How Do I Get Better at Flute?
I know, I know, we all want to get better at this thing that we love. Sometimes it’s tough to figure out exactly how, especially if you’re a self-taught flute player. I’m so excited that you’re here, though, because I’m going to give you my best tips to getting better at the flute!
Practicing Consistently & Efficiently
Of course, you probably know that a consistent practice schedule is the best way to continue improving. Even 15 minutes per day is going to move you forward faster than someone that’s practicing for an hour, once per week. If you can create a plan for your practice sessions and stick to it, then you’ll see progress. For instance, if you only have 15 minutes that you can commit to daily, what should you practice? Try a warm-up, alternating tone exercise and technique exercise daily, and then alternating etudes and repertoire daily. If you have more time, you won’t necessarily need to alternate, but be sure you’re spending adequate time on each section. When you’re limited on time, chunking out difficult parts of your repertoire so you can practice efficiently. Don’t just run through your pieces mindlessly. Practice the parts that need the most work.
Etudes, Technical Exercises, and Scales
If you have a teacher, they should be doing this for you, but if you’re teaching yourself, you should try and assign yourself etudes and technical exercises in 2-week increments and choose a different scale to practice every day. Even if they aren’t perfect at the end of the 2-week section, continue on and make a note to “see it later.” You’ll have to settle for less-than-perfect sometimes, but remember that you’re likely not performing these anyway, and if it’s not perfect after 2 weeks, you’ve likely taken all you’re going to take from it right now. There will be more to learn from it later, don’t worry. Your technical exercise book will greatly depend on your level of playing, but Trevor Wye has written some incredible technical works that are worth delving into, and my personal favorite is the Practice Books for the Flute, which can be found here.
Tone Work
Tone work is important, even if you have a great tone! You’ll always be doing tone exercises, even after you’re an expert, so it’s never too early to start. I begin my students on long tones within 6 months of starting to learn the flute and not only is it a great stress reliever, but it’s also a great ear-trainer. You should try and incorporate tone exercises (such as long tones, harmonics, and even playing and singing) into every practice session. As you work on it, it will sound like your tone is getting worse, but I promise, it’s because your ear is getting more attuned to what’s happening with your sound. Again, Trevor Wye’s Practice Books for the Flute is a great way to start and certainly the most popular flute tone exercises out there.
Repertoire to Exercise Ratio
It’s no secret that most instructors focus primarily on exercises and etudes with a little repertoire. There’s a reason we operate this way! The repertoire is icing on the cake, and you can’t play the repertoire beautifully without the exercises and etudes. So, when you’re practicing and learning, make sure you’re 80-90% exercises and etudes and 10-20% repertoire. No more than that unless you’re working on an audition or a performance. Only then should you up your repertoire work.
Pro Tip
Don’t forget to warm up before every practice session! You’ll want to do a bit of stretching, breathing, and then, of course, warming the fingers up. I personally enjoy Paula Robison’s Flute Warm-Ups, choose one or two and run with them!
Key Takeaways
Practice consistently
Practice what needs work (use the chunking method)
Practice etudes and technical exercises in two-week rotations
Strive for perfection, but if it hasn’t been reached in two weeks, move on
Tone exercises should be practiced whether you have a good tone or not
Practice 10% repertoire and 90% everything else
Warm up before you practice
If you’d like a musical partner to help you get better at flute, I’m accepting students! Click the link below to book a lesson right away, or send me a message if you have questions.
