Top Teeth where Upper Lip should be

Dear Flutists,
I received this email yesterday:

Dear Jen, I hope you can help me. I learned to play flute just after my amazingly oversized front teeth came in, when quite young. Somehow I ended up using my upper teeth to create an embouchure, instead of my upper lip. I pull my upper lip up and out of the way and actually form my tone using the edge of my top teeth. Now, of course, my teeth are normal sized because they have been filed down by the dentist. But I never knew about this unusual method of mine until my second year in highschool when I received some photos of me playing with the band, and for the first time I saw how my embouchure differed. How do I go about fixing this? My tone is okay, but very breathy, especially when I try to play high notes. Thanks in advance for any pointers. M.

Dear M.
You are not alone. There was a flute-playing "Miss America" contestant in the 1970s, I believe, that played on TV, using her upper teeth instead of upper lip, and was startling in that she could smile brilliantly at the audience, all through her televised flute solo. Of course you need to re-work your embouchure from the beginning again, and it may be frustrating, but it will be well worth your efforts.

The first thing to do is to find a qualified flute teacher and sign up for six months worth of weekly lessons. This is not likely something you can fix yourself,because there are several factors that are going to have change for you to get a better tone quality than you have now, and you'll need to do fundamental exercises to strengthen new muscles that surround your lips. Also you'll probably need to start placing the flute differently on your chin, adjusting your angle and lower lip shape, as well as opening the jaw hinges, and blowing downward by drawing the top lip down and over the teeth. These are too many things to "spot" yourself for while learning. A good flute coach will "spot" you and help you just like a good gymnastics, dance or swim coach can analyse physical movements much better than the athlete can themselves. So do go to the best teacher you can find.

Meanwhile, here are some pictures from the book The Illustrated Fluteplayer, which is a handy resource. But you will need a teacher who specializes in flute.



If you click directly on these pictures, they will get larger. Use the Back Button to return here.





The first few days of work may result in a "beginner's tone quality", but you'll have to be patient with this as your facial and mouth muscles gradually adjust and gain poise and strength for the new embouchure.

I find that I get just a little freaked out when I hear that band flutists have never even seen a flute teacher, or had the flute teacher see them. Of course if you'd gone to a year of flute lessons at any point, this could have been fixed before it came as a surprise to you. But now, since you're motivated, NOW is the time for flute lessons.

This very basic how-to video contains one helpful flutey hint, about making an "m" with your lips, and then blowing the lips apart in the center.



(click on above picture to read text, then click back button to return here.)
Give it a try and let us know if you're able to do this exercise. That will tell you how easy it is to re-design your musculature.

There is also a video with embouchure exercises here.

All the best, and hoping your new flute teacher fixes you right up. Be patient, and be motivated.
Best, Jen

How to dismiss a teacher

Dear Flutists,

A question came up this week about the best way to kindly change flute teachers.

It's a tricky situation, as teachers and their students, working for years on musical development and performance projects, can grow quite close as they share many formative experiences in music together.

They can be as close as co-workers in any Arts project, and these can be emotional as well as intellectual friendships.

So, how can you change flute teachers without damaging your current flute student and teacher relationship?

I guess that the easiest way for me as a teacher, would be to hear the student say:

"I've felt the need for a new way of looking at my flute playing, and thought that it was time for me to get input from a different perspective.

Maybe lessons with a different flute teacher could offer me a new point of view, or the jumpstart I need to hear things a new way; sort of an alternative flute refresher course.

Is it alright that I start looking into taking some lessons with another teacher?
Do you need several weeks or month's notice?

I've truly and deeply appreciated everything you've done to help me; I just feel the need to change the way I hear things."

Thinking about the above:
Often the teacher knows already that you need a change, and it's great when the student speaks in respectful "I" statements.

All of us have the need for a change, or another fresh perspective.

Afterall:
Starting fresh repertoire refreshes our relationship with our instrument.

Hearing new flute styles and new ways to learn and critique shows us new ways to listen to our own playing.

And of course, going to Masterclasses with alternative flute masters refreshes our flute understanding, and lends new ideas in how to enrich our own playing.

The above are all strong reasons to refresh our point of view.

Lessons with another teacher can help clarify our goals and our practice habits.
Even the same information given in a new voice can be helpful to jog our understanding.

Those readers out there who are teachers and students with experience with this particular issue, do chime in and give your thoughts on this topic too please.

Hope this helps until more comments on this topic arrive,
Best,
Jen

Trios ahoy

Dear Flutists,

There have been hosts of Christmas Carols for Flute Trio and Celtic flute trios orders. And tons of compliments! :>)
This is fabulouso!

Updated: Dec. 29th 2010.

Thankyou everyone for your orders, and for all the kind thoughts and words.
Enjoy the music!
Best, Jen

Tchaikovsky Tremelo Fingerings

Dear Flutists,
Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Ibert; all three composers, although brilliant, frequently compose flute passages that take hours, and sometimes weeks and months of work.

I've given alternate fingerings for the Ibert & Prokofiev on previous occasions,but oh dear, Pyoter, Peter, Petey-dude (!)

What's with the crazy pianistic writing for us poor but happy flute players?

Hmmmmm?

We are not violins, sir. We don't just waggle one finger at a time in the top octave, dear sir.

I once heard that James Galway said that "some of the most difficult orchestral flute bits aren't even in the excerpt books; there are some orchestral parts by Tchaikovsky that can really make you work!".

This week I was asked for a possible fingering for the fast sixteenth notes in the opening of Tchaikovsky's First Symphony, second flute part, just as I was contemplating a blog post on our dear Petrov's gnarled Nutcracker.

Well my friends, I love fingering questions more than my beloved spouse loves crossword puzzles. :>) so let me take you through my fingering puzzle-solving method, and I'll get to the Nut-gnarler later (keep it in mind though :>).

Firstly, to answer a fingering question, the context, the tempo and the orchestration are all important.
So as a first step it's important to go and have a look and listen to the passage in question to find the context, tempo and orchestration in a recording, while reading the score.

(Afterall, if it's only a Tchaikovsky "sound effect" and will be well covered by booming tuttis, dubious harmonic fingerings can be well hidden by the eventual blast-fest. )

So using online public domain libraries, I found that the score, and Flute I & II parts for Tchaikovsky's first symphony are available to download in pdf.

And thanks to modern technology (not like the old days when you had to get an old scratched LP out of the music library)there are also some immediately hear-able performances on youtube (link removed 2017) in order to hear tempo and orchestration. Have a listen. Isn't it just marvellous stuff and worth all the problems?

-----------------------
Solutions:

And now here is the flute II part and below it, a listening extract of just the bars in question: (click to enlarge - backbutton to return here.)



Listen to how exposed the two flutes are (click the play button):


And check out Abbado's tempo (on youtube) at quarter = 132.
I say: Eeek!!! (and I don't say "eeek" lightly.)

So, having assessed the challenge thus far, I immediately came up with a reliably balanced Bb2 to D3 tremelo fingering that uses my favourite stabilizing key, the Bb side key:


Play Bb2 with the fingers marked in black.
When you need D3, put down LH 23, and lift LH1.
The Bb side key is only to keep the flute steady and level.

Providing the tempo taken by your conductor is slower than Abbado's, the above is a great fingering!

Next, to get the tempo up to Abbado's quarter = 132, I reached for my trusty alternative fingering book by Herszbaum, and tried out all the listed fingerings from this excellent major third tremelo pages near the back of the book.

Finally, on the second day, I tested the best fingerings for pitch (using the Tuning CD), for stability at mm=132, and the checked and double checked those fingerings likely to be used by the first flutist, so that the pitch and dynamic would match for both flutists.

So, for those who've followed this adventure so far, here's the grand prize: I have come up with fingering solutions for all the Tchaik 1 tremelos for both flutes I & II.

I've put all the solutions into a printable pdf for you to put on your music stand and try out. Please help yourself:

Jen's Fingering Solutions for Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 1 Tremelos.

I admit that getting RH4 to the C# key is a bit of a finesse technique, but Eb key for the RH4 also works when you're playing ppp.

And do please write back with your comments, suggestions, and additional fingering solutions. I'd love to know that we all can solve Pyoter's mad adventures into contrary finger motions at high speeds! And I'd also love to know that I'll be helping out in advance, the next two flutists who are called at the last minute to play Tchaik. 1. Beautiful music!!

Enjoy!
Send feedback.
Best, Jen

Emma plays Gaubert & Mouquet

Dear Flutists,

Yes, it's amazing. And all from memory!
(sometimes I truly am just speechless)
Ten year old Emma Resmini performing Gaubert's Fantaisie:



And Mouquet's "La Flute de Pan" first mvmt, Bergeres":




The second mvmt. of the Mouquet, Pan and the Birds:


The third mvmt. with fast double tonguing Mouquet - Third mvmt. Pan & the Nymphs:


Wowza.....

Best, Jen