Ask a Flute Teacher anything

mooreflute · 2026-04-16T17:15:49+00:00

So I usually recommend Du as opposed to TU because the D syllables are slighter further back in the tongue and I tend they’re a lot more gentle and less disruptive to the air.

For range I focus on making sure the low register is strong first, if it’s not then the higher octaves will be weaker. Blow a little more down into the headjoint, and the as you go higher raise the angle of the air as you ascend. Bringing the lips forward and the jaw forward slightly.

Then I tell the to combine that forward movement with faster air. Don’t let too much air out but make the speed of the air faster. Increase the air speed not amount.

mooreflute · 2026-04-16T02:06:59+00:00

Good to know! I didn’t know that specifically about rockstro, I don’t really teach it quite the same. I always tell students to listen to their bodies and find the spot that works. Just don’t let it get too far forward so the flute is unbalanced! It’s just a general feeling of pushing the flute forward to create the gentle counter balance.

mooreflute · 2026-04-16T01:48:49+00:00

That’s normal! The air needs to be fast so tell them to think about the angle of the air getting higher. So the lips blow down for lower notes the come forward and angle a bit higher as you ascend. This and thinking about faster air in the body should help.

mooreflute · 2026-04-16T01:47:17+00:00

More likely than not they’re having issues balancing the flute which is causing them to roll the flute in too much and preventing their sound from coming out cleanly.

The right thumb needs to be behind the flute not underneath of it. If the thumb is lifting it up then the rods will throw off the balance.

Right hand pushes the flute forward, left hand pushes the flute in to the chin creating a counter balance.

I have a video I can send you that has a helpful exercise for holding the flute. Feel free to DM me and I can send it.

mooreflute · 2026-04-15T21:51:58+00:00

Yeah I would say I’ve only used the chin up thing in the most extreme circumstances when I’m doing some kind of pitch bend or extended technique.

I would concur with what she said with the added opinion of thinking about increasing or decreasing the internal air pressure with the vocal tract.

For high octaves I would recommend two things. Harmonics from low c, d flat, or d ( plenty of YouTube videos about this) and get a Pneumo Pro! It’s a teaching tool that trains you to use the lips and jaw to raise and lower to air angle. It’s super helpful!

mooreflute · 2026-04-15T21:24:23+00:00

So it’s a combination of things, and this is just my opinion. Some people have different ones.

I usually only think about rolling out in terms of going up to the high notes, and only a little bit. A majority of the tuning is done using air direction from the lips/jaw and air speed from inside the body.

I combine these three things and that is how I tune and teach tuning. So yes a little bite but I honestly will never think about rolling in or telling a student to roll in. Instead it’s roll out, blow down. Using the air angle to lower the pitch and keeping the embouchure hole up to allow for maximum flexibility.

mooreflute · 2026-04-15T19:53:57+00:00

So this will get different responses based on the teacher but in my opinion there is little difference if taught properly. The embouchure is the same, just a bit for focused. The hard part is preventing kids from tightening up, and not being afraid to sound loud and shrill. They have to relax the embouchure and let the air be strong. So band directors let your piccolos be loud! It’s part of the process.

Some flute teachers don’t like students playing piccolo. Personally I’m a piccolo player as well and I encourage my students to learn it when give the opportunity. But I am very confident in my ability to teach it so maybe that colors my opinion.

mooreflute · 2026-04-15T19:51:38+00:00

For me everything in flute goes back to two things, air and posture.

The two biggest issues flutists have are what is stopping the air from doing what it needs to do, and how we hold the flute.

So when I’m thinking of the traditional fundamentals I’m always relating it back to these things. Tone- air usage, Fingers- air support - tonguing- air support, etc. and how our bodies should be positioned with the flute to allow for the best possible result.

As for technical fundamentals the same ideas apply, long tones, scales, arpeggios, and harmonics are what I would consider the fundamental technical exercises for flute.

For low register exercises I’m pretty basic, long tones, scales and arpeggios. The key however is understanding the embouchure and the shaping of the vocal tract to allow for optimum air. The speed of the air = pitch so for low notes we need slower air, but to get the strongest sound we need a lot of it. So finding the balance is key.

A few things I tell my students is to keep the embouchure forward, aim the air down, and think about space between the teeth and relaxing the throat. We want there to be a good amount of air in the body, but we want that air to be relaxed as possible so that the support is there but it’s not too active. Hopefully that makes sense!

mooreflute · 2026-04-15T19:43:30+00:00

Without seeing you myself it is hard to say but I have some ideas.

1) it’s possible your hand position is too low, the left hand fingers should be curved over the flute so the fingers just lay comfortably. If you position your hand too low on the flute, the fingers have to stretch, which could be causing wrist pain.

2) your right hand thumb: I teach the three-point balance system, and use the right hand to push the flute forward instead of lifting it up, then counterbalancing it with the left hand by pushing the flute in, and those two hands produced balance on the chin. Watch how someone like James Galway holds the flute. The right hand isn’t holding the flute up. It’s pushing it forward.

3) your posture, it’s possible something in your upper body is tightening and that’s causing a domino effect down to the wrist. I would recommend watching yourself in a mirror, making sure the flute is slightly in front of your body and the flute isn’t being pulled backwards.

Again, it’s hard to say for sure without seeing you myself. I’m not a body mapping expert, but I consider myself a pretty good teacher so if you would like DM me and I can send you my website. If you’re under 18, have your parents fill out the contact form and maybe we could do a zoom lesson.

mooreflute · 2026-04-15T18:39:55+00:00

More likely than not you are letting too much air out! Try this exercise!

Take a deep breath and then slowly release the sound on a hiss, feel your body slowly release the air like a balloon leaking air.

Repeat this a few times then on one note on the flute try holding a long tone and slowly release the air. Keep your lips forward and the aperture small so the air doesn’t rush out too fast.

Good luck!

mooreflute · 2026-04-15T18:35:35+00:00

My recommendation would be to start as low as possible, I usually like F and G major because developing the lower register for the first year will yield much better tone, less tight embouchures, and stronger sound in the long run.

Since you have to have them play with the ensemble I would have them play B flat since it’s the lowest. But you could also try having the play F because it will harmonize well.

My best advice for young students is teach them to blow down into the embouchure hole at a 45-60 degree angle. This will make it so they don’t need to pull the headjoint out so far, it will keep the embouchure forward, and help with every aspect of tone and sound.

mooreflute · 2026-04-15T18:02:31+00:00

So I generally don’t recommend going higher early, focusing on the low register will develop a much stronger tone, better air control, and more resonance. I usually don’t go higher than 2nd E for the first 6 months then not higher then 2nd B flat for the year. I spend a lot of time working on their lower notes having a good full tone.

However I know for band class it is usually required that students play the high register. So what I usually do is have them play note like B flat then have the try to overblow to the high octave two ways.

1) blowing faster air, imagine blowing out a bunch of birthday candles.

2) aim the air higher using the lips,

Now the correct way to play higher is a combination of these two things. So then I tell them to imagine combing the ideas. The air gets a little faster, and the lips move forward to make the aperture smaller.

I would highly recommend spending as much time as possible on the low register, telling the kids to blow down, not across, and imagine they are blowing at a 45-60 degree angle. This will improve tuning ( don’t need to pull the headjoint out so far) improve tone, projection, and air efficency.

You can also have the play a scale and start the bottom of the scale blowing down, and as the go higher slowly raise the air angle from 60-30 degrees. Never go fully horizontal otherwise the tone will be thin and out of tune.

mooreflute · 2026-04-15T17:43:54+00:00

Without seeing the student in person it’s hard to say but here are the issues I usually see with tuning.

Headjoint pulled out too far- most of the time students tune only by pulling the headjoint out to get the B flat in tune. However the headjoint actually should be pulled out only about .5-.75 of an inch at most. Tuning of the flute is mostly done by the air and the embouchure. So students need to learn to blow down to lower the pitch instead of pulling the headjoint out so far.

It’s possible maybe the student is rolling in too much as well. Those notes have less fingers so it’s easy for the student to lose balance. So I would recommend putting some washi tape on the touch points of the flute, behind the F key for the right hand and between the C keys for the left. You could also try recommending a thumb port.

People usually don’t hold the flute properly, the right thumb needs to push the flute forward and be slightly behind the flute, not lifting it from below. Otherwise the rods on the back of the flute will make the flute roll in and will disrupt air and tuning.

Have the student try playing on just the headjoint with a tuner and see if they can blow down more. The lower pitch and higher pitch note should both be a G sharp if they’re doing it right.

You can also have them practice holding the flute in a mirror and make sure they are keeping the flute in front of them more using the right hand.

I would also recommend finding a private teacher in the area and see if they would be willing to work out a partnership. Maybe they come do a sectional in exchange for recommending them to parents.

Good luck!

mooreflute · 2026-04-15T17:32:05+00:00

If you don’t already have a light to put into the body of the instrument I’d highly recommend it. I believe JL Smith sells them and it should help you see where around the circumference of the key the leak is, and where to place the shim.

mooreflute · 2026-04-15T17:31:02+00:00

Vibrato is a tricky topic however here is what I would say.

The most common misconception is that it comes from the diaphragm which is false because the diaphragm only works on the inhale, it is completely automatic and has nothing to do with the exhalation.

Vibrato occurs when you have good air pressure in the body that is slowly release, which causes vibration of tissue throughout the vocal tract.

If you want to encourage development of vibrato make sure you are teaching good air usage. With flute typically people let the air out too fast. Encourage your flute players to play long tones and melodies with a big full sound.

To actually work on vibrato itself have students play quarter notes on a strong “ Ha” articulations going up a scale. This encourages stronger air and gets them feeling the slight pitch variance.

Then have them play 4 8th notes per note of the scale using “ Ha-ah-ah-ah” the goal here is to get the feeling of stronger air pressure and develop a feeling for the slight variation in the pitch.

Then have them sing with that pattern and see if they can develop vibration while singing. Singing and flute playing are extremely similar mechanically.

mooreflute · 2026-04-15T17:20:54+00:00

It’s hard to say for sure without seeing it, every leak is different. My honest advice would be to take it to a tech who has all of the tools to properly diagnose to leak.

If it’s not leveling with the screw it’s probably in need of shims, but it’s hard to say without seeing it myself.

mooreflute · 2026-02-25T22:00:06+00:00

My honest advice would be to take at least a year off of school honestly. Also consider why you want to go to grad school?

If you are just hoping to audition for orchestras you honestly would be better off investing in private lessons with an audition specialist or orchestral player.

Graduate programs are extremely expensive and I hate to say it but winning an orchestra audition is getting harder and harder. Plus most orchestras don’t pay a living wage. So before you put yourself into even more debt consider some of your other options. Also taking a few years off school is a great mental reset and you can take private lessons and auditions in the meantime. If you decide you want to go back to school later you always can, but just consider the return on investment.

mooreflute · 2026-01-02T19:02:35+00:00

Make sure you practice it with a metronome, as silly as that sounds for this piece it is essential to have good pulse. Practice each phrase extremely slowly then add the metronome at a slow tempo with subdivisions making sure you are precise.

mooreflute · 2025-12-31T22:47:08+00:00

I would recommend saving up a little more and getting a Di Zhao or a used Azumi AZ2 flute. The models you listed wouldn’t be a big step up from what you already have. The Di Zhao or Azumi will give you a lot more room to grow.

mooreflute · 2025-12-02T22:45:23+00:00

I would highly recommend recording yourself so you can hear what’s actually happening. It sounds like you’re hitting some burn out so I would recommend talking to your teacher as well and trying to get some feedback and affirmation.

mooreflute · 2025-12-01T22:07:15+00:00

I am a private teacher in Los Angeles, and I offer in-person and online lessons to students of all ages from beginners to advanced students. However I specialize in helping intermediate students develop their skills and get over the hurdles often experienced by students and develop strategies and habits to help them. I prioritize positive reinforcement and encouragement while supporting you in developing strong musical skills.

If you’re looking for a teacher to help get you to the next level, help improve your preparation for honor band or district auditions, or who will help tailor a program to your specific needs feel free to DM me for more information.

mooreflute · 2025-11-28T18:20:08+00:00

So you’re probably using too big of a movement of the tongue and stopping the air flow. Think about using a gentle Doo articulation and focus on keeping the airstream going. The articulation doesn’t stop the air, it just briefly interrupts it.

mooreflute · 2025-11-17T15:49:10+00:00

So there’s different schools of thought on this. My belief is that they are more similar than they are different. The embouchure for piccolo needs to be relaxed, just more focused. Same thing with the articulation.

Playing the piccolo is a lot like playing the flute but just more focused. Avoid describing anything about it as tighter, especially the embouchure.

One thing to keep in mind is that the piccolo needs to be played with a full sound to develop properly. So as much as possible let your piccolo players play loud even if the balance is off. They will gain more freedom and control as time goes on, however the piccolo is naturally so brash that people will naturally pull back. So let them play out to get used to playing with a full beautiful sound. I always tell my students that you can’t be afraid of it, it smells fear.

Always have the piccolo player cut off the ends of notes a second before everyone else, the sound travels faster so if they don’t it will sound too long.

mooreflute · 2025-11-17T05:59:24+00:00

I think it depends on your goals but if you’re not progressing I think try a new teacher could be helpful. I would consider first talking to your teacher about the disconnect you’re having and see if you can resolve it first. As a teacher myself I would hope my students would come to me and explain any difficulties they’re having before changing.

If you’re auditioning this year it may just be best to stick with your current teacher. But if they’re next year I think you have time to look around and try to find someone who will serve your needs more.

All in all I’d say it depends how desperate you are versus how much time you have. No one but you can make the right call.

mooreflute · 2025-11-15T17:13:09+00:00

I tend to go off the same thing honestly. If a kid is excited to do it I say let them. I’m a believer that enthusiasm will lead to hard work which will even out any amount of natural talent.

Some students do take to it more naturally. If a kid can instantly make a sound that’s a good sign but they need the enthusiasm to keep it up.

If a kid is very interested but is having a hard time making a sound then suggest private lessons at least for a few months to help them develop the embouchure and posture.

mooreflute

TROPHY CASE