AboutHerbert Smith Expertise I can answer questions about almost any flute-related topic. I have trained professionally as a flute repair tech and and music educator, and have a broad range of experiences as a performer. I also have plenty of experience with flutes of every level from a huge variety of manufacturers and built with every imaginable material or specification, and can comment on the quality of various instruments, as well as guide people through the flute-buying process. I'm willing and able to discuss various flute gadgets as well (Valgon rings, Foster extensions, etc.).
I am also glad to offer advice on how to approach difficulties within pieces of music, offer teaching tips to those who give lessons, provide suggestions for repertoire, as well as answer just about any other flute-related query you can throw at me! I'm also quite familiar with piccolo, alto, and other harmony flutes (including those in unusual keys, such as Eb flute, Db piccolo, G treble, etc.), and have experience building professional quality head joints.
Please note, however, that I am not an appraisal service, and will not provide estimates of value. Please do not ask me about the value of your flute.
Experience I'm a professional repair tech with years of experience, and a veteran high school band director. I've maintained a successful studio for private flute lessons for many years, and have performed professionally in just about any imaginable venue.
Education/Credentials I have bachelor's degrees in music education and performance from highly regarded universities, and have trained with one of the best flute techs/flute makers in the US.
Question Hi, I'm Holly and am a junior in high school. I have just recently noticed that I don't play flute in the standard way of having a hole in the center of the lips. I tend to play out of the side, if that makes sense. I guess I must not be too bad because I recently made second chair Wind Ensemble (the top band) but I was just wondering if this was unusual and if it could have been caused by the fact that I pretty much began to learn flute right after I got braces in the sixth grade and did not get them off until the summer before my sophomore year. Could this be why I don't play with the hole in the center of my lips? If this is unusual, is there any way to fix it or should I just leave it alone?
Thanks so much in advance.
Answer Hello Holly!
I can absolutely guarantee you that you're not alone in having an embouchure that's off center. This is usually a trait of people who have a "teardrop" which hangs down slightly from the center of the upper lip, but I've seen this a number of times from others with "normal" lips. Generally the presence or absence of braces has nothing to do with determining whether or not a given player's embouchure is centered, however.
An off-center embouchure will not hold back your playing at all, and can actually be very useful, as most folks with an off-center embouchure play off to the left, which requires that the flute be pushed out from the body slightly. This actually puts the flute into a very comfortable playing position naturally, and can help to limit tension in the hands/arms/neck (which is a very good thing).
You might be interested to know that Marcel Moyse was famed for using an off-center embouchure, and he was one of the greatest flute virtuosos of the early 20th century. There are a number of other topnotch players who use (or have used) this type of embouchure, so he was not alone. It's not a matter of the centered embouchure being correct and an off-center embouchure being incorrect, but a matter of finding what works for you. Everyone has a different physiology, and thus what works for one player may not work at all for another. If you're happy with the results your off-center embouchure are providing, and a good teacher does not see anything about your playing that will prevent progress in the future, there's really no reason to try to change your embouchure.
As such, I encourage you to continue working on your tone exercises with the embouchure you're comfortable with. If you find that you cannot play well with the embouchure you're used to (now that the braces are off), you might consider trying to change it, but if you're simply interested in playing with a centered embouchure for the sake of having a centered embouchure, I suggest you discard that idea. There's nothing at all wrong with an off-centered embouchure, and the change will require you to essentially relearn your playing.
Should you decide to undergo an embouchure change, for the most part you will have to learn to play all over again. While you won't have to completely relearn all of the skills associated with playing, you'll first have to undo the embouchure that has probably become second-nature at this point, and learn to use your lips in an entirely different way. This will be a process that takes months (and should be supervised by an experienced teacher to ensure that you don't develop any bad habits which will interfere with your playing), and during that time you absolutely will notice a decrease in tone quality, dynamic and pitch control, etc. In some cases the results once the change are complete are well worthwhile, but if there's nothing wrong with your playing to begin with, it can be a long and frustrating process with little to show for all of the effort. If you're interested in changing your embouchure, I suggest that you consult with a skilled private teacher before starting along that path.
I hope this is helpful. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
