Since it seems to be flute night..Any advice on proper decrescendos on flute?

Question

I have been trying to get this right for years.

I can get softer with decent tone and end up going really flat.

I can keep the pitch up, but lose the tone to an airy mess.

But what I can't do is keep the pitch up, keep the tone beautiful, and perfectly taper off my vibrato.

This is the one skill that is standing in the way of me being a much more artistic and truly musical player.

Any advice?

Answer 1

The trick is to keep your support up, but make the hole in your lip smaller. The less air over the tone hole, the softer the sound, but you must keep the speed of the air fast enough to keep pitch up. I know it sounds weird at first, but try it. Try a decrescendo and crescendo on long tones using this technique.

Tapering off the end of a phrase into nothing is a little harder, but done the same way. Keep supporting! But decrease the size of the hole in your lip. You'll eventually have to end the airstream, but support through the taper and the end of the phrase.

I studied with one of the world's greatest teachers, and have taught and played for 25 years.

Answer 2

I would to add to what diva said and mention practice. Get a good tone development book ( I personally use Trevor Wye's). Most of them use long tones with crescendos and decrescendos. Set up a metronome at 60 bpm and a digital tuner. As soon as you start going flat or sharp stop the note and start it over.