Hey everybody. Im 15 and play the saxophone, and am SERIOUSLY considering flute. I have someones i can use that is a great flute especially for a beginner. But from what ive been told about flute emboucheres im really not even sure i can do it?! Wen i put my lips together and just blow like ive been told, and try to firm the corners of my lips, the opening isnt circular, but more of a flat oval?! Will this hinder my playing?? Can i play at all?! Please help me, im very desperate and really want to play the flute, jus tell me if its possible, thanks!!

The opening should not be a circle, nor even an oval. Just a `slit`. How this is achieved can vary quite a lot from player to player, depending on the shape of the lips and teeth.

The following may help to get you started, but it would be far better to get an experienced teacher, even if it is just for your first few lessons.

http://www.larrykrantz.com/embpic.htm

http://www.saxontheweb.net/Resources/FluteLessons2.html

http://www.saxontheweb.net/Resources/FluteLessons.html

Thanks alot, if it`s a slit, i pretty much have THAT down, for some reason i had always thought it was like a small circle?! Anyways thanks alot!

Does your lips hurt while you are playing the flute or after, or at all?

If they are, you are trying, WAY to hard to blow in it.

Just relax your lips, have a nice little hole right on the curve of the mouthpiece, and then start blowing softer, then gradually increase the blowing until a slight sound comes out.

If you have anymore problems, just write the problems description in here.

Dustin, after your last uproar that you caused with the bad brands posts, maybe you should lay off giving any advise and let Arak do it.

Ummm dustin your advie dosent really make sense?! Im confused now. I hope you dont take offense or anything, but im just going to ignore that. Thanks, i just wanted to know slit or circle.

I wouldn`t rely on what Dustin has to say too much. He is not the brightest candle in the bunch. Just look at some of his posts.

Dustin, just out of curiosity, and hopefully better understanding of why you write what you write in this froum, how old are you, and how long have you been playing flute?

By the way dustin, i was reading older posts from you, and first you say you`re in high school, then you say you`re going to high school from middle, then back to being in high school?? Dosent really make sense to me

I fully agree...
Dustin, I respect you being here, but when you give poor information or try to speak of things you know not of, it confuses people and gives the forum a bad name...If you doubt your answers, don`t post them-or ask someone if they are right...I have gone to KC and Arak a few times to see if I am on the right road when I post an answer just to be careful. Plus, a poor answer affects your reputation...Just be careful, ok?

Have you ever tried blowing into the hole of a coke bottle? Well, putting it crudely, blowing into the flute is basically the same thing. And with the embechure, well, it depends mostly on practcing.
It took me amlost a year on my flue to get a decent tone from my embechure.
I hope this helps.
But i doubt it did.

Hey!
I think its awesome that you are really wanting to play flute. I have been a flute player for three years now. This next school year i will be going into my fourth. And i`m wanting to be a middle school band director. I have been through two band directors. I had one male teacher for my first two years. And in my third my FAVORITEST (lol)teacher came and she taught us and made us sound better. Well, in my beginning year i had lots and lots of trouble get my lips to form the right way. and sometimes its not even worth it cuz your not going to get it. but i think you will though..you osund very determined...you want to get a head joint and start working your lips and blowing into it. get someone who has played flute before to help you with this. it can get tough. then go from a low pitch to a high pitch by tightening your lips. and go back and forth from low to high to low to high. if you have anymore questions email me... keriberi_09@yahoo.com

"Have you ever tried blowing into the hole of a coke bottle? Well, putting it crudely, blowing into the flute is basically the same thing."

For a beginner, I think this could be very misleading. Many people play a coke bottle with pouted lips and a round aperture between the lips. This is most definitely NOT the way to play a flute.

If somebody starts has this concept in their head, and starts playing the flute like this, it is very difficult to undo the damage and get them started from scratch correctly.

I think that as a person plays the flute their embouchure must correct itself. It would be extremely difficult to maintain a poutly embouchure and yet have a fully developed range. One must naturally adjust to how to properly use their lips to get get the best tone from their flute.

Those that do not evolve will die off... err pick up Clarinet.

But with good instruction from the start, that is NOT misleading, they are not left to chance, and do not need to die off.