hey, i've been playing the flute for some years now and i still have an airy tone, ive tried changing the basic things that are normally the problem with an airy tone, and none of them seemed to work. i have no idea how to get rid of it. any ideas what to do?

thanks, sarah x

What brand of flute are you playing?

Have you tried other flutes? and is your tone airy on every flute you play?

Joe B

Do you have an over-bite?
Because I have a pretty bad over-bite, and I'm pretty sure it's affecting my tone, with my front teeth interfering with the air flow... and tonguing is difficult too, so my starting of the note is airy as well as the end.

That may be the case, but I would doubt it unless it is an extremely severe over bite. I have an overbite as well, which is so large they wanted to do surgery to correct it, fearing that I would be unable to chew normally, and would slowly starve. Fortunately that was not the case, and I didn't end up having the surgery, but I have been complemented several times by professional players on my gorgeous dark tone, so while something could be different about our mouths and an overbite could be a factor in an unfocused tone, I don't believe that the overbite is entirely to blame.

To Sarah, have you ever done any studies directed specifically to tone development, such as those in Moyse's De La Sonorite or Trevor Wye's Tone Practice Book? I would strongly suggest that you do play some if you haven't in the past. Practiced regularly and with some focus, these exercises can do wonders for your tone. It could also be that the flute you are using is in perfect working order, but simply isn't well-suited to your playing. I find that should I ever have to switch flutes back to my solid Yammie (which was overhauled by Paul Rabinov less than a year ago), even when I have given myself as much as a month to readjust to it, my sound is much more airy than on my Tom Green. I attribute that to the cut of the headjoint. Anyway, it may be worthwhile to try other flutes and see if one doesn't seem to help your tone improve.

hi sarah.

i think i've read something about "airy tone"

here, i just copied it.
i hope it helps.
----kishi


AIRY TONE

<Added>

One possibility may be that your airstream is too diffused and spread out. If so, you could try focusing the air into a compact, solid stream in order to get a more firm, supported sound. Check in a mirror while you play and if it looks like the opening between your lips is too big, see if making it narrower helps, or you could try firming the lips a little if you think they're too relaxed.

Another thing to check would be that the flute isn't turned out too far (usually, placing the edge of the hole where the red starts on the lower lip is usually a pretty good guide), because if the airstream is angled too sharply above the hole and not enough is going into the hole, you get a sharp, airy sound.

Or, you may be fine in all these technical aspects, but as flutists often sound weak when they play soft, you may want to develop a louder sound, especially for when you're playing solos in your school ensemble. Focusing the airstream helps a lot here, but in order to play louder, you'll also need to use more air and shove it along faster. For keeping a softer sound from being wimpy, make sure the airstream is still moving along quickly enough despite the fact that you have to use less air, or else it can sound weak and unsupported.

hi sarah.

i think i've read something about "airy tone"

here, i just copied it.
i hope it helps.

----kishi


AIRY TONE
One possibility may be that your airstream is too diffused and spread out. If so, you could try focusing the air into a compact, solid stream in order to get a more firm, supported sound. Check in a mirror while you play and if it looks like the opening between your lips is too big, see if making it narrower helps, or you could try firming the lips a little if you think they're too relaxed.

Another thing to check would be that the flute isn't turned out too far (usually, placing the edge of the hole where the red starts on the lower lip is usually a pretty good guide), because if the airstream is angled too sharply above the hole and not enough is going into the hole, you get a sharp, airy sound.

Or, you may be fine in all these technical aspects, but as flutists often sound weak when they play soft, you may want to develop a louder sound, especially for when you're playing solos in your school ensemble. Focusing the airstream helps a lot here, but in order to play louder, you'll also need to use more air and shove it along faster. For keeping a softer sound from being wimpy, make sure the airstream is still moving along quickly enough despite the fact that you have to use less air, or else it can sound weak and unsupported.

The reason I ask about the flute is because on student and intermediate flutes, this is most often a problem with the hole cut.

I used to be a judge for festivals but, since I had to grade people down on tone when it's not their fault I just stopped doing it all together. The whole concept that this happens the way it does is more than I can stand.

THE FIRST THING, you do is get the embochure hole checked. A very large percentage of them have various manufacturing anomalies that cause hissy tone and can be fixed easily. (not all but most. There are some exceptions)

The best teacher and all the exercises in the world WILL NOT HELP YOU PRODUCE GREAT TONE IF, your tembouchure hole has some general deficient manufacturing problems left over.

Unless you know that the hole is good, working on tone is a waste of time. The most popular class I teach around the US is teaching techs to diagnose and correct these deficiencies. A little bit of work (5 minutes) can significantly fix airy tone problems.

Sorry, but teachers just don't know this. There have been so many students and teachers alike that come into the shop complaining that their teacher(s) has been working on their airy tone for YEARS with not many results. And the problem is fixed in about 5 minutes..

A word to the wize....get the darn thing checked by someone who knows what they are doing!

Joe B

Joe, that is fascinating! I do not experience the problem, but to think that something relatively simple would fix "airy" tone is interesting.

What exactly could be such a problem with the hole?

Hissy or airiness is caused by overly sharp edges which create a vortex in the airstream and manifest themselves as white nosie. This decreases the standing wave efficiency as well.

Since these holes are cut with out hand attention, you have burrs and plating build up on certain crucial edges. (this is actually why undercutting and overcutting is done to improve response on pro instruments). While we are not going to that extreme on these instruments, the same principle holds true (do the the manner and design of the under and overcutting already present).

On many of these instrument the strike wall actually has a raised burr. These are also found at the juncture of the riser to the tub., Clear these away and you have DRAMATIC changes.

On many instruments the burr is so pronounced you can both feel it and see it without magnification. These are what I call cheese grater headjoints <G>

There are many methods to "finish" these. It's just important that it gets done.

I have often in a clinic situation played a headjoint such as this and then in about 30 seconds done some quick modifications and played again with complete amazement of the difference in sound quality heard by all present..It makes that much of a difference..

Joe B

try blowing through a straw to simulate a well focused air stream

Joe, very interesting! I will have to mention your name to my technicion to see if he has had the opportunity to take a clinic with you!