Notes on learning the flute

Practical help for your first year. Follow along with the RSS feed.

  1. How to make your first sound on the flute

    Start with the headjoint alone. Where your lip goes, how to aim the air, and what to change when you only get a hiss.

  2. Long tones: the five-minute flute exercise for a better tone

    What long tones are, how to practise them on the flute, and what to listen for, from steady pitch to an even sound across the range.

  3. Why your flute is sharp or flat, and how to fix it

    Headjoint position, warmth, air speed and the angle of your lips all move your pitch. What each one does and how to use a tuner well.