Low notes on flute

Question: I need help with the lower notes. They sometimes come out, but they sometimes don't. Could you suggest some helpful exercises to help me? I practice it, but it just doesn't come out all the time.

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Answer: First, have your flute checked over by a competent repair person to be sure your flute is in good repair. If you have a leaky pad or the keys aren't closing properly, that could be adversely affecting the production of your low notes.

After your flute gets a "clean bill of health," check your embouchure. Is your embouchure tight or are you pulling back the corners of your lips?

If so, this can hurt your low notes.

Relax your embouchure as much as possible. Open your mouth in a big yawn and feel your lower jaw relax. As you are playing, pretend that your lower jaw is falling off onto the floor.

Roll your bottom lip down in a pout. See how relaxed your embouchure is?

See the pictures on my flute embouchure page for a comparison of a tight versus relaxed embouchure.

Next, be sure you are blowing a fast stream of air...

1) Inhale deeply.

2) Blow out the air very fast. Think of a fast ball pitch or a laser beam directed a dot.

Also think about the direction of your air stream. For low notes, aim your air down toward the ground. For high notes, your air stream is directed higher, toward the ceiling.

Good luck!