I love flute players that restrict breaths to minimum and get across a nice flowing sound
I ve been playing the flute for coming up to 5 years and still take a breath every 4-5 bars
I love flute players that restrict breaths to minimum and get across a nice flowing sound, is something that will improve or its just the way I play - be happy with it?
Nicely done. I loved your playing-has a great rhythm and flow. I think you did a nice job of where to breathe..kept the music flowing. Would love to hear more.
That's really nice playing. Personally, if I could play like that, I wouldn't worry about it. It flows beautifully, and the breathing just adds to it. Good stuff.
I'll go along with eb's verdict. If you are concerned about your breathing that much, you could think about sitting up straight. (Now I sound like my father!) Seriously, your ribs will lift off your diaphragm and the weight will come off your back. But if I could play like that I would be quite happy.
May I suggest a couple of points which might help you; I stress these at workshops and classes.
Sit up straight. And don’t have your arms tucked in.
This will allow your chest to fill to its maximum capacity. If you’re squashed up you can’t get the breath in.
Likewise hold your head up straight. That makes your throat open.
And about breaths. You have to take breaths and have pauses to articulate and make words make sense, otherwise language is boring. So too with music. Breaths add to its quality. Taking them on the off beat is the secret and people won’t notice, really!
Just to reassure you, you don’t have to play long phrases to make a good flute player. Your playing sounds flowing and lyrical and you have a nice tone and good rhythm.
You have what’s important.
You're a fine flute player. But in answer to your question: yes, it'll improve but you'll need to work at it. Without hearing you in person it's difficult to give anything more than very general advice so any or all (or none!) of the following might prove useful:
It's common to unconsciously increase breath "weight" on ornaments, so try playing the bare tune. You may find you can get round in fewer breaths. If so, put the ornaments back in one at a time while trying to keep to the new breathing pattern.
Does the same tune have a different breath pattern on the whistle? If so, trying carrying that pattern over to the flute.
I can't see your embouchure on the video but making it tighter might help, though perhaps at the cost of the Conal Ó Gráda "steam engine" sound you seem to be aiming for. That's not a dig! Just on that, he's teaching at Hammy's flute meeting this year, if you haven't already had lessons from him at Willie week it might be worth going along.
Isn't The Caucus a track from Cnoc Bui? Have you tried copying his breathing pattern? But if you're really looking for "The Flow" then you should try copying any of Paddy Carty's recording, though you may find his ornamentation too stark and his pulse too understated for your taste.
I'm being very picky but if I was adjudicating at a fleadh I'd note that while generally you keep enough breath to complete a phrase, by the turn I can hear less attack and some loss of tone to the start of the phrase immediately after you breath. This leads to some loss of forward motion, though not rhythm and only a slight lightening of pulse. It maybe that your inhalation isn't quite fast enough.
Have you thought of taking a couple of lessons from a classical flute teacher on breath capacity and control? I recommend it to all my flute students. All you're after is a set of exercises to work on e.g. even something as simple as a repeatedly holding a middle register note for as long as you can, 20 minutes practice twice a day for two weeks will make an appreciable difference.
I agree with Brian about your posture.
And he's right again when he says "you don’t have to play long phrases to make a good flute player.", just listen to James Carty.
I think a lot of them that appear to be playing without breaths are actually taking them, but they've worked the breaths into the music so well you don't notice. I don't mean they hide the breathing, but that they make the breathing work with the music.
I think your playing was great. I wish I had a quarter of your talent.
Yep, your playing is fine. But I also agree with your own self critique--it would sound even better if you could play some longer phrases without a breathe.
You may need to work on a more focused airstream to sustain it over longer phrases--it's not about how much air you can inhale, but about how economically you can let it through your lips while keeping a strong tone. And then choosing where to breathe--moving that around so it's not always in the same or similar places.
Take a recorded tune by a fluter you admire with longer phrases and work it out till you can breathe only where s/he breathes.
5 years in, you're well on the way, and ahead of the curve, I'd say.
Here's flute legend Kevin Henry. He seems to breathe alot. Both short phrases and longer ones. Sounds very rhythmic to me. Heard people in St. Louis talking about his great short breath style as being an old style. I don't play flute but I sure like Kevins playing. He's really fun to play with. Super nice guy. I thought your playing sounded nice Premier. If my piper's input counts......I dunno.....but there ya go anyhow. (:
Your playing sounded really well premier, however I understand your desire to play in a more flowing style.
Personnally I have tried to listen to that style of playing and copy people like molloy or Catherine McEvoy with that lovely flowing style.
I have slowed down their tunes to try to copy where they breathe, and while I think they may have went a little further with phrases but I really found that they seem to choose their breathing places well and varied.
I also like PJ's analysis of breaks between parts of the tune, I know that if you don't have the breath for the turnaround it leads me most often to take a break between the parts of the tune, I'm trying not to do that.
PS: Copying Conal O'G will give you the style that he favours, which I think tends to be that northern type attacking style.
Don't breath from the chest! You need to let your diaphragm expand out, down below, your belly. It helps, as others have said, to sit upright to start with, which means you won't have that important area pinched. If you find your breathing results in mainly the chest rising up, then you're not breathing fully. The expansion should be forward and not up, and you need to be sitting upright to free up that possibility. It will give you more air to work with. There are also exercises that can help increase that capacity, once you open up, but just playing the flute is one hell of a good exercise once you get your breathing right.
Also, breath is one of the joys of this music, using it to add interest, using silence wisely. That gives the music breath and interest too, and can help define the rhythm and lift it. Learn to use it, not waste it. Silence is as important as sound in music, all music.
But, as said earlier, thanks, I enjoyed your playing...
Hup, that's kinda what I was meaning by posting the Kevin Henry links. Listen to Kevin, then listen to premier. Kevin is a legend. Premier, be proud of your playing. It sounds like you're doing your homework!
breathing
breathing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rii6FNHJoOs
I love flute players that restrict breaths to minimum and get across a nice flowing sound
I ve been playing the flute for coming up to 5 years and still take a breath every 4-5 bars
I love flute players that restrict breaths to minimum and get across a nice flowing sound, is something that will improve or its just the way I play - be happy with it?
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by premier
Re: breathing
Very good playing, but I wouldn't say that he's "restricting breaths to a minimum".
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by Kenny
Re: breathing
Nicely done. I loved your playing-has a great rhythm and flow. I think you did a nice job of where to breathe..kept the music flowing. Would love to hear more.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by celtic marine
Re: breathing
Should have made myself clear Kenny Its my playing
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by premier
Re: breathing
Sorry, my mistake. Well done - I like your playing.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by Kenny
Re: breathing
That's really nice playing. Personally, if I could play like that, I wouldn't worry about it. It flows beautifully, and the breathing just adds to it. Good stuff.
# Posted on January 30th 2010 by ethical blend
Re: breathing
I'll go along with eb's verdict. If you are concerned about your breathing that much, you could think about sitting up straight. (Now I sound like my father!) Seriously, your ribs will lift off your diaphragm and the weight will come off your back. But if I could play like that I would be quite happy.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by gam
Re: breathing
Nice playing! I like it, it flows.
May I suggest a couple of points which might help you; I stress these at workshops and classes.
Sit up straight. And don’t have your arms tucked in.
This will allow your chest to fill to its maximum capacity. If you’re squashed up you can’t get the breath in.
Likewise hold your head up straight. That makes your throat open.
And about breaths. You have to take breaths and have pauses to articulate and make words make sense, otherwise language is boring. So too with music. Breaths add to its quality. Taking them on the off beat is the secret and people won’t notice, really!
Just to reassure you, you don’t have to play long phrases to make a good flute player. Your playing sounds flowing and lyrical and you have a nice tone and good rhythm.
You have what’s important.
Carry on enjoying your playing!
All the best
Brian x
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by briantheflute
Re: breathing
You're a fine flute player. But in answer to your question: yes, it'll improve but you'll need to work at it. Without hearing you in person it's difficult to give anything more than very general advice so any or all (or none!) of the following might prove useful:
It's common to unconsciously increase breath "weight" on ornaments, so try playing the bare tune. You may find you can get round in fewer breaths. If so, put the ornaments back in one at a time while trying to keep to the new breathing pattern.
Does the same tune have a different breath pattern on the whistle? If so, trying carrying that pattern over to the flute.
I can't see your embouchure on the video but making it tighter might help, though perhaps at the cost of the Conal Ó Gráda "steam engine" sound you seem to be aiming for. That's not a dig! Just on that, he's teaching at Hammy's flute meeting this year, if you haven't already had lessons from him at Willie week it might be worth going along.
Isn't The Caucus a track from Cnoc Bui? Have you tried copying his breathing pattern? But if you're really looking for "The Flow" then you should try copying any of Paddy Carty's recording, though you may find his ornamentation too stark and his pulse too understated for your taste.
I'm being very picky but if I was adjudicating at a fleadh I'd note that while generally you keep enough breath to complete a phrase, by the turn I can hear less attack and some loss of tone to the start of the phrase immediately after you breath. This leads to some loss of forward motion, though not rhythm and only a slight lightening of pulse. It maybe that your inhalation isn't quite fast enough.
Have you thought of taking a couple of lessons from a classical flute teacher on breath capacity and control? I recommend it to all my flute students. All you're after is a set of exercises to work on e.g. even something as simple as a repeatedly holding a middle register note for as long as you can, 20 minutes practice twice a day for two weeks will make an appreciable difference.
I agree with Brian about your posture.
And he's right again when he says "you don’t have to play long phrases to make a good flute player.", just listen to James Carty.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Sweeney Astray
Re: breathing
I think a lot of them that appear to be playing without breaths are actually taking them, but they've worked the breaths into the music so well you don't notice. I don't mean they hide the breathing, but that they make the breathing work with the music.
I think your playing was great. I wish I had a quarter of your talent.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by sbhikes
Re: breathing
Yep, your playing is fine. But I also agree with your own self critique--it would sound even better if you could play some longer phrases without a breathe.
You may need to work on a more focused airstream to sustain it over longer phrases--it's not about how much air you can inhale, but about how economically you can let it through your lips while keeping a strong tone. And then choosing where to breathe--moving that around so it's not always in the same or similar places.
Take a recorded tune by a fluter you admire with longer phrases and work it out till you can breathe only where s/he breathes.
5 years in, you're well on the way, and ahead of the curve, I'd say.
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Will Harmon
Re: breathing
Here's flute legend Kevin Henry. He seems to breathe alot. Both short phrases and longer ones. Sounds very rhythmic to me. Heard people in St. Louis talking about his great short breath style as being an old style. I don't play flute but I sure like Kevins playing. He's really fun to play with. Super nice guy. I thought your playing sounded nice Premier. If my piper's input counts......I dunno.....but there ya go anyhow. (:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8_BANg7Of8
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Gone to work
Re: breathing
Here's another of Kevin when he was really young. With...hah....none other than a young Michael Flatley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RumHRVZF7o&feature=related
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Gone to work
Re: breathing
Your playing sounded really well premier, however I understand your desire to play in a more flowing style.
Personnally I have tried to listen to that style of playing and copy people like molloy or Catherine McEvoy with that lovely flowing style.
I have slowed down their tunes to try to copy where they breathe, and while I think they may have went a little further with phrases but I really found that they seem to choose their breathing places well and varied.
I also like PJ's analysis of breaks between parts of the tune, I know that if you don't have the breath for the turnaround it leads me most often to take a break between the parts of the tune, I'm trying not to do that.
PS: Copying Conal O'G will give you the style that he favours, which I think tends to be that northern type attacking style.
Best of Luck
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by Andyras1
Re: breathing
An enjoyed listen...
Don't breath from the chest! You need to let your diaphragm expand out, down below, your belly. It helps, as others have said, to sit upright to start with, which means you won't have that important area pinched. If you find your breathing results in mainly the chest rising up, then you're not breathing fully. The expansion should be forward and not up, and you need to be sitting upright to free up that possibility. It will give you more air to work with. There are also exercises that can help increase that capacity, once you open up, but just playing the flute is one hell of a good exercise once you get your breathing right.
Also, breath is one of the joys of this music, using it to add interest, using silence wisely. That gives the music breath and interest too, and can help define the rhythm and lift it. Learn to use it, not waste it. Silence is as important as sound in music, all music.
But, as said earlier, thanks, I enjoyed your playing...
# Posted on January 31st 2010 by ceolachan
Re: breathing
I don't think you need anybody's advice; you should be dishing
it out. Sounds great "as is".
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by Hup
Re: breathing
Hup, that's kinda what I was meaning by posting the Kevin Henry links. Listen to Kevin, then listen to premier. Kevin is a legend. Premier, be proud of your playing. It sounds like you're doing your homework!
# Posted on February 1st 2010 by Gone to work