How to Play the Vertical Flute

Practice playing on the flute. Play on the flute to understand the sound it will make. You need to blow gently and imagine you are blowing bubbles. Blowing softly with even air is one of the most difficult techniques, but it’s also very important when you’re starting to play the vertical flute.

• If you blow too hard, the flute will make a very annoying hissing sound. Blow gently for a more melodious sound.
• Breathe from your diaphragm and make sure you blow evenly. That will help keep the sound even.

Learn the correct tongue technique. When playing a note on a vertical flute, you need to create and stop the sound with your tongue. Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth and behind your teeth. The sound needs to start and end there. ^[1]

• To do this, try saying the word “doot” or “dud” as you play the note. This technique is called tongue brushing and it creates a clear starting and ending point for the note.
• Be careful and don’t say the word “doot” or “dud” out loud while playing. These words are only used to help you practice your tongue technique correctly.

Play your first note. The first note that people usually learn is the B note. This requires you to plug the hole in the back with your thumb. Now use the index finger of your left hand and seal the first hole on the top side, below the blower mouth. Use the thumb of your right hand to balance the flute. Now gently blow into the mouth of the flute and remember to say “doot” or “dud”. Good job! The sound you just made is the note B. ^[1]

• If the note doesn’t sound or the flute squeaks, make sure your fingers are flat and completely covering the holes.
• A whistling flute could be because you blew it too hard.
• Keep practicing B until you can play it easily.

Understand the fingering chart. A simple fingerboard is used to represent the notes on the flute. The fingering table consists of the numbers 0 to 7, with the number 0 representing the left thumb, the number 1 representing the left index finger, the number 2 representing the left middle finger and so on.

• For example, the B note you just blew will be shown on the fingerboard as follows:
  • 0 1 – – – – – –
• The numbers represent the covered holes, and the dashes represent the uncovered holes. In this example, the number 0 indicates that your thumb covers the hole on the back of the flute, while the number 1 indicates that your left index finger needs to cover the first hole. ^[1]

Learn the left hand notes. The first notes that you learn to play with your left hand are B (which you just played), A and G. The next two notes that you will play with your left hand are C’ and D’. The commas in the upper right hand corner of these notes indicate that these are high notes.

• How to play the A note: Use the same hand position as the B note, but this time you need to place the middle finger of your left hand on the second hole from the top. The fingering chart for the note A is: 0 12 – – – – –
• How to play the G note: Use the same hand position as the A note, but this time you place the ring finger of your left hand on the third hole from the top. The fingering chart for the note G is: 0 123 – – – –
• How to play C’: Cover the back hole with your left thumb, then place your left middle finger on the second hole from the top. The fingering chart for the note C’ is: 0 – 2 – – – – –
• How to play D’: Do not cover the back hole and place the middle finger of your left hand on the second hole from the top. The fingering chart for the note D’ is: – – 2 – – – – –

Learn the notes to play with your right hand. The first notes you learn to play with your right hand are E, D and F#. The next two notes that you will learn to play using your right hand are F and C. These two notes can be difficult for new players because you need to cover a lot of holes at once while playing.

• How to play E: Cover the back hole with your left thumb, cover the first three holes with your left index finger, middle finger, and ring finger, then place your right index finger on the 4th hole from the top and your finger. middle of the right hand to the 5th hole from the top. The fingering chart for the E note is: 0 123 45 – –
• How to play D: Use the same hand position as E, but this time place your right ring finger on the 6th hole from the top. The fingering chart for the note D is: 0 123 456 –
• How to play the F# note: Use the same hand position as the D note, but this time remove your right index finger from the 4th hole from the top and keep the rest of the fingers intact. The fingering table for the note F# is: 0 123 – 56 –
• How to play the F note: Put your left thumb on the back hole, put your left index, middle and ring finger on the top 3 first holes, right thumb on the fourth hole, ring finger The right hand is on the 6th hole and the little finger of the right hand is on the 7th hole. The fingering chart for the note F is: 0 123 4 – 67
• How to play C: When playing C, all 7 holes are covered. Your left thumb will cover the bottom hole, your left thumb, middle and ring finger will cover the top 3 holes, and your right index, middle, ring, and pinky finger will cover the last 4 holes together. The fingering table of the note C is: 0 123 4567

Practice simple songs. Once you’ve mastered all of these notes, you can put them together to play some simple songs: ^[1]

• Mary has a little lamb:
  • BAGABBB
  • AAA
  • BD’D’
  • BAGABBB
  • AABAG
• Twinkling little stars:
  • DDAABBA
  • GGF# F# EED
• Auld Lang Syne:
  • CFFFAGFGAFFAC’ D’

Practice playing high notes. These notes can be a little difficult to play. To play a note higher than the D’, you need to use a technique called “thumb hole grip”. Use the tip of your thumb to cover 2/3 to 3/4 of the thumb hole. Pinch your lips slightly and blow a little harder than usual.

Learn the semitones. A semitone is a sound between one note and the next, like the sound produced when playing the black keys on a piano. You have learned one of the most popular semitones – the F# note. The two semitones that you need to learn next are Bb and C#’. ^[1]

• The fingering chart for Bb note is: 0 1 – 3 4 – – –
• The fingering table for the C#’ note is: – 12 – – – – –
• You can practice these semitones by playing a short song called Black Sheep Baa Baa:
  • DDAABC#’ D’ BA, GGF# F# EED

Practice vibrating techniques. Once you’ve mastered those notes, you can practice your vibrato technique. A vibrato helps long notes resonate, creating a very interesting dynamic effect. There are a few ways to accomplish this technique:

• Use the diaphragm to create vibration. Control the flow of air into the flute by tightening and contracting your diaphragm. Say “heh heh heh” but don’t lose your breath completely.
• Use your tongue twisting technique. Say “yer yer yer yer yer yer” and use your tongue to control the steam.
• Use vibrating finger flapping technique. This technique commonly known as ‘whispering’ is not very useful in producing sustained vibrato. Alternately cover that note and the next higher note. Don’t hit your tongue with every note, but quickly play the sequence of notes ABABAB A.

Use the steam stroke technique. This technique is created by quickly swiping fingers in quick succession on the flute to create a swiping sound.

Clean your flute after each use. Keeping the flute clean is very important and it also helps keep the flute in good condition.

• You can wash the plastic flutes in the dishwasher or a sink filled with warm soapy water. Please remove the parts before washing and be sure to rinse off all soap. ^[2]
• You can clean the mouth of the flute with an old brush or pipe cleaner.
• Let your flute dry completely before continuing to play.
• For wooden vertical flutes, disassemble the flute and carefully wipe the moisture inside with a soft cloth.

Store your flute in a carrying case. Keep the flute vertical in its holster when not in use to prevent it from breaking or damaging the top whistle hole, because damage there can render the flute useless.

Protect the flute from extreme temperatures. Protect your instrument from sudden temperature changes and keep it out of direct sunlight, and never leave it in a warm vehicle or near a heat source. This note is especially important for vertical flutes made of wood, but also applies to any other musical instrument. ^[3]