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same difficulty, you may be sure that it is the common experi-
ence of all beginners. With practice, anyone can soon learn
how the thing is done. We will give as explicit directions as
we can.
Rest the inner edge of the embouchure on the center of the
lower lip, at the bottom line of the lip. This is the best position
for most players, but you may find it easier to have the
embouchure a little higher or even a little lower. As a rule,
the embouchure should be turned in a little toward the mouth.
Let your upper lip project slightly over the lower lip. Then
tighten your lips a little by tightening the muscles at the cor-
ners of the mouth. Have the center of your lips slightly parted.
Now, the next step, the actual blowing. Do not blow directly
down into the embouchure. Blow against its outer edge, the
edge furthest away from your mouth. The tone is produced by
your breath striking the edge of the embouchure. Some of the
air should pass over the edge of the embouchure, but not too
much, for this produces a loud, high-pitch tone. Also, if too
much air goes into the flute and too little over the edge of the
embouchure, the tone will be poor and low in pitch.
Those are the secrets of how to produce a flute tone, and
they may take you a week or two to master. One fault to guard
against is holding your lips too stiff. Most beginners do this
without knowing it during their early struggles and produce a
hard tone.
When you get to playing tunes, you will want to practice
"tonguing." You use your tongue when striking a note to make
it sharp and clear. The method is to pronounce silently the
word "tu" each time you start to blow. This forces the tongue
forward to a point between the top of the teeth and the roof
of the mouth. Do not let the tongue drop down and touch the
teeth. That does not help the tone. The main rule about tongu-
ing is that you should always start each tone by tonguing it, so
it is a good idea to start practicing the "tu, tu, tu's" right from
the start.
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