Flute Playing is RELEASING

​Let me see if I can describe an ideal way of sound production:

Instead of thinking about flute-playing as BLOWING air into the instrument, imagine it as being able to freely RELEASE and REGULATE the flow of water from a faucet. Sometimes a bit more water is flowing, sometimes less. It can be a very strong flow, but we mostly want to avoid having too much water that it's splashing out from the edge of the faucet. That's like having the noise around our sound. And a slender flow is highly concentrated, precise, and attracts a lot of attention in a quiet way. It's about moulding and working with energy and not simply putting out energy.

Here's a demonstration video I did for someone's lesson, with Boismortier's G major Prelude from his Op. 35. For​ specific purposes, I've played it quite slowly​ and at times very deliberately, so this is not exactly how I'd play it in a performance. It was also done first thing in the morning without warming up! But I thought of using this clip to show the effect of freely "adjusting the water faucet". This is especially important as we have all these intricate ornamentation, strings of little notes which need to sound light and subtle, but nevertheless with shape and form. 

It's not just about playing piano - ​we need to get ourselves to a specific way of tone production, and it's not blowing. If blowing can be compared to holding on to an edge of a canyon, then we should try to let go so that the descending little notes feel like a gentle free fall, only catching ourselves again at the next point to gain control for the next passage, and the process repeats itself over and over. Imagine internally around your inner abdomen area to gently release or let go of the air. I say gently because of course you can't let go completely, otherwise everything will just collapse and that's when it'll sound like the faucet is way too open. Signs for that will be too fast of an airstream, embouchure not focused or precise enough, noisy sound and poor tone quality etc...

At first it'll feel like you're losing control and may feel uncomfortable. Your lips or anywhere else in your body may tremble, and you might be inclined to go back to the way you're used to playing because it'll feel like you'd have better control that way.  But just keep doing it, take the time to let your body acquire the muscles and strength to produce sound in this way. Keep observing internally and listening to your sound. Practice in short segments of a piece of music, and/or practice long tones at a moderate tempo with messa di voce (crescendo & decrescendo). Using a drone in the background can also help create that "floating" sensation and a more enjoyable acoustic. There are many possibilities, you may want to start with either the note itself, the octave, or the 3rd or 5th (above or below the note).

Can you achieve the maximum with the minimum? Does it feel like your air flows naturally and freely or do you feel like you're generating a force and pushing through the instrument? Can you create the difference between blowing and releasing? These are all very subtle observations, like holding a mirror to look inside yourself, but make absolutely a great difference in sound and musical expression. 

It's not easy to put this into words, but I hope you can give it a try and let me know how it goes!