LFP 021 | The Best Kind of Mistakes to Make in Flute Playing

It’s the Learn Flute Podcast episode number twenty one. I’m Rebecca Fuller- your host and the expert over at the Learn Flute Online dot com website where I take you step by step through all of the ins and outs of how to play the flute in a positive, educational manner.

Today I’m going to be talking about the best kind of mistakes to make in flute playing. Let’s get started.

You can do it, and Rebecca will show you how step by step all along the way. Introducing the Learn Flute Podcast.

I’m glad you’re here today because we have an important subject to discuss that involves you- and me every day as we learn and grow.

I’m reminded of this awesome quote by Albert Einstein that goes something like this, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

I especially like this quote because I’m involved in a world of self-learners with cool people like you, and it’s a super important concept to understand. What I mean is that you are here because you want to be. And self-learners are the best! I think anyway.

Let’s take a step back and start with the actual recognizing of the mistake. That, for some people can be the trickiest part. It’s unfortunate to repeat the same problem over and over until it becomes a complete habit. These kinds of habits can be harder to break than they were to make for sure.

That’s why it’s important for you to keep an expert in your arena. Watch and study the little details. This is where you’ll get ahead of the game.

You know I’ve heard it said that racing swimmers, for example gain their core time in just a matter of months, yet they spend years and years learning how to gain those extra point one or two tenths or even hundredths of a second in order to be the best instead of just mediocre.

Now, perhaps you aren’t looking at becoming the principal flutist in the best Philharmonic in the world, but I can probably guarantee that you want to be the best you can be for yourself. I always say that flute players are a rare breed. We like the sound of the flute, and we love the emotions it makes us feel as we listen to the different tones and colors sweep through different melodies.

So, how can we ensure that we are taking our inaccuracies in the right direction? Well, my answer here is to take good, conscious notes during daily practice. It’s not really enough to evaluate our abilities only once a year. We can think of these notes kind of like a runner keeps a log of their miles. 

I don’t know if you have ever seen a log like this, but basically it’s a place where each workout is detailed out in short with a quick description of how far the run was, the time it was run in, the place or location, and the most interesting part of this is that at the end of the daily log is a place to enter the emotions that were felt at the end of the run.

Hmmm. There’s something new to think about. I know that music out of any other medium in this world can create emotions that sink deep.

For this reason, I always suggest never ever ending your practice session with the hardest thing you are trying to master. Sometimes that just leaves you feeling void of perfection, and possibly without a lot of hope. But instead, it would be super effective to end on a piece that gives you great pleasure and satisfaction. Then, the next time you pull out your beautiful instrument, you are still on a slight high from the day before.

I like to take my practice sessions in this order; for example this might help you out as well.I start with a warm up that not only physically warms my flute, but also preps my lips and fingers for the little workout I’m going to give them. 

I always tell my younger students who are also in dance classes or in a sport that warming up with their tone studies is exactly like stretching before their game or dance class. It’s important to establish also a routine of ‘can-do’s’ before working on the ‘can’t quite do’s’. Reminding yourself that you are confident and prepped is a great way to start a practice session.

The next thing I work on after my warm-up is to go through my scales. And, I think we’ll leave that subject i guess for another day because it needs a whole other set of attention.

After my scales I work on something like an etude or a note reading study… while staying conscious to keep the good tone that I just finished establishing during my warm up.

Then, I can go ahead with my new tricky stuff. I think we should put the quote I mentioned before us as a nice reminder that “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” and then add to it that “Anyone who has tried something new and strived to learn from it will become the achiever”. Of course achievers understand the excitement of life, and live vibrantly as well.

So, let’s take a quick recap; *The best kind of mistakes in flute playing are the kind you learn from. And, if you make the mistake – analyze and study it – then slow down and do what it takes to correct it, then you have made the most important step for the day. Tomorrow you will be better for it for sure with even more confidence and enjoyment.

You can keep a daily log of your practicing, thinking of it as that running log that I mentioned before. And always remembering to add your emotion of the day at the end.

Well, I want you to know that I’m your biggest cheerleader. I want to make sure you have the tools necessary to make your dreams of learning how to play the flute a complete reality. I always like to remind you to come into the lesson modules on the Learn Flute Online dot com website where you can learn something new and have a great time with new melodies and skills.

As usual, you’re welcome to leave a comment or question here on these podcast pages. I’m always here to answer and do anything I can do  to help your journey along.

This was episode twenty one of the Learn Flute Podcast. Again, I’m happy you were here to join the conversation that leads us to everything better for flute learning.
Bye now. 🙂