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I've got the flute.


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My lips are numb. It feels like I've been making out with a vacuum cleaner, but I'm getting a little more proficient at getting the flute to sound.

Is anyone here a flute player? I've done a little research online and got some basic fingering charts, but I don't understand the "trill fingering". Basically, I'm confused by all the discrepencies in fingerings that I've seen on different websites. Can anyone explain?

Are there any helpful websites out there for beginning flute players?

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One time...! At band camp...!

I can only vouch that the flute is friggin' difficult to play... Practice Practice Practice.

EDIT: Um, from what i can understand, trill is where you wobble the knee between the two notes to make it... wobble... kinda like doing the pitch bending thing with a guitar. I know this prolly doesnt help, but i feel bad making my shitty lil joke when you're asking for help. That's all i got.

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well, flute. I guess "I dabble." :D

I THINK the trill fingerings are when you use the two little keys that you find between the major holes of the instrument--because those notes are in an akward placement on the instrument. You get into situations where you have to jump octaves, which makes it almost impossible to trill without a little help.

As for sound, I hear it helps to "smile" when you blow. And use warm air, air from the bottom of your lungs. Don't blow with the force that you would blow out a candle with. It's not about power of air, it's about volume of air.

It makes me dizzy :D

My dad's a band teacher, I'll ask him tomorrow morning :D

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DJ Zenith, i'm about to shoot you. =p

My lips are numb. It feels like I've been making out with a vacuum cleaner, but I'm getting a little more proficient at getting the flute to sound.

Is anyone here a flute player? I've done a little research online and got some basic fingering charts, but I don't understand the "trill fingering". Basically, I'm confused by all the discrepencies in fingerings that I've seen on different websites. Can anyone explain?

Are there any helpful websites out there for beginning flute players?

yeahhhhh lips numb, hyperventilation, all that good stuff...

the "trill fingerings" are used for...well...trills.

so if you wanted to play E-F#-E-F#-E-F# really fast, you wouldn't use the normal fingering for F#, you'd use another one (right middle finger instead of ring finger)

there are also "trill keys", those are the two things that Doug Perry are talking about--used to trill between C/C#'s and D's and whatnot.

there's also lots of other alternate fingerings for many notes. sometimes different fingerings are better for certain cases--for example certain fingerings make it easier to play soft...harder to crack notes...etc.

at this stage, it's probably better to just get the basic fingerings down and then start playing, playing, and playing some more. It takes a while before that lip strength starts to build up. playing long tones helps.

if you're really JUST starting out, dont even worry about fingerings at all, just take the headjoint out and doodle on that.

i'm not really sure about the "smiling" thing...might work, might not.

it's all about getting a jet stream of air...you want the air to be moving quick, and through a tiiiinyyy hole in your lips.

private lessons would of course answer all of your questions, but i'm guessing maybe you dont have that luxury (yet?)

i'm sure there are better flute players out there, but feel free to PM me with any questions you have.

somehow this does seem like the wrong forum for this question, tho.

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Okay, I understand the trills and alternate fingerings now. I can play a chromatic scale from C to C, but my blowing still... blows.

It seems that I can change the pitch of the note by almost a half-step just by blowing differently, but I am not doing it out of my own volition, heh. Also, I cannot control the octave I'm playing. It seems I can get the second octave of the flute pretty easy (exaggeration) but the lower octave comes to my lips and then quickly disappears. Any suggestions? Should my lips be in contact with the mouthpeice, or should they be hovering? This is my biggest problem so far.

I can't afford lessons. I'm already taking piano, but I'm going around asking all my friends if they have an old instruments they used to play. So far I got a bitchin flute and trumpet. You'd be surprised how many people have a perfectly good instrument in their closet that they are willing to give away :) .

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It seems that I can change the pitch of the note by almost a half-step just by blowing differently, but I am not doing it out of my own volition, heh.

yeah, it's not like piano where the notes are "set", there's a small window of variance, based on many things. for example you'll probably notice if you blow harder the pitch will go higher, and if you dont blow as hard the pitch will drop. and if you "roll in" (so that the mouthpiece hole is pointing more towards you, instead of up) the pitch drops as well.

so when you get more advanced you have to keep in mind all these things so you stay in tune and dont sound like a crappy string player who doesn't know where to put his fingers.

for even more fun, try pulling the headjoint way out...omg instant half-note drop...

Also, I cannot control the octave I'm playing. It seems I can get the second octave of the flute pretty easy (exaggeration) but the lower octave comes to my lips and then quickly disappears. Any suggestions? Should my lips be in contact with the mouthpeice, or should they be hovering? This is my biggest problem so far.

first thing first, your lips should definitely be in contact with the mouthpiece. your bottom lip should (probably) be covering a bit of the mouthpiece hole (varies according to preference). your bottom lip should be firmly on the mouthpiece, like you're pressing the flute against your lip. but not so hard that you make dents in your lips.

right, for those normal notes, that have the same fingering for two different octaves, the octave that you get depends on....well, the way you blow. errryeah.

to get high notes, you have to have fast-moving air through a really small jet stream. (or just try blowing harder.)

low notes, relax your embrochure...slower air...all that stuff.

gosh this is hard to explain. i bet you theres some handy dandy video guide to all this lurking around somewhere tho.

(does trenthian do flute?)

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I picked up a small Bb Bamboo flute at a medieval faire about a year and a half ago hehe. I've gotten better at it, at least enough to play 2 octaves. (don't think it's really capable of a third octave)

Anyhoo, I found this guide helpful, just in the way certain analogies are presented.

http://www.romyb.com/introduction.html

It's a different playing style compared to classical flute I think, but some of the ideas might still hold. I didn't have to worry about building my lips, or blowing from the diaphragm, since I play trumpet and i'm used to having large air flow. Trying to fit it into a small stream was definitely tricky for me heh. It's definitely not an easy thing to learn IMO.

There was another site that had pictures of good and bad flute embrechures (spelling) for classical flutes, but it escapes me at the moment.

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