Does anyone play the flute or know anything about it?

[rickman]

Dd has just started learning and she is getting frustrated as she can't always get a sound out of it. I'm really impressed that she doesn't seem to have any problem picking up the finger positions and that she is learning to read music really easily.

How difficult is it to get a tune out of a flute, I assume that with more practice it will become natural to her, but at the moment she is feeling a bit fed up.

[Marina]

You need arfy, rickman, hopefully she is around today after escaping her parents' clutches.
There is at least one other flautist on Mn but she's the one I can remember off the top of my head

[beety]

HOw old is she?

Ds3 plays the flute and it can take time. Her teacher shouldbe helping her with the right position for her mouth.

Tell her to practice everyday, even just for 5 mins and it will come very soon

[Fonzie]

Hi Rickman, it will take a while as nature dictates that we blow down the way rather than across the aperture in the flute. It is very similar to getting a noise out of a bottle. It's great that she is getting the finger positions and that she is learning to read music too. Sound will come with time so keep encouraging her - maybe even get her to try getting a sound from the bottle to divert her attention and frustration! Hope this helps

[JonesTheSteam]

How long has she been playing rickman.

I don't play the flute. I play the oboe. When I first started (I was 11) it was incredibly difficult and I couldn't get a note out of it for about 3 months. I was on the verge of chucking it all in and then it just 'clicked'.

With the flute it's all about the position of the mouth and directing air into it in the right way. I'd tell her to hang on in there and just keep practising. It'll come, I'm sure.

[rickman]

She's 8. She's only had 2 lessons, her 3rd is today. She had to learn 3 notes last week and I'm amazed that she has got the finger positions so easily. She is left handed as well, will that make any difference? She has been practising every day.

[JonesTheSteam]

Shouldn't think being left-handed would make a difference at all.

[beety]

out of interest, is she playing with a curved head?

Ds who is 9 has one as he was getting into bad habits witht he straght head as it was so long (and he was resting it on his shoulder)

[rickman]

Ok thanks.

Beety, she is using a straight head at the moment.

[waterfalls]

I could never play the flute, purely because I could'nt stand the taste of the wood (yuk) I can taste it now................are they still like that?

[Bramshott]

She could try practising a few blows each time with just the head joint, with her hand over the end of it as this is the easiest way to check the embouchure and hear easily the sort of note she's getting out of it. Good luck!

[Bramshott]

Tell her to hang in there - with the flute, getting the sound is the tricky bit as it's a bit "unnatural", but once she's got that, it will all fall into place. If everything else is going well, then once the sound but clicks, sure it will go well.

[threelittlebabies]

Hi rickman, I play the flute and started learning when I was 9. I couldn't always get a note out of it either, as you do need to learn to blow across and get the lip position correct- trickier than it sounds! At 8 it sounds like she is doing really well picking up the other things- positioning, reading music- so if she is willing to persevere then I am sure it will soon get better for her

[tortoiseshell]

Hi rickman - she could try just using the head joint to start with - she needs to put the mouthpiece below her mouth (kind of nestling under the bottom lip) and then blow across the hole. Once she 'gets' it it'll be easy. It is exactly like blowing across a wine or coke bottle (glass bottle). Fingering is the same as descant recorder pretty well, and it is easy than some instruments to get a tune.

[rickman]

Thank you, I'll let her read this later, hopefully it will make her feel more positive. :)

[arfy]

I totally missed this!

How is she getting on now? The flute is more difficult to get a sound out of consistently when you start as you blow across the hole, and it's easy to put it in the wrong place and fail to get a sound - also you waste loads of air and can feel a bit dizzy. SOunds like she's already doing really well, especially at just 8

I do play the flute but I'm no expert....would agree with the others, try with just the headjoint if she's getting frustrated. And left handedness makes no difference - I'm lefthanded and never had a problem with the instruments I play (do on the violin however but that's another story)

another flute teacher on here is threebob in NZ.

[arfy]

I totally missed this!

How is she getting on now? The flute is more difficult to get a sound out of consistently when you start as you blow across the hole, and it's easy to put it in the wrong place and fail to get a sound - also you waste loads of air and can feel a bit dizzy. SOunds like she's already doing really well, especially at just 8

I do play the flute but I'm no expert....would agree with the others, try with just the headjoint if she's getting frustrated. And left handedness makes no difference - I'm lefthanded and never had a problem with the instruments I play (do on the violin however but that's another story)

another flute teacher on here is threebob in NZ.

[arfy]

I totally missed this!

How is she getting on now? The flute is more difficult to get a sound out of consistently when you start as you blow across the hole, and it's easy to put it in the wrong place and fail to get a sound - also you waste loads of air and can feel a bit dizzy. SOunds like she's already doing really well, especially at just 8

I do play the flute but I'm no expert....would agree with the others, try with just the headjoint if she's getting frustrated. And left handedness makes no difference - I'm lefthanded and never had a problem with the instruments I play (do on the violin however but that's another story)

another flute teacher on here is threebob in NZ.

[arfy]

I totally missed this!

How is she getting on now? The flute is more difficult to get a sound out of consistently when you start as you blow across the hole, and it's easy to put it in the wrong place and fail to get a sound - also you waste loads of air and can feel a bit dizzy. SOunds like she's already doing really well, especially at just 8

I do play the flute but I'm no expert....would agree with the others, try with just the headjoint if she's getting frustrated. And left handedness makes no difference - I'm lefthanded and never had a problem with the instruments I play (do on the violin however but that's another story)

another flute teacher on here is threebob in NZ.

[arfy]

I totally missed this!

How is she getting on now? The flute is more difficult to get a sound out of consistently when you start as you blow across the hole, and it's easy to put it in the wrong place and fail to get a sound - also you waste loads of air and can feel a bit dizzy. SOunds like she's already doing really well, especially at just 8

I do play the flute but I'm no expert....would agree with the others, try with just the headjoint if she's getting frustrated. And left handedness makes no difference - I'm lefthanded and never had a problem with the instruments I play (do on the violin however but that's another story)

another flute teacher on here is threebob in NZ.

[arfy]

I totally missed this!

How is she getting on now? The flute is more difficult to get a sound out of consistently when you start as you blow across the hole, and it's easy to put it in the wrong place and fail to get a sound - also you waste loads of air and can feel a bit dizzy. SOunds like she's already doing really well, especially at just 8

I do play the flute but I'm no expert....would agree with the others, try with just the headjoint if she's getting frustrated. And left handedness makes no difference - I'm lefthanded and never had a problem with the instruments I play (do on the violin however but that's another story)

another flute teacher on here is threebob in NZ.

[arfy]

I totally missed this!

How is she getting on now? The flute is more difficult to get a sound out of consistently when you start as you blow across the hole, and it's easy to put it in the wrong place and fail to get a sound - also you waste loads of air and can feel a bit dizzy. SOunds like she's already doing really well, especially at just 8

I do play the flute but I'm no expert....would agree with the others, try with just the headjoint if she's getting frustrated. And left handedness makes no difference - I'm lefthanded and never had a problem with the instruments I play (do on the violin however but that's another story)

another flute teacher on here is threebob in NZ.

[arfy]

I totally missed this!

How is she getting on now? The flute is more difficult to get a sound out of consistently when you start as you blow across the hole, and it's easy to put it in the wrong place and fail to get a sound - also you waste loads of air and can feel a bit dizzy. SOunds like she's already doing really well, especially at just 8

I do play the flute but I'm no expert....would agree with the others, try with just the headjoint if she's getting frustrated. And left handedness makes no difference - I'm lefthanded and never had a problem with the instruments I play (do on the violin however but that's another story)

another flute teacher on here is threebob in NZ.

[arfy]

I totally missed this!

How is she getting on now? The flute is more difficult to get a sound out of consistently when you start as you blow across the hole, and it's easy to put it in the wrong place and fail to get a sound - also you waste loads of air and can feel a bit dizzy. SOunds like she's already doing really well, especially at just 8

I do play the flute but I'm no expert....would agree with the others, try with just the headjoint if she's getting frustrated. And left handedness makes no difference - I'm lefthanded and never had a problem with the instruments I play (do on the violin however but that's another story)

another flute teacher on here is threebob in NZ.