Monday, July 16, 2007

The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike other woodwind instruments, a flute produces its sound from the flow of air against an edge, instead of using a reed. A musician who plays the flute can be referred to as a flute player, a flautist, a flutist or even a fluter.

The Western concert flutes

• Flautist/Flutist - one who plays the flute.

• Crown - the cap at the end of the head joint that unscrews to expose the cork, and which helps keep the head joint cork positioned at the proper depth of insertion.

• Lip plate - the part of the head joint which contacts the player's lower lip, allowing precise positioning and direction of the air stream.

• Riser - a metal section shaped like a 'top hat with the top cut off', which raises the lip plate from the head joint tube.

• Head joint - the top section of the flute, has the tone hole/lip plate where the player initiates the sound by blowing air across the opening.

• Body - the middle section of the flute with the majority of the keys.

• Closed-hole - a finger key which is fully covered.

• Open-hole - a finger key with a perforated center, allowing the use of techniques such as pitch bending or glissando.

• Pointed arms - arms connecting the keys to the rods which are pointed and extend to the keys' centers; found on more expensive flutes.

Playing Technique

When the Flute is correctly assembled, the embouchure-hole of the head-joint should be in-line with the keys. The rod of the foot-joint should also be in line with the keys. These alignments help the player maintain proper hand positions, where the Flute is held steadily, and the fingers may work efficiently.
The head-joint (of an A440-pitch Flute) should not normally be pushed all the way in, but should be kept pulled-out about 1/8th of an inch. This position should allow the player to play at A440 pitch at normal room-temperature (around 20oC). The spare 1/8th of an inch (approx.) gives the player a little leeway to ‘push in’ to cope with cold conditions where the Flute plays flat (or to cope with a Piano that is tuned sharp). On a very hot day, in direct sunshine, the head-joint may have be pulled very far out to get down to A440-pitch.
The Flute is held asymmetrically. To avoid possible strain on the spine, it is best not sit or stand 'square on' to the music-stand and conductor (as you would when playing Clarinet or Oboe), but to start facing slightly to the right, so that when you raise the Flute to play, you are reading the music (and looking at the conductor) along the line of your left thigh when seated (or left foot when standing). This minimizes strain on the spine.
Efficient breathing is facilitated by raising the elbows. It is also facilitated by breathing out before breathing in, because this prevents CO2 credit / oxygen deficit, and therefore prevents compensatory 'over-breathing' and the resultant avoidable strain. This is most efficient if you take particular care to relax in the middle of the abdomen, allowing maximum freedom of movement of the diaphragm muscle itself. Breathing out before breathing in also allows you to inhale involuntarily 'on the recoil', which is efficient, and prevents the avoidable strain likely to result from voluntary breathing. Strain in one part of the body tends to spread to other parts of the body, including the mind. The less strain you experience, the less strain is likely to be manifest in your playing.

Piccolo
The piccolo is a small flute. Its name in Italian is "flauto piccolo" which means "small flute." Like the flute, the piccolo is normally pitched in the key of C, one octave above the concert flute (making it, effectively, a sopranino flute). Music for the piccolo is written one octave lower than concert pitch. Fingerings on the piccolo correspond to those of the flute, but sound an octave higher. Also, many alternate fingerings may be used to tune the individual pitches, as many are consistently out of tune. In addition to the standard C piccolo, there is a piccolo pitched in Db that is sometimes used in bands, and one in A-flat, rarely used outside Italian marching bands.

4:03 PM | back to top

Monday, July 16, 2007

The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike other woodwind instruments, a flute produces its sound from the flow of air against an edge, instead of using a reed. A musician who plays the flute can be referred to as a flute player, a flautist, a flutist or even a fluter.

The Western concert flutes

• Flautist/Flutist - one who plays the flute.

• Crown - the cap at the end of the head joint that unscrews to expose the cork, and which helps keep the head joint cork positioned at the proper depth of insertion.

• Lip plate - the part of the head joint which contacts the player's lower lip, allowing precise positioning and direction of the air stream.

• Riser - a metal section shaped like a 'top hat with the top cut off', which raises the lip plate from the head joint tube.

• Head joint - the top section of the flute, has the tone hole/lip plate where the player initiates the sound by blowing air across the opening.

• Body - the middle section of the flute with the majority of the keys.

• Closed-hole - a finger key which is fully covered.

• Open-hole - a finger key with a perforated center, allowing the use of techniques such as pitch bending or glissando.

• Pointed arms - arms connecting the keys to the rods which are pointed and extend to the keys' centers; found on more expensive flutes.

Playing Technique

When the Flute is correctly assembled, the embouchure-hole of the head-joint should be in-line with the keys. The rod of the foot-joint should also be in line with the keys. These alignments help the player maintain proper hand positions, where the Flute is held steadily, and the fingers may work efficiently.
The head-joint (of an A440-pitch Flute) should not normally be pushed all the way in, but should be kept pulled-out about 1/8th of an inch. This position should allow the player to play at A440 pitch at normal room-temperature (around 20oC). The spare 1/8th of an inch (approx.) gives the player a little leeway to ‘push in’ to cope with cold conditions where the Flute plays flat (or to cope with a Piano that is tuned sharp). On a very hot day, in direct sunshine, the head-joint may have be pulled very far out to get down to A440-pitch.
The Flute is held asymmetrically. To avoid possible strain on the spine, it is best not sit or stand 'square on' to the music-stand and conductor (as you would when playing Clarinet or Oboe), but to start facing slightly to the right, so that when you raise the Flute to play, you are reading the music (and looking at the conductor) along the line of your left thigh when seated (or left foot when standing). This minimizes strain on the spine.
Efficient breathing is facilitated by raising the elbows. It is also facilitated by breathing out before breathing in, because this prevents CO2 credit / oxygen deficit, and therefore prevents compensatory 'over-breathing' and the resultant avoidable strain. This is most efficient if you take particular care to relax in the middle of the abdomen, allowing maximum freedom of movement of the diaphragm muscle itself. Breathing out before breathing in also allows you to inhale involuntarily 'on the recoil', which is efficient, and prevents the avoidable strain likely to result from voluntary breathing. Strain in one part of the body tends to spread to other parts of the body, including the mind. The less strain you experience, the less strain is likely to be manifest in your playing.

Piccolo
The piccolo is a small flute. Its name in Italian is "flauto piccolo" which means "small flute." Like the flute, the piccolo is normally pitched in the key of C, one octave above the concert flute (making it, effectively, a sopranino flute). Music for the piccolo is written one octave lower than concert pitch. Fingerings on the piccolo correspond to those of the flute, but sound an octave higher. Also, many alternate fingerings may be used to tune the individual pitches, as many are consistently out of tune. In addition to the standard C piccolo, there is a piccolo pitched in Db that is sometimes used in bands, and one in A-flat, rarely used outside Italian marching bands.

4:03 PM | back to top