Hand position
How you hold the flute is critical to how well you learn to play. If your
hands are cramped, it will be difficult to get around easily on the flute. The flute is
one of the easiest instruments to whiz around on if you have good hand positions. Be
sure to check out Putting it Together for tips
on lining up the head, body and foot joints of your flute before your play.
Here's an example of a comfortable and efficient hand position.
A common left hand
problem is holding the flute too tightly. Some people use the tip of their left thumb to
play the thumb key instead of reaching a little further and playing near the first joint
of their thumb.
Another
important consideration for left hand comfort is what kind of G key configuration you have
on your flute. Many people (especially girls/women) find an offset G is more comfortable
than an in-line G. If your left wrist is really bent backwards when you hold a flute with
an in-line G, a flute with an offset G will be better for you to play in the long run.
Do you let your the
little finger of the left hand cramp up as in this example? It is very hard to move any of
the fingers on your left hand with your little finger in this position.
In the right hand there are many problems that can crop up. The biggest problem of all is where to put your right thumb. If your thumb sticks out in front of the flute, your fingers will be very cramped. Your fingers may even be resting against the rods. Shake out your right hand by your side and hold it up and looked at it in this relaxed position. Now just insert your flute.
If
your thumb is double jointed, you may need to rest the flute more on the side of your
thumb. You do not want to get into the habit of letting your thumb bend backwards to hold
your flute as in this picture. Letting your thumb flex in this
fashion can cause many problems with your technique and puts a lot of strain on that
joint. If you shake out your hand by your side, you will see that your thumb is naturally
straight and slightly turned sideways to your other fingers. Rest the flute on the side of
your thumb so it stays straight. You may have to experiment with this position until you
find something that supports the flute and does not cause strain.