Eliminate Throat Noise

Does your throat make an unwanted inexplicable noise sometimes when you play?

There are a couple reasons why throat noise occurs but usually the reason is because your throat is too tight. When your throat is too tight, it engages your vocal cords. While that is the simple answer, it’s not necessarily the easy answer.

Before we discuss the bad business of throat noise, I do want to mention that there are a few times when throat noise happens as a sympathetic vibration when you are playing loudly. If I am trying to really project such as during an orchestra concert and I need to be heard over the rest of the ensemble my volume can sometimes generate throat noise. It is not a detriment in those situations.

However, if you have throat noise for other playing situations then you need to fix it!

Usually the solution to keeping the throat noise out of your tone is found in how you take a breath. When you take your breath, open up the throat by taking a yawning breath. Now don’t blow hard. Blow gently. Hold the air in with your support. So, you are not really expending too much air at one time.

Open Up Your Throat
Take a Yawning Breath
Don’t Blow Hard
Use Your Support

If you do this when you play, the vocal cords won’t engage. Your vocal cords won’t be vibrating against each other and making that noise. That unmistakable staccato sound:

uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh

It’s that simple. Open it up and leave it open. When you take a breath think about the yawning breath and then leave it open when you play. A side benefit to a more open throat is a better tone. It’s a win-win!

So, practice a good breath. Work on keeping your throat open and relaxed, and that throat noise will go away.

Have fun!

DoctorFlute

Watch me demonstrate this: Eliminate Throat Noise – FluteTips 34