What do you recommend for a student who wants to play the flute and has a prominent teardrop in their top lip? Can a prominent teardrop limit the student’s ability to produce a characteristic tone or their future success on the flute?
A prominent teardrop in the top lip is not an obstacle in any way for a student who wants to play the flute. However, the student probably will not be able to play very well through an aperture shaped in the middle of the lips. This is because the extra flesh of the teardrop will split the air stream so it goes in two different directions on either side of the teardrop.
So what can you teach the student instead? Instruct them to blow through an aperture shaped on one side or the other of the teardrop and seal the other side of the lips. It is generally more desirable to shape the blowing aperture to the left of the teardrop rather than the right, but I have seen it work either way successfully. It doesn’t really matter as long as the student has good control of the direction of the air stream. The primary reason to encourage blowing to the left side of the teardrop is because of how embouchure holes are cut on headjoints. They are not cut symmetrically because the flute is played transversely. Consequently, even someone with a symmetrical embouchure is actually blowing slightly to the left of center. Therefore, the sweet spot for maximum resonance and response on most headjoints is slightly off center to the left.
In evaluating a student’s potential embouchure, besides the obvious observation of having a prominent teardrop, the other thing you can check is the shape of the vapor trail on the outer edge of the lip plate when the student is blowing. If there is a neat triangle with the wide edge of the vapor trail at the outer edge of the embouchure hole, then the student can easily develop a characteristic sound. On the other hand, if there are two triangles side by side, it is vitally important to direct the student to play slightly off center (usually to the left, as mentioned). The split vapor trail indicates that the flesh of the teardrop is interfering with directing the air in a concentrated stream when it hits the blowing edge of the embouchure hole. Finally, you will also see kids with a prominent teardrop when their lips are relaxed which disappears when they shape a flute aperture. Encourage these students to blow through the center, since there won’t be any splitting of the air stream.
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Thanks for this info, Cate! I just had a student come to me with this very issue and I never would have thought to change her embouchure this way! I will experiment with her and let you know how it goes!
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I had a prominent tear drop when I started taking flute seriously in my college days. I read “The Artistic Flute” and saw the photos of professional flautists playing off to one side or the other. I was stubborn and didn’t want to do that, so I exercised the muscles of my upper lip to smooth out the tear drop. I can play with a centered embouchure and an elliptical aperture. Some other professionals think I’m crazy, but it worked for me. Any thoughts?
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Very interesting story. I’ve never heard of anyone working on eliminating the teardrop in their top lip. Kudos to you for accomplishing that.
My biggest concern has always been that many kids get steered away from flute by a non-flutist band teacher because they have a prominent teardrop. I have even had people tell me they wanted to play flute when they were young, got steered to another instrument they didn’t feel an affinity for and now no longer play anything at all, but wish they had been able to study flute.
As you said, there are many prominent flutists who play off to one side or the other. To my mind, the placement of the aperture isn’t an issue as long as the embouchure functions as it should. There are options for kids who have a teardrop in their top lip.
Thank you for sharing your story!
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What type of exercised did you to get rid of the tear drop?
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I wish this post was available to me back when I started junior high 10 years ago. The flute was the one instrument that I wanted to play since forever and when I went in to tryout for it, the band director said that it wouldn’t be a good match because of my lip structure 😦 so I chose the clarinet instead. (Should’ve chosen the oboe.) I wanted to switch in high school but my junior high band director got mad and snapped at me that, “The high school you’re going to needs more clarinet players! You’re not switching after three years!”
The high school I went to had over 200 clarinet players….
And then later on I come to find out that she let this really popular and successful clarinet player from the top band switch over to another instrument (it was the flute)… I just about exploded when I learned this.
I guess I do have 6 years of playing the clarinet under my belt though 🙂
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You can still play the flute if you want to, though I would recommend finding a flute teacher to guide you with developing a flute embouchure. Where are you located? I would be happy to recommend someone if I have contacts in your area. Dr_cate@sbcglobal.net
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Thank you! I just put anew student on flute and she has the tear drop. But she made such a clear big sound right away, she lit up and immediately wanted to pick flute for her instrument. How could I say no? I’m so glad to hear it’s not the end of the world to put a student on flute if they have the tear drop!
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My daughter has played flute for a full year now and is loving it! Her director e-mailed today and said she is having trouble playing in the lower register due to a tear drop in her embouchure. He is pushing changing instruments as he has only seen one successful person play with this and it took hundreds of hours of extra practice. My kiddo is so sad tonight. I would love to find someone in our area to help her explore a change in embouchure before giving up the instrument.
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There are many, many pros who play off-center to accommodate at teardrop. It didn’t take hundreds of hours to learn to play with a strong sound in the low register either. Her director is exaggerating the difficulty greatly. Please email me. I’ll do my best to help you find someone who can help her learn to play with a teardrop top lip. It’s not a big deal. dr_cate@sbcglobal.net
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I’m working with a beginner right now who has a teardrop. I’m confident in her success, since I have one too. I didn’t even realize why I played slightly off center until I was well into conservatory. Kudos to my teachers 🙂 !
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Super helpful article! Quick question…
When encouraging a “teardrop student” to shift their aperture to the left, should I also have them shift the flute slightly to the left? Or is that not necessary, given the cut of the embouchure hole that you were talking about?
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You do need to encourage the student to center the blow hole with the center of the aperture they are shaping, rather than the center of the lips. Hope that helps!
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That would explain why I make a clearer sound when the blow hole is off center. I never knew that. My high school band teacher told me that I didn’t have the lips for flute but I’m taking lessons now and love it!
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There’s a very prevalent belief among non-flute playing band teachers that you absolutely must be able to blow through the center of your lips to play the flute. And I will tell you that there are and have been many fine players who have an off-center embouchure. Denis Bouriakov, the current principal flutist of the LA Phil, has one of the most off-center embouchures I have ever seen. And he is an absolutely magnificent player. I’m delighted you are now taking lessons and enjoying your experience playing the flute.
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Reblogged this on Hello Flute.
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Super interesting excerpt from Michel Debost from Flute Talk Magazine:
Tip of the Day: “The human body’s configuration during the playing of most instruments (strings and certainly the flute) is asymmetrical by nature. Even the oldest and most exotic representations of flute players show their apparently awkward and off-center positions – arms to the right side, broken wrists and elbows, and tilted necks. Modern flutes have kept that basic position, because experience has proven that it is the best, or at least the least bad.
Actually, many human activities are asymmetrical: there was a time when it was considered a curse or a perversion to be left-handed. Young lefties were forced to learn to write with their right hand, their left arm tied behind their back. “Sinister” comes from the latin word for “left” and bad, whereas “droit, dritto” was for “right,” honest and good.
There is sort of a fixation among flute teachers about the symmetry of the embouchure. I do not totally agree with this preoccupation, and I would like to explain why.
Of course, a teacher should urge a beginner to place the embouchure as close as possible to the center of the mouth. However, when a young person’s sound begins to gain personality and reliability, it might move away from the exact center. Forcing a beginner or intermediate flutist to change their position may delay their progress and pleasure. In my experience, the battle to change an advanced player’s embouchure to the center has led flute players to doubt themselves and led to psychological problems.
Assuming a flutist’s position is efficient and the sound does not need improvement, remember the famous words of that unknown American philosopher: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
It is very rare to see a face that is symmetrical. You might find it amusing to cut someone’s picture down the middle and reassemble it with two left sides or two right sides. It shows quite a different person, mostly because the eyes and the lips are generally not symmetrical.
Jawbones and tooth shapes, hidden from view, are also predictably asymmetrical. The lips can be thin and linear, which helps the straightness of the embouchure, or fleshy and curved making centering a problem.
In my view, the quality of tone comes from the way we hear, more than from the symmetry of our embouchure. Many great flutists played from the left side of their mouth: Georges Laurent, Marcel Moyse, Jean-Pierre Rampal, and, more modestly, the writer of these lines. Roger Mather even made a study of this matter.
What teacher has not been impressed with a perfect position and disappointed by the sound, and vice versa? To teachers, I would say: Don’t torture young people about playing exactly in the center. Pleasure and comfort are more important than symmetry.” Michel Debost, Flute Talk Magazine, December 2009.
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Thank you. Thank you. Have been reading and watching Youtube videos for weeks waiting for my first lesson. Play saxophone and clarinet. Assumed I could play a flute. Bought a nice one and have become very frustrated. Have a prominent teardrop lip.
Waiting for the rest of the household to wake up so I can try what you have advised.
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