Exploring Flute Tone Colors and Dynamics: "Forward, Neutral, and Reverse" and the "Imaginary Headjoint Exercise"

Greetings,

During Keith Underwood's recent class in NYC, he spent a lot of time with several students exploring a greater variety of tone colors and dynamics--something we can all benefit from working on!

In addition to further exploring the idea of embouchure hole coverage variance, or "Red, Blue and Yellow" sounds as he called it last summer and "Forward, Neutral, and Reverse" as he referred to in October, he helped performers experience this variance of embouchure hole coverage by practicing an "Imaginary Flute Headjoint" Exercise.

To play louder or with a more intense tone, imagine you are playing into a headjoint that is in front of your actual headjoint. To play more quietly or with a more diffuse tone, imagine playing into a headjoint that is behind your actual headjoint.

Wow! Amazing results. Please let me know how this works for you.

All the best,
Catherine

"The Primary Colors of Flute Playing"

Hello,

Keith Underwood has recently been talking about creating "Red," "Blue," and "Yellow" tone colors on the flute by using the depressor labii inferioris muscle of the lower lip (pouting muscle) to control the coverage of the embouchure plate, changing both the dynamic and the "color" of the tone.

"Red" notes have the most coverage of the embouchure hole with the lower lip creating an intense, strong, focused tone.

"Blue" notes have moderate coverage of the lip plate with a slightly more open, mellow tone.

For "Yellow" notes the muscle contracts the lip back off the lip plate somewhat creating a more diffuse, pale tone.

And don't just think of this as a phrase-by-phrase experience. Try using the "red" sound to emphasize notes in a phrase, such as the structural notes in a passage--scale outline or important harmonic notes.

Wow! Amazing musical results...
Look for some video examples later this month.

Please let me know how "The Primary Colors of Flute Playing" work for you!

Enjoy,
Catherine