Things to keep in mind
- Don't eat or drink directly before playing. Food can get stuck in and damage your flute. If necessary, wash your mouth out with water before playing.
- Don't wear lip gloss or lipstick if you're playing your flute. It causes discolouration of the lip plate.
- Don't leave your flute alone around small children or pets.
- Don't play your flute in a moving veichle.
- Play your flute in an open space so that you don't hit it on anything.
- You're the only one who plays your flute. Less experienced musicians could damage your flute.
- Never have gum in your mouth when playing. It can get caught in your flute, and it's very hard to get out.
Embouchure
To be able to get sound out of a flute, you need to have an embouchure. An embouchure is the mouth position that you use to blow into an instrument to make noise. To make a good flute embouchure follow these steps:
1. Take the head joint and cover the open end with your hand.
2. Shape your mouth by saying "whee" and tightening the corners of your mouth.
3. Next, say "too". Your mouth is now in a good position for playing the flute.
4. Place the head joint on your chin, so that your lower lip rests over the embouchure hole.
5. Cover a quarter of the embouchure hole with your lower lip. Blow slightly downwards across the hole.
1. Take the head joint and cover the open end with your hand.
2. Shape your mouth by saying "whee" and tightening the corners of your mouth.
3. Next, say "too". Your mouth is now in a good position for playing the flute.
4. Place the head joint on your chin, so that your lower lip rests over the embouchure hole.
5. Cover a quarter of the embouchure hole with your lower lip. Blow slightly downwards across the hole.
How to Set Up
- When you open your flute case, open it at the lowest point possible, on the floor. When you get comfortable with putting your flute, you can start setting it up on your lap.
- Make sure that the logo side of the case is facing up.When you open your flute case, your flute will be in three pieces.
- Take the head joint and middle joint out of your case. The head joint is the piece with no keys on it, just the lip plate and the embouchure hole (the mouthpiece), and the middle joint is the longest piece.
- Now you're ready to put the flute together. Push the head joint into the middle joint using a gentle, twisting motion. Line up the embouchure hole with the tone holes on the middle joint. Sometimes, there will be an arrow on the barrel of the flute, which you can use to align the flute by lining up the arrow with the embouchure hole.
- Next, connect the foot joint, the smallest piece, onto the end of the flute. The E-flat key should be in line with the tone holes on the middle joint.
- Make sure that the logo side of the case is facing up.When you open your flute case, your flute will be in three pieces.
- Take the head joint and middle joint out of your case. The head joint is the piece with no keys on it, just the lip plate and the embouchure hole (the mouthpiece), and the middle joint is the longest piece.
- Now you're ready to put the flute together. Push the head joint into the middle joint using a gentle, twisting motion. Line up the embouchure hole with the tone holes on the middle joint. Sometimes, there will be an arrow on the barrel of the flute, which you can use to align the flute by lining up the arrow with the embouchure hole.
- Next, connect the foot joint, the smallest piece, onto the end of the flute. The E-flat key should be in line with the tone holes on the middle joint.
How to Play
1. Assemble your flute.
2. Sit up straight on the edge of your chair
3. Curl your left hand into a C shape, so that you make a shelf for the flute to rest on. Put your thumb on the B-flat key on the underside of the flute. Curl your fingers around so that they rest on the three tone holes. Refer to the diagram below.
4. Put your right thumb under the flute and curl your fingers around to cover the last three tone holes. Put your pinky finger on the E-flat key. Refer to the diagram below.
5. Lift the flute up to the right side of your body. Put the lip plate under your mouth.
6. Put your mouth into embouchure position, cover a quarter of the embouchure hole with your lower lip, and blow across the hole.
2. Sit up straight on the edge of your chair
3. Curl your left hand into a C shape, so that you make a shelf for the flute to rest on. Put your thumb on the B-flat key on the underside of the flute. Curl your fingers around so that they rest on the three tone holes. Refer to the diagram below.
4. Put your right thumb under the flute and curl your fingers around to cover the last three tone holes. Put your pinky finger on the E-flat key. Refer to the diagram below.
5. Lift the flute up to the right side of your body. Put the lip plate under your mouth.
6. Put your mouth into embouchure position, cover a quarter of the embouchure hole with your lower lip, and blow across the hole.