Fake-arando is Not a Thing

Tags

Contest preparation, flute balance, flute fingering, flute pedagogy, flute technique

Sometime last school year, one of my private students was learning the Poulenc Sonata for flute and piano. If you are familiar with the piece, you know that there are at least five 32nd note runs that the flute does together with the piano in the first movement. When she got to the first run, she played the first couple notes, did some kind of faking in the middle of the run and played the last couple of notes. Inside, I was flipping out. What’s this? I never told her she could or should fake this run. It’s not that hard to play correctly, etc.

So I asked her about what she did in the most neutral way I could summon, why she wasn’t playing all the notes in this run, but in fact, faking it. Her answer elicited an even stronger reaction from me than just the fact that she was faking to begin with. She told me that her middle school band director had told her that was how to handle runs as a general rule! She had been told not to worry about the notes in the middle of the scale, just hit the bottom and top and you’re good. And this is a student who, herself wants to be a music educator.

A few thoughts about teaching kids good technique:

• It impacts the quality of the entire ensemble when you let your woodwinds fake fast runs and scale rips.
• It does kids a huge disservice to let them or even encourage them to fake their technique, both in their ensemble playing and when they begin working on solo repertoire.
• If you only ever test kids on playing scales in eighth notes at mm=80, they will never develop the ability to play rip scales that are so much a part of woodwind writing in concert band music
• Include technical work for your students both as a section and individually into your curriculum.
• There are vast resources available through traditional band methods, band technique books and online resources you can use with your students with very little effort on your part

Technique resources that I like from the band world include the huge library of scales, arpeggios and wiggles in SmartMusic. Foundations for Superior Performance and Habits of a Successful Musician both have excellent technical exercises. Then, of course in the flute realm, there are a wealth of great technique books including Trevor Wye’s Practice Books Omibus edition and Complete Daily Exercises, Patricia George’s The Flute Scale Book, and of course the venerable Taffanel and Gaubert 17 Big Daily Exercises

Personally, I’m not a fan of scales that have an 8th note followed by seven 16th notes. I don’t really think this type of scale teaches technical fluency. What I do like are five note scale patterns in every key including sharp keys, scale rips starting on each note of a scale, scales that cover the full range of the instrument (for more advanced players).

As always, if you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics, workshops and performances, click here.

Building Technique

Tags

blowing, flute fingering, flute pedagogy, practicing

There is more to technique than just moving your fingers. In fact, good technique on flute integrates a number skills and types of awareness. This includes:

• Balance of the flute and hand positions – if the flute isn’t properly balanced, then students develop all kinds of compensating behaviors to keep the flute from rolling back.
• Blowing – without steady air speed and pressure, the greatest finger technique is not of much use because we won’t hear what is being played.
• Coordinating fingers and tongue – have you ever heard a student try to play a fast passage while their fingers and tongue are out of phase? Even with decent finger technique, it isn’t very effective to be tonguing behind the ictus of the note.
• Knowledge of scales and arpeggios in all 12 keys – make it a priority that your students get beyond the keys of F, Bb and Eb. Help them learn to think in sharps for sharp keys and flats for flat keys.

Get your flute students technical exercises just for them, or at least for woodwinds rather than brass. The venerable band technique books are either more focused on brass skills like lip slurs and/or are limited in scope in their technical exercises for flute. There are many excellent technique books specifically for flute that target the developing flute player, including books by Trevor Wye (The Practice Books) and Patricia George and Phyllis Avidan Louke (The Flute Scale Book). There are also great scale and arpeggio exercises in all keys and different patterns and note values (quarter, eighth, sixteenth notes) in the PC/Mac version of Smart Music. In Smart Music, you can assign scale exercises for assessment, set it to loop through the circle of fifths and change articulation patterns.

Tone work is a vital part of technical practice. Please note that brass style lip slurs and Remington exercises may be useful in an ensemble setting, they are not particularly helpful in developing characteristic flute tone. For developing flute tone there is no better exercise than practicing octaves slowly. Students can focus on directing the air properly and pay attention filling the space between the notes with steady air. I recommend waiting until high school to introduce the Moyse long tones. The younger kids usually don’t have the maturity to understand how to explore tone, focus and continuity with the Moyse long tones.

The important thing is to help your students develop good home practice habits that include regular tone and technical work. If kids are practicing 30-40 minutes a day, 10-15 minutes focusing on technique will make a huge difference in their skill set.

If you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics, workshops and performances, click here.

The Sequential Nature of Flute Fingerings

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flute fingering, flute pedagogy

What is the home scale of the flute? Has this changed as the flute evolved into its modern form? How does this relate to traditional band keys? What effect does learning band keys first on flute have on understanding the sequential nature of flute fingerings?

Historically, the flute has been built with the D major scale being its home key, i.e. starting with all keys closed (minus the foot joint) and lifting one finger at a time in sequential order. With the advent of the modern keyed flute in the mid-1800’s and the addition of the foot joint, you could make a case for the C major scale becoming the home key of the flute today because that is the scale we play by lifting up each finger in direct order from bottom to top on our modern, Boehm system flutes.

I have to say I’m not a big fan of teaching Bb before B natural, despite band pedagogy being so heavily weighted toward flat keys to accommodate the transposing instruments. The main reason for this is I think that teaching Bb first creates an obstacle for kids grasping the idea that the nature of fingering on the flute is sequential, fingers lifting or closing keys in order to go up and down the instrument. And this is despite the fact that I advocate teaching the 1 and 1 Bb before teaching the thumb Bb, as I’ve outlined before. You could teach thumb Bb to maintain the sequential nature of the scale, but then you can cause other problems down the road when it comes to teaching any scale with adjacent Bb and B, regardless of enharmonic spelling (especially the keys of Gb/F# major, B major and chromatic scales). You don’t want kids getting into the habit of sliding their thumb between the B and Bb. That is a really damaging habit to good technique in the long run.

Despite the fact that the major band methods start kids with middle F, Eb and D, I vehemently disagree with this. Good flute tone is based on building from the low octave and up. The middle octave is an overtone, a harmonic of the first octave. You really can’t equate it to what works for brass instruments where you need to start in the middle of the series and work outward. The other problem is that Eb and D are ridiculously hard for beginners. They are some of the longest notes, in terms of length of tube to activate, on the flute.

A better formula for building a successful flute section is to teach B, A, G in the low register. Then add C, being sure to work on balancing the instrument. Then add low F and E. After that, teach E, F and G in the middle octave, relating them to the low E, F and G using octaves. Finally fill in the D, Eb and Bb. By the time the kids get to the D and Eb in the middle register, they have a good grasp of how to move enough air to really activate the tube and playing these notes isn’t nearly as difficult as trying to start from there.

If you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics, workshops and performances, click here.

Building Flute Technique

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flute balance, flute fingering, flute pedagogy, flute students, flute technique

Technique is one of the more straightforward aspects of playing the flute, and relatively easy to teach. As with every other aspect of playing, it does need to be monitored carefully as students develop. Probably the most important thing to monitor regarding technique is the student’s set up  with regards to balancing the flute and left and right hand positions. This makes all the difference to long term success for building useful flute technique for kids. And, of course, that the students are using the correct fingerings, i.e., 1st finger up for middle D and Eb, using right hand little finger for everything except D, right hand third finger for F#, correct high note fingerings (they are all different, see The 5 Most Common Fingering Mistakes)

We all know scale and arpeggio exercises are essential. In my own studio, I introduce scales and arpeggios as soon as the student knows Bb and can play all the naturals from low F to middle F. Depending on what flute method I’m using, the first scale students learn is either F or Bb major. I prefer to use method books that introduce flats and sharps equally. (My favorites for working with band kids are the Gekeler Flute Method and the Flute Student books by Fred Weber and Douglas Steensland. There are also really good flute specific methods available now, notably by Kathy Blocki, inventor of the PneumoPro, and Patricia George/Phyllis Louke). So the order of learning scales becomes F, C, G, Bb, D, Eb, A, Ab, E, Db, B, Gb/F#. As students learn the scales, we always review them in circle of fifths/fourths order so kids get functional harmony in their ear, even if they haven’t got a clue about music theory. So, for example, if we are learning Bb, we will play G, C, F and Bb so our ear is grounded in Bb for all the melodies we will play at the lesson in Bb. Likewise, if we are working on the key of D, we will review scales starting on Bb, F, C, G and then D, which nicely sets us up for the D major tunes we are studying.

If you have an organized way of introducing both flat and sharp keys, students can be playing all twelve major scales and arpeggios one octave within the first year of playing. I also strongly encourage you to have students read notes rather than just note names when practicing scales and arpeggios. It really reinforces key awareness to have them also play simple melodies in the keys they study. Depending on how quickly the students assimilate the third octave fingerings, you can expand scale and arpeggio practice to two octaves. It might take two to three years to get to the point where they can play all twelve scales two octaves, but when the students have that kind of technical mastery, they will have tools for dealing with more advanced band/orchestra literature, MEA audition etudes and solo repertoire.

If you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics, workshops and performances, click here

Solutions for Common Third Octave Problems

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embouchure, flute balance, flute embouchure, flute fingering, flute intonation, flute pedagogy, flute students, flute technique

The third octave on the flute is an interesting phenomenon because of the embouchure issues it presents and because of the technical and acoustic properties of the instrument. It is definitely not as straight forward as the lower two octaves in terms of the mechanics of the flute. The reason for all the cross fingerings and venting in the third octave is because each note is combining the harmonics of two lower pitches to reinforce the sound of each note. One of the easiest to conceptualize is the fingering for high E: T12|12(Eb) It is combining the overtone series of both E and A. In fact, if the air speed is insufficient, an out of tune A will sound below the intended pitch with this fingering. You can get to the high E by playing harmonics on either E or A. For E it will be the 4th partial and for A it will be the 3rd partial. The two combined make the standard fingering for third octave E (among flutists it is generally agreed that the E is better in tune without the Eb key).

Be sure your flute students know the third octave fingerings. It isn’t enough for them to just overblow a 1st/2nd octave fingering. They will be playing harmonics rather than the correct third octave fingering. The real fingerings will always sound more solid and will be easier to play in tune. Give them a way to practice these fingerings and test them on the practicing you assign. The kids need concrete ways to build their facility in the third octave.  Here is one way to practice third octave technique.

Then there are the common embouchure issues you see with kids. It is common for students to struggle with buzzing rather than playing the desired pitch in the third octave. What causes the buzzing? Their lips are stretched laterally, from corner to corner. If your kids are pulling their corners, there is a really high probability that they will buzz in the third octave. Have them pay more attention to how they are shaping the aperture in the middle of their lips (like how your lips are shaped to blow a kiss or to drink through a straw), and forget about the corners. Remember to blow!

Another common problem is trying to control the third octave by flattening the aperture, rolling the flute in and pinching. Usually what goes with this is insufficient blowing. Oh no! High notes! Cue the Psycho shower scene music! The results are going to be really sharp and likely unsuccessful beyond high E or F. They will be lucky to get to a G. You have to help unwind them. Flute lower on the chin, roll the flute out a bit, relax the corners, shape the aperture (think of saying “W”) and blow more. Make sure the flute is aligned properly, check hand positions and balance. It seems paradoxical that rolling the flute away from you a little bit would improve the response and intonation of the high notes, but it works like magic. Check out this device (Flute Tutor) that can help enforce this positioning with your students.

If you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly for more flute tips. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics, workshops and performances,  click here.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Trills

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flute fingering, flute pedagogy, flute technique

Your flute students (and other woodwinds) are usually going to be asked to trill by the time they have been playing a year or so. Trills provide the flutes and other woodwinds the opportunity to add brilliance and excitement to a score. Forgive me for stating the obvious, but a trill is a rapid alternation between adjacent pitches, up either a half step or whole step from the notated pitch (never down). The next question is how does one know whether it’s a whole or half step? One word answer – context. Here are the basic rules for trilling:

• Trill to the next note above the notated pitch in the key except….
• If there is an accidental next to the tr sign, then trill to the accidental indicated or….
• If the note being trilled is itself an accidental, again trill to the next note in the notated key unless there is an accidental next to the tr, as previously noted.
• Anything bigger than a whole step is considered a tremolo, not a trill.

In the absence of direction, kids will come up with the darnedest things, especially in the case of trills. They know they need to wiggle something, so they do….any adjacent finger will do. Doesn’t matter if it is up or down. They think because they are wiggling a finger, they are trilling. And it sounds just awful.

Here are some pointers about trill fingerings. Many trill fingerings are obvious like F to G, G to A. No special fingering chart needed. However, a large proportion of trill fingerings are not “normal” fingerings. Trill fingerings are a collection of cheats, hacks and other tricks you would never use to play a regular note. They idea is we are trying to simplify the fingerings to be able to wiggle as few fingers as possible, with only one finger being ideal (but not always achievable). The alternation is rapid enough that the listener won’t hear it’s a cheater fingering. Some notable examples include C to D (first trill key), Db to Eb (second trill key), E to F# (finger E and wiggle the right first finger). Trills that include Bb almost always require using the thumb Bb. Third octave trills require using harmonic fingerings. Having a good trill chart is not just a good idea, it is essential. I recommend the Woodwind Fingering Guide (It’s available on the web. You can see it on your phone in your pocket. No excuses.)

One small performance practice caveat regarding trills in music written before 1800. It is considered correct to start the trill on the auxiliary pitch rather than the notated pitch (except when approached from the scale degree directly above the notated pitch). If you are interested and have time, check out the Quantz treatise, On Playing the Flute. There’s an entire chapter on trills in the Classic, Pre-Classic and Baroque periods.

Lastly, for trills to sound good, you need to remember to blow. You can be furiously wiggling your finger, but without sufficient blowing, there’s no point. In this respect, trilling is like tonguing. It is very easy to get distracted by the wiggling finger or the tonguing and forget that the very foundation of flute playing (indeed any playing any wind instrument) is blowing, keeping the air column moving and energized.

If you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly for more flute tips. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics and workshops click here.

Choosing the Best Bb Fingering for the Job

Tags

flute fingering, flute pedagogy, flute technique

The low and middle Bb is the only note on the flute where we have three equally viable fingerings without any sacrifices in terms of tone quality or intonation. However, there can be very big differences in ease of use and smoothness of technique. Knowing the best fingering to use is about understanding the context of the passage in which the Bb appears. We’ve looked at the order in which to teach the different fingerings in an earlier post. As I have said before, choosing the best Bb fingering can be like voting. Sometimes the best choice is very clear and you just do it. Other times it is like having to choose between a jerk, an idiot and a crook. None of the choices are very appealing but you have to decide which one is the least offensive in the context and will compromise the smoothness of the technique the least.

Let’s look at these one at a time. I see the 1 and 1 Bb fingering as a necessary evil that sometimes can’t be avoided. It is essential for the keys of Gb and B, and could be advisable for the key of Db, especially going into the third octave because of the high F#/Gb. It is also a viable choice for anything chromatic involving B and Bb.

Thumb Bb is the flutist’s friend–most of the time. Ever so useful for anything in most flat keys, with the exception of the keys  of Gb, B (Cb) and sometimes Db, as mentioned above. When playing in a flat key, just use the thumb Bb key as your thumb key for everything. It makes no difference to the other notes because the actual Bb key (the key you don’t press between the first and second finger) has to be closed anyway for every note from Bb down the rest of the flute. Means for Bb, A, Ab, G, etc. The caveats are never use thumb Bb in a chromatic scale/passage involving B and Bb and never for third octave F#/Gb. The Bb key has to be open for that note to speak properly ( If you try it, the F#/Gb will either be flat and sound bad or it won’t speak at all).

Finally, the trill key Bb (side key Bb or Bb lever), can be a really useful key to use if you are trying to avoid nasty, clunky Bb combinations like G-Bb, Gb -Bb, etc. or in chromatic passages. Some flutists use the trill key Bb exclusively on chromatic scales. This is not my personal choice, but there is nothing wrong with it. And of course it can be used for trilling Bb to B or for other tremelos like G to Bb. Sometimes it is just easier or smoother. Mechanically it is the most simple Bb fingering of all because it only closes the Bb key without all the rest of the interlocking mechanism involved in the other two fingerings.

If you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly for more flute tips. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics and workshops click here.

Gadgets and Gizmos

Tags

accessories, flute balance, flute fingering, flute technique

Sometimes flute players can use a little help when it comes to balancing the flute in their hands. This can be to assist young players in developing efficient hand positions or for comfort. One of the easiest and cheapest things you can use is a foam pencil grip cut lengthwise.

You can put it underneath the C key as a left hand cushion or you can cut it in half and put it under the F key as a right hand thumb guide. Because the grip is round, it will stay on the flute really well. However, it can fall off. You could use a little bit of a removable adhesive to make it stick to the flute, while making it easy to take off if necessary.

  

There are also several adaptive devices that are affordable and readily available. For the left hand is the Bo Pep finger saddle. It provides a little more thickness to the body of the flute and a very secure depression that the inside of the index finger rests in. Here is what it looks like on the flute:

If it is properly placed, it won’t interfere with the C key. It’s also really comfortable.

For the right hand thumb there are a couple different devices available. Which one you choose depends on the size and shape of the thumb. If the player has a short to medium size thumb that is nearly straight, I like the Thumbport. It is designed to rest against the ribbing underneath the F key, between the kickers. It provides a little shelf that the thumb goes underneath that helps with balance. It frees up the fingers from holding the flute so they can move more freely.  If you have a very long thumb or one that hyperextends at the first joint, the Thumbport won’t work so well for you.

 

Bo Pep also makes a thumb rest for the right hand that goes directly under the F key. This device can be used by almost anyone, but is especially good for people who have long and/or hyperextending thumbs. It gives a flat and stable platform from which to balance the flute.

We have looked at the pros for these devices. There are a few cons to consider.

• The Thumbport seems to only work well for people with medium to short and/or straight thumbs. Not a good choice for long and/or hyperextending thumbs.
• The BoPep products are made of a hard plastic which can scratch a flute.
• The foam pencil grips can slide even though they do stay in place really well. This is a minor issue for an advanced player but it might be helpful to use a removable adhesive to attach it to kids’ flutes.

Also, I really don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all solution for balancing the flute correctly. These devices can be helpful, but they are by no means necessary in most cases. And providing one device exclusively over others for your students can cause more hand position problems than you ultimately solve for them. Check out the previous posts on balance and hand position, It’s All About Balance and Flute Balance and the Right Hand.

If you find these entries helpful, subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly for more flute tips. Feel free to comment and ask questions. What do you want to know about flute pedagogy? Maybe the answer to your question will be the next flute tip. Find me on Facebook or email me your questions at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics and workshops click here.

High Register Hacks for Intonation, Dynamics and Facility

Tags

dynamics, flute fingering, flute intonation, flute technique

In an earlier entry on this blog, we explored the reason there are so many cross-fingerings in the third octave. This time we are going to look at some alternate fingerings for solving intonation problems, controlling dynamics and improving facility in fast passages in the third octave.

There are three fingerings in particular that are problematic with pitch and response in the third octave: E, F# and G#. Trevor Wye calls the E and F# “gnomes” and devotes a couple of pages to dealing with them in the Practice Book: Tone. The problem lies in that there are two holes open different than the lower two register fingerings (rather than just one) creating more resistance in the response. What this means is the player must ensure there is enough air speed, otherwise these notes will drop down a fifth, hitting the lower partial. These notes are also sharp using the standard fingering. The most common mechanical solution is the split E mechanism. There are some brands that have a split E mechanism on their beginner flutes, either as an option or as a standard feature. There is a mechanical solution for the F#, though it is an extremely rare and expensive option on fine handmade flutes. I have heard of it, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen it except in a photograph. It is called the Brossa F#.

Here are some fingering hacks that will at least correct the pitch, if not improve response and some fingerings that give control playing softly (with sufficient air speed):

• High E – play without right pinky to lower pitch (especially important if this note needs to be sustained), add second trill key (D#) to play very softly (it can be sharp, so be sure to angle airstream lower)
• High F – can be sharp, add right third finger to flatten (better to learn to blow at a lower angle, but this works in a pinch)
• High Gb/F# – use middle finger right hand rather than fourth finger right hand to lower pitch (my preferred fingering, works best for all but a few arpeggios)
• High Ab/G# – add right third and fourth fingers to lower pitch (especially important for sustained notes), a nice hack for playing softly is to play Ab with the low Ab fingering and C# trill key, if you have it (generally available on step-up flutes and higher).
• High A – play with pinky on the C# paddle on the footjoint rather than the Eb key to play softly
• High Bb – Be sure that first finger left hand is up with thumb only (aim the air higher because it is flat), an alternate fingering for playing softly is TBb1-3|-D-3Eb (you have to be careful to blow down because it tends to be sharp).

Finally, one of the best technical hacks in the third octave is using left hand third partial harmonic fingerings in extremely fast passage work. D above the staff fingered as regular G, Eb = Ab, E = A, F = thumb Bb, F# = B, G = C, Ab/G# = Db/C#. A good example of where I might use these fingerings would be for the measured trills in the Chance Incantation and Dance. These are passages that are very fast and the normal fingering is just to chunky to be able to maintain the tempo.

If you find these entries helpful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back next week for another flute tip. Please comment and please feel free to ask questions. Maybe the answer to your question will be the next flute tip. Find me on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics and workshops click here.

About the Third Octave

Tags

flute fingering, flute technique

The nice thing about the first two octaves of the flute is that the fingerings are sequential and orderly for the most part. And then there is the third octave and it is suddenly a mass of awkward cross fingerings. Why is that? We touched on the reason back when we looked at common fingering mistakes. It is mainly because the fingerings are actually combinations of the overtones for two separate notes. The overtones reinforce each other, making the note more stable and give the note a fuller sound. The open keys provide venting which makes the tone more clear. Here are a few examples: D above the staff is combining overtones for G and D, Eb is combining Ab and Eb, E is combining A and E, F is Bb and F, etc. I am in awe of the ingenuity of Theobald Boehm, who decided to just chuck the whole flute mechanism of his time and create a whole new, sensible mechanism that has stood the test of time. The only other innovations that have stuck as standard on the flute are the Briccialdi Bb we have today (with the Bb to the left, above the B natural), the split-E and the C# trill key that is available on step-up flutes and above.

When do you start teaching third octave fingerings? What do the students need to know how to do to play in the third octave successfully? You can start teaching third octave notes as soon as the kids can play the two different octaves on the fundamental fingerings (D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C, Db). If they can do that, they will have sufficient control of their air speed to play in the third octave. I use my perennial favorite, the octave exercise, to introduce these notes one or two at a time. It helps the students understand how the third octave fingerings differ from the lower two octaves. Encourage them to use a fingering chart like the one at The Woodwind Fingering Guide

In my experience, most kids can easily learn up to at least high Eb (and maybe even G) within their first year of playing. By second year, they can handle up to at least high G and possibly as far as high Bb. They should know the full range no later than 9th grade. By 9th grade, they should also know alternate fingerings for correcting pitch and controlling dynamics (a topic for a future post).

Be aware that there are several third octave notes that are particularly sensitive to a lack of air speed (or support, if you will). These are the high E, F#-Gb and G#-Ab. They will crack down to the supplemental fundamental (so E drops to A, F# drops to B, G# drops to C#) if there isn’t sufficient air speed. My understanding is these notes are so tricky due to having one hole too much venting. A common add-on for flutes at all levels is the split-E mechanism. This corrects the high E by closing the redundant G# hole (lower G key). You have to weigh the acoustic benefits against the added mechanical complication to decide whether you think it is necessary for your students. As for F# and G#, there have been attempts at mechanical fixes (for example the Brossa F#, which works but is extremely rare, even on handmade flutes). Another important word on the high F#. You must use the B natural thumb key for proper response. If you have the thumb Bb on, it closes the Bb key on the upper right hand causing not enough venting and really poor tone quality.

If you find these entries helpful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back next week for another flute tip. Please comment and ask me questions. Maybe the answer to your question will be the next flute tip. Find me on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics and workshops click here.