Improve Your Tone by Opening Your Sinuses

Try this out for me. Pick up your flute and play a scale. While you are playing, analyze what the back of your throat is doing. Is your throat open? What about the back of your throat, going up to your sinuses? Is the back of your tongue down so that your throat can open up to your sinuses behind your cheek bones? Most likely, your throat is open. However, most likely, the back of your tongue and throat are closed off to your sinuses. The sinuses hold the key to taking your tone to the next level. Opening up to the sinuses moves your tone from nice to wow! Often when we play flute, we play with the back of our throat closing off the sinuses. Now I know that we are often told about keeping your throat open like a yawning breath. If you are not doing that, then begin with learning to open your throat. But if you are already doing that, then let’s move on. Explore the back of your throat – the way it feels. What does your tongue do when you play? Is the back of the tongue up or down? If it’s up, then the part of your throat that can open up to your sinuses is closed off. Now take the back of the tongue and lower it (or singers would raise the soft palate). This will help you to open up your sinuses. Play a note with the tongue up and then again with the tongue down and let the sound resonate up in the sinus cavity. It may take a several times of practicing and experimenting before it happens properly. But you should notice a resonating difference. A resonating tone is one that carries in a concert hall. It’s a tone that will make the flute solo in an orchestra carry over the rest of the ensemble. It’s a tone that will make people stand up and take notice. It’s a tone to strive for! You may need to experiment with this technique. Work with it on your long tones and you will soon hear the difference. Enjoy listening to your sound grow and resonate! Have Fun! DoctorFlute Watch me demonstrate this: FluteTips 26 Open Sinuses for a Better Tone FluteTips 101 Singing While Playing for Better Resonance in Your Tone