Hi!
For one of my audition pieces I am playing Idylle from Suite de Trois Morceaux by Godard. The only bit which is still causing me a bit of hassle is bars 66 and 67,
when I have to slur firstly D1, Eb1, C1, G1 and then secondly D1, Eb1, C1. I am finding it hard to keep the transition between Eb1 and C1 smooth, and it is made harder since they are quavers. Any ideas how I can make this transition more smooth?
Thanks,
Nicki

Have you tried nose grease? Rub your little finger down the side of your nose before you play. It lubricates the finger just enough to make sliding across the keys easier.

It's also worth checking that the keys on your footjoint all lie at the same level. A student of mine used to have trouble surring the C minor arpeggio until I realised her D# key stuck up above the others. She got it fixed and had no more problems.

One more thing to check: does the bottom C sound when you just depress the roller? Leaky C# keys are a common footjoint problem (I've had one on my flute for ages). The bottom C only sounds on my flute if I depress the roller and the C# lever together.

Thanks for your insightful reply.
I can get Cs out of my flute no problem, it is just there is a delay between the Eb and the C.
My footjoint seems to be ok, I can play C with just the roller, and the keys are at the same level.

So is it an embouchure problem rather than a fingering one?

Well, I can get Cs normally out no problem, I think it is the fact my embouchure is not changing in time, as there is a time delay between blowing to get a C and the note coming out.
Edit - just tried nose grease and I can do it! Thanks!

It might be worth experimenting with the embouchure you're using for the Eb, as you shouldn't need to change it for the C. Some notes are more forgiving of the wrong embouchure than others.

I've just been playing lots of Eb-C slurs, and I'm finding they're coming out really easily some of the time, but other times I'm just getting whistle tones instead of the low C. It might be my leaky footjoint, or I might be catching one of the trill keys on the way. Is this anything like your problem?

What's the make of your flute, by the way? I'll try it on whichever of my flutes is the closest to yours.

Just seen your edit - if it's OK now then disregard the above.

Rather interested at the bit that says "What's the make of your flute, by the way? I'll try it on whichever of my flutes is the closest to yours."
You obviously have more than one flute.

I have a Yamaha 574 body.

But what does your flute have?

I've got three flutes, my very ancient Yamaha 21 (forerunner of the 211), a Trevor James Virtuoso which I bought when I started playing seriously again and took my DipABRSM on, and my main flute now which is a Powell 2100 body with a handmade Powell Boston headjoint.

Hahahah!! Yes, it does take a while in the morning to polish myself up

Your Powell sounds very lovely, my Yamaha 574 has a William Simmons headjoint.

Yes, I love my Powell. It suits me because I need the help from the American-style cut to get a decent sound.

What is the cut like on the Powell? I needed a smaller hole to suit me or something! Ask my flute teacher

It's a bigger cut, more square. If you need a smaller hole you've probably got a powerful sound already. A French-cut hole (more elliptical) such as the ones found on Altus headjoints gives you more opportunity for subtle tone colours in the long run.

Mine is quite a rounded hole, I'll post a picture:

Mine's much squarer. The long sides are virtually straight, whereas yours look as if they're curved outwards. I'm trying to remember if I've tried a Willy Simmonds HJ, but I've tried so many I can't remember what it was like if I have played one.

Well, I am so lucky I have that combination, originally when getting my new flute they wanted to spend £600 max, but they ended up spending £1300 with that headjoint costing £500!

Andante, you SO often make me giggle - thanks!

I'd love to have a go on a few different hjs, however I don't have any spare cash to buy one should I find one I love, I can't get to anywhere that has decent flutes etc, and I do actually rather enjoy my Pearl.

This is what my headjoint looks like - the long sides are not straight but not at all rounded either - more like a very gentle curve. It has definite "corners" though - it's not round. I know that when I was trying out flutes, I found it much easier to get a warm mellow tone than on the equivalent yammies. (I didn't try out many)

I'm curious to know how this hj compares - is it as square as a Boston Powell? for example - I really know very little about this whole thing!

Hi Sarah,

Your HJ is very similar to mine. I don't think I've played a Pearl, so I can't tell you if they're similar to play. But with that cut I would expect so. It's useful information, because when I'm recommending flutes for students to try I'll suggest they try out the Pearl if their sound needs a bit of a boost.

I quite liked a Pearl when I tried it out, but the sound was so different to what I thought I'd sound like!

That's interesting to know - thank you!

[1 method ive found useful is actually keeping half your finger on the C key and half on the D# key

Thanks a lot, I have actually had my audition it was for now, but thanks for the advice.