cajordan wrote:Aaargh, learning to play the flute is SO hard!
I can get good tones out of my nice new flute (a Bleazey) for about 5 mins or so, then it all goes quiet and breathy. At this point I stop for a break (and sometimes swab it out 'cos it's pretty damp) uncramp my left hand, walk around and cuss a bit and start up again for another 5 mins (then repeat cycle)
There is a lot that goes into playing flute. Your body has to learn a lot of little things and then it has to put them all together. Getting it all together takes some time.
Focus on incremental improvement, rather than on the end goal. Be aware that there will be longish periods without any noticeable improvement at all! So, as long as you're just doing your thing every day, it's ok.
Your playing time will increase as your embouchure and grip improve. It's like any kind of athletic endeavor, I think. At first you can't hold out very long, but you develop muscles and then you can go longer.
Now, about that going breathy after a few minutes . . . I had the same problem. A very kind Chiffer (Cat) suggested that it might be . . . the moisture in the flute.
As you've already noticed, your flute becomes very wet. The moisture can interfere with the sound. A drop of water hanging on a tone hole, or dripping from the roof, or--the problem with one of my flutes--a puddle in the headjoint can cause havoc.
Usually, I find that I can play for about 5 minutes, then the moisture build-up interferes. At first, I swabbed it out, but the problem recurred in 5 minutes. Now, I just blow it out or shake it, and I hold it open end down, and roll it or tap the headjoint lightly while I'm doing things like fooling with sheet music, etc. Anything to get the moisture flowing toward the open end, so that it doesn't puddle up or drip from the roof.
Once it's good and wet, droplets don't seem to form. There is a thin layer of liquid on the inside of the flute and additional moisture flows out more easily. Swabbing it might remove that thin layer, but blowing it out doesn't.
The problem will be worse if it's chilly and humid, and with plastic or Delrin, and with metal-lined heads. It helps on synthetics to use a bit of Duponol or dishwasher rinse agent to reduce the surface tension--you get less droplet build up that way.
Have patience with yourself. Flute takes longer, but it's worth it. Right now, you can't see progress clearly because you're so far from the goal, but in 6 months, you'll suddenly realize how far you've come. Just keep at it bit by bit.
I second the suggestion for playing during commercials and in breaks between other activities! That really does work! It gives you lots of little bits of practice, which is what you need at this point.
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