finger help

[jeromec]

Hi, I have no prior flute training and I would like to improve my
fingerspeed with the flute, I can play fast pieces but my sound quality goes
for a loop.

I would also like to know if there are any programs on the internet that
could be benificial to my playing skills.

Thank you,

jer...@icon.co.za

[Marge]

I don't know about the internet stuff but as for your fingers I can tell you
this. Be sure that your fingers are rounded and not flat, that the tip of
the fingers are on the keys, not hanging over the keys. Keep your right
pinkie curved. Keep your right thumb directly under your first finger and
don't let it stick out past the flute. I sometimes kid with my students
when they do that, that I'm going to cut it off. They know that I'm only
kidding. I don't know if you have an open hole flute or not. If you don't,
you might want to think about getting one only because you have no choice
but to cover the holes and your fingers will be in the right place. Now, as
for playing faster, keep your fingers as close to the keys as possible.
Don't let them fly up any higher than the thickness of your fingers. This
will take lots of practice. Be sure to use a mirror to keep yourself
honest. I hope this helps. Let me know if you need more information.

jeromec wrote in message <7s2c0l$m1f$1...@news.is.co.za>...

[ga...@wizard.com]

My mother was a broken record about precision. She always said smooth was
more impressive than speed, and she'd call out from the kitchen "slow that
down" whenever my practice got sloppy. She didn't complain when I was
just banging around for fun or testing my limit

When you're practicing always be aware of what you're doing. Snap to your
notes with little muscle explosions. Land cleanly on the note, plan your
next move, then snap to the next note. "Go fast" is way too big of a
goal. Break it down into tiny goals like going c - d - c - d ...... I
used play into a tape recorder and audit myself by listening to it at half
speed. My goal was to make half speed sound S M O O T H.

Playing the flute is like making homemade ice cream. If it freezes fast
it's likely to be full of ice crystals feel grainy. However, if you
freeze it slowly it'll be silky smooth. Which would you prefer?

I played the flute for 30+ years but developed serious corpal tunnel
syndrome when I failed to replace my broken timer that set to announced
break time. Problem: playing the flute, flying high and feeling no pain.
So sad.
--
ga...@wizard.com