You have a lovely tone and vibrato, and while of course we use our “diaphragm“ to support our airstream, it is actually our throat pulsing ever so slightly that produces vibrato. Otherwise you would see Flute players’ stomachs/clothing quaking as they play lol!
Hello there! 😊 That's a great question. I only know some basic singing techniques, and so I can't say with certainty that it's similar or not. I do think that technique would help with flutter tonguing however! 😊 Any kind of singing will help when it comes to breathing, as those techniques are very much alike. Please let me know if you have any other questions 😊 happy fluting!!
Hi Exanova! It certainly depends on where you're coming from before playing low C, but I generally would recommend a slower & hotter air stream. Be careful with tension, especially in the lips and fingers!
Ah ok! It can be a few things: 1) Make sure your flute is working well, sometimes the keys can be hard to push if it hasn't been professionally looked at (stiff, or pad isn't sealing correctly) 2) Note how your pinky reaches the low C key; is it straight and difficult to move? It's important to keep it lightly bent to allow for better flexibility 3) If your finger is very dry, try touching your nose with your pinky (outside!) to get a bit of oil to help you slide between the keys better 🙂 4) Practice playing the low C a little bit every day with some exercises (T&G or Moyse exercises have some written down focusing on the lower notes) to slowly build up finger strength. Let me know if any of these tips help! ☺️
Hi Tryphosa! Of course it is! If you have a flute, I actually have a series that teaches you how to play without any previous knowledge of any kind. Here is the link to the playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLrTt6NcoM0XdwXMLrQ1gSdeP65u6RZNgK.html
OMG Mailynn, such a wonderful player and teacher; where do your misconceptions about vibrato come from? No one's diaphragm could possibly maintain five pulsations/sec., unless you're a panting dog. And what flutist wants to attempt pitch-bending by slightly rolling in/rolling out as you actually did in your demo? As Galway briefly summed it up, flute-vibrato comes from the throat. As Dr. Gary Sigurdson taught, we can practice this by "hissing" (I call it the snake-hiss exercise) at increasing speeds. A gentle "pulsation of air" created by the throat produces the vibrato on flute, the natural combination of volume-and-pitch fluctuation which mimics the human voice. Ironically, your throat is forming your vibrato, not diaphragm or "pitch-bending" per se.
Hi Ron! Thank you for your comment! I appreciate your views, and certainly there isn't one straight way to teach or learn this technique as every student is unique. Every performer has their own methods for creating their unique sound, especially performer such as the incredible Sir. Galway and Dr. Gary Sigurdson. All the techniques I go over in this video are meant to be used as tools in a player's tool belt when learning vibrato. For example, practicing increasing the speed of your vibrato from a slow tempo to a faster tempo will help to grow the player's overall tempo range. Vibrato is meant to be used in a fluid manner, and being able to play it at a faster tempo will help to expand a player's melodic colour and character. When I was demonstrating dropping and raising the pitch, I did not roll my flute. As you mention that is not how we can achieve a good vibrato technique. Please review the section "First Steps," when I mention only to slow or quicken the air speed to create the pitch bend. As a modern extended technique, rolling the instrument in or out to create a pitch bend is important to learn. Such techniques are used in some great modern pieces, such as one of my favourite Ian Clarke compositions, "The Great Train Race." I generally introduce these techniques to players at a higher level of performing. In my experience, teaching vibrato from the throat is not ideal as it can create unnecessary tension in the throat, embouchure, and lips. However, if you find it successful for you then I encourage you to continue playing with that technique. Although the throat can play a role in creating the vibrato, it is not something I encourage my beginner students to think about unless I notice significant tension. I have found that my students have more control of their vibrato and overall pitch when we focus on controlling the air speed from the diaphragm, rather than from the throat. Thank you again for your comment, I enjoyed replying to it! Please let me know if you have any other questions or requests for future videos! :) Happy fluting!
@@MailynnJenkinsMusic thanks for your prompt and nice response! But the human diaphragm isn't capable of extended fast gentle pulsations and there's simply no reason to even suggest a panting-dog approach. Slight throat pulsations creating flute vibrato should be acknowledged, what's the hang-up?
@@ronrobbins2737 Hi Ron, I'm glad you appreciated my reply! Again, as I mentioned previously, using the throat as a main means to create vibrato is not something I have found successful in beginner students, and as such, is is not something I have or will teach when introducing vibrato. I have found a lot of difficulty with tension when beginner students come trying to play vibrato with the throat only. There is simply not enough focus on air support when beginners are learning, and overall creates a shrill, tense sound. However, if it is a technique that is working for you and your own students, then I am happy to hear of your success! Please be sure to share some of your performances, as I would love to listen to you play with that technique. :) Thank you again, happy fluting!
@@MailynnJenkinsMusic Thanks again for your having this important discussion! Off the top of my head, why not check out two wonderful players using the throat-vibrato technique; James Galway and Mailynn Jenkins?
@@MailynnJenkinsMusic Here are two wonderful players for you to check out who use "throat-vibrato" exclusively; James Galway and Mailynn Jenkins, LOL !
Hi Sarah! I don't have one specific video just for beginner scales as I have been introducing them throughout my Wye beginner series, but I think that would make a wonderful video! I will put it on my list of videos to-do. Thank you again for watching! 🎵😊
Thank you very much. I just came across your channel while looking for Vibrato.
You have a lovely tone and vibrato, and while of course we use our “diaphragm“ to support our airstream, it is actually our throat pulsing ever so slightly that produces vibrato. Otherwise you would see Flute players’ stomachs/clothing quaking as they play lol!
thanks! Mailynn 😊 very helpful🎶
My pleasure! I'm glad you enjoyed the video! 🎶
Insightful explanation and method.👍
I'm glad you liked it! ☺️🎶
Keep the good work going 👍
Thank you so much Erosabeth! :) Please let me know if you have any questions. Happy fluting!
This was very helpful. Thank you for sharing 🎶🎵😇❤. You earned a subscriber: )
Thank you so much, I'm so glad you found my video helpful!!! 😊🎶
@@MailynnJenkinsMusic no problem 😀
I'm not much of a vocalist, but I am capable of Tibetan throat singing. Would you say the method is similar?
Hello there! 😊 That's a great question. I only know some basic singing techniques, and so I can't say with certainty that it's similar or not. I do think that technique would help with flutter tonguing however! 😊
Any kind of singing will help when it comes to breathing, as those techniques are very much alike.
Please let me know if you have any other questions 😊 happy fluting!!
Do you have any tips for transitioning to the low C note?
Hi Exanova! It certainly depends on where you're coming from before playing low C, but I generally would recommend a slower & hotter air stream. Be careful with tension, especially in the lips and fingers!
It seems that my pinky finger is too slow or weak
Ah ok! It can be a few things:
1) Make sure your flute is working well, sometimes the keys can be hard to push if it hasn't been professionally looked at (stiff, or pad isn't sealing correctly)
2) Note how your pinky reaches the low C key; is it straight and difficult to move? It's important to keep it lightly bent to allow for better flexibility
3) If your finger is very dry, try touching your nose with your pinky (outside!) to get a bit of oil to help you slide between the keys better 🙂
4) Practice playing the low C a little bit every day with some exercises (T&G or Moyse exercises have some written down focusing on the lower notes) to slowly build up finger strength.
Let me know if any of these tips help! ☺️
Thanks for the detailed reply, bending my pinky finger helped a lot.
I'm very glad it helped!! 😊
Hi,I don't know nothing about the musics.🤭.Is it possible for me to learn the flute?🤔but I really love to play it😔
Hi Tryphosa! Of course it is! If you have a flute, I actually have a series that teaches you how to play without any previous knowledge of any kind. Here is the link to the playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLrTt6NcoM0XdwXMLrQ1gSdeP65u6RZNgK.html
Okki thanks a lot...❤️
@@sarasam2914 It's my pleasure! Please let me know if you have any other questions!
@@MailynnJenkinsMusic Oki sure
OMG Mailynn, such a wonderful player and teacher; where do your misconceptions about vibrato come from? No one's diaphragm could possibly maintain five pulsations/sec., unless you're a panting dog. And what flutist wants to attempt pitch-bending by slightly rolling in/rolling out as you actually did in your demo? As Galway briefly summed it up, flute-vibrato comes from the throat. As Dr. Gary Sigurdson taught, we can practice this by "hissing" (I call it the snake-hiss exercise) at increasing speeds. A gentle "pulsation of air" created by the throat produces the vibrato on flute, the natural combination of volume-and-pitch fluctuation which mimics the human voice. Ironically, your throat is forming your vibrato, not diaphragm or "pitch-bending" per se.
Hi Ron! Thank you for your comment! I appreciate your views, and certainly there isn't one straight way to teach or learn this technique as every student is unique. Every performer has their own methods for creating their unique sound, especially performer such as the incredible Sir. Galway and Dr. Gary Sigurdson.
All the techniques I go over in this video are meant to be used as tools in a player's tool belt when learning vibrato. For example, practicing increasing the speed of your vibrato from a slow tempo to a faster tempo will help to grow the player's overall tempo range. Vibrato is meant to be used in a fluid manner, and being able to play it at a faster tempo will help to expand a player's melodic colour and character.
When I was demonstrating dropping and raising the pitch, I did not roll my flute. As you mention that is not how we can achieve a good vibrato technique. Please review the section "First Steps," when I mention only to slow or quicken the air speed to create the pitch bend. As a modern extended technique, rolling the instrument in or out to create a pitch bend is important to learn. Such techniques are used in some great modern pieces, such as one of my favourite Ian Clarke compositions, "The Great Train Race." I generally introduce these techniques to players at a higher level of performing.
In my experience, teaching vibrato from the throat is not ideal as it can create unnecessary tension in the throat, embouchure, and lips. However, if you find it successful for you then I encourage you to continue playing with that technique. Although the throat can play a role in creating the vibrato, it is not something I encourage my beginner students to think about unless I notice significant tension. I have found that my students have more control of their vibrato and overall pitch when we focus on controlling the air speed from the diaphragm, rather than from the throat.
Thank you again for your comment, I enjoyed replying to it! Please let me know if you have any other questions or requests for future videos! :) Happy fluting!
@@MailynnJenkinsMusic thanks for your prompt and nice response! But the human diaphragm isn't capable of extended fast gentle pulsations and there's simply no reason to even suggest a panting-dog approach. Slight throat pulsations creating flute vibrato should be acknowledged, what's the hang-up?
@@ronrobbins2737 Hi Ron, I'm glad you appreciated my reply! Again, as I mentioned previously, using the throat as a main means to create vibrato is not something I have found successful in beginner students, and as such, is is not something I have or will teach when introducing vibrato. I have found a lot of difficulty with tension when beginner students come trying to play vibrato with the throat only. There is simply not enough focus on air support when beginners are learning, and overall creates a shrill, tense sound.
However, if it is a technique that is working for you and your own students, then I am happy to hear of your success! Please be sure to share some of your performances, as I would love to listen to you play with that technique. :)
Thank you again, happy fluting!
@@MailynnJenkinsMusic Thanks again for your having this important discussion! Off the top of my head, why not check out two wonderful players using the throat-vibrato technique; James Galway and Mailynn Jenkins?
@@MailynnJenkinsMusic Here are two wonderful players for you to check out who use "throat-vibrato" exclusively; James Galway and Mailynn Jenkins, LOL !
Hi Mailynn, do you have a beginner tute on playing scales?
Hi Sarah! I don't have one specific video just for beginner scales as I have been introducing them throughout my Wye beginner series, but I think that would make a wonderful video! I will put it on my list of videos to-do.
Thank you again for watching! 🎵😊