Getting better sound

gododdin · Post by **gododdin** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:47 am

I'll check when I get home tonight, but I thought that even with 'real instrument' you still have to choose voice, or guitar or flute or whatever and if you choose 'real instrument' then 'flute' you'll get some reverb. I may be wrong though - won't be the first time...

TimBenson · Post by **TimBenson** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:50 am

Some of the best advice I got on flute playing came from a very frank Irish fiddle player. I learned to play more gently with him, and his advice was very good. He made me aware that I was play very loudly, almost overpowering - a style I had gotten used to playing in the middle of the night at loud bars.

If you always play at the same volume and with a harsh tone, you can't vary the quality of the sound very much, and not varying the quality and volume of the sound limits you in terms of expression. I learned to back off a little and open my embouchure a bit, and it just opened the flute's sound beautifully.

If you can play with good musicians, especially the ones who have been around for a long time and know what they are talking about, that will teach you about tone. I have never had good results from recording myself. It always sounds different than real life.

I know the "don't bother me" vibe. Most of the best music I have played over the years has been with the open, humble musicians who contributed to the session rather than constantly taking from it. The self-centered musicians find the humble ones intolerable, and often get up and leave when they sit down and blame them for stealing the session!!

pancelticpiper · Post by **pancelticpiper** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:37 pm

When learning Irish flute years ago, I often admired the sound that "classical" flutists got from their flutes. So I thought, "these guys know something I don't- let me try to learn something from them." I took some lessons from a "classical" flutist, she working exclusively on my tone quality. Then I spied a book at a "normal" music store, titled something like "Building Tone On The Flute" or something. I looked in it, and the entire book was nothing but the same execise over and over, done on various notes! I didn't need to spend $15 on it. What this exercise consisted of was starting on a given note as softly as possible (pp), slowly increasing the volume until the note was as loud as possible (ff) and then slowly decreasing the volume until the note was as quiet as possible, all on one long breath. The crucial point is to keep the note ON THE SAME PITCH the entire time. So, I did this over and over on various notes on the Irish flute, but especially bottom D. I found that, at least for me, doing this exercise on bottom D was all that was necessary for building good tone on the whole range. Yes my high B's improved by doing this exercise on bottom D. I actually watched the needle on an electronic tuner to make sure that I was staying exactly on pitch during the exercise.

Jumbuk · Post by **Jumbuk** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:32 am

pancelticpiper wrote:What this exercise consisted of was starting on a given note as softly as possible (pp), slowly increasing the volume until the note was as loud as possible (ff) and then slowly decreasing the volume until the note was as quiet as possible, all on one long breath. The crucial point is to keep the note ON THE SAME PITCH the entire time. So, I did this over and over on various notes on the Irish flute, but especially bottom D. I found that, at least for me, doing this exercise on bottom D was all that was necessary for building good tone on the whole range. Yes my high B's improved by doing this exercise on bottom D. I actually watched the needle on an electronic tuner to make sure that I was staying exactly on pitch during the exercise.

Sounds like Ro buki on shakuhachi. Ro is the lowest note (D on a 1.8 shak). Many students (and masters) spend up to an hour each day just "blowing Ro". The aim is as you say, start so quietly that the sound seems to come from nowhere, and fade out so it disappears imperceptibly into nothing, with no pitch wobbles.

pancelticpiper · Post by **pancelticpiper** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:48 am

I would spend around 15 minutes just doing this execise on bottom D each day, and the improvement on my tone was tremendous. Take the note from the slightest whisper to the most powerful possible honking hard bottom D back to the whisper. It not only develops your lip but also improves breath control, gives you more stamina, and refines your ear for pitch.

sbhikes · Post by **sbhikes** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:05 am

I will have to try that. What I really want is to get a strong sound out of every note. I know some of the notes are a bit flat, too.

seamasL · Post by **seamasL** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:46 am

I am new (less than a year) but let me share something that worked for me. I started practicing in the room I used for a library, a small room, and my tone was quiet. I moved one day to the much larger living room with a higher ceiling and played there for a number of days. When I returned to the library room I was shocked to discover that my tone had somehow become louder, much louder then before. Then as the summer had arrived I started to play outside…the tone became louder still. I really didn’t try to play any louder but I think it is sort of natural for you to try and fill up the space you are in. If you play in a small place your tone needn’t be very strong to fill the space but in a large room, or outside, you unconsciously try to fill the space with the result that your tone becomes stronger all by itself. I think the exercises talked about above are great and I am going to start them myself but you might consider this idea of increasing the size of the space you are playing in.
Jim

Post by **Nanohedron** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:33 am

Oops. Attempted a quote and bollixed up someone's post irreparably. Sorry about that.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:43 am

that doesn't sound good...

wolvy · Post by **wolvy** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 12:02 pm

Hey SBHikes -

Your sound clips sound pretty darn good for how long you have been playing. Keep it up. I think you're making good progress.

sbhikes · Post by **sbhikes** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 8:04 am

Thanks Tom.

BrendanB · Post by **BrendanB** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 10:25 am

TimBenson wrote:Some of the best advice I got on flute playing came from a very frank Irish fiddle player. I learned to play more gently with him, and his advice was very good. He made me aware that I was play very loudly, almost overpowering - a style I had gotten used to playing in the middle of the night at loud bars.

If you always play at the same volume and with a harsh tone, you can't vary the quality of the sound very much, and not varying the quality and volume of the sound limits you in terms of expression. I learned to back off a little and open my embouchure a bit, and it just opened the flute's sound beautifully.

If you can play with good musicians, especially the ones who have been around for a long time and know what they are talking about, that will teach you about tone. I have never had good results from recording myself. It always sounds different than real life.

That's really good advice Tim.