my daughter plays the flute. She has a brace for her teeth, which she will probably have to wear for another few years yet. She has noticed that the brace is starting to effect her playing ability. She does not have the option of removing it while playing, as the brace is fixed on. Any advice on weather wearing a brace does actually effect playing the flute, and if so, if anything can be done about it (I suspect that the answer is: yes it does effect playing and no you cant do anything about it....). For the record shes only a kid, playing the flute about a year.
thanks!
My flute teacher told me how, when he was a young 'un, he was forever having dental work done. Each time his brace was adjusted it changed the shape of his mouth, which meant he had to re-learn how to form an embuochure and blow the flute. Each time it took a few days to get used to it. So yes, having a brace fitted or adjusted will effect your playing, but not permanently, and it shouldn't stop you playing.
What about false teeth? I heard of a couple of fluters who stopped playing flute cos they lost their front teeth.
Hopefully it wont be for some time yet, but will I have to stop playing flute when I get old and gummy?
This isn't a very happy story in a way.... I started playing French horn when I was seven. When I was twelve or thirteen, I got braces and found playing the horn extraordinarily difficult. I struggled with it for about a year but in the end gave up on the horn. That said, your mouth is squished into the mouthpiece of a brass instrument in a way it's not on a flute, though imagine your emboucher will have to change on a flute as well. The fundamental thing, however, is that I wasn't wildly passionate about the horn and didn't have the drive to work through it. I think it's one of those "where there is a will there is a way" situations. If your daughter is sort of ambivalent about the flute in the first place, it might be a challenge for her to work through the braces. But if she loves playing the flute, then she'll probably just get on with it.
I used to know this old boy from Mayo, years ago, can't remember his name unfortunately. Typical Mayo gent, lovely bloke, wore his suit and tie to come out for a tune. He had that big breathy percussive sound and didn't know too many tunes (always impresses me that, not knowing too many tunes, just the right amount, and all the right ones).
His teeth were a bit worse for wears, to say the least, and one day he turned up with brand new gleaming falsees. He looked great. He smiled more. But he never played the flute again. He'd still come out and sit and sip with us and listen and chat, but no more flute.
I was young at the time and angry about it. How dare he deprive the world of his playing. How dare he deprive himself.
It's taken me 25 years to come to terms with the beauty of it. It is the wealth of contentment. It is purely the most sublime lack of ego.
I've played flute all my life and had braces for a few years during my teen years, so here are thoughts based on my experiences. Embouchure-wise, the mouth should adjust fairly well. The braces will probably hinder your daughter a little bit from making her usual embouchure, but I don't think it will be that significant. I had many flute-playing friends who had braces growing up and their tone always remained pretty solid.
My only warning is this, and this is probably common sense, but I'll mention it anyway. The one problem I remembered having was pain caused by my bottom lip between squeezed between my flute and the braces on the lower teeth. Although my lip got somewhat used to the feeling, I learned not to push it, so if this happens with your daughter I would recommend just playing for smaller periods of time, and then taking small breaks to give her lip time to regain feeling. No point in overdoing it.
I'm a flute player but only on a modern flute. The latest advice given to students is to form the embouchure by pushing the lips forward away from the teeth. This is contrary to what a lot of students learned in the past, ie, to form a smiling embouchure. The lip plate should be held against the lower lip with the least pressure possible. It takes awhile to get the hang of it as the flute wants to slip. It pays off in learning to get a beautiful tone quicker. However, I've no idea how this might work for a traditional flute player.
N
I had braces a few years ago and play the flute a little, so I'd say yes your embouchure does change, but very quickly, and you soon start playing fairly normally again. She should find what's comfortable for her and stick with it, but like Jason said, you do end up shredding your bottom lip if you overdo it!
Can't talk about braces, but I can say that playing missing one of the upper front teeth and then having it replaced with an implant (and then probably having to lose the implant to an infection...) is a right pain in the face, but I have still been able to play flute throughout. Hurt sometimes though.
I play with what Burnt Nial describes as a "modern" embouchure - though I think this is simply a case of the "right" embouchure, and I am sure that players in the past knew and used it. Smiley is bad bad bad! And I and everyone else _can_ hear the difference. (Note, this difference has nothing to do with how large the aperture is - which is a whole other kettle of fish.)
I could imagine problems if I lost so many teeth, that my jaws were no longer held apart by the teeth - I would have to hold my jaw position by musle control alone while playing. Thankfully, I still have most of them... Not that my teeth actually make contact while playing anyway, but I do use them as a guide for the position of the jaw.
it does cause some difficulties, but its not too bad. i actually had more trouble playing the flute when my braces came off than when i got them put in.
flute/braces query
flute/braces query
my daughter plays the flute. She has a brace for her teeth, which she will probably have to wear for another few years yet. She has noticed that the brace is starting to effect her playing ability. She does not have the option of removing it while playing, as the brace is fixed on. Any advice on weather wearing a brace does actually effect playing the flute, and if so, if anything can be done about it (I suspect that the answer is: yes it does effect playing and no you cant do anything about it....). For the record shes only a kid, playing the flute about a year.
thanks!
# Posted on March 2nd 2009 by BanjoBongo
Re: flute/braces query
My flute teacher told me how, when he was a young 'un, he was forever having dental work done. Each time his brace was adjusted it changed the shape of his mouth, which meant he had to re-learn how to form an embuochure and blow the flute. Each time it took a few days to get used to it. So yes, having a brace fitted or adjusted will effect your playing, but not permanently, and it shouldn't stop you playing.
# Posted on March 2nd 2009 by Hammurabi Breathnach
Re: flute/braces query
What about false teeth? I heard of a couple of fluters who stopped playing flute cos they lost their front teeth.
Hopefully it wont be for some time yet, but will I have to stop playing flute when I get old and gummy?
# Posted on March 2nd 2009 by Frulator
Re: flute/braces query
This isn't a very happy story in a way.... I started playing French horn when I was seven. When I was twelve or thirteen, I got braces and found playing the horn extraordinarily difficult. I struggled with it for about a year but in the end gave up on the horn. That said, your mouth is squished into the mouthpiece of a brass instrument in a way it's not on a flute, though imagine your emboucher will have to change on a flute as well. The fundamental thing, however, is that I wasn't wildly passionate about the horn and didn't have the drive to work through it. I think it's one of those "where there is a will there is a way" situations. If your daughter is sort of ambivalent about the flute in the first place, it might be a challenge for her to work through the braces. But if she loves playing the flute, then she'll probably just get on with it.
# Posted on March 2nd 2009 by DrSilverSpear
Re: flute/braces query
I used to know this old boy from Mayo, years ago, can't remember his name unfortunately. Typical Mayo gent, lovely bloke, wore his suit and tie to come out for a tune. He had that big breathy percussive sound and didn't know too many tunes (always impresses me that, not knowing too many tunes, just the right amount, and all the right ones).
His teeth were a bit worse for wears, to say the least, and one day he turned up with brand new gleaming falsees. He looked great. He smiled more. But he never played the flute again. He'd still come out and sit and sip with us and listen and chat, but no more flute.
I was young at the time and angry about it. How dare he deprive the world of his playing. How dare he deprive himself.
It's taken me 25 years to come to terms with the beauty of it. It is the wealth of contentment. It is purely the most sublime lack of ego.
# Posted on March 2nd 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: flute/braces query
I've played flute all my life and had braces for a few years during my teen years, so here are thoughts based on my experiences. Embouchure-wise, the mouth should adjust fairly well. The braces will probably hinder your daughter a little bit from making her usual embouchure, but I don't think it will be that significant. I had many flute-playing friends who had braces growing up and their tone always remained pretty solid.
My only warning is this, and this is probably common sense, but I'll mention it anyway. The one problem I remembered having was pain caused by my bottom lip between squeezed between my flute and the braces on the lower teeth. Although my lip got somewhat used to the feeling, I learned not to push it, so if this happens with your daughter I would recommend just playing for smaller periods of time, and then taking small breaks to give her lip time to regain feeling. No point in overdoing it.
# Posted on March 2nd 2009 by Jason G
Re: flute/braces query
I'm a flute player but only on a modern flute. The latest advice given to students is to form the embouchure by pushing the lips forward away from the teeth. This is contrary to what a lot of students learned in the past, ie, to form a smiling embouchure. The lip plate should be held against the lower lip with the least pressure possible. It takes awhile to get the hang of it as the flute wants to slip. It pays off in learning to get a beautiful tone quicker. However, I've no idea how this might work for a traditional flute player.
N
# Posted on March 2nd 2009 by Burnt Nial
Re: flute/braces query
I had braces a few years ago and play the flute a little, so I'd say yes your embouchure does change, but very quickly, and you soon start playing fairly normally again. She should find what's comfortable for her and stick with it, but like Jason said, you do end up shredding your bottom lip if you overdo it!
# Posted on March 2nd 2009 by snowyowl
Re: flute/braces query
Can't talk about braces, but I can say that playing missing one of the upper front teeth and then having it replaced with an implant (and then probably having to lose the implant to an infection...) is a right pain in the face, but I have still been able to play flute throughout. Hurt sometimes though.
I play with what Burnt Nial describes as a "modern" embouchure - though I think this is simply a case of the "right" embouchure, and I am sure that players in the past knew and used it. Smiley is bad bad bad! And I and everyone else _can_ hear the difference. (Note, this difference has nothing to do with how large the aperture is - which is a whole other kettle of fish.)
I could imagine problems if I lost so many teeth, that my jaws were no longer held apart by the teeth - I would have to hold my jaw position by musle control alone while playing. Thankfully, I still have most of them... Not that my teeth actually make contact while playing anyway, but I do use them as a guide for the position of the jaw.
# Posted on March 2nd 2009 by Crackpot
Re: flute/braces query
it does cause some difficulties, but its not too bad. i actually had more trouble playing the flute when my braces came off than when i got them put in.
# Posted on March 3rd 2009 by daiv