six month flute challenge: goodbye whistles!

Jennie · Post by **Jennie** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 4:15 pm

I had a flute lesson while back east last month. Besides giving me a couple of exercises which are already giving me much more control of my embouchure and tone, my teacher challenged me to take six months to really focus on a couple of things. So I'm giving it a go:

1. No whistle playing. This to help me get rid of my "crutch" when I'm dissatisfied with my chops, speed, etc.

2. No tonguing at all. I've been tonguing notes at the beginning of phrases, especially for the attack in the upper register, and I have to figure out how to get the note without that.

3. No sheet music. Do it all by ear.

Eventually I'll reintroduce all three. But I'm taking the doctor's orders and seeing how much closer I'll get to the way I'd like to sound.

It was so exciting to have someone right there in the room with me, working with tunes and tone. He gave me enough for many months' work, but I would do it every month if I had the chance!

Jennie

dyersituations · Post by **dyersituations** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 5:09 pm

I'm not sure if I completely agree with those steps. But, I do agree that doing it all by ear is a great idea. Even though I use both notation and do it by ear, I find that the tunes I learn by ear, I know better - for whatever reason.

With tonguing though, I use tonguing at times, and think it is part of the style, at least the way I was taught. But, I don't think there should be too much tonguing.

Well... Goodluck and let us know how it works.

-Casey

Congratulations · Post by **Congratulations** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 5:10 pm

You know, I think six months without written music would do me good. It begins now.

Wish me luck!

m31 · Post by **m31** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 5:42 pm

Jennie wrote:...my teacher challenged me to take six months to really focus on a couple of things...

I'm not sure if it's necessary to go cold turkey on the whistle especially if it's to learn new tunes by ear, but it does sound like a good game plan. There'll be a few rough spots so do persevere...

eilam · Post by **eilam** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 5:59 pm

the no tonguing was a hard one for me, coming from Baroque and classical flute and recorder...........
6 months would be the minimum for you to start forgetting to need to tongue, especially if caught off guard like sessions.....
for me, i think cold turkey is the only way, then you can come back to it, once you are in control.
when i was working on the old system keys, i did not play Boehm for a few years, till the old system was as natural for me as the Boehm.
good luck, you'll do good.
eilam

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 6:18 pm

Good luck! Weening yourself off of sheet music is a challening task, but I did it and I am sure many others have; it is possible. I also stopped tonuging until more recently now I only use it on very rare occasions like while playing Jazz, octave changes (but I don't rely on tonuging), and that odd odd syncopated note I like to use as a variation at times.

flutey1 · Post by **flutey1** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 6:21 pm

about not using sheet music... I don't know if this makes any sense or not, but if I have a recording of a tune and write the tune out in abc notation, using those two things I learn the tune much faster than I would playing off sheet music. this was a relatively recent revelation on my part and I have yet to figure out why, but it works, so I won't complain. sheet music goes *poof*

good luck!

Sara

Jennie · Post by **Jennie** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 6:23 pm

eilam wrote:6 months would be the minimum for you to start forgetting to need to tongue, especially if caught off guard like sessions.....
for me, i think cold turkey is the only way, then you can come back to it, once you are in control.

This is the rationale he gave me. Once I've quit depending on tonguing to attack the notes, once I've quit consulting the tune book to see if I'm right, and once I've quit putting the flute down because whistle is easier, then I'll hopefully have made some real progress and can bring those things back.

I'm also working on a fingering change, which I'm going to use consistently over the next 6 months so that it's also ingrained.

Jennie

Flutered · Post by **Flutered** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 4:04 am

The flute/ whistle thing is interesting. My personal take on it is that success is important, you want to be able to make good music whilst also struggling with technique on the flute. So whilst I can see the point about falling back on the whistle being a crutch, perhaps it's a useful crutch. For myself, I'll often pick up a whistle during the daytime and play a few tunes but work on the flute for a while in the evening. I'll often use the whistle to learn a new tune by playing it in the background at work, then pick up the whistle and see if I can follow it. Later I try it out on the flute.

Il Friscaletto · Post by **Il Friscaletto** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 8:04 am

About not touching the whistle, I did have one lesson with someone who told me to do just that. I haven't completely headed his advice, but play the whistle much less now, especially since I've gotten past the frustrating-inconsistent-tone phase on the flute. Now it's rythm, rythm, rythm.

chas · Post by **chas** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 8:31 am

When I was starting, my teacher encouraged me to get the whistle out now and then. Different styles, I guess. He doesn't tongue at all on the whistle, though.

rama · Post by **rama** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:25 am

that's a sound plan, jennie. i can see the rational. stick with it and don't pick up the whistle if you can help it. stay focused and build a solid foundation. i did not and years later my playing sounded like i hadn't. at that point i tried to deliberately undo stubborn habits which made it increasing more frustrating. good luck!

Wormdiet · Post by **Wormdiet** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:25 am

Jennie wrote:I had a flute lesson while back east last month. Besides giving me a couple of exercises which are already giving me much more control of my embouchure and tone, my teacher challenged me to take six months to really focus on a couple of things. So I'm giving it a go:

1. No whistle playing. This to help me get rid of my "crutch" when I'm dissatisfied with my chops, speed, etc.

2. No tonguing at all. I've been tonguing notes at the beginning of phrases, especially for the attack in the upper register, and I have to figure out how to get the note without that.

3. No sheet music. Do it all by ear.

Eventually I'll reintroduce all three. But I'm taking the doctor's orders and seeing how much closer I'll get to the way I'd like to sound.

It was so exciting to have someone right there in the room with me, working with tunes and tone. He gave me enough for many months' work, but I would do it every month if I had the chance!

Jennie

I did a self-imposed version of the same regimen within a few months of getting a flute, and to the degree that my playing have improved since then (about 18 months) it has paid off - excellent suggestions.

MikeC · Post by **MikeC** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:29 am

All good advice. I found that once my embouchure improved and I could play tunes efficiently on the flute, I stopped wanting to play the whistle. there's much less control over tone and volume.

Tonguing never crossed over from whistle for me. Even now I'll tongue a note on the whistle and use a glottal stop for the same tune on the flute. I don't even notice until I disect it.

I would say learning by ear is the way to go, but that's because I can't read music well. I'm learning now.

I've come back to whistle playing. you can't beat the portability and handiness of a whistle. They're so cheap you can keep one everywhere.

Don't worry, it's a long process. six months is a blip in a lifetime of music.

Cheers,
MC

mcdevith · Post by **mcdevith** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:34 pm

Hi!

I think thats good advice. Since I stopped playing whistle so much, I've noticed a big improvement in my flute playing - so my whistle was a crutch as regards my flute playing. Its just so much easier to play along ... so stick with it, even when the going gets tough.

I've also in the last year started learning 98% by ear - I remember the tunes much better and although it was a struggle at the start, I pick up tunes much more quickly by ear now and I'm delighted every time I learn a new tune (at school I always hated musical dictation!). I much prefer learning by ear now, although when necessary (rarely), I use the dots ...

Concentrating on not tongueing on the flute also brought a huge improvement in my playing - I still do it occassionally, so I still need to keep an eye on it, but it's certainly something well worth being aware of. I wasn't even aware of it, until it was mentioned to me at the workshop!

So that's my 2 cents - but the above advice certainly worked for me! That and plenty of practice!!

All the best,

Helen.

Chiff and Fipple Forums

six month flute challenge: goodbye whistles!

six month flute challenge: goodbye whistles!

Re: six month flute challenge: goodbye whistles!

Re: six month flute challenge: goodbye whistles!