How to make my flute sound better?

Question

whenever i play my flute, it doesnt sound like the other flutes in the band. It sounds all dull and dry!! How to sound better?

Answer 1

Check the head cork position. http://westwindmusic.com/flute.htm

Check for leaks.

Try another flute and see if you get the same tone - it may be your instrument.

Practice long tones for 20 minutes every day.

Answer 2

Unfortunately the one answer before is correct, it could be the flute, it could be you, it could be dents or just needs a repad. However, if you improve your tone on the instrument you have, it will make you a better player. Remember, let the AIR form the appature, that's where the air crosses the lips. If you are trying to form the appature with the lips, you will not have focused air, and the tone will not be focused. The way I've taught my students to do this, and it really works great, is using a coffee straws or those tiny milk straws they give you at school. Cut a small piece about 1/2 an inch to an inch long. Place it on your lips and blow through the straw without holding it with your teeth. (It's hard to do without the straw going flying out.) When you can keep the straw in your mouth, try playing. You probably won't get a sound, very few of my students can blow through the straw into their flute and get a sound, but that's o.k. You are trying to develop a good embouchure. Don't roll your lips in to keep the straw in either, that defeats the purpose, and creats a bad embouchure. Watch yourself in a mirror to help prevent this. Also, when you play into the flute through the straw, watch yourself in a mirror. Notice the very small amount of air crossing the lip plate. After you do this a few bazillion times, then try to play the flute without the straw, and see if your tone is better. As always, you can get a good sound on a horrible instrument, but you will always get a better sound on a good instrument. If you have the kind of instrument you can buy at those large discount wearhouses and department stores, those aren't very good instruments at all. Talk to your band director about a decent instrument.

Good Luck!!
Terry

Answer 3

If your flute isn't really old, it might be your embouchure. Try tightening the corners of your mouth or loosening them depending on the note. For higher notes, you need to tighten your embouchure and loosen it for lower notes. You're just going to have to play around with it until you get the good tone quality you want. Eventually, you'll automatically adjust to the note and you won't even have to think too much about it.

Another thing you might want to play around with is rolling your flute in or out. Sometimes the hole in the mouthpiece isn't aligned correctly with your lips and that can present a problem. With high notes, I find that it's easier to play and the tone quality is better when I roll in a little. Be cautious though, because this can affect the pitch of the note (in other words, it might go a little flat or sharp).

Also, if you have an open-holed flute, make sure all the holes that need to be covered are covered completely.

Answer 4

it may be your particular flute, or it may be you. for the flute, the air travel must be exactly right for the best sound. just keep trying, and i think the sound will improve. i play the trumpet.

Answer 5

I hate to say it but practice, practice, practice. Also, you might want to send your flute somewhere for a good cleaning and recorking and repadding. Any small dents can also affect the sound quality.

Answer 6

this may sound weird but you should do situps and crunches. this will build your abdomen muscles making your flute playing stronger and fuller. also you should practice for at least 30 min.-1 hr. per day.

Answer 7

this could sound yucky, yet you are going to be able to attempt taking it aside and cleansing the interior. As you play, saliva has a tendency to acquire and dry interior any wind tool. This modifications the prevalent of the sound. I used to play clarinet. i stumbled on it sounded ultimate if I wiped sparkling it ot each week.