I have been on holiday because it’s been Christmas vacation and there’s been so many activities in the entire month of December that I have felt like I have not gotten enough practice time.
I’ve played flute with gigs. But we know that practicing and playing are two different things. There is this weird phenomena of playing, that you can play a lot and yet still get out of shape. I know isn’t that just the strangest thing?!
Now it’s all about getting back in shape. I am working on the basics to get my muscles working again. That’s what you do when you are out of shape – the basics. Today, I’ve pulled out my Reichert studies: Seven Daily Exercises.
When getting back in shape, it’s all about longevity. You want to play a lot and not get caught up on what you sound like, and what it feels like. However, I am going to use this Reichert both for my fingers and my embouchure.
I’m going to begin playing through #3. I don’t want to play this for speed. It will be more about working the embouchure. My finger muscles will get back in shape just by playing whether fast or slow. It’s my embouchure that I will work on with this exercise.
As I play through this first line in C major, I’m going to get up close and personal with my lip muscles. This first line is very easy for my lip as it doesn’t go too high or too low. This line does offer the option to play it up the octave. But I am not going to do that. Going up the octave to the 3rd octave C will stress my embouchure too much at this point in my playing. Keep your playing in the middle registers much like this exercise does. At the end it reaches the 3rd octave B. By the time I get there my embouchure and lip muscles will be ready for that octave.
Pay attention to the arpeggio at the end of each line, as it gives you a chance to work the flexibility of the embouchure. When I’m using this exercise for my embouchure, I slow down when I reach the arpeggio. This allows for me to make sure that my embouchure is being flexible. That while I’m going up, the lip is getting these notes with an open sound. I work at not tightening, or closing up the lips. When using just the embouchure, I make sure that I am in complete control over my air and holding it in with my stomach muscles.
Sometimes when I’m out of shape, when getting back into shape I have a tendency to put more pressure with my head joint against my lip. This is something I’ve noticed from others as well. Knowing this helps me to keep it light on the lip as I play. Pay attention during the arpeggio to keep the lip plate light, even pulling away slightly as you go up to insure that you are using your flexible embouchure.
Don’t worry about breathing. Take a breath when you need to as it’s not about speed but about the lip.
When getting back in shape it’s important to make the embouchure muscles work. If you pay attention to your embouchure, you will realize that you can get back in shape really quickly.
Sol, to get back in shape use any of your exercises. Play them slowly and carefully. Think about what’s happening. Most importantly of all, think about your embouchure. Think about those muscles, make it fluid and flexible, and you’ll get back in shape faster than you thought possible.
Have fun!
DoctorFlute
Watch me demonstrate this FluteTips 88 Using Reichert 3 to Get Back in Shape
