book me now
book me

Welcome, to the Ultimate Guide for Flute Breathing

Breathing is to flute is as a bow is to a violin or a fish to water. You really can’t have one without the other. Flute breathing is, however, something that nearly every flautist will struggle with throughout their musical journey. Flute breathing can also be a challenging concept to teach because you can’t visually demonstrate exactly what your lungs are doing. So this page is designed specifically to fill any gaps in your knowledge, and compliment and reinforce the strange abstract concepts your flute teacher is attempting to communicate.

Good luck, and don’t forget to be patient with yourself just as you would be with a young child as they learn to walk and talk. And just as kids spend hours practising making sounds and forming words, it will take constant and deliberate practice for you to train your body to distinguish between an everyday breath and flute breath.

Videos

Breathing Part 1: Flute vs Tube

Breathing Part 2: The Diaphragm and Abdomen

Breathing Part 3: Ribs and Intercostal Muscles

Breathing Part 4: Tips and Tricks

Breathing Part 5: Breath Olympics

Breathing Part 6a Exercises for Beginner Flautists

Breathing Part 6b:
Exercises for Intermediate Flautists

Breathing Part 6c: Exercises for Advanced Flautists

Breathing is like a cup of coffee

Breathing for Bass Flute

Books

with Breathing Exercises

Flute With a Twist

Flute with a twist by Mariann Boug is a fabulous little book for introducing intervals to students. Each interval is explored both melodically and harmonically in fun duets. The book also includes trios, breathing exercises, musical games and puzzels.

Practical Routines for Flute

Practical Routines for Flute is an incredible resource for intermediate flautist. by Christine Draeger, Jocelyn Fazzone and Lamorna Nightingale. It includes sections on breathing, tone, dynamics, intonation, finger technique, articulation and extended techniques. Each section is accompanied by excerpts from flute repertoire. This allows students to use each new concept in the context of a piece helping to minimise the gap that is often found between technique and repertoire.

Practice book 5: Breathing and Scales

Practice Book 5 is the second last book in a series by Trevor Wye. These works are designed for people who have decided to take their flute studies seriously and are filled with exercises to help students develop every aspect of their playing.

The Flute Player’s Book

Vernon Hill’s The Flute Players Book is essentially a textbook for flautists. It includes in-depth explanations of how to play the flute and how to practice. Each explanation includes short flute exercises and the accompanying disk allows you to hear what you’re aiming to sound like. This is great for advanced students and compliments the Trevor Wye Practice books which focus’ primarily on exercises.

Alto Flute Method

The Alto Flute Method Book by Chris Potter is perfect for flautists looking to transition onto the Alto Flute. The book contains every thing you need to know to get you set up on the instrument and includes exercises for the development of tone, breathing and articulation. Potter also provides an alternative fingering guide and lots of tips for manuevering around the quirks of the instrument.

Bass Flute Method

The Bass Flute Method by Chris Potter is similar in nature to The Alto flute method, however, this time focusing on the idiosyncrasies of bass flutes. The book is full of exercises, tips and tricks, brand recommendations and a small repertoire list. It will also take you through setting up the curved headjoint, performance aids and travel tips.

The Art of Playing Flute Vol. 1

Roger Mather’s Art of Playing Flute Vol. 1 is an extensive workbook focused entirely on breathing. This is an incredibly detailed work combining written explanations with exercises. It would be well suited to anyone pursuing post-graduate studies in flute performance and is not for anyone wanting something simple and straightforward.

Other Articles & Websites

Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We try our best to keep things fair and balanced, in order to help you make the best choice for you.

Be part of the journey
everyone's invited!

like, follow and subscribe

Instagram Facebook-f Youtube Spotify Apple

the techie flutist

The Techie Flutist, 2024. All RIghts Reserved.

Book me for your next event

Fill out the form below, and we will be in touch shortly.