Hi
I'm a mainly self-taught flautist and I have a major issue. When I'm playing the middle octave (trouble notes E,G,B and sometimes A) I flicker, almost, between the middle and lower octave notes. I really need help!
Pyface

Ahaha. Same happened to me before (and still today, at times). You should practice the middle register every single day. Start with something stable, like a B natural on the staff. Then go up a half step, B-C-C#. (Long tones! As long as you can do them). Then C-C#-D, C#-D-D#, etc, etc, up to B. Try to keep the same quality tone you made previously. Try practicing that the oppostie way, too, like from high B and down. Overtones might also help with the B. Finger a low E, and keep the same fingering down and play the middle E, then the B (so you have to control the airstream ONLY). Once the B is stable, switch to the regular B fingering, and vise versa. And also, think about air support. Sometimes, it's not just the embouchure. And if you can, please try getting a private teacher. We have no idea what you might be doing wrong...and it takes time for you to understand how to produce a good tone and how to manipulate air support as best as possible.

Oh, sorry, I am a MAINLY self-taught flautist! Recently, I've started alternating my clarinet lessons and flute lessons, as my teacher plays both, but my next flute lesson's the week after next, and I've got a solo on flute at the start of a song sung by a gospel choir next Friday!!!

If I may?

I think micron's description is probably right on. It is an embouchure and breath support change to hold the higher octave notes. A useful exercise would be to play the lower note and slur directly up to the upper one and back, i.e. low..high..low, then breath and repeat. When you're satisfied, move on to the next note. Practice until you can cleanly transition between octaves.

It is also good to consider intonation when doing this exercise. Lately I've been using an electronic tuner which can indicate if your notes are in tune. Upper notes may be sharp relative to the lower notes. Correcting the intonation is a refinement of the embouchure change.

Hope this helps,
Jim

Sorry for the misunderstanding, Pyface. Did you ask your teacher about it?

Either way, there are no miracles. You gotta keep working on that middle register, with long tones or what jim suggested...It takes time for you to get used to manipulating the air support/air stream you would need as Micron suggested. All I did the first year to second year of private lessons is working on those long tones from the Trevor Wye practice book (do you have this book?), overtones, and an exercise similar to what Jim provided (coincidentally). Also, another thing: Don't stress about it too much. The more you keep thinking, "I can't get this note. I can't get this note" or "I never get this note right" "What if this note cracks," then the more likely you'll miss the note. So don't overthink it too much either. That was a really big problem for me. Listen and be aware. But don't ever doubt yourself.

Thanks, guys!
Would this work on top E, because my flute is quite old, and doesn't have a 'Split-E' Mechanism?

E is always the troublesome note along with F#. The same can also be applied. I find that overtones help a lot in this situation since it helps you understand how much air you need and how fast your airstream will go/aperture, etc at that particular note.

Hi,
Sorry to sound so stupid, but what are overtones? I can almost see you all rolling your eyes!!! It's just you've mentioned them and so did Pyrioni, and I don't know what they are!!!!

Wow! Ok.....

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BTW- I've found that after playing the flute for a while, singing, or playing the clarinet, it's a lot easier! Do you think warming up must help?

Yeah! I can't get everything well until I've warmed up.

Spark12 is right, it is much simplier to use Trevor Wye's way (actually his way was just Marcel Moyse's way) - practise long tone daily, and as loud as you can, chromatically down and then up, play each note very loud, on the verge of before cracking, then you will know and will remember what force and what embouchure you will need for each notes and what are their cracking point.

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Micron is correct, it is lacking good embouchure and strong abdominal support

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Yes, the Overtones I mentioned was about the harmonic series of tones. American square shaped embouchure hole gives more overtones because (I think) more contact points(wind hitting points) gives more different waves, therefore more projective. Japanese oval shaped embouchure hole gives relatively less overtones because there is less contact points or because oval shape made the wind focused into one point, therefore lesser overtones, lesser overtons means less projective but purer tone and sweeter sound is produced. In Asia, we determine buying a American flute or a Japanese flute this way, depending on the volume or the sound we want/like.

Also, the force you blow changes the overtones(harmonic series), the harder you blow, the more overtones are heard, therefore sounded colder; the softer you blow, the less overtones can be heard, therefore sounded warmer, purer and sweeter.

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also, rounder your embouchure, the lesser your overtones. flat embouchure give more overtones, this is my experience. ;)