Hi everyone,
I've been playing the flute for many years and my flute teacher has always told me to put my right hand thumb at the side of the flute pushing forwards, but recently i have been away to a flute course for a weekend and a proffesional flute player told me to put my right hand thumb under the flute gripping it.
I dont know which one to do. Can anyone suggest anything?

Hello Chocolate Girl.

I always put it under the flute to take the weight - but was told I was projecting too far forward and that would be considered bad posture in the exams - so now I keep it under the flute but not sticking out.

I think the arguments over RH thumb reflect the fact that there's no "one size fits all" solution - everybody's hands and fingers are slightly differently proportioned. There are definitely "fashions" in flute grip styles, but the fact remains that some people have small hands and some people have big hands.

However, the RH thumb has to be stable enough that your RH fingers are as free as they possibly can be, and are not required to stabilize, support, or balance your flute.

I can't quite envisage your usual grip, but certainly your RH thumb should be pretty much underneath where your RH index finger is, not way to the left. Try it WITHOUT your flute, and see how much farther you can reach your RH pinky to the left when your RH thumb is below your RH index finger!

Why not take a look at these links, experiment a bit, and keep discussing the matter with your teacher? Some people use corn plasters to keep their RH thumbs from sliding around, or special plastic thumb rests - which all prove that finding the perfect RH thumb position isn't that easy!

However, some people support their flutes on the pad of the thumb, near the joint, like this:
diagrams of flute grip

Or it can be sitting almost on the tip of your thumb, like this:
photos of flute grip

Thanks guys for all your replies. I think i might just keep it under the flute but not sticking out. That way it feels more comfortable.
:D

I've always played with my RH thumb under the flute, and often adjust it to get the most comfortable position. Sometimes, however, when I practise/ play for a while, my thumb starts bruising!!!

Yeh, I might start doing that. Nobody I know apart from my teacher pushes the flute forward. Thanks for your reply!

Chocolate girl :D

You might also want to think about trying a thumb rest. They're meant to help you to keep the whole hand in the right place to cover the keys properly. My teacher was trying one recently i'll ask about what she thinks about them.
PS Don't suppose it was the Ardmay House course you were on?

yes, it was ardmey house. How did you know?

I hold my flute/have my right hand thumb behind the flute pushing it forward, just as you do . That's what my teacher tells me to do & he is an excellent professional flautist. If it works OK for you I wouldn't change what your teacher has taught you.

i hold my flute under the f key.

I would try both positions out: they are both valid, well-attested positions.

I can't use the modified Rockstro position (right hand thumb behind the flute) because it puts too much strain on my right elbow, where I've had tendonitis in the past. This is mainly due to my hand size, as the normal way of playing in this position is to roll the body of the flute outwards so that the rods are on top of the flute, which counteracts the tendency of the flute to roll towards you due to the weight of the rods.

I can play with my thumb behind with the body of the flute in the normal, keys parallel to the ceiling position, but it's more comfortable to have the thumb under the flute with the body in this position.

Whichever version you adopt, your right thumb should not stick out beyond the flute, because then you are creating a slide for the flute to roll down.

[/quote]
yes, it was ardmey house. How did you know?
[/quote]

i was on it as well.

[quote name='snhs' date='Oct 15 2006, 09:47 PM' post='408331']
[/quote]
yes, it was ardmey house. How did you know?
[/quote]

i was on it as well.
[/quote]
whats your first name?

[quote name='chocolate girl' date='Oct 18 2006, 07:20 PM' post='410048']
[quote name='snhs' date='Oct 15 2006, 09:47 PM' post='408331']
[/quote]
yes, it was ardmey house. How did you know?
[/quote]

i was on it as well.
[/quote]
whats your first name?
[/quote]

Michael

[quote name='snhs' date='Oct 18 2006, 08:22 PM' post='410094']
[quote name='chocolate girl' date='Oct 18 2006, 07:20 PM' post='410048']
[quote name='snhs' date='Oct 15 2006, 09:47 PM' post='408331']
[/quote]
yes, it was ardmey house. How did you know?
[/quote]

i was on it as well.
[/quote]
whats your first name?
[/quote]

Michael
[/quote]
were you the person that was doing homework about bleakhouse?

[quote name='chocolate girl' date='Oct 19 2006, 05:53 PM' post='410448']
Michael
[/quote]
were you the person that was doing homework about bleakhouse?
[/quote]


Yes It was an essay on Comedy (in Bleak House).

[quote name='snhs' date='Oct 19 2006, 08:33 PM' post='410557']
[quote name='chocolate girl' date='Oct 19 2006, 05:53 PM' post='410448']
Michael
[/quote]
were you the person that was doing homework about bleakhouse?
[/quote]


Yes It was an essay on Comedy (in Bleak House).
[/quote]
im called megan

[quote name='chocolate girl' date='Oct 21 2006, 03:10 PM' post='411029']
[/quote]
im called megan
[/quote]

There's a good chance i remember you then. But you must have been in one of the other masterclasses i don't remember her talking about thumb position to anyone.