Flute Questions

👉🏼 01:22 Joanne asks: I loved today Flute Academy lesson on scales. I loved the pneumonic that you used because I was always frustrated with myself that I could never just remember the scales by heart. I understand the pneumonic is the same back and forth for sharps and flat, but what never seems to make sense for me is the order of the scales. We start with C major but then why is F major next, followed by G major and then B flat major to D major and so on?

👉🏼 05:44 Joseph says (for Helle): I found the problem of spitting too much is caused by tension (needless and unhelpful tension!) in the tongue. My tongue was very tense, always positioned to produce the "y" in "yellow". Spittle comes about under these conditions. Once the player stops this and starts using a very light tongue, like a butterfly in the mouth instead of a wombat, the problem evaporates into thin air and never returns.

👉🏼 06:38 Ashely asks: How do you play a new note on the flute?

Here is the flute fingering chart for you!

And here's the free mini-course to improve your tone

👉🏼 07:43 Adelynn asks: Does a lisp effect your ability to play the flute?

👉🏼 08:54 Mary asks: Could you talk about the slight embouchure change needed to go from middle octave E to middle octave F#. I am playing a piece in D major and am having trouble with this slight shift.

👉🏼 11:20 Glen asks: Do you have any tips or exercises for improving intonation? I can hear that my open C and C#, and some of the 3rd octave notes are sharp. So what is the best way to learn how to quickly and accurately correct these while I play.

👉🏼 15:40 Dale asks: Hi Jane. Please could you expand on using different vowel positions to alter oral cavity shape for better tone, for beginners like me? I am finding that the 'tah' leaves my tongue down, wide and flat (I get a lovely crisp start to note this way) and it seems to solve the problem of my tongue being in the way when I breathe in - which you noticed in the personal review video that you recorded for me. I have been subconsciously trying to remember to use f'ee't vowel for low notes and f'oo'd for higher notes but this seems to cause all sorts of chaos in my oral cavity and lips when tonguing with 'tah'! 

👉🏼 18:13 Judi asks: How do I keep the keys from clacking as I play a fast passage?

👉🏼 19:05 Lynna asks: Hi Jane! I’m having a hard time with the lowest C, especially when played fast in succession to higher notes. I’ve checked that my flute is fine, please let me know if you have any suggestions or tips for this note, thank you so much!!

👉🏼 21:20 Christopher asks: Not strictly a musical question, but some time ago you sent me a piece of anti silver tarnish paper when I joined up to your Flute Academy. It was very effective! Can you please tell me where you purchased the paper?

👉🏼 23:07 Melody asks: Who are some of the best flute pedagogy teachers currently?

👉🏼 24:37 Carol asks: Hi Jane, I have trouble playing low C. When I am playing in the low register and heading toward low C sometimes I will “cheat” by not pressing down the E flat key when I play low F or low E. I do this in order to get my right hand pinky finger ready to reach the low C key. I’m pretty sure this is a bad habit but am wondering what else I can do. Currently, I am on lesson 15 in the Flute Academy. Thanks so much for your help!

Here's the video on the low C nose trick!

👉🏼 27:50 Hong asks: How do I play sheet music from memory? Does a flute player need to familiarize themselves with the solfege system? When I play a scale, my brain “translates” the notes into finger positions. So, I remember the finger position for each note. However, when I play flute without the music sheets, my fingers follow the brain “singing” Do, Re, Mi, Fa, etc. I do not memorize the notes by using the music sheet. 

👉🏼 30:01 Carl asks: How do I properly remove and re-add my right pinkie when going on runs from B to D?

👉🏼 31:15 Gary asks: How do you prevent noises in the throat when playing?

Here's how to get rid of throat noises

👉🏼 33:20 Robert asks: Thank you Jane, and hello! Okay, so here goes ... can the material from which the flute is fashioned really make a difference in the timbre of the sound the instrument produces?There seem to be a great many people lined up on both sides of this problem. Can you put this question to bed once and for all?

👉🏼 38:20 Sally asks: Jane, after I get a piece memorized and it sounds great to me and played with emotion. Then I record myself and am disappointed to hear that it sounds halting and breathy. Should I stop recording myself? LOL. Any suggestions?

👉🏼 40:51 Oli asks: Is low c/d trill possible? If, so, how? I can’t get a clear sound.

👉🏼 42:50 Sam asks: Are there ways I can practice/improve without my flute? (I.e. when I'm sitting on the train on the way to work). Additionally, are there ways I can practice on the flute without actually making sound? I live in an apartment and can't practice loudly after certain hours.

👉🏼 45:38 Heather asks: Is there a helpful way to practise breathing when away from the flute...i.e driving, etc?

👉🏼 47:10 Ariana asks: How can you stop spitting while tonguing when I'm playing my high notes?

👉🏼 49:40 Ariana also asks: Also how do I tongue the low notes without sounding like middle octave region?

👉🏼 50:25 Liz asks: My flute playing sounds like I am blowing a soft 'raspberry' at the start of each note. I suspect the problem is related to my tonguing, but am not sure how to soften it. I tongue by effectively tonguing 'too' at the start of each note. Any hints?

👉🏼 51:50 Rozalynn asks: How can I learn to play the great train race on the flute and learn the techniques needed for the song?

Here is where to buy the sheet music for The Great Train Race by Ian Clarke

Here's how to flutter tongue

Here's how to play 2 notes at once (multiphonics)

Here's how to sing and play at the same time

👉🏼 55:17 Ariana asks: How you can play the low register without blowing too hard? And how do I stop running out of air quickly while tonguing?

Here's the free mini-course to instantly improve your tone

👉🏼 56:42 Cliff asks: What’s the best syllables to use for double Tonguing? DaGa or TaKa?

👉🏼 58:53 Mik asks: My third octave G and A are clear, but Bflat, B, and C are almost unachievable, almost as if a completely new approach to embouchure is needed. Do others find this too?

👉🏼 01:01:05 Candi asks: Aristotle says that it is fair to distribute the best flutes to the best flute players, because that’s what flutes are for. After playing for over fifty years, only having reasonably priced flutes all my life, I dream of having a brilliantly hand carved flute such as a John Lunn Creation, "The Dryad's Kiss." Do you agree with Aristotle?

👉🏼 01:04:20 Frank asks: Have you ever had a problem with your lips being too dry? I know it's not nervousness because of when & where it happens. It's when the heating or air conditioning systems dry out the room too much. There's little I can do about them in the various places I play. Just wetting my lips helps, but only a little and for a little while. And with a tear-drop upper lip, maybe it's more a problem for me than others. Any quick fix or work around you can suggest?

👉🏼 01:06:00 Lavinia asks: I would like to read music again. I have also forgotten my keys on the flute. Could you help me?

Here's the fingering chart for you

This is the greatest website of free flute music!

And here's how to decide which learn to play flute book to use

👉🏼 01:08:50 Cliff asks: I am a self taught student. How do i know what level i am at?

Join me in The 5 Day Breakthrough here

👉🏼 01:12:10 Brenda asks: How can I extend the length of time I can hold a note?

👉🏼 01:13:38 Jennifer asks: I would like to have a better low C. Presently right now it is iffy.

👉🏼 01:14:32 Wolfgang asks: What is the trick when tapering a note to not get an airy sound in the diminuendo? Is there a special trick in the 3rd register?

👉🏼 01:16:50 Glen asks: How can you switch quickly or trill between the 3rd C and D? I've found that using the C harmonic of the F fingering works reasonably well since it means just raising and lowering both index fingers together, but that's still a bit awkward.

👉🏼 01:17:33 Frank says: Not a question. Just - you've got perfect timing - your Birthday Challenge e-mail arrived on my birthday (29 March). Thx!!!!!!!!

Here's the birthday challenge!