There has been a little controversy raging on Flute List lately regarding approaches to flute technique, specifically tone production and intonation. Some contributors are very scientific in their approach and others are not, and I think the science-oriented people got a little offended by some comments that may have made it sound like they were going about things the wrong way.

Personally, I think it’s great that some people can think about precisely aiming their air stream at very specific angles while blowing the air at a controlled and measured air velocity of x/per second, etc. That someone knows these angles and measurements impresses me to no end, but how do they know they are accomplishing this when they pick up a flute? If it were essentially that simple, then why can’t all flutist be taught to do this from the very beginning? And, when we can program a machine to do this, why do we find the results unsatisfying?

I agree that the air must be aimed at appropriate angles at sufficient velocities to produce good results. But, how each individual accomplishes that feat is less a matter of meeting specific criteria, than it is a constant exercise in trial error. Each person’s physiognomy is unique, the physical properties of flutes varies hugely, environmental conditions add to the list of variables, on and on and on. It’s a wonder that anyone learns to play well!!

But some do learn to play excellently, and many learn to play well, and I like to believe that most can achieve decent tone quality and better than passable intonation. Technology can be very useful; I use it in my practicing and I teach others how I think it should be used. But when we perform, or when we play with others, we have to be able to play without the benefit of meters measuring our pitch or our tempo or our air speed, etc. We have to learn how it feels to produce a good sound, how it sounds and feels to be in tune. Our bodies and our brains are what measure and evaluate what we are doing when we play, so we have to train them to be able to do that reliably and confidently, and then to make the necessary and constant adjustments that will get us the result we want. It’s not enough to say, “Blow at this angle and at this speed.” That is only the beginning!