Often when we are learning new things we get stuck in the same routines and patterns. Here are a few tips that can you help develop a deeper understanding of the range of sounds your flutes can produce.
EXPLORE EACH NOTE.
Make a song on one note and repeat this for every note. You can explore this by varying your breath. Try long breaths, interspersed with short breaths.
Blow harder, blow softer, stutter the sound, flutter your tongue, pause for a bit and then begin playing again, tell a story in your head expressing it through the one note Find as many ways as you can to vary the sound on that one note. Start with a gentle breath creating a soft sound and increase the air pressure raising the volume of the sound to the point where it is no longer a pleasant sound. And then add in a second note and have some even more fun with it.
PLAY A DIFFERENT SCALE
According to Clint Goss in his Flutopedia website there are over 1200 scales that people can explore. I am not sure how many of those will work on the Native American Style Flute I am willing to try as many as I can. Trying out different scales is a great way to expand your playing techniques, connect to more of the sounds you can produce with your flutes and build more fingering skills. To explore more scales, you can check out the 66 scales that Clint has collected on this page:
http://www.flutopedia.com/scale_catalog_pdf.htm
One of the reasons I enjoy playing with the different scales is that it helps me to learn how the notes sound together in that scale. As a player we get very used to hearing the notes in the basic pentatonic scale. I find playing the flute to be a real exercise in listening. When I step into a new scale and play within the notes in that scale, new music begins to emerge from the playing. I have to listen with my ears, and pay attention to my fingers to try the new fingering and make sure I don't slip back into playing in the basic scale. It expands my playing skills and if you challenge yourself to play with a new scale every week you will hear some interesting developments with your own playing.
So go ahead and take the plunge. Have some fun trying a new scale toda
EXPLORE EACH NOTE.
Make a song on one note and repeat this for every note. You can explore this by varying your breath. Try long breaths, interspersed with short breaths.
Blow harder, blow softer, stutter the sound, flutter your tongue, pause for a bit and then begin playing again, tell a story in your head expressing it through the one note Find as many ways as you can to vary the sound on that one note. Start with a gentle breath creating a soft sound and increase the air pressure raising the volume of the sound to the point where it is no longer a pleasant sound. And then add in a second note and have some even more fun with it.
PLAY A DIFFERENT SCALE
According to Clint Goss in his Flutopedia website there are over 1200 scales that people can explore. I am not sure how many of those will work on the Native American Style Flute I am willing to try as many as I can. Trying out different scales is a great way to expand your playing techniques, connect to more of the sounds you can produce with your flutes and build more fingering skills. To explore more scales, you can check out the 66 scales that Clint has collected on this page:
http://www.flutopedia.com/scale_catalog_pdf.htm
One of the reasons I enjoy playing with the different scales is that it helps me to learn how the notes sound together in that scale. As a player we get very used to hearing the notes in the basic pentatonic scale. I find playing the flute to be a real exercise in listening. When I step into a new scale and play within the notes in that scale, new music begins to emerge from the playing. I have to listen with my ears, and pay attention to my fingers to try the new fingering and make sure I don't slip back into playing in the basic scale. It expands my playing skills and if you challenge yourself to play with a new scale every week you will hear some interesting developments with your own playing.
So go ahead and take the plunge. Have some fun trying a new scale toda
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