 When we're doing an upwards slur through a bigger interval (even a 3rd can be tricky already!), a couple of things need to happen and it might get confusing which comes first. We'll need to adjust our airstream, but don't forget to gently slide your lips (underlip esp. important!) ever so slightly forward and upwards, like you're saying "you" or "ü". Although it's almost instantaneous, your lips need to get there first before the air. Otherwise a classic situation is that you're merely PUSHING the air upwards without direction, and then the higher note will be a hit or miss, not to mention the quality of sound will suffer. Another idea might be keeping your tongue "straight", which can also support that forward motion and shaping of the embouchure.
As Wilbert Hazelzet likes to call it, imagine your embouchure as having the precision of a hummingbird's beak, backed up by lots of support behind.
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 I noticed lately that I've been often telling my students to use less tongue for playing. It would start out as a question about improving dull and fuzzy sound, but what made an immediate difference was when I told them to use LESS TONGUE SURFACE. It sounded like the tongue was not only blocking too much air and also creating a kind of explosion which was the noise. Plus when I asked for a more delicate tongue stroke, it created a kind of overall sensitivity which also helped the embouchure to become more focused. Try also tonguing right behind the front teeth where the hard palate starts, which is more of a "flat" tongue and also enhances using the vowel "Ü" or "you"(which also enhances the embouchure). This will also help your "R", which should just be a quick flick of the tongue. A gentle tap, a quick flick, and precision - that's all we need!👌
 Above: Trevor Wye’s “Complete Daily Exercises for the Flute” Back to basics! Third register is quite a stinger on the baroque flute, because it doesn’t come as smoothly and easily as on the modern flute. You may easily drop the octave on a C-sharp, or any of those notes above E are going to feel harsh and hard on the lips. Your lips may tighten, they can tremble or buzz, and don’t feel embarrassed if you’re “spitting“ a lot on these higher notes too.
My advice? KEEP GOING. You need to develop the muscle strength and memory to internalize these notes, just like a singer. Besides that, it can help to use very little tongue surface to tongue, and keeping the inside of your mouth tall and open. Keep your nose open like you’re smelling roses. The goal is to get to a place where you have strength for creating and sustaining the necessary airstream and embouchure shape, but not needing to force. It's a bit like being able to hold on and hang yourself from a bar but not tensing up the entire body at the same time. Pattern exercises like the one shown above are helpful for such purposes, it's not any different than training for a sports activity. Consistency will help develop strength and muscle memory, and that internalization will ultimately help us free up the body so that we can use the minimum to achieve the maximum.  The gradual diminuendo into essentially nothing is one of the hallmarks of transverse flute playing. It’s something that fascinates and intrigues beginners the most, and may in fact be the EXACT REASON why people want to learn the flute! Some quick tips:
*Work with your lower lip and lower jaw, try very gradually and minimally move them forward and upwards, like saying “you” or “ü”. Develop a sensitivity in the embouchure that it’s like working with the micro strands of lip muscles. *PLAY TO THE HORIZON. It is much harder to diminuendo beautifully if you’re stuck downwards or have a saggy posture. *Rotate the headjoint outwards in an extremely subtle way towards the end of the diminuendo. Subtle, gradual, but conscious. Besides on long notes, these are also part of the basic techniques when playing slurs, appoggiaturas, trills….well, all the time in flute playing! Try any of these out and let me know how it went! 🙌  May thanks to my workshop participants for some wonderfully insightful discussions about the Courante/Corrente! 🥳 Despite the overtime😅, I really had fun explaining to people why I think the Courante is such an intriguing dance to play. Never forget the "play" in flute playing. The above is an example from François Couperin's "Courante a L'italiene" - which shows sneaky Couperin combining the best of French and Italian tastes with these wonderful metric shifts. A middle line is sandwiched between the outer lines which are both in hemiola, and yet this middle line is also "metrically off" since it's accentuating the 2nd beat as opposed to the first, which is what we'd normally expect in 3/4 time. Rich textures, subtle details, never simply black or white = very French!🇫🇷  From the same Quatrième Concert of Couperin's Concert Royaux, this is a very neat passage from the "Courante Françoise". Besides the possibilities of creating rhythmic ambiguity in compound time, Couperin blurs the boundaries even more by adding slurs and ornaments. Should we play it in 2 groups of 3 or 3 groups of 2? I'll let you decide.😉
Whatever you choose to do though, be sure to always diminuendo, lighten up the sound at the end of a group, and stop the sound gently with the tongue to shape and define your phrasing. |
ABOUT THE BLOG:I got inspired to document my own observations in flute-playing and music-making. Also, I thought it's important to pass on the teachings of the great Wilbert Hazelzet, as well as many other mentors who have influenced my artistic visions one way or the other. Enjoy this potpourri of tips, inspirations, and musings. ✨CONTRIBUTE!✨Yes I love the writing that I do! If you love them as well, how about consider showing your appreciation with a personal contribution? 
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