interesting little pointer
- chas
- Posts: 7707
- Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2001 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
- Location: East Coast US
interesting little pointer
yesterday, I had my first lesson in about a year with my regular teacher, who's been off studying in Europe. He made the simplest observation that has done more for me than anything in ages. He said, "You're bringing your mouth to the flute; always bring the flute to your mouth." IOW, I was bringing my head forward just a little bit when I started playing. So he had me sit in a chair (I always play standing) and just had me relax. No sitting up, just have my back on the back of the chair and let everything relax. Then, pick up the flute and bring it to my lips, moving as little as possible other than the arms.
BINGO! My volume's up by a good 10%, I'm a good few cents possibly a nickel or two sharper (on the same flute, I'd have to have the head out a good 3-5 mm farther than others to be in tune), and my sound somehow has a little more of an edge to it -- hard to tell whether it's clearer or has more overtones, but definitely grabs a little more attention.
Just thought I'd share a possible easy road to better sound with y'all.
Plus I'm so glad to be on the road to regular lessons again!
BINGO! My volume's up by a good 10%, I'm a good few cents possibly a nickel or two sharper (on the same flute, I'd have to have the head out a good 3-5 mm farther than others to be in tune), and my sound somehow has a little more of an edge to it -- hard to tell whether it's clearer or has more overtones, but definitely grabs a little more attention.
Just thought I'd share a possible easy road to better sound with y'all.
Plus I'm so glad to be on the road to regular lessons again!
Charlie
Whorfin Woods
"Our work puts heavy metal where it belongs -- as a music genre and not a pollutant in drinking water." -- Prof Ali Miserez.
Whorfin Woods
"Our work puts heavy metal where it belongs -- as a music genre and not a pollutant in drinking water." -- Prof Ali Miserez.
- greenspiderweb
- Posts: 1974
- Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2004 5:23 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
- Location: SE PA near Philly
Dang, if it doesn't work, Chas! Thank you! I didn't realize it either, but when I kept my head straight, not bending to the flute, it did increase the volume, and with more of an edge, as you said.
My first formal flute lesson! Worth everything you paid, and more!
Thanks for passing it on!
My first formal flute lesson! Worth everything you paid, and more!
Thanks for passing it on!
~~~~
Barry
Barry
- Nanohedron
- Moderatorer
- Posts: 38239
- Joined: Wed Dec 18, 2002 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: Been a fluter, citternist, and uilleann piper; committed now to the way of the harp.
Oh, yeah: also a mod here, not a spammer. A matter of opinion, perhaps. - Location: Lefse country
- IDAwHOa
- Posts: 3069
- Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2003 9:04 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: I play whistles. I sell whistles. This seems just a BIT excessive to the cause. A sentence or two is WAY less than 100 characters.
Re: interesting little pointer
Followed you right up to this point
If you are now playing sharper would you not have to extend the head even farther out to flatten it?chas wrote:I'm a good few cents possibly a nickel or two sharper (on the same flute, I'd have to have the head out a good 3-5 mm farther than others to be in tune)
Steven - IDAwHOa - Wood Rocks
"If you keep asking questions.... You keep getting answers." - Miss Frizzle - The Magic School Bus
"If you keep asking questions.... You keep getting answers." - Miss Frizzle - The Magic School Bus
- I.D.10-t
- Posts: 7660
- Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2003 9:57 am
- antispam: No
- Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA, Earth
Re: interesting little pointer
Last edited by I.D.10-t on Tue Jul 26, 2005 9:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Be not deceived by the sweet words of proverbial philosophy. Sugar of lead is a poison."
- chas
- Posts: 7707
- Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2001 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
- Location: East Coast US
Re: interesting little pointer
Oops! I had it bass ackwards. In the past, I'd have to have the head in a few mm to be in tune, now I can have it out a few mm farther than I used to.IDAwHOa wrote:
Followed you right up to this point
If you are now playing sharper would you not have to extend the head even farther out to flatten it?chas wrote:I'm a good few cents possibly a nickel or two sharper (on the same flute, I'd have to have the head out a good 3-5 mm farther than others to be in tune)
And, Barry, I'm glad you got your money's worth out of my lesson! I know I did.
Bill, I'm with ya on posture. My father has been on my ass for most of my life to stand up straight. He swears that I could be 3" taller if I'd just stand up straight. A huge exaggeration, but with a kernel of truth.
Charlie
Whorfin Woods
"Our work puts heavy metal where it belongs -- as a music genre and not a pollutant in drinking water." -- Prof Ali Miserez.
Whorfin Woods
"Our work puts heavy metal where it belongs -- as a music genre and not a pollutant in drinking water." -- Prof Ali Miserez.
- IDAwHOa
- Posts: 3069
- Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2003 9:04 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: I play whistles. I sell whistles. This seems just a BIT excessive to the cause. A sentence or two is WAY less than 100 characters.
Re: interesting little pointer
Renee has the opposite problem and plays quite a bit sharper on her Bleazey than she did on her Folk flute. "Nope, still sharp dear!" is a common phrase when tuning her up.chas wrote:Oops! I had it bass ackwards. In the past, I'd have to have the head in a few mm to be in tune, now I can have it out a few mm farther than I used to.IDAwHOa wrote:
Followed you right up to this point
If you are now playing sharper would you not have to extend the head even farther out to flatten it?chas wrote:I'm a good few cents possibly a nickel or two sharper (on the same flute, I'd have to have the head out a good 3-5 mm farther than others to be in tune)
EDIT: I meant to say when she is tuning her flute. Oh, you know what I mean. :roll:
Last edited by IDAwHOa on Mon Jul 25, 2005 10:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Steven - IDAwHOa - Wood Rocks
"If you keep asking questions.... You keep getting answers." - Miss Frizzle - The Magic School Bus
"If you keep asking questions.... You keep getting answers." - Miss Frizzle - The Magic School Bus
- Doc Jones
- Posts: 3672
- Joined: Sun May 12, 2002 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Location: Southern Idaho, USA
- Contact:
Don't believe a word of it guys.
This is obviously some kind of scam Chas is using trying to get us to bring our flutes to his lips so they will play better. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not sending my flutes to Maryland.
Doc
This is obviously some kind of scam Chas is using trying to get us to bring our flutes to his lips so they will play better. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not sending my flutes to Maryland.
Doc
Doc's Book
Want to learn about medicinal herbs?
Doc's Website
Want to become a Clinical Herbalist? Doc's Herb School
Want to learn about medicinal herbs?
Doc's Website
Want to become a Clinical Herbalist? Doc's Herb School
- tomcat
- Posts: 595
- Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2002 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: Used to live in Gilbert, AZ which is a suburb of Phoenix. Recently moved to Portland OR. Argh. Not sure if this is meeting the requirement of number of characters, but I'm trying.
- Location: portland, or
- IDAwHOa
- Posts: 3069
- Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2003 9:04 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: I play whistles. I sell whistles. This seems just a BIT excessive to the cause. A sentence or two is WAY less than 100 characters.
Docs not totally innocent himself. He keeps sending us home with yummy goodies from his online store to "try out" with (I am sure) the hopes we will decide they need to stay with us. He ALMOST got us with a Shultz flute a couple of weeks ago!tomcat wrote:Doc Jones wrote:
This is obviously some kind of scam Chas is using trying to get us to bring our flutes to his lips so they will play better.
Nothing gets past you doc . . . thanks for the heads up! we are wise to your ways sir chas......
Keep trying Doc, you might get us one of these days.
Steven - IDAwHOa - Wood Rocks
"If you keep asking questions.... You keep getting answers." - Miss Frizzle - The Magic School Bus
"If you keep asking questions.... You keep getting answers." - Miss Frizzle - The Magic School Bus
- chas
- Posts: 7707
- Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2001 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
- Location: East Coast US
Great attitude for a retailer there, Doc.Doc Jones wrote:I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not sending my flutes to Maryland.
Although I think it's very important to verify that this actually works for a Murray . . . PM me if you're interested, Cathy.
Charlie
Whorfin Woods
"Our work puts heavy metal where it belongs -- as a music genre and not a pollutant in drinking water." -- Prof Ali Miserez.
Whorfin Woods
"Our work puts heavy metal where it belongs -- as a music genre and not a pollutant in drinking water." -- Prof Ali Miserez.
-
- Posts: 250
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2003 11:29 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 12
- Location: Seattle
- Contact:
This is a great pointer! Good, upright posture is much easier to acheive when being mindful of this. I too, tend to 'lean over' to the flute, thus compressing much of my midsection, and straightening out afterwards somehow doesn't line things up as good and starting out straight, and bringing the flute to you.
Cool - thanks Chas!
Cheers,
- Ryan
Cool - thanks Chas!
Cheers,
- Ryan
- Cathy Wilde
- Posts: 5591
- Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2003 4:17 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Location: Somewhere Off-Topic, probably
....chas wrote:Great attitude for a retailer there, Doc.Doc Jones wrote:I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not sending my flutes to Maryland.
Although I think it's very important to verify that this actually works for a Murray . . . PM me if you're interested, Cathy.
NO WAY, JOSE.
Deja Fu: The sense that somewhere, somehow, you've been kicked in the head exactly like this before.
- Doc Jones
- Posts: 3672
- Joined: Sun May 12, 2002 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Location: Southern Idaho, USA
- Contact:
All kidding aside, it is a good tip thanks Chas.
Doc
Doc
Doc's Book
Want to learn about medicinal herbs?
Doc's Website
Want to become a Clinical Herbalist? Doc's Herb School
Want to learn about medicinal herbs?
Doc's Website
Want to become a Clinical Herbalist? Doc's Herb School