How to Hit Lower Notes on a Flute

When thinking about flute music, high pitched trills are usually the first thing to come to mind. Just as lovely, but harder to play, are the low rich melodic notes of the flute. With practice and proper flute maintenance, you can hit those rich, low tones consistently.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Maintain your instrument. A leaky pad or a loose or broken spring can allow air to leak out of the flute. This sabotages the sound of even the best flautist. Visit your local music shop for a tuneup.

2. Press firmly on every key of the note fingering. Even a key in perfect condition needs pressure to ensure a strong seal. Take special care in your fingering if you have an open-hole flute. Make sure your fingers are fully covering all the holes in the keys.

3. Adjust your embouchure, not the headpiece. Relax your jaw slightly and pull your lips back at the corners. Resist the urge to roll your headpiece in. While this may lower the note, it doesn’t produce the best playing sound.

4. Start with your strengths. Open with the lowest note you can consistently play well. Move to the lower notes gradually in a chromatic scale (B to B♭/A# to A to A♭/G# to G to G♭/F# and so on). Pay attention to your embouchure as you hit each note.

5. Breathe slowly and consistently. Don’t worry about volume at first; you may blow too hard and lose your tone. Focus on creating a good tone and then work on being heard.

6. Practice. There isn't one way to create a good tone. Playing the flute largely depends on the individual player's lips and style. Use a mirror to see what your mouth does to achieve good low notes, and then practice reproducing that embouchure.