Maintaining great flute tone

by Kim O
(Atlanta)

Question: Played the flute forever. 40+ years. Daily do embouchure exercises and long tones from low C to high D. Some days I have wonderful, terrific tone. Other days, not so much. How can I ensure I have great tone when it counts - playing a concert, etc. I play picc also and switch back and forth. I know this can cause this problem some, but since I play both every day of my life and still have great tone days, it can't be the main problem. Thanks.

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Answer: You're really working hard and doing all the right things. I don't think it's possible to always be great. It's natural to have some down days.

It could be that some days your muscles are tired and you don't get as good a sound as you do on days when your muscles are in better shape.

Can you think of a pattern to when you feel your sound isn't as good? Is it after playing the piccolo? After practicing a lot of flexibility exercises? After playing a taxing concert? If you can find a pattern, you may be able to figure out when you'll be tired and you can back off your practice routine a bit.

When you think you're having a bad day, ask someone to listen to you. Don't tell them that you feel you're playing badly, just ask them to listen. Chances are, they won't think you're playing badly. It might just be your perception that something sounds bad to you or maybe it just doesn't feel right, maybe it's not hitting the sweet spot it usually does.

I hope this helps you. Keep up the good work!