Anyone used a Nuvo JFlute?

[Bramshott]

DD2 is 8 (Y3) and very small for her age. She was desperate to start flute, so we got a curved head-joint, but it is not going well for her. 2 months in, and she is still struggling to get a good sound out of either headjoint (curved or straight), and understandably, has lost her enthusiasm! It's frustrating for me as I play the flute, but can't seem to communicate to DD2 what she needs to do.

Her teacher has suggested trying a Nuvo JFlute, but I can't decide whether we should go down that route (with associated purchase of new instrument - I can't find anywhere to hire one), or just accept that flute isn't right for DD2, or at least, isn't right at the moment....

Where's Wafflenose?!?!

I think it maybe worth a shot - they are only around £100 or so, and the lighter instrument may make enough of a difference for her to hold it correctly so that the embouchure problem is sorted out.

Here I am! A bit snowed under with work that week, and not all that well, but I'm here.

I've never used one, but am thinking of getting the clarinet for my youngest! I don't think it sounds like her size is an issue though. My oldest started on a curved flute when she was an average sized 6 year old.

I just wish she could come for a lesson with me. I think everyone has left their first lesson making all kinds of funny noises with the head joint at least. Have her play the curved head on its own for now, and reassure her that it can take a while to sound really good. Try it at all different angles, several times a day. Also, turn it closer to her lips, and further away, to see if that makes a difference. When she gets ANY sound - anything at all - try putting a finger in and out of the end of the head joint so the pitch slides up and down, as that amuses most children.

If all else fails and there is still NO real sound, by all means try the Nuvo, but don't buy one until she's tried. I actually don't think she'd be on one long enough to justify buying one. Can she just try one in a music shop and see if it helps her? If you can tell me approximately where you are in the country, I might be able to suggest somewhere.

Thanks both - particularly Wafflenose!

She is just using the headjoint (seems easier with the straight one for now) and gets a sound about 1 puff in 10 . I stand in front of her and position it, roll it in and out etc, but to no avail! We try every day. At the beginning she was keen, but now she's starting to slightly dread it I think, which doesn't help.

We're in Hampshire Waffle - Hants/Surrey/W Sussex borders. I wish she could come for a lesson with you too! It doesn't help that the girl she shares her lesson with (also Y3) took to it easily and is now playing tunes.

1 puff in 10 is something! So she can do it sometimes. From there, it's really a matter of remembering how she did it, and one day it'll click. I would probably remove her from the paired lesson though, and see if she can do some musicianship games/ rhythm work/ note reading alongside headjoint work.

Can you use a selection of bottles for her to blow across as well, just to get the idea? A bit different, but it might help. I find plastic ones easier, but that might just be me.

I was hoping you'd be nearer the SW so I could recommend somewhere good near us. I'd Google JustFlutes (Croydon I think) and see if you can try a Nuvo in their showroom.

Waffle...

What about a copy of "the fife book"? Nt suggesting fife, which will be harder but the start of the book has stuff about hamster faces etc which might help? And blowing a piece of dried rice away?

Embouchure is why I'd never try to teach flute...

One of my students had a Nuvo flute and tbh I wouldn't recommend it. Much better value for money and far more "flutelike" is an apprentice flute - Just Flutes in Croydon do their own one which isn't vastly more expensive than the horrible plastic nuvo.

However I wouldn't start a student on an assembled flute until they could consistently get a good sound from a head joint alone.

Things you can do to help - the rice "spitting" idea as PP has said. Put a grain of rice between the lips and try to spit it away using a controlled "pee" or "poo" sound. Make sure she is keeping the wet inside parts of the lips together and not overhanging the upper lip over the bottom. Get her to blow a raspberry and feel which parts of the lips are together and which aren't. Pull sad faces and happy faces in front of a mirror and see (and feel) which muscles around the lips are working. A good flute embouchure will use a "sad clown" face, not a tense smiley one. The bottom lip should be relaxed, almost square in shape and in line with the top lip. Sometimes beginners will overhang the top lip too far (I call it a duck face) and it means the air stream is too unfocussed. Google James Galway embouchure master class for some good tips.

Also the air needs to be released steadily - flute players, unlike reed instrumental players, need to build up the pressure behind the lips and control the air coming through otherwise there is no resistance and it all escapes at once. Beginners often huff out all the air immediately because the embouchure is too large and not controlled. This is where the rice spitting exercise is good. Also try blowing scrumpled up pieces of paper about on a table top, using a controlled stream of air.

And, finally, the air stream needs to be directed slightly downwards and not directly across. Sometimes I will hold a finger under the out edge of the flute head joint and ask the student to aim for my finger. Watch too that no more than 2/3 of the hole is covered by the bottom lip.

Does she have a dewdrop upper lip? This can make getting a good sound difficult, but not impossible, just needs careful positioning of the flute.

Thanks all - some new ideas to try over half term.

Interesting that none of you have said "chuck it in, it's obviously not the right instrument for her"

I think we might be getting there - thanks! Not sure if it was the rice spitting, the sad clown, or the James Galway clip we watched online, but the sound is really coming now.

Good news and well done to your DD for persevering.