Survey: Flute head position and angle

hans · Post by **hans** » Sat May 12, 2007 11:37 am

jduffy wrote:How do most of you that use B or D achieve the angle-by rotating the head forward or by keeping the hole aligned with the finger holes and simply rotating the flute?

I routinely assemble the flute with the far edge of the embouchure hole aligned to the center line of the finger holes. So it is rotated towards me by a fixed angle.

ChrisCracknell · Post by **ChrisCracknell** » Sat May 12, 2007 12:38 pm

I seem to be unusual - I am probably somewhere between A and C. My lower lip covers the edge of the embouchure hole just a wee bit and my lips when pursed neutrally as in blowing a kiss naturally direct the air stream directly onto the far edge of the hole.

Second octave comes from a combination of breath support and pushing the lips further forward, i.e. decreasing the distance between lip aperture and blowing edge However I am not turning the flute to do this. A nice exercise is jumping octave both up and down (e.g. on G) purely by thinking about the degree of lip pushing forward. My lips themselves are relatively relaxed and I get good low notes close to my resting position - i.e the second ocave is the one where I work harder. However I can tell that the facial muscles around the lips are working hard to form the embouchure because my face gets tired...

I have the flute assembled with the embouchure hole turned away from me compared to the line of the finger holes. This also allows me to cock my left wrist less helping to relieve wrist pains (in my case).

The flute is a McGee GLP. Consciously it seems to me that I blow my Boehm flute in a fairly similar fashion, but no one tells me my sound on the wooden flute is non-trad, so I am obviously varying a lot of things that I am not aware of when moving between the two flutes.

YMMV...

Jon C. · Post by **Jon C.** » Sat May 12, 2007 4:21 pm

I.D.10-t wrote:
Jon C. wrote:I think "B" when the flute has a huge emb. hole and "D" on a smaller oval hole.
Does covering the embouchure change it's tuning?

I think it is more of reducing the size of the embouchure hole, which would flatten the notes a little. Seems to bring the R&R into better tuning, as the slide isn't pulled out as much. Also, by blowing more into the embouchure hole, then across seems to help. Well. works for me...

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Sun May 13, 2007 10:20 am

Thanks for your comments, folks!

I used to play mostly B-ish (which made the 2nd octave very sweet and easy to play but was also leading to a very weak lower end) until yesterday's session, where I, being motivated by those who play D-ish, tried to move the flute up without changing the angle. It felt very unfamiliar and was a bit out of tune as the relative size of the embouchure hole increased (moving out the slide helped), but the sound of the first octave suddenly was crisp, hard and barking (just like I want it to be) while the second octave was considerably catchier to hit and hold. I still have to practise on that, especially on tightening my embouchure to make the second octave easier and decrease loss of air, but I think I've hit the right path and just have to follow it.

Thanks again for your helping comments!

Best wishes,
Gabriel

daiv · Post by **daiv** » Sun May 13, 2007 10:05 pm

am i the only one who thought that the pictures were of chickens? it's been a long weekend...

Bridges-PdP · Post by **Bridges-PdP** » Sun May 13, 2007 10:10 pm

daiv wrote:am i the only one who thought that the pictures were of chickens? it's been a long weekend...

I did too for just a moment! Then I laughed at myself for being silly. Glad to know it wasn't just me. I'm finding the responses very helpful though. Thanks everyone.

talasiga · Post by **talasiga** » Wed May 16, 2007 7:54 am

hans wrote:
I routinely assemble the flute with the far edge of the embouchure hole aligned to the center line of the finger holes. So it is rotated towards me by a fixed angle.

With the concert Irish flute I do what Hans does and then it goes against my lower lip as your D does. Mine is one with the trad. elliptical embouchure for that reedy, precise sound.

cavefish · Post by **cavefish** » Wed May 16, 2007 8:19 am

definetly a C

talasiga · Post by **talasiga** » Wed May 16, 2007 9:05 am

C for Cavefish .....

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Wed May 16, 2007 1:37 pm

Today I looked into the "canopy" technique as described by Nanohedron here and here and had a look into what Nicholson thinks (or thought) about tone and technique...I now cover the emb. hole again with my lower lip but can still achieve that reedy, dark tone we're all after with a much smaller amount of air needed, and it's even darker and reedier than before.

Have still to work on steadiness of tone and embouchure, but it's getting better from day to day.

I am happy.

gododdin · Post by **gododdin** » Thu May 17, 2007 1:52 am

Well, I'm pretty much a beginner (5 months daily), but my (occasional) teacher has advised me not to turn in the head but to keep all the holes aligned. His argument is that there are so many variables in flute playing, why add another one? At least it's relatively easy to line them all up - much more difficult to replicate an angled head position consistently. This made sense to me so that's what I've been doing the last few weeks - it was difficult at first but now it's okay.

Having said that, I think that I have the bottom of my lower lip more or less on the nearside of the embouchure hole. My top lip over my bottom lip (but less on the high notes) (a picture would tell a thousand words

)

I'm playing an M&E polymer R&R right now.

coupedefleur · Post by **coupedefleur** » Fri May 18, 2007 5:55 am

Years ago, someone showed me an exercise that seems to help getting the flute tone you want. It's best done playing along with a tuner or other drone that will help keep you on pitch.

In it you lift or "scrinch" your upper lip- think of doing a rabbit impersonation. Then bring your lip down to playing position and play the note. Repeat. Toot, toot, toot...

For some reason this seems to help. Maybe it strengthens the flute embrochure muscles, or helps with your ability to get to the spot you want reliably. But it does seem to work!

Berti66 · Post by **Berti66** » Sat May 19, 2007 5:39 am

I DO turn in the headjoint (as do many on this list)
I even turn it in as far as far end of emb hole with lowest end of toneholes.

turning in the headjoint MIGHT get you more comfortable on the flute physics wise.
worked for me.
just a thought.

berti

pipersgrip · Post by **pipersgrip** » Sat May 19, 2007 10:10 am

peeplj wrote:I don't see a difference in A and C; I think something between B and D would represent something perhaps a bit similar to my approach.

--James

on A, the lips are closer to the hole. C it is farther away. I find myself being most successful playing D though.