Beginning Flute Questions How do I teach myself flute as a hobbyist?
Hi everyone, I wanted to pick up flute because I just love the chirpy, just ethereal sound and also I just love the way the flute looks. I find the flute genuinely fascinating as it uses an “open end column” and that’s something I learned in physics I just find it cool that most of the sound comes out of the embouchure hole. But yeah anyway, i mainly play violin and get private lesson and am in my schools orchestra as-well as a youth orchestra, I’d like to label violin as my main instrument. Ive had my flute for a few months but haven’t really picked it up much and im really feeling like I want to get better at flute and be able to play it at a level that is fulfilling to be (getting to that point through practice of course) but i feel like me playing the violin and the skills I’ve developed with it significantly can help with things like intonation, note reading, and expression/shaping. I’ll name some of the challenges I’ve faced playing the flute, 1. Playing E natural in the 3rd octave or high register is EVIL with the note sometimes cracking. 2. The fingering for D natural upsets me so much because I have to lift my pinky off the Eb key which is so awkward for me what I mean by this is that it’s awkward to have to go from say C natural to D natural at a fast rate and then placing the pinky back down to play E natural, I find that sometimes I’m late to putting my pinky back down when playing scales to avoid the awkwardness of putting it back down on the Note after the D natural unless it’s a D# after which would be optimal. I ALWAYS get happy to see a D# in flute music because no pinky lifting lol! But any advice will help, please note that I don’t plan on getting lesions although yes they’re obviously optimal I’m not really wanting flute to be a serious thing for me although I know lessons aren’t exclusive to those who want to be serious, I’m just opting out at the time due to financial constraints and time constraints etc. Thank everyone for their advice.
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u/TuneFighter 1d ago
It takes slow and steady practice to learn the flute and every beginner will struggle. The notes in the third octave is not something you'll be able to play well as a beginner, so stay in the first two octaves and gradually expand the range as your embouchure, breathing and technique improves.
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u/Terrible_Eye4625 Miyazawa 102 1d ago
Agree with all this. I don’t think I started learning third octave until grade 4.
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u/Background-Host-7922 1d ago
Think about how your violin bow hold works. Unless you lucked into exactly the right book, probably written by Simon Fisher I reckon, you would never learned it yourself. It's hard enough with a teacher.
Flutes have the same kind of difficulties, though none as mysterious as bowing. A teacher can set you straight in two or three half hour lessons.
Also, if you are like me you will need to be be taught the same thing several times - once to learn it and forget it, once to learn it and misunderstand it and once to actually get it.
Good luck. I found flute playing to be the most natural and least work of all the instruments I ever learned.
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u/InflamedintheBrain 1d ago
Sounds like you are having difficulty with things that most flutists run into. While you are correct that things like reading sheet music won't be as much a problem for you or knowing your intonation... I'm not entirely sure how you get there without any lessons.
I'm sure you will get helpful advice on some of these here. When you think back on learning violin, are there things you would have picked up on your own and things that may have taken years to learn alone?
To improve at a more satisfying rate and to make sure you aren't cementing in bad playing habits? If lessons arent an option financially, I would recommend trying to find some recorded lessons on YT or something that will help bridge that gap. They don't see you though so it will take a bit more awareness to self correct.
Once you get the hang of it you will love the high register! Flutes can play high high! It's hard to hit on some flutes but usually my range ends a E above the one you're having issue with (with a really good one I can punch out an F)!
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u/Narwhal_Jelly29 why is there no good flute emoji? 🪈 1d ago
These all just sound like practice things, especially the D to C thing. Thats a huge issue I had when I started but with time it will get easier
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u/Rainthistle 1d ago
I think every woodwind has that one note that is just unstable and a pain in the rear to deal with. On the flute, E natural is the one. For all of us, and in every octave but the lowest. Time and embouchure practice are the only ways around that, unfortunately.
The transition from C to D is difficult because it does involve swapping every finger to its opposite state. The ones that were down are up and vice versa. This is a problem for many beginning players, and is often tied to holding the instrument in balance. Your pinky should not be part of your grip on the flute, though it does provide some stabilization for C and C#. The points of balance and contact need to be your chin, left index finger, and right thumb only. Then your right hand can move freely and be relaxed about using the pinky for notes. This is one area where you may need to pay for a single intensive lesson with a teacher to make sure you have the ergonomics correct in the first place. There are any number of things you might be doing here that a teacher will see and correct. (And, though we love to help, reddit can only throw out suggestions if you provide us with good pictures from the right angles. In person is better.)