I’ve been working a lot on trying to ‘master’ playing in the second octave. I’ve noticed something and want to find out if it’s correct. I’ve noticed that if, besides my embouchure getting ‘tighter’, I ‘push’ my lips out towards the blow edge I can play G and higher easier. ‘Downside’ is that it’s loud. I’m guessing part of that has to do with a Hammy being a Pratten derived stick, but am doing something wrong? Or does it just take quite a bit of control to play the higher notes with low volume.
I’m pretty sure I’ve asked about ‘quite’ second octave before, and was told it takes a lot of control, I just want to maker sure.
I ‘push’ my lips out towards the blow edge I can play G and higher easier.
That’s one of the methods Grey Larsen recommends (or at least mentions) in his book.
It works okay for me but I get a very harsh tone.
I decided to try flute because I’d decided that the upper end of the 2nd octave on whistle was never going to sound smooth and sweet, but I’m finding it’s a struggle on flute too. I can get very loud and harsh or too quiet and sweet, but haven’t found a happy medium.
I guess I oughta start with a disclaimer: every flutist is different and has differently shaped lips and jaw; what works well for me may not for you, and the reverse is true as well.
That said up front, here’s what I have found works very well for me. YMMV
As I move up into the second octave and towards the third, the hole in my lips becomes smaller due to increased muscle tension at the corners of the lips and in the upper lip. I do not push the lips forward, ever, when playing. Also the speed of the airstream increases…slightly, not drastically.
At the same time, my jaw starts to thrust forward a bit and goes further forwards the higher I play. As a result the tongue also moves towards the roof of the mouth a bit.
As I drop back down through the second octave and into the first, the lips loosen a bit, the speed of the airstream drops…slightly, not drastically…and the jaw moves back into a relaxed position, causing the jaw to drop a bit and increasing the airspace inside the mouth, which also allows for chest resonance to help the first octave project.
Well, after only 3 weeks on the flute I’m not sure I’m qualified to say anything, but since I suffered from second octave nightmares here’s an observation for what it’s worth:
After reading everything I could find on the subject I ended up using Grey Larsen’s ‘embouchure’ advice. I could get the first octave by scarcely breathing. For the second octave, above G2, when I got it, I had to compress my lips so much I doubt you could get a cigarette paper between 'em, and had to force the air out against the backpressure that generated.
Then… last night I sat and watched Seamus Egan’s cdrom tutorial and thought “holy cr*p, that guy’s bottom lip is inside out!!”
So I tried it. Kind of folding the bottom lip into a major pout, and squishing it with the headjoint. And guess what? Yeah. Breathed my way up to the 3rd octave D. Sweet. In fact, the biggest problem I had using that style of embouchure was staying out of the second register (and harmonics) until I got used to the ‘new’ feeling of squishing the lip and relaxed. And best of all, I didn’t have to ‘consciously’ do anything to switch registers…kind of just ‘thought about it’ and up she went.
Back to square one for me then.
Which at first made I rather p*ssed off that I’d spent the last three weeks practicing it “wrong”. Then I thought, could’ve been worse, could’ve been three years! Or worse still, given up completely… Guess I’ve just got a thin bottom lip or summink, and pouting it out and squishing it makes it fatter. Certainly, in the mirror, I can see a decent aperture now. Must remember to buy Seamus a pint next time I see him.
I think you will find that this all gets better,
much better, with practice. There’s a period
at the beginning where I wondered if I was ever
going to be able to play–lasted three months
in my case. Courage! The second octave
will one day be effortless.