by Isabelle Chapuis Starr 

Concert Flutist

Lecturer-in-Flute, San Jose State University

Principal Flute, Orchestra of Opera San José

This is a reprint of an article that appeared in:

Instrumental technique in general, and flute technique in particular, has taken enormous strides during the last century. It is not uncommon these days to find all of the flutists in a given orchestra possess remarkable facility. And this holds true not only for professional orchestras of all kinds, but also for semi-professional ones as well. With such a high degree of technical accomplishment pervasive in orchestras in the U.S. (and in Europe--and Japan too!), one might ask: what is the special quality that distinguishes a principal flutist or a soloist from other professional flutists? In my view, the most important factor is the quality of sound. Tone quality is not only the most important technical element in flute performance, it is also the most difficult area of flute playing to teach.

I am French, and I received my instrumental training from several noted exponents of the French School of flute playing: Jean-Pierre Rampal (my teacher at the Conservatoire national de musique in Paris), Michel Debost, Gaston Crunelle, Alain Marion, Christian Lardé, Roger Bourdin and Marcel Moyse. The following article is a distillation of their approach to flute study.  It is an outline of their ideas, which I absorbed while studying at the Paris Conservatory and in private lessons with these flutists. In setting down their approach as a guide for flute students and other flute teachers, I am not implying that the French School is superior to all others. That, of course, is a question of taste. And everyone has his or her own personal preferences. However, the French School of flute playing is unquestionably universally admired. And it is this school of flute playing with which I am most familiar.

A flute teacher must constantly check on two aspects of execution--whatever étude, piece or technical problem is currently being studied. The first is the proper position of the embouchure--which varies with each and every student, depending upon the shape of his or her lips, lower maxilla, teeth and pallet. Only the patient observation of a skilled and sensitive teacher can determine the exact placement of the embouchure for each individual student.

The second aspect of execution that must be checked constantly is the proper placement of the hands. Under a teacher's guidance, the student must find and maintain a position that affords adequate stability, while at the same time permitting a natural and supple posture. Fingers must be relaxed. And yet, they must also be held as close to the keys as possible. Arms must not rise with breathing.

Students should stand while practicing. The music stand should be set rather high, particularly for beginning students, to keep their heads straight and to facilitate free breathing. When a student is more advanced and good posture is second nature, the stand need not be set as high. In concerts, of course, it should be set even lower. The public must be able to see the flutist's head and shoulders, and the sound should not be blocked by the music. When the stand is set lower, a flutist should lower his glance, not his head.

One of the basic principles of instrumental study in France, from the earliest levels to professional coaching, is effective use of study time. A definite task must be accomplished each day. The scope of the day's task should be set realistically so that small degrees of improvement are readily apparent to both student and teacher. This approach, together with a patient attitude, will lead a student towards progress.

To develop a rounded and pure sonority, the student should follow this approach:

1. Begin each practice session by working on long tones. Start first with the lowest octave, each note separately (see Example 1.) Concentrate and listen carefully while playing each note. Count four slow beats for each note while making sure that the embouchure does not move. Once the proper position of the embouchure is determined. it should not change with different registers. Only the lips, and not the position of the embouchure, should modify the direction of breath. Work up through the second and third octaves.

2. Play long tones in octaves (see example 2a) without any changes in dynamics--that is to say, at a steady volume from the beginning of each note to its end. Each tone should be repeated at four different dynamic levels: forte, mezzo-forte mezzo-piano and piano. 

When a satisfactory result has been obtained, the student should play long tones with nuances (examples 2b). The student and teacher should concentrate on (a) removing impurities from the sound and (b) developing steadiness of tone, with a homogeneous sonority between the two octaves.

3. Play two adjacent notes (example 3)--slowly and strictly in tempo, with a slight separation between each note to permit the lips to find the proper position. Each pair of notes should be repeated several times--first forte, then mezzo forte, then piano. Within each dynainic level, the attacks should all be the same.

4. The exercise outlined in No. 3 can now be extended to progressively more distant intervals (example 4).

5. Play long tones, slurred, two octaves apart (example 5). This exercise is for advanced students.

During these five exercises, the teacher must check the student's intonation carefully and constantly.

Of course, these five exercises can be transposed to every degree of the chromatic scale. Students should work on long tones for 1 hour a day. When students practice alone, it is very valuable to work with a tape recorder. Listening to oneself play on a tape recorder helps a student develop his/her self-critical facilities--especially in the area of intonation. The flute has many notes that are naturally out of tune, even in the best of instruments. Flutists must compensate for these problematic notes with the embouchure. In order to adjust intonation, the first step is always careful and critical listening.

After these exercises, students can work on a short and relatively simple Andante--to relieve the monotony. Pieces like Mozart's Andante in C major or the minuet section of Gluck's Dance of the Blessed Spirits are perfectly suited for this purpose. Many additional compositions of this type can be found in Marcel Moyse's book Tone Development Through Interpretation. The purpose of these andantes, however, should not be to add a new piece to the student's repertoire. Rather, these pieces should be used here as training tools to develop steadiness of tone and purity of sound. Consequently, interpretive matters--such as tempi, rubato, etc.--are not relevant here. The focus should be on tone.

It goes without saying that by stressing the importance of a beautiful sound, one must not neglect the development of an impeccable technique. Discussions of technique inevitably lead to talk of scales and daily exercises. Scales should be approached with the following principles in mind:

1. For single tonguing with the syllable "tu," one must check that all repeated notes have the same quality of sound and the same kind of attack. American flutists must learn the correct pronunciation of the French word "tu," which is indispensable for rapid, cleanly articulated single tonguing. The syllable "Too" results in a sloppy staccato with no crispness to the attack and very little air between the notes. I have long thought that language plays an important role in flutists' articulations. The French pronounce the word "tu" at the tip of the tongue, for a sharp "T"; also, the lips are pursed for a tight "U" sound. It is no accident that many French flutists display extraordinary virtuosity when playing staccato. The French language helps train this facility. The French staccato is typically light, sharp, clean and brilliant. In contrast, the German language says "Du." This word is pronounced with a soft "D" and a loose "U" sound. While there are many great German flutists, playing staccato is not usually their stongest ability--and often they have had to work especially hard on their staccato techniques to compensate for their language habits.

In practicing staccato, avoid uneven gaps between the notes. Repetition must be steady. The tip of the tongue should hit the rims of the front-center teeth, on both the top and bottom rows, on every tongued note.

2. Single tonguing with the syllable "ku" must be made as short and pure as it is with the syllable "tu." The vowel "u" in ku must be pronounced à la française. When the two syllables are put together for double tonguing, a listener should bear no difference between them when emanating from the flute.

3. Double staccato tonguing (example 6) must be developed with a goal of evenness rather than speed.

4. Double tonguing/double staccato (example 7) requires that the flutist use just the tip of the tongue.

5. For triple tonguing (example 8), don't rush it. It will come after some facility with single and double tonguing has developed.

One of a teachers most important roles is the selection of pieces appropriate for each student's particular strengths and weaknesses. Of course, students want to play the famous, difficult pieces they know and love. However, students will eventually become frustrated if they cannot master a work, no matter how hard they practice. Pieces of too great difficulty necessitate constant reading. The student is not free to concentrate on the development of tone and technique. Consequently, no progress is made and the student becomes discouraged.

In summary, a carefully planned work schedule is the basis of progress in tone development and technical facility. The schedule outlined above--and recapitulated below--is intended for intermediate students working to attain a professional level of accomplishment.

long tones, octaves, intervals                                      1/2 hour

studies in sonority, slow movements                           1/2 hour

scales                                                                        45 minutes

daily exercises                                                            up to 1 hour

étude(s)                                                                     up to 1 hour

pieces(s)                                                                    up to 1 hour

A flutist cannot, and should not, study for extremely long and unbroken periods of time, as pianists often do. Over-exertion can lead to pains, cramped muscles, and even more serious neurological problems. The schedule just outlined should be broken into at least two parts and spread over the day.

(This article appeared in the March/April 1980 issue of  The California Music Teacher, the Official Journal of the Music Teachers Association of California. It is reprinted here with permission. All rights are reserved. Permission is granted to flute students and flute teachers to download and print out this article for their personal use--as long as the article appears in its entirety.)