My flute teacher says that playing the alto sax and bass clarinet will screw up my flute playing. Is this true?

Yes. It can screw up your embouchure and maybe make you mix up fingerings.

My flute teacher plays flute, alto sax, and clarinet so maybe its true maybe its not. Thats like saying playing piccolo will mess with your flute playing...yeah its a little true but nothing you cant fix...

sigh... this topic makes me sad.... coz they r all from woodwind family but making each other`s embouchure messed up.....

but i play alto sax , clarinet and trumpet... trying to get a cheap china-made piccolo too..!! =) i don`t believe in these stuff, and i`m playing trumpet and alto sax as my main instrument. the others are just as a hobby.. .so it doesn`t matter to me.

Your flute teacher is an idiot. Sax, flute and clarinet is a very common combination of instruments for people to play.
Does your teacher also suggest that you stop talking, in case that screws up your embouchure? Maybe you should stop writing, as well, in case your hands get confused and forget how to play an instrument?
The only thing that will happen is a little fatigue at first from not being used to the different embouchure.
Fingerings shouldn`t be too difficult, from what I`ve heard flute and saxophone fingerings are almost the same, and I play both sax and clarinet and they have a lot of similarities in their fingerings.

I completely agree with Rachel.

It is lack of ability, or poor teaching, or a useless flute, or general unfitness, or LACK OF PRACTICE that stuffs up flute playing.

There are many very capable players playing on both flute and reeds. Don`t believe all the garbage that you are told by ignorant people.

BTW is James Galway`s playing screwed up? Hardly! In another forum on October 24, 2002, James Galway wrote:

"I play the French horn and saxophone (real bad on both) and it has not affected my embouchure at all. In fact, playing the French horn actually improved it. I became more aware of the changes which are necessary on the flute.
My brother plays the flute, Clarinet and Sax and I think he is great on the flute."

I also play AltoSax and flute,sometimes piccolo and there are really many professional musicians who double on Sax and flute!

i play flute, clarinet, and sax. as long as you keep at all of them, and not play one more than the other, you shouldn`t have a problem.

I hate to tell you that it isn`t true unless you let it be true.

I`ve been playing clarinet, saxophone and flute since 10th grade and haven`t had a lick of a problem with any instrument.

My embochure has never been affect and niether has any of my fingerings.

All I can say is try it and see.

AHHA rachel is funny... i loved that post..

she`s right, but there is one combo i heard is bad. SAX and OBOE.. i heard oboists aren`t even allowed to touch a sax (ok, exxageration... but still...) i play bassoon and clarinet... there doesn`t seem to be a problem, and i can get the proper embouchure off my fife everytime i blow into it.

infact, i think the flute would be the easiest to switch with b/c the embouchure is so different that you can`t get confused. are you oing to get the sax, flip it sideways and blow across the top? no! but if you play clarinet, then switch to the bassoon, you might: blow too hard, bite the reed, etc.

What you herd about oboe is also rubbish.

If one is alternating between clarinet and flute/piccolo, one may have to get used to NOT rely so much on sensations from the lip. Send messages TO the lips to get an embouchure with a great sound, and monitor the result by what you hear, but expect the sensations from the lip to be somewhat dull and runreliable, as if slightly anaesthetised.

Master this, and no problem, even with fast changes.

Initially I thought playing clarinet for 8 minutes solid, then a change to a delicate piccolo solo within 3 seconds was impossible, but now I know it is not. It just needs practice, as with everything else in life.

I found this really interesting, as I had also always been lead under the false impression that it is `bad` to play 2 wind instruments! I learnt a lot!
Beth x
ps I think that it`s wrong of rachel to say that fluteplayer92`s teacher is an idiot - evryone has different views on this

Well my flute teacher does not think it is bad at all.I think though if I want to be a really great flutist then I should concentrate on one instrument.

"...I think though if I want to be a really great flutist then I should concentrate on one instrument..."

You are entitled to your thinking, but did you read the quote I gave from Sir James Galway. I think he is a fairly great flute player.

Well said Rachel.

I too play an exciting variety of woodwind instruments, with flute as my major. Agree with everything that has been said about practice and fitness. I have played in shows where you have 2 bars to change from tenor sax to piccolo!