Today, I want to reveal a few of the secrets to moving your body while playing the flute. Perhaps you’ve seen those violinists soloing in front of an orchestra who move intently with the music and seem to add dramatic emotions to the pieces simply by their body movements.
If you haven’t I would suggest finding a video of a high level performance right now so you will know what we are discussing today. I want to give you a few secrets you’ll need to move while playing the flute.
Be sure that you are not distracting from the music..
Try this little assignment for me: find a video of a solo performer (whatever instrument you’d like) and turn off the sound. Can you tell the style and feeling of the piece without hearing the music? If so, you have found a great example of what I want to teach you today.
I also have seen a few performances where there is so much movement by the musicians that it is difficult to focus on the music they are playing. However, if used the correct way, a little movement can create an added anticipation and emotion to the music.
This will be very difficult for you to achieve if you are just beginning to learn the skills and techniques you need to learn to play the flute. It is much easier once you have mastered things like fingerings, tone production, and music reading so you can focus on other little additions.
As you are learning and practicing how to add appropriate movement to your flute playing it may seem a little awkward like you are trying
to hula-hoop and walk at the same time. But eventually, it will become second nature as you internalize the emotions of your music.
The most important thing to remember as you are learning to add movement while you play, is to be sure that you are not distracting from the music. And keep the movements small at first until you are sure you feel it appropriately. I had a competing student once who loved to move so much that I was worried the flute was going to slip from her hands and project out to the audience. It’s impossible to relax while watching a performance like that!
Learn to feel the music, and check out this video of the smallest child who really ‘gets’ this concept. It’s really quite amazing!
Good luck and be sure to leave a comment below if you have any questions regarding this topic.
