Easy Instruction: How Flute is Played

What’s a flute?

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A flute is a woodwind instrument, typically tubular in shape, that is played by blowing across a specially-shaped opening (the embouchure) to create a vibrating column of air. The pulsations of this column of air are heard as sound.

The flute belongs to the woodwind family of instruments and is often used in classical music. Flutes, like all other wind instruments made of wood, are aerophones, which means that they produce sound by vibrating a column of air. 

A flute, on the other hand, is a reedless wind instrument that creates its sound by relying on the passage of air over an aperture rather than reeds like other types of woodwind instruments. 

In the system developed by Hornbostel and Sachs for the categorization of musical instruments, flutes are classed as edge-blown aerophones. Flutists and flutists are both terms used to refer to musicians who play the flute.

How to assemble a flute

The hole in the head joint should be lined up with the first key on the flute.

To find the first key on your flute, look at the main body of the instrument. Then, twist the head joint until the mouth hole is in line with the key. Hold the flute up to your eye level and look down the body to check if the hole is aligned perfectly. 

If you position your flute too far forward or backward, you will have more difficulty playing with a full tone.

Align the metal pin on foot joint with the keys, then push the foot joint into place

The foot joint is the last section of your flute, and it has a few rods and keys attached to it. To attach the foot joint to the bottom end of the flute, you will need to push it in and then twist it into position. 

Check that it has a good, close fit against the main body of the item. You will need to rotate the foot joint until the long metal pin that runs along it is aligned with the bottom key on the body of your flute.

To tune your flute, adjust the head joint. You can use a chromatic tuner or download a tuning app. Play a note and determine if it’s flat or sharp. To sharpen the sound, twist and pull out the head joint slightly. If the flute is flat, make it shorter by pushing the head joint in further. Adjust the flute until it is in tune.

How to play the flute?

1. Hand and Arm Placement

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• Use your left hand to control the keys that are closest to the head joint.
• Find the first key on the bottom of the body of the flute, and place your thumb there so that the palm of your hand is facing you. Continue to wrap the remainder of your fingers around the other side of the flute.
• Place your index finger on the second key, your middle finger on the fourth key, and your ring finger on the fifth key. Put your pinky on the key that is located on the side and looks like a paddle. You can support the weight of the flute by holding it in the crook of your hand, which is formed by your thumb and index finger.
• Use your right hand to control the mechanism at the end of the flute.
• Use your thumb to brace the bottom of the flute. Ensure that your palm is facing away from you to enable you to comfortably press the keys. Find the bottom three keys situated on the main body of your flute. Place your index, middle, and ring fingers on each key. Use your right pinky to depress the first key on the foot joint.
• Maintain your fingers in a curled position so that your hands take on a C-shape while holding the flute. Do not press the keys down immediately. Instead, keep your fingers hovering above them.

2. Proper Embouchure

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• Place the hole underneath the center of your bottom lip.

While you are holding the flute so that it is parallel to the ground, position the lip plate so that it is beneath your bottom lip, the greatest support will be provided if you position the flute so that it is balanced between your chin and your bottom lip. 

If you want the optimum tone, you should position the hole such that it is squarely in the middle of your lips. When you play your flute, if the hole is misaligned, you cannot get the full sound it’s capable of producing.

• Tighten the muscles in the corners of your mouth while keeping your lips smooth and relaxed.

To firm up the muscles in the corners of your mouth, tighten them just enough that your lips are not wrinkled or pursed. The right lip posture, or embouchure, can be achieved by pretending to say the letter “M.”

• Blow air towards the hole from the middle of your lips. 

When you want to blow air into the instrument, make a little opening in your lips like you’re going to utter the letter “P.” In order to play the flute, exhale a deep breath in the form of a regulated stream toward the hole. The tones are produced as a result of the air moving through the body of the flute.

If you let your mouth get too open, the air will not be able to enter the instrument properly. If you are unable to hear any sound emanating from the instrument, try moving your mouth ever-so-slightly forward or backward to direct the airflow.

• Pronounce short, quick notes by moving your tongue back and forth.

When you want to blow air into the instrument, make a little opening in your lips like you’re going to utter the letter “P.” In order to play the flute, exhale a deep breath in the form of a regulated stream toward the hole. The tones are produced as a result of the air moving through the body of the flute.

If you let your mouth get too open, the air will not be able to enter the instrument properly. If you are unable to hear any sound emanating from the instrument, try moving your mouth ever-so-slightly forward or backward to direct the airflow.

• To adjust the pitch of your note, change the speed of your breath.

To play notes in a lower range on your flute, take a deep breath and then gently exhale over the hole while you play. Then, when you take your next breath, pull the corners of your mouth a little bit farther and swiftly exhale to produce a note with a higher pitch. 

While you play, work on developing a wider range by giving yourself opportunities to alternate between playing high and low notes.

FAQs

How does a flute make a sound?

The air jet in the flute, working with the resonances in the air inside the instrument, creates a vibrating component of the flow. Once the air in the flute is vibrating, some of the energy escapes as sound through the open holes and out the end of the flute.

Is flute easy to learn?

It is a lead instrument that frequently carries the tune and has a wonderful tone that is more on the mellow side. A tone may be produced on a flute in a manner similar to that of blowing over the top of a bottle. 

Once you have mastered making that sound, changing the notes is as easy as using other keys. The flute, like any other instrument, merely requires some practice to become proficient at. Learning the flute is not very difficult.

Can I learn to play the flute at 40?

Of course! Learning as an adult is not dissimilar to learning when one was a student of a younger age; the key is to have patience with oneself and to acknowledge that education is a process rather than an endpoint. Find a knowledgeable instructor that you can spend daily time with, and do so.

Last word

The flute is even a relatively simple musical instrument. Like all musical instruments, you can easily learn how flute is played if you are ready to put in the required effort and time.