Another aspect of tension...I sometimes find myself pressing the flute against my lip instead of just resting it. That makes me cover the hole too much and the low notes take a hit. The cure is just to remember to relax my hands and let the flute just rest there.

I’m 57 and I haven’t played my flute since middle school and I’ve been fighting with my low C. I’ve watched several videos, but your tutorial helped me get me groove back!!! Thank you so much!!!❤️❤️❤️👍

I can't believe the difference it has made, raising the body for the low notes rather than playing down into ithe flute. I have never, ever heard that before, and have always struggled with low notes. Thank you so much for this tip.

Starting at 1:33 one can see the clearest example of embouchure change I have ever seen. E.g.the corners of your mouth can be seen moving down , you can almost hear them click to new positions as you go down the scale. Another teacher has referred to the final position as "shark mouth". My current teacher has told me to do this too. But nothing is a good as a sharp, well-lit video of it happening in real time. Now that I think of it, the kind of tensions used to get the middle register would make it impossible to do what you are demonstrating... underlining your point about relaxation and undoing things. A stellar bit of teaching. Even if the student can't do it, he can see what we are shooting for and head off in the right direction with confidence.

"It's just one low note, it's not the end of the world." Love it! 😊

Thanks! This was great. I have been getting into the flute lately and enjoying how elegant the flute is. No reeds, just breath, just air. Its sound evokes freedom , air (high notes) and water (those liquid like lows).

As a flute teacher, I love hearing different ways of explaining things and of course NEVER stop learning myself. Wonderful teaching on low note embouchure! I will be using these techniques in my own practice. "Use it or loose it", for SURE!

thank you so much I'm almost in tears 😅 you helped me so much. I have been trying for two days to play low C and almost gave up, ❤️❤️❤️❤️ thank you thank you.

Thank you! You explain everything so clearly. I understand so much more now.

Thank you so much for the good advice!

I've been getting into flute and I did practice before several years ago and I remember I was able to get that low register, quite easily actually. But now, it's like I can sort of hear the note it's supposed to be, but it's so airy. The first time I got into flute, I spent 2 weeks just on getting a nice, crisp A out of my head joint. Then I remember it took me another week to get from sounding that same piccolo A with open fingering to sounding open C#. And then I don't know, the low register just came naturally. But then once I moved to a new house, I wasn't able to find my flute for months, so I couldn't practice and I lost it. Now I'm getting back into it and it's like I can consistently get that A from the head joint, very crisp and all that, but like I can't consistently get a good tone on even my open C#. And sometimes I will like move my flute to try to get to that crisp C# thinking that it's a position thing and nothing's working And sometimes I can hear myself doing like an octave warble if you know what I mean, like it starts on pitch, quickly goes up an octave, and then just as quickly goes back down and sustains. It seems to most often happen when I go to press a key or when I'm playing the first note in the breath and also when I'm doing legato, so no tonguing. When I do get a good tone on the C# though, I try to see how far I can descend and still keep a good tone. And it varies, sometimes I get to second octave C and it stops, sometimes I get all the way to first octave A and it stops. When I am getting a crisp note out of what's supposed to be a lower note, like first octave G or lower, it's actually an octave higher than it's supposed to be. I think it's a case of too much tension, especially because of the higher octave playing with a lower fingering, but then, when I consciously try to relax my embouchure just a tad, it either just stays the same or it falls apart, I stop getting notes out of it. I want to get back to where I was, which was doing low register C major scales legato and staccato.

I'm learning to play the xiao, the Chinese bamboo flute. Still, your suggestions have helped me on low notes. Thanks.

Great tips--thanks!

You are awesome. Thank you for the great tips!

3.4..... I know now why I sometimes sound airy and weak when playing low notes. Well you just clarified something I was told several weeks ago. When I try to relax too much I allow my lips to get narrow and I am putting too much air through my lips. I have corrected that now thanks to your tip. I love playing those low notes. When I have my emboucher just right ..... I'm still trying to get consistent....I get that amazing rich resonant tone with power. I can very the volume and the power by really concentrating on letting my jaw and lips relax. When I do that the tone comes. It's fantastic. The reason I love your vids is because during practice I am coming up against the very problems you touch on. I go to the practice room and go for it. I have improved so much over the last few months my flute playing is much improved.....from breathing to tone etc. Thanks a bunch. 😅😅😅

Love your videos!

Thank you! Super helpful tips!

I'm In sixth grade and just learning to play the flute this video really helped me with the low notes

This will 100% help with my lowies, thank you!

Good lesson!

Thanks for this video. I am a beginner and I thought that my instrument was not of good quality and that is why the C did not sound. Now I see what the reason is. I love your channel and I hope to be here a lot. Thanks again and greetings from Argentina.

Thank for your instruction....i will try it out.

I’ve been playing the drums since the 1980’s and now trying the flute for the first time, it’s very tricky to learn, but your video is very helpful, I’m getting there.

I needed this vid thank you.

Thank you,very clear reaching low register.

I very recently picked up the Xiao without previous knowledge of WW playing. A colleague recommended your channel, and every time I revisit your videos I feel I improve and need constant reminders of how to improve tone quality. You rock! Pedagogy win!

It,s a very good and sweet teacher

THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I stumbled on this video made just over FIVE YEARS AGO and am ALREADY PLAYING BETTER in the 10 MINUTES it took to watch it! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!! =)

Thank you do much! I have been having lots of trouble with low notes! This was really helpfull!

THANK YOU!!!!

I appreciate this video so much!! I’m an adult beginner just trying to learn flute from KZfaq and your videos have been fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing!❤

This video was very helpful!

Thank you for positing this exercise.

you are the coolest

Really detailed, it helped. Thx

This was helpful..thanks!

Thanks! Coming back to playing after many years break, I have found the muscle memory returned quickly, however still strugling with the low notes. This helped imensely...

I love your lessons

I have watched a thousand videos on how to do low notes.... this is the only one that helped!!!!!!

Woah this helped so much

Masterful! It must take a lot of reflection and introspection to be able to formulate and convey the critical tiny adjustments that must be second nature by the time someone progresses to this level. Thanks!

Another very helpful video 😊 thank you

Really helpful! I struggle so much with the low register tone. Now I have some concepts to think about and exercises too! Thank you for your videos.

So true about shrinking down as we (I) play a low note. Hahah. Never noticed consciously until you said something. Lol. Thank you!

thank you very helpful

Great tips! Thanks a lot!

Thanks so much.!! Tightening the top lip, really made the difference))

Hi! and thanks, the rolling out the flute tip worked great for me, thanks!

This had helped me so much 😁

you are so funny, I like your videos watching. Makes learning much more enjoyable. Thanks you for your videos :)

Thanks for this video, and for your channel ! May I share my own experience ? So far I can tell, you get the richest and most powerful low tones from a good air intake, suppleness of your entire upper body, and the deeper possible "ha" - Air intake : relaxed and open pelvis, think you take your air down to your thights (Emmanuel Pahud's trick) - suppleness of the upper body. Every single muscle has to be supple, jaw, neck, shoulders, back, but especially your guts (Emily Beynon's body check) - deepest possible "ha" coming from your pelvis (by deepest, I mean, the lowest "ha" you would be able to pronounce with your voice). Think your pelvis as the point from which the air is catapulted. Having set this, you have more room to use your lips to choose a colour for your lows. Cheers !

I'm re-learning to play flute after an hiatus of ... maybe 20 years. I'm struggling with the low notes again. I'll play long notes for a while and focus on sound, specially on the low register. Need to train my lips to get back in shape. Thank you for the tips and exercises. This is helping me a lot :)

Super Cool!! I'm trying to learn flute now. Very helpful tips!

Wow, fantastisch Tatiana. Du gabst mir heute entscheidende Tipps mit, um tiefe Töne in guter Qualität zu erzeugen. Zum Beispiel, das die Oberlippe ein kleines Stückchen nach vorne gebracht wird, der Unterkiefer ein kleines Stückchen zurückgebracht wird, sind goldene Tipps. Ich sehe ein, das dies immer wieder geübt werden muß, um Muskeln in diesen Bereichen aufzubauen. Vielen Dank Tatiana, dies ist mir eine große Hilfe. Michael

I am currently learning Enesco's Cantabile et Presto so I got excited when you played that section. I am currently struggling with those double tongued low notes and low notes in the piece in general. I think it's also an embouchure issue and I actually ended up also watching your relaxing your flute embouchure. Thank you for these videos. They definitely keep me motivated and ready to experiment after frustrating practice sessions. :)

Thanks so much for this, very helpful indeed.

Thank you Tatiana. I’m doing Trevor with you and this was sooooooo helpful. Brilliant teaching.

Thank you for the very helpful tips! I am still struggling with the in between notes when going from very low to slightly high.

Love Love your videos. I have learned so much from these in just the past 2 days. Thank you for posting them. So many problems that I have you address and really talk them through. You have brought back for me the joy of playing. Could you post a video on how to incorporate vibrato into your piece, when to quiver and when not to. Vibrato is still a work in progress for me and such a mystery for some reason.

As always your info is well ordered and easy to follow, plus effective when applied. My struggle I suppose is simply to keep on practicing and rest before my mouth muscles get so tired I can't get the low notes after doing things up high for awhile, like going up and down the harmonic steps on each key, especially the low ones. A couple of times I got the 7th harmonic above the low C, but still working to control which harmonic pops out and not have it pop into another unintended harmonic. Your info helps in zeroing in on the muscles I should be using and the lip position. Thank you.

Thank you so helpful, just passed my grade 1 exam and really want to improve my tone

OHHH MY GOSH!! This was such a life saver for a freshman in an advanced band who got their wisdom teeth removed and needed a bit of advice on how to play again!!😅😅 thank you so much, my practices are already sounding better, i am so grateful!!

Why so little subscribers??! Greetings from Serbia and biiig respect for your videos! :-*

You rule. I’ve been playing for a loong time and this makes it easier for beginners to self-teach. I’ve a hard time with improvisation as I’m predominantly classically trained. Quack muscles unite!

step 1 have a very well maintained flute

Just had a m2 gemeinhardt re padded in kangaroo and i suspect the keys need extra seating. The low c involves two keys being seated simultaneously with the pinky finger,i found that if i squeeze those two keys with both hands it temporarily improves the seat and the low c comes easy, i might have to clamp them overnight.

I'd love you make a video about playing Alto flute. I play this in flute choir and when I started it was a struggle!

Au début j'ai cru que ma flûte avait un problème...et puis petit à petit en expérimentant des positions, des pressions, des angles etc...aprés 1 semaine! Bingo le Do grave est sortie et après bcp de travail...je le joue aussi facilement que le Sol. Merci bella

Thank you. Becoming aware of the various muscles in your lips and face, and their respective roles in embouchure and sound production, is essential to knowing how to produce the sounds that you want on a consistent basis. Once you are aware, your brain will, over time, grow new neural connections to make this control automatic. But the awareness really speeds up the process. Without the awareness, you will be growing new neural connections to automate your bad habits and mistakes. Here is one other suggestion: At least once a week, play into a recorder. (There are lots of phone app recorders that you can download to your phone). This exercise is brutal on the ego, but if you really want to improve the way you sound, you have to hear the way you *really* sound. But be kind to yourself. Know that you will eventually be playing perfectly. And picture how good that feels!

nice, helpful, funny en tnks for the necessary relativity !

I’m a tear drop player (just beginning) and I have trouble with breath control I make really high notes but I need to make low this helped

Hi, Tatiana. Actually, relaxing is the key to playing better any instrument. Many beginner drummers, for example, are too tense when they play, mostly when they play Rn'R. Only when a drummer lerns to relax can he play intricate patterns and play for a long time. I think that the same applies to flute playing, as you say in this very useful video. As a beginner flute player, thank you again!

I have been playing flute for more than 30 years so I almost forgot how hard it was to play nice and clear low notes. Move your chin a bit forward and down, make sure your lips are in the correct position and try make your air flow wider. Not too much, just decrease the tension of your muscles

The easiest thing to try, and it can make a dramatic difference, is just to rotate the headjoint forward (counterclockwise) a few millimeters when putting your flute together, so it is forward of the classic inline position by a few millimeters. This angle is better for low notes for some people, and as long as it isn't extremely forward, the middle and high notes come out fine. Although I play naturally with an open throat, as if yawning, sometimes it helps me on low notes to think of opening the back of the throat a little extra. Lastly, if your tone is good on everything but the bottom four notes or so and you're sure your cork isn't leaking or there isn't some pad problem (which would be obvious when someone who has good low notes tries your flute and can't get them), try flute headjoints with a different shape of embouchure hole. You may find one that allows you to blast the low notes out with ease. Make sure it articulates cleanly, and sounds good on the other notes as well.

I watched sooooooo many videos but it didn’t work , your video was the BEST! I’m 9 years old.👍👌🤪🤩😁😏❤️

The night before, i finally found my sound for the low notes. It was the best thing ever it was clear and full in sound... the next day we had to play for the directors in class and i was so nervous, my hands were shaking etc and when i played it the sound just disappear. It still comes out but not as full and i got frustrated

Hi, I'm relatively new to playing the flute. I can do a low E but whenever I try to do a low D it always comes out high. I'd be really grateful if you could give me some advice. Thank you!

After my whinny comment, I really found the video very helpful and eliminating. Thank you

I've been playing trumpet and flute, as I've made more progress with the brass embouchure now I can't quite hit the lowest note on the flute and could do it before? Muscle confusion?

I have always had problems hitting the lowest c in a sequence of notes.

Yep

Your videos are really helpful, im from pakistan, although im not learning from your videos :P thanks

Hello, could you advise on what to do when everything works well until I reach d1, then going lower there's no sound. Normally I can't complain about my low register but there are days when I just can't play it. I would feel more comfortable knowing that it's always there :) thank you!

After 3 years playing flute when i play low c it somr times sound like west wind even when i direct the air down and i cannot play it quickly im fully frustrated please guide if you can thanks

Thank you for your encouragement and instruction. A question. I find hitting the low notes while working down a scale easier then just attempting to play the single note. Is that because the flute is already vibrating when you go to blow that low note during the process of playing a scale versus starting the vibration by playing the one note alone? I also wonder if my lips and blowing are making minor adjustments during the scale and everything is setup to hit the low note when I get there.

I have a trouble with high notes. I have not trouble with low notes Not enough breath for continue to play the song in high notes what can i do?

I'm a beginner flute and I'm trying to get my low Eb and I just cannot even get a sound, ive been trying for over a week on this one task and I'm stumped.

where you from?

Hello Tatiana. I recently obtained an Artley 18-0 and it has blue tint in places like yours. Is that an Artley? Also, I've discovered that toothpaste may be used with a cloth to 'compound' that blue away, (but who wouldn't want to keep it that way?) Thanks so much for the wonderful videos.

Ma'am how to play flute in between the to lines of a song......

thank you very much......hitting the low c is almost impossible for me.

Thanks. I'm getting a nice round sound from low A to E, then my D is OK and finally the low C is very low in volume, but yet clear. How could I make it a little louder? Although, I think my issue is more psychological... being a tenor sax player, I'm used to loud sound on the low register. Any help would be appreciated. By the way, you crack me up, you must be super fun to be with:)

*_Here is another tip for Low C._*_ Get the Low C articulation started strongly by slapping the F key._ I don't know why this works, but it is something that my flute instructor suggested. It works amazingly.

how can I get a clear low C? I tried many times :( it only sounds a bit good if it's slurred from the low D. or how can I know if my flute may be damaged?

is it possible to play a low B flat without the third pinky key?

Am I the only one who loves hearing her talk?

🙏🙏🙏⚘⚘⚘👌👌👌

Right now..... I just need a new flute...... my Embouchure is pretty bomb... But that high E natural just doesn't want to come out... D;!!!!!

Very helpful. Thank you. What is your name by the way?

Cool video. Thanks for posting. So, should low notes be played more with a 'ha' than a 'ta'? The air comes more from the belly that way, right? All the best, from London.