When I play the flute, I am told I sound "airy" (You can hear my breathing, "hissy" notes.). I have asked my teacher, but I still need some help. I basically got rid of the hissing (it was mainly in the high notes), but when I try to play the high notes quietly it still comes out kind of hissy. What should I do?

Plus, I have some trouble playing the high notes piano (soft). Anything that could help that?

Thanks!

By the way, I have an ensemble audition next week, so if someone could help soon, I would appreciate it! Thanks again! ^_^

Make sure lips are not pulled tight against teeth. (If you need to make your lip aperture smaller, say for high notes, then do it by pressing the lips closer together. If this kills the sound, then blow harder.) To make a pure sound you must have the airstream focused, like the jet of water coming from a fireman`s hose, rather than the uncontrolled squirt of water that would come from tight lips. The focusing is done by having a good length of `windway` between your lips that the air travels through.

Make sure the tips of teeth are sufficiently apart to be nestled against the lips.

Make sure that your tongue is not up near the roof of your mouth.

All these things make a turbulent airstream, where most of the air is used in making noise rather than pure sound.

It is difficult to deal with this problem without seeing and hearing you play. A teacher should be able to quickly deal with it. If your teacher can`t, or you are unable to understand or follow what he/she suggests, try a new teacher, even if just for a couple of `consultation` lessons.

Okay, thanks!! I`ll try all that! =D
I noticed that when I relax and let my mouth relax (especially in the corners) it sounds better. Is that what you meant by making sure my lips aren`t tight against my teeth?

Yeah..my teacher told me to make my hole smaller and airstream more focused, like you said. But then sometimes I try to make my hole smaller, and no noise came out! But you mentioned how to fix that in your post, so all that should really help!!!

Thanks SO much!!!! I`m going to go try all that! thanks again!!!

-cough- My `hole` meant aperture...I didn`t know the technical term for it ^_^;;

The corners of the lips hardly need to be drawn apart at all, otherwise it makes the lip too thin from behind to front, by pulling them against teeth.

When the aperture is narrowed, it makes more friction for the air, slowing it down. Blowing harder (i.e. more pressure) corrects this, and keeps up that vital airstream speed (especially for higher notes).

-nods- Ok...thanks! I have a little less than a week before auditions..I`ll keep practicing using what you and my teacher told me. Thanks! ^_^

I would like to share with you. Your airy sounds takes at least a month to master with Marcel Moyse: De la sonorite long tone exercises. I am a flute recitalist and studio flute istructor, I tested his studies for myself while in graduate school and I`m talking real results. Sometimes as flute students we do not want to discipline ourselves, but to get better one must go forward and practice new techniques, that will make them better players of their instruments. I wish you all success. If you have any questions contact me at valflutemusic@hotmail.com

Vslerie

Make sure you look in the mirror. Depress your tongue like a opera singer, almost like a bad egg in your mouth. This position causes the throat to open wide, to allow warm air to flow from the diaphram, to the mouth and into the flute. Those Marcel Moyse as mention in my other posting to you is extremely important.

Good Luck!!!

Valerie

musicones advice is good, to elaborate on Moyse, he advised students to use their imagination to get a gorgeous tone, one has to visualise the tone one desires, such as something in nature, or a color, or a fabric, your embochure will then follow

Moyse tried to solve technical problems artistically, therefore a good imagination and a good example, a teacher with a great tone, is essential

In teaching young people for many years, I am always amazed how they respond to their own imagination and imagery

Valerie, since your so interested in Moyse, try to locate a book published a few years ago by Schott entitled Marcel Moyse, How I stayed in shape, has many of his writings, my best teachers were all his top students