Right now I have a Jupiter 507-S student model flute. I can play the first and second octave well. Anything higher than a top 3rd octave D is difficult to play, even after adjusting my embouchure. Top E flat is becoming better to play, but E and F are just almost impossible, but once if awhile I can get a sound out of them but not consistently. Here is my question: Do I need a professional model flute in order to hit those third octave notes or is my student model fine? I've only been playing flute for about a month to a month and a half (I use Standard Of Excellence books 1, 2, and 3, and since I'm a fast learner, I am just starting the 3rd book now. I've had prior lessons in grade school with piano and again in middle school with alto saxophone, in case any of you were wondering how I learned so much in just a month. Thanks.

You don't need a profesional model flute to hit third octave notes, you just need to make sure you have your embouchure in the right position. (At least thats what my teacher says). Try to play around with your embouchure and see if that helps. I have a Jupiter flute and it does just fine. How long has it been since your flute has been repadded and worked on? Your flute may just need to be serviced. Hope I helped.

As the previous reply said - maybe it needs a bit of a tweak up. As the low end appears to work it shouldn't be a major job.

as they say practice makes perfect, if my peiece of crap can get third octave notes(even if they do sound a bit shrill) they just about any flute can, don't expect do do it with in a couple of months (it has taken me a year) it takes most people years to get them clearly. keep practicing within peices and scales and they will get easier.

I am the original poster. My flute is brand new. It is only about a month or two old.

Well...................I don't have a teacher! I'm poor and unemployed because the economy is real bad. I wanted to play flute all my life and live with parents and have no bills so decided to buy a flute. I've taught myself everything along with the piano lessons I had in grade school and alto sax in middle school.

As kaflute said new instruments even from reputable makers are not always regulated correctly & not all stores check them before sale.

I stand to be corrected on this, but i would have thought the problem is not with the the flute but with the fact that you have been playing for only 1 to 1 1/2 months.
The third octave needs a lot of work to get the notes, plus it takes time to built up the correct embrochure and all the tiny lip muscles, its just a question of practice, practice and more practice.

After 1 1/2 months is'nt that a bit quick to be going on to the third octave anyway??

Anyway i'm not far off a beginner myself,so will leave it there..

You have to give yourself time and develop your embouchure.

I find that student flutes are a lot easier to blow. I can get notes in the 4th octive that I can't get on my professional flute. It may just be my headjoint that is on my professional flute.

I have two different brands of student flutes right now and I can play up to the 4th octive. I can take the headjoint off of one of the student flutes and put it on my professional flute and play in the 4th octive. I can't get 4th octive notes on my professional headjoint that came with the flute. I am going back to college this summer and I am planning on getting a new flute. I will be trying different heads with the flute to find a good one that works for me.

So I am thinking that you just need to develop your embouchure and the notes will come. Just practice your long tones everyday.

Don't worry too much.

You will get there.

<Added>

A correction. I can play notes in the 4th octive.

With 1 1/2 months of playing, especially if there is not trouble with the lower notes, I would say that you just need practice.

A few sessions with a good flute teacher will help a BUNCH. If you don't get some lessons, you will 'pay' later with bad habits that stop your progress and are really, really difficult to un-learn. Besides, you will progress much faster with a good teacher.

Before you scream about having no money for lessons, there are always other ways to go about skinning that cat. Does the teacher have a dog that needs to be walked, or perhaps she's very busy and could use help with grocery shopping, house cleaning or even cooking a good dinner? Snow shoveling, lawn mowing, there are lots of things that you might be able to do. If one teacher really isn't able to fit you in this way, a different one might.

In terms of practice to get the higher notes, you would do well to practice harmonics. If you can play down to low C (all keys closed)- and if you can, there's nothing wrong with your flute- start here. Play the low C, then without changing the fingering, play the C on the staff (up one octave). The next harmonic (again, don't change your fingers) is a G on top of the staff, then C above the staff, and then that troublesome E, but you may not get all the way there at first. Next, find the harmonics on a low D (low D, then D up one octave, then A above the staff, then D above the staff). Oops, I forgot low C#, but go through your harmonics of C, C#, D, E, Eb and F, even if at the end you can only get one octave 'harmonic'. (The F shopuld get you up to a C above the staff). Pay attention to how your airstream changes to reach the higher notes, since that- and NOT the fingering- is determining which note you play.

It will just take some time to get the higher notes. Some flutes ARE easier than others, but Vamp is right, the student flutes are usually the easiest ones to first get those notes on. There's a flutist in our college-level symphonic band, with degrees in flute performance and piano performance from a prestigious conservatory, who plays beautifully on a Jupiter 500-series, all silver-plate, closed-hole, C-foot, student flute. She sold her fancy flute probably 25 years ago after her college days, and the Jupiter works very nicely for her.

ok thanks guys. Low notes are easily played on my flute. I read a post on another forum about airy tones, which is something I have a problem with on the 2nd register notes, starting with second octave D and E. They explained exactly what angle to blow towards for low, middle, high, and super high octaves and it helped a lot with my emouchure. I'm better able to hit the 3rd octave Eb, E, and F, and even the G. As for someone's comment about how whether or not 3rd register notes are a bit too soon for me considering I've been playing for only a month and a half, well, maybe it is too soon. All I know is that I'm a fast learner and I really wanted to learn fast. I am using "standard of exellence" booklets which I used for alto sax in middle school (I'm using the ones for flute now of coarse) but in middle school, we went through an entire book within the whole year. Now, I went through the beginner book in a couple weeks, the intermediate book in a couple weeks after that. Now that I know the notes and fingerings, I think rather than working on sixteenth notes (like what's in the advanced booklet) I should work on my tone and embouchure using the beginning and intermediate booklet. And I will probably post an ad on craigslist about getting a couple flute lessons in exchange for some type of work or chores or help or whatever. Thanks again.

Oh, about the sax, I played in middle school and really do not remember anything about it other than that it's gold colored and was kind of heavy to carry around and was a little too loud. I'm now 22.

Hi

I've got one exercise that might help, not sure if this is similar to the 'airy tones' you mentioned but I've found it really useful for my pupils in the past.

Finger a 3rd octave D (i.e. just left hand) and blow very gently, not hard enough to get the note to come out properly. You'll get something like a very woolly middle C sharp. Don't go for a particularly good sound, just a relaxed one. Gently blow a little harder, keep repeating the note, until it starts to split upwards to a top D. Keep the embouchure relaxed, just enough to keep the top D there. Keep repeating the note, and when you've got the top D secure, slur onto E flat, keep repeating, each time trying to go one note higher, e flat, e, f, f sharp. They'll split at some point, go back to the beginning and start again.

This is a brilliant exercise for developing the top register and will also help you later when you try to learn to play quietly up there.

I've looked at some of the other comments, would agree, 1½ months is not long and there are all sorts of tiny muscles that just need to be built up and it will take time - also, agree about getting a couple of lessons to start you off - I taught myself the first year, and had to spend the second year unlearning all my bad habits - they're much harder to get right than learning something the right way the first time.

best of luck, hope it goes well

Ken

Since you mentioned 'airy tones' in the mid-range, it sounds to me like you are using too open an embouchre. The key to the higher notes (and also louder low register) is to focus the airstream and then place that focused airstream very accurately on the 'sweet spot' (which needs to be found for each headjoint design). Student headjoints have a larger sweet spot, but pay for that with less ultimate dynamic range and projection.

Practice a relaxed emboucher blowing into your hand where you can feel the air. Work towards a very intense 'spot' of high velocity air hitting your hand (I have known coaches that use a saucer of water instead of a hand where you can 'see' the air). Next, use motion of your upper and lower lip to redirect the spot up or down.

At the flute, practice longtones while humming along with the note...this forces you to use less air and necessitates getting the focus thing exactly right. When you get this down really well, then start working on the high notes.