is static. As if to say, “my
embouchure is going to be this way from now on and forever.” It is
always my pleasure to teach them about flexibility and watch how their tone
opens right up in all the octaves.

I
had the same problem when I was in college. My embouchure was set. I thought I could make my
sound better just by doing long tones. There had to be some other  miraculous way to
get the low notes to sound so booming, and to get beautiful resonant
high notes.

Thankfully,
there was another way!

I
was at a flute convention one time and I heard
Sir James Galway talk about tone. He was leading this whole group, of about a thousand people that
went to hear him speak. He was talking on
Moyse’s long tones. He told a story
about a student that was studying with him. Sir James was telling him
that you adjust for high notes and then again
for your low notes. This student asked
“but wait, in the middle of the piece, I have to
change your embouchure?” Sir James
practically yelled when he replied, “well, if there's one thing I have to tell you, YOU
HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR EMBOUCHURE”. Of course, he said that with
a great Irish accent which brought the house down and everybody laughed.

But
it's true. Your embouchure has to be changing all the time. If you keep a high embouchure when you're playing a low
note, you're going to lose the low notes. I
remember playing a solo or two and wondering
why I would lose my low notes. The problem ultimately was that my embouchure was so tight
that those low notes were stuck. None of the
low notes would just boom out the way they could in the practice room when I
was completely relaxed, probably had taken a break and come back in and played that low section. It didn’t happen
until I played the entire piece and then the problem was revealed.  

I
have a Köhler Etude Op. 66 #5 in front
of me. If you don’t have this etude then go to
my downloads page and you can download this etude to work on it with me. This etude begins changing octaves right away
especially between the high G and low D. I need
to think about keeping my embouchure flexible between those two notes or my
low D will not sound great. Getting a low note with a high embouchure leaves
that low note weak and covered. When I plan to play this etude with the
different octaves, I think about opening up in
all octaves, but in the upper range I keeping the airstream straight
out, while maintaining space between my lips
so that the air doesn't bounce between them creating that fuzzy sound.

Now
there is a downward arpeggio. So, I move my jaw down, and lower the airstream as I go.
By the time I reach that D, I've lowered my
jaw, relaxed my embouchure to aim the airstream
down. Even in so little an area I've already
changed my embouchure.

When I practice this etude
or any piece for that matter, I practice it slowly to work on embouchure
changes especially when I feel that tightness creep in. Be very conscious of
what the embouchure is doing. It is both a feel and sound. I always analyze
what the embouchure feels like as well as sound because sometimes my ear
doesn’t tell me truth.  

Listen to your high notes.
Are you fighting them?  If so, is it because you didn’t adjust to a high
embouchure? If your high register comes out but is very small, then your
embouchure is too small and tight and will never get that resonance you are
looking for.

How about your low notes,
are they sounding rich and full? In the middle of a solo, can you belt out
those low notes as if you just began fresh on that spot? If not it’s because
you didn’t adjust to a low embouchure. The embouchure has to loosen, teeth
lowered and the air stream moves down.

If you can get the
embouchure in the habit of adjusting when you are going slowly then you can
make this happen when you are up to tempo. It’s just practice. The embouchure
needs practice, just the same as the fingers.

Experiment
with your embouchure. Listen to yourself. Let your ear tell you when it's not
sounding right.

Enjoy
working on flexibility in your embouchure.

Have fun!

DoctorFlute

Watch me demonstrate this Making Your Embouchure Be Flexible While You're Playing FluteTips 87

Tight Embouchure No Problem – FluteTips 182

How to Form a Great Flute Embouchure – FluteTips 132

The post Making Your Embouchure Be Flexible While You’re Playing appeared first on DoctorFlute.

When we choose to play piccolo it's often because we enjoy the high tessitura. Let's face it, we all like playing that 3rd octave. It's pretty cool. But those high notes come with a price tag. That price tag is learning to get those notes without tightening the embouchure.

Now one of the biggest problems with playing up there in that 3rd octave is getting a buzz in your lips. When you're playing up in the third octave on the piccolo and your lips buzz, it's always because of these two reasons: your lips are too close together and you're embouchure is too tight.

If you are beginning your journey into the piccolo world, the worst thing to do is to jump into the upper register with wild abandon. It is a surefire road to a tight embouchure and that dreaded buzz. The key to prevent that outcome is to work up slowly. Start with etudes that don't go too high. This will help build the embouchure muscles up. Add higher notes slowly. Work your way up by adding one note, then one more note, and so on. Pick etudes that are lower. Then progress as your upper register notes increase.

Another technique to help you get your 3rd 8va notes without pinching your embouchure so tightly that your lips buzz is to use a lot of support. You must have a lot of support to play in that 3rd 8va. That means tightening your stomach muscles, pressing out on that ribcage, and pushing up with that air pressure when you play those high notes. In this way you allow this embouchure to stay nice and loose and as open as you can be to still get those notes to come out. Keep in mind that if I'm as loose as I'm going to be in the low register, of course I'm not going to get anything. So, there's some firming that must happen. Firm is a good word to use. Don't think about tightening because you will do the wrong thing. Think about getting firm. A little bit firm, not tighten it up. Because tightening is negative. Firming means support. You're supporting it up there.

As you are approaching your high notes and playing, whether you're playing orchestra music, or band music, or you're just playing for fun, you're thinking about your high notes being pushed up there by your support by your air pressure, not because you're tightening up your embouchure. Loosen up your embouchure.

I've rarely come across a student that's come to me, who isn't too tight up there in that 3rd 8va. I would say, err on the side of being too loose. Then if you can't get anything out, then firm it up a little bit. But you want to be quite loose and quite open in that 3rd 8va.

Then the other thing is just making sure your lip plate is in the right spot. How do you know it's the right spot? Experiment. If you feel like you are still loose and you're pushing from your air pressure, with your support, and you feel like there's still something not quite right up there, well then experiment with the angle on this lip plate. If I'm cracking and trying to get these notes and they crack too much, I'm going to lower my air stream too, and blow that air down a little bit. Of course, this is going to help with my intonation as well.

Start working on your 3rd 8va notes on the piccolo. it's all about air support, keep your pressure high, loosen your embouchure, have space between your lips, and angle of your air stream.

Have fun working on your 3rd octave high notes on the piccolo!

DoctorFlute

Watch me demonstrate this: FluteTips 70 Piccolo 3rd Octave Notes

Failure to Plan for Your 3rd 8va Notes is a Plan to Fail – FluteTips 181

The Dreaded Piccolo Buzz

Piccolo Tuning

The Basics of Starting the Piccolo

Can I Just Start with Piccolo?

Sattoh for Piccolo and Percussion by Katsutoshi Nagasawa

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