You might have just got braces, and it’s been a while since you started to play the flute. If you have learned to play the flute before getting braces, you need to take care of a few things again.
People have started learning to play the flute after getting braces, and it’s comparatively more manageable for them to adapt to mouthing the flute.
The reason we are saying this is because they are not aware of the smoothness of playing flute without braces. Thus, when they learn with braces in the beginning, they get to adjust to it earlier.
Still, they need some instruction on forming the mouth for playing the flute. But a player who didn’t have braces while learning flute for the first time might take more time to adapt to the change.
If someone wears braces after starting to learn the flute, it takes them longer. As they know the ease of playing flute without braces, they are in a situation of learning it in a new way.
Here, we will provide you with all the essential details of playing the flute with braces on. We know it seems a little hard to blow on the flute in the required way. Don’t worry, just practice by following the details we will be giving in a while.
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Exercise 1: Stretching Exercise
The very first thing you need to learn to play with braces is to stretch your lips over the braces. It’s some extra stretches as there is some obstruction on the way.
Generally, without braces, you can bring your lips down quickly to form a specific embouchure. But, it braces, you need to put in some extra effort to form the right embouchure over the braces.
To ensure the right embouchure by bringing your lips to the front, you can do an exercise. Try to move your lips all the possible away by bringing them together or keeping them wide apart.
You can take them back and forth or gather them in a place or part them. Note that you need to do the exercise with your lips and without any flute onto your
That will help you a great deal to get used to the obstruction and bring the lips to the required place to blow air into the flute.
Do the exercise as much as you can. If you don’t do it at other times of the day, you must do it before playing the flute.
Exercise 2: Making Rabbit Face
The name is an interesting one, and you might already have started to imagine a rabbit face. You need to make a rabbit face, but a rabbit is a vital part of the exercise. You have a few more steps in the exercise.
First, hold the flute onto your chin. Then, take your upper lip upward as much as you can(This is the rabbit face stage). Just make sure it’s away from the braces. Next, make the upper lip tensed; you will the lip charging its formation.
After that, bring the lip over the brace slowly and gradually make loose the muscle of your upper lip. When the lip braces, you can then change both lips for the target embouchure. Finally, try blowing on the flute.
With exercise, you will be able to create the correct embouchure. So, make the rabbit face, go over the braces, bring the lips in the right position, and play the flute.
Completing the steps in this exercise might tire you at some point. Take a break, and practice again because you are not keeping your flute playing on hold for infuriating braces.
We can’t deny the fact, of the struggle your lips are going to do while doing this exercise. There are many cases of people getting so frustrated, that they even end up sobbing at some point. All you can do is be patient, take time and go slow.
Exercise 3: Passing The Line Of Upper Teeth
In this exercise, you need to be focused on taking your upper lip down until you pass the teeth from your upper jaw.
You will pass the upper teeth in the second exercise as well, but that one is focused on passing the braces skillfully. Anyway, the rabbit face is not necessary for the exercise. Still, you can start to buy making the rabbit.
Or, follow these steps- first, part your lips, and hold the flute under the lower lips. Next, drag down the upper lip. In other words, you are just making the philtrum elongated.
Once you place the teeth, you can make the embouchure needed for playing the flute. So, bring your lip to the position by following those steps and try playing the flute.
Few Other Things You Need To Keep In Mind
- While doing the exercise, there is a good possibility of ending up with the wrong embouchure.
- You might gather the lips at the front, which is not the required form of any of the notes.
- Remember to keep the lips spread.
- Try to relax the lips while bringing the over the braces and forming the embouchure.
- Don’t hurry or expect yourself self to get used to it right away!
- Take your time, and exercise for the lips.
- Forming lips with the braces is the first concern now.
- Even without braces, it’s hard at the beginning to structure the lips appropriately. And, it’s another hardship you need to go through to play the flute.
- Don’t forget about maintaining the right posture while practicing with braces.
- Freely move your lips muscles.
- Practice the exercise every day and try playing a different note. This way, your lips gradually develop muscle memory. For your information, you can practice the exercises even if you don’t have braces.
To Warp-up
Playing flute already entails many activities, and we do them simultaneously, don’t we? For instance, you blow on the pipe, and finger the holes, adjust your posture, form, and reform your embouchure to get a tune right.
With braces, you simply have a few more things to keep in mind that you will be doing the other tasks. Undoubtedly, in the beginning, it can be distressing when you see it difficult to play the flute with braces, but if you practice, you will get used to it.
You have nothing to worry about because you had already come long when you started to play the flute. Hence, you will be able to learn to play flute with braces on like a pro as well!