So you’ve figured out how to put your flute together, and hopefully how to hold it without it falling off your face. Now it’s time to figure out how on earth to get some sound out of it. To start with, let’s understand how the flute produces sound. This happens when the air stream is split by the edge of the embouchure hole. Essentially, it is the same way that you produce a sound from a bottle. You blow across the hole, and the air stream is split. Now we just need to figure out the best way to do this in order to achieve the best sound. I will give you a step by step guide on how to produce the proper flute embouchure. The embouchure is the manner in which you for your lips and mouth in order to play an instrument. Let’s get started!
1. To start with, let’s just work with the headjoint. Take the headjoint in your left hand, and cover the open end with the palm of your right hand.
2. Rest the lip plate in the saddle of your chin. Make sure the center of the embouchure hole is lined up with the center of your lips. Also make sure that the headjoint is parallel with your lips as well. It is helpful to use a mirror to check this.
3. Make sure your teeth are slightly apart. The teeth should never be touching when playing.
4. The edge of your lip (right where the red part starts), should be right where the edge of the embouchure hole is. Minor adjustments can be made from this guideline to accommodate for individual lip/facial features.
5. Keeping the headjoint steady, blow a steady stream of air by saying the “pooh” syllable. This typically leads most people to a natural flute embouchure. If no sound is produced, make sure you are blowing across, and not into the embouchure hole. You can also experiment rolling the headjoint in and out to find the “sweet spot” that will give you the best sound.
You will know you have produced a good flute embouchure by the sound of the headjoint. A good embouchure and airstream will result in a lower tone, that is round and dark. If you are getting a higher tone, then try slowing the airstream down a bit to see if you can get the lower tone.
Tips and Common Problems
1. I will often tell my beginning students to “kiss” the headjoint. This usually gives them a way to align the center of the embouchure hole with the center of their lips.
2. Be careful of rolling to far in or out. If the headjoint is rolled to far in (towards your face), then too much of the embouchure hole will be covered to produce a sound. If the headjoint is rolled too far out, then the air stream will no longer be split by the opposite side of the embouchure hole, again resulting in no sound.
3. Make sure you are blowing across, and not into the instrument.
4. Puckered lips- Beginners will sometimes do this. They try to blow a steady stream of air, but their lips pucker out. It looks as if they are going to kiss the air. Do not try to push the lips out, instead, try to make them flatter. It may also help to think of making the lips slightly firmer to counteract the inclination to pucker them outward.
5. It is normal for beginning flute players to be winded very easily. It takes more air to produce a sound for the same amount of time as a reed player. If you feel lightheaded or dizzy, just sit down and take a short break.
6. Air stream is not concentrated- If you are not producing a sound, check to make sure that all of your air is being concentrated, like a laser. And that air should all fit right over the embouchure hole. When the air stream is not concentrated, it is coming out of the mouth all over, not just the center of the lips. Again, it may help to think of making the lips a bit firmer, and making just a single small hole in the lips for which the air is to come out of.
7. Use a mirror! Use it to make sure everything is centered, the embouchure is correct, and the headjoint is not at an angle.
8. The hole in your lips should be smaller than the embouchure hole.
9. If you are blowing a steady air stream, and have a proper embouchure, you will see a small triangle at the opposite end of the embouchure hole. It can disappear quickly, so it may be useful to use a mirror to see this. If the triangle is slanted, that may indicate you are not blowing the air straight across, or that the headjoint is at slight angle.
Additional Exercises
1. If you are feeling adventurous, you can try getting the second note out on the headjoint. Still keep the open end covered with your palm, you should be able to get a high note out on the headjoint as well. Blow slightly faster, and aim your airstream at a slight upward angle.
2. Hold the headjoint with the left hand, and leave the open end uncovered. While you play on the headjoint, gradually stick your right index finger into the end of the headjoint. Listen to the change in pitch. See if you can play Mary Had a Little Lamb, or other simple tunes, using just your headjoint. Change the pitches with your finger.
Now that you have a sound on the headjoint, it is time to try it on the flute. In addition, you will also be needing to learn how to tongue. Refer to my How to Tongue on Flute guide for an explanation of this.
