I love this channel and get a lot of great ideas and info from Prof. Porter. In my experience as a multiple woodwinds player (primarily flute), almost all of my infrequent bad tone days come from either forgetting any of a number of tone production fundamentals or, more often, from having puffy lips. If you form your embouchure in the same way and do everything the same as on a good tone day, yet the skin on your lips is puffy, your air stream will necessarily be altered, giving you bad tone. If you feel your lips with your fingers each day (when no one is looking), you will learn to recognize when they are puffy. On puffy lip days, I find that icing them a bit, gently pressing on them and taking Ibuprofen can reduce the puffiness and turn a bad tone day into a good tone day. Don't forget to make sure that all of your tone production fundamentals are in place and be wary of taking ibuprofen too frequently or if it is not advisable for your particular health situation. Excessive use can cause kidney damage.
Thanks for providing new insight into tone production. Great tone is exhilarating. Bad tone days are devastating. I'll try to re-think how critical I am of my attempts.
Hi Mrs Porter. From now on, before I start to blow into the flute I'm gonna think: "I'm the one with the force, and the force is with me". By "the force" I mean: control of the air, like Hermes. kkk
Thank you for this video, I don’t feel so alone anymore about “bad tone days.”
I love this channel and get a lot of great ideas and info from Prof. Porter. In my experience as a multiple woodwinds player (primarily flute), almost all of my infrequent bad tone days come from either forgetting any of a number of tone production fundamentals or, more often, from having puffy lips. If you form your embouchure in the same way and do everything the same as on a good tone day, yet the skin on your lips is puffy, your air stream will necessarily be altered, giving you bad tone. If you feel your lips with your fingers each day (when no one is looking), you will learn to recognize when they are puffy. On puffy lip days, I find that icing them a bit, gently pressing on them and taking Ibuprofen can reduce the puffiness and turn a bad tone day into a good tone day. Don't forget to make sure that all of your tone production fundamentals are in place and be wary of taking ibuprofen too frequently or if it is not advisable for your particular health situation. Excessive use can cause kidney damage.
Thanks for providing new insight into tone production. Great tone is exhilarating. Bad tone days are devastating. I'll try to re-think how critical I am of my attempts.
So wise!!! 🎶🌟🎶
Hi Mrs Porter. From now on, before I start to blow into the flute I'm gonna think: "I'm the one with the force, and the force is with me". By "the force" I mean: control of the air, like Hermes. kkk
Excellent! Thank you Professor Porter!
These are very wise and helpful words! Thank you! Mr.R. 😀🎶
These two questions are what I really wanted to get some answers!
Thanks!
This is great, thank you! I can show it to students (and coachies)
Thanks for passing along the video Joan!
This was very reassuring. Thank you.