You are here : BFP-flute-posture-body

Feet To keep your body firmly standing or sitting, not only vertical but also horizontal. The feet are where the standing posture begins. Better do this good. Vertical Find your feet beneath your legs. They are, as you know, a little broader than your legs. This gives you more firmness to stand on. Your feet are also divided into parts. Don't worry, there's not going to be a bio-lecture. But what gets you standing straight ? Don't get your standing support from your heels or foot but from the thicker and softer part behind your toes. ( name ? ) It seems Indians walk like this. Horizontal To give you a firm standing posture, your feet should also give horizontal support. Make that another foot can be put between yours to absorb lateral motions of your body. Your feet should not be right next to each other. To enable you to get firmness while moving a little forward or backward, place one foot a little forward. Which foot ? Right-handers put their left foot forward. Lefties their right. No more than 20 centimetres . Now you can move in every horizontal direction without losing your balance. Legs and knees There is nothing to tell about your legs because you can't bend them. But .... Your knees can be opened or closed. To close your knees push them al the way back. Uneasy feeling, isn't it ? To open them, bring them a little forward. They function as a vertical bumper. If you move them even more forward them you get shorter :-) Of course, if you sit you can't do this exercise. Back and head To keep your back straight, you must stand on your both feet. See feet, legs and knees. If you sit you should feel the lowest part of your pelvic bone firmly seated onto the chair. This bone now acts as your legs and knees. Hearing the grown-ups speak (sic.), a lot of them complain about their bad back. Pain, hospital, medical costs, .... So pay attention ! If you want to dream on, you'll need a whole lot of money. Well, in fact you should be grateful for playing flute, that way you can learn about things like that. Your back has many parts. He is build out of vertebra that form a spinal chord, keeping you straight. Starting at your tail-bone and building all the way up to a little knob at the back of your head. TALL ! A big diameter too, if you see one in your garden or museum. Between these vertebra are nerves and cartilage. They are very sensitive to vertical pressure. They prefer to be softly on top of each other. This luxurious feeling is generated when giving your vertebra some space. Feel tall and stand straight. Right on top of this spinal chord is your head. You'd better keep a good posture here too. Think you are suspended from the ceiling with a chord attached to the top of your head. A bit like a marionette. That chord is not attached in the middle of your head, but more at the crown of your head !! Ah, isn't that a unique feeling. Shoulders Keep your shoulders relaxed. Don't push them forward or backward. Don't push them down or pull them up. They should be able to move when playing. Make a little circle with your shoulders to relax them. That way your set for hours of playing pleasure. Arms and elbows Your arms keep your wrists and hands in a good position to play the flute. The elbows are bent and positioned not too high and not too low. They should be kept flexible. Left hand As with the fingers of the right hand, also keep all fingers of the left hand curved. Place the base of your left index finger squared against your flute between the first and second top key, where a little space is. Why ? See points of support ! Next your left thumb should be placed flat against the lowest of thumb keys. Note that this is the sole finger which is placed flat against the keys ! Then index, middle-, ring- and little finger should all form an arc to their key. Even the little finger ! The left wrist is placed almost under the flute tube. The more the wrist is flat, the more difficult it is to get the fingers curved on their keys. So push the wrist a bit forward to let the fingers curve. Keep the fingers around the flute as holding a little bird. Right hand The position of the right hand is simple. That's why so many flutists make it harder to do and therefore compromise their speed. To view what your right hand should look like, let the right arm FALL relaxed next to your body. You should have done this without thinking, totally relaxed. Now look at your right hand. Look at the fingers and the thumb. They are curved ! The thumb is almost directly under your index, a little shorter than your index. Now raise your arm. Keep the fingers in the same position square to the flute ! Before you place them on the keys, LOOK and REMEMBER. The most important finger is the little finger. Place it first on the key. Curved ! Which key ? Well, maybe some of you won't agree, but this works fine for me. Place the little finger between the c and cis key, between the roller of the c and the front part of the cis key. This position is like a long term investment to get your little finger the needed independence and strength. Next, place the ring -, middle finger and index curved on their keys. Your thumb is not touching the flute ! It is hanging not under the flute and not at the back of the flute. Keep this position when placing the thumb on the flute. It is NOT placed UNDER and NOT AT THE BACK of the flute tube but somewhere between these to extremities ! Why ? See points of support ! A little note on the right wrist. It is only a relaxed joint between the hand and the arm. It is slightly bent. Note that the position of the right wrists is determined by right elbow and fingers, and not made.