I can`t do either of these and I really need to learn to do them. I can`t roll my R`s so is there another way of flutter tounging? Also how do you do glissandos on a flute?

Thank you
Angie

You can flutter from the back of your throat. The movement is like gargling. It doesn`t sound exactly the same, but most people find it an acceptable alternative.


Funnily, I can roll my Rs like a master, but I can`t flutter tongue!

I have a flute-mate that does the gargle flutter method totally weird when demonstrated without a flute, but it works.

Alternatively you can pick up old copies of the Batman TV series and impersonate cat woman... her purrrrrr is flutter tonguing.

It should be effortless.

Singers also use flutter tonguing for warm ups as it forces them to maintain support. Try fluttering and singing a scale at the same time.

I was watching a new Jethro Tull DVD last night (keep in mind that I haven`t been exposed to a lot of pro fluting yet, so I`d love to know of some recommended DVDs) and was marveling over the tongue fluttering thing. I think maybe he overdid it a little, but it was impressive. Sounded like he had a power tool stuck somewhere.

Glissandos are basically the same for every woodwind instrument. They involve a very fast chromatic scale up or down between two notes. This is different for brass, because you lip down harmonics in combination with moving the slide or the valves.

As for flutter-tonguing, well, that`s just one of those things that some people have a really hard time doing. Same with circular breathing - I couldn`t do it with a gun pointed to my head, but some people can do it really easily. However, if you can roll your R`s, then flutter-tonguing is basically doing the roll part of it for an extended period of time.

I`ll try and give you a quick explanation of flutter-tonguing. First, put your tongue on the roof of your mouth, using a moderate amount of pressure. Then, blow a steady stream of air through your mouth while putting upward pressure on your tongue. If this is done right, your tongue should start to vibrate very quickly, similar to the vibration of a reed on a saxophone or a clarinet, except much slower.

Cheers,

Thomas

However, if you can roll your R`s, then flutter-tonguing is basically doing the roll part of it for an extended period of time.

I speak Russian and Czech, so I roll my Rs every day. I can do it for ages, but the minute I transfer this to flute the whole thing collapses! Trying to combine the embochoure with the rolling tongue just doesn`t work for me; it`s not just as simple as rolling Rs.

That`s weird. I thought if you could do one you could do the other.

I had trouble with flutter tounging at first, even though I could always roll my r`s.

I can almost do it now!!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!! is there an easy way to do glissandos? as the piece i`m playing is very fast.

Angelgirl wrote: "Is there an easy way to do glissandos?"

Well, it is possible to fake glissandos by just going up or down the scale that the piece is in. For example, if you were playing in D major, and there was a gliss. marking between an octave, and the time interval between the notes was short enough, you could get away with just going up the scale very fast. Hence the term "faking it".

However, the correct way to do a glissando is a chromatic scale.

Thomas

Thank you sooooo much

That`s weird. I thought if you could do one you could do the other.


I assumed so, until I tried! I THINK it`s to do with the different positions your lips assume when speaking and when playing. Some people just have that skill- I don`t think I ever will

I was under the impression that a true glissando is the bending of the note. when you roll the flute in very far or out, then it changes the pitch and you can bend back to the note you mean to play on. I learned that from Robert Dick, who has a glissando headjoint (which is btw the COOLEST Thing ever!) it`s a headjoint with a moveable lipplate, so it can bend the note almost 3 full pitches depending on the note!
although I think we generally describe a gliss in the flute world as a rapid chromatic scale these days... but if you want some really cool glissando work and methods, check out the stuff written by robert dick, he`s very much into the extended techniques on the flute and could definately give you some good pointers.