I`m just curious if big lips can interfere with blowing into the embochure plate?

Recently, I was gifted a cute basic nickel plated flute, and for the life of me (perhaps my beginner status has to do with this) at times, I can barely blow a note from my flute. It`s a little embarrassing.

Can anyone possibly give me some advice on correct lip placement, etc. what you may think may be the problem? (yes, I`ve read the beg. books)

Could it be that my lips are too big and get in the way or something... I can hear the practice tu -- tu which comes out, but then once I start blowing, there is nothing. I`ve even tried adjusting the flute, it`s new so it`s clean, could it be that it`s dirty???

Are you Black?

It has absolutely nothing to do with skin colour!!!!!

Yes, people with thicker lips (and thinner lips) can master the flute.

Many new instruments need adjusting in order to play SOME notes more easily, but that is unlikely to stop them for at least a few notes.

Your initial attempts to play loud clear notes, i.e. get an embouchure that works, should be with the head of the flute only, so out-of-adjustment mechanism is not an issue.

If you have been trying to adjust the flute, then you have almost certainly messed up the adjustment.

Nickel plated flutes almost always play poorly, but you should still get a reasonable sound.

I suggest you take a look at:

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

I simply asked becuase it is well known that negros have larger lips then whites do. So yes, it does make a difference.

I have seen whites with rather large lips too.

"I simply asked becuase it is well known that negros have larger lips then whites do. So yes, it does make a difference."

But still, the issue is lip thickness, not race or colour, so there is no reason to bring these irrelevant issues into it?

Thick lips can be adjusted in thickness by the extent to which they are pulled around the teeth.

BTW, there is an enormous variety of successful embouchures. it is just a matter of doing what you have to with what you have got, in order to get the great sound. See

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

It is kind of strange that you don`t see any classical negro flutist either. Could it be a big lip problem?

It is often said that you need thin lips for trumpet too, but look at Louis Armstrong!

One of my very best flute students had thick lips.

I think there may be well-embedded CULTURAL reasons why certain groups head for certain TYPES of music, some of which very rarely involve flute, perhaps because flute is just too gutless and difficult to play in the easy-to-play range of notes, compared with say sax and trumpet, and amplified guitar.

There are probably not many Negros playing classical guitar, or triangle, or tympani either.

I don`t think it has much to do with lip thickness.

If a flute student is having problems because of thick lips, then I think that student PROBABLY just needs a better teacher, or to do what the capable teacher says.

IMHO.

I have very thick lips (my nickname as a child was baby duck lips) and my flute playing has been superior to many thin lipped people...I dont think that it really matters if you have thin or thick lips...

Thank you everyone for the clarity. For a moment there I thought I would never be a flute player, due to my physique. However, to answer someone`s question, no. I am Eurasian actually. 1/2 Chinese, Scotts-Irish, German, and Finnish. My lips are just vuluptuous and seem to get in the way of a clean note, hence the question.

Perhaps it is the flute adjustment problem... but ducky you give me confidence...

I just had a visit from a friend who plays flute very well. He has thick lips - 50/50 Norwegian/Macau, not Negro.