Flute Voice and Tonal Quality

Flute Voice and Proper Block placement.


One of the most important parts of the flute is the block (fetish) that sits on top. The placement of the bird will determine the quality of sound. Sometimes the block can get shifted around under the leather and change the quality of the voice. It’s important to understand how to troubleshoot the block and adjust it to get the best quality sound.

You want the block to be located right against the sound hole. The sound hole is the rectangular hole where the air gets blown into. Image below is the correct placement.


If the block is pushed over the sound hole it will begin to sound like a tea kettle (high pitch tone). What is happening is the air blown is not hitting the splitting edge properly causing an overtone blow. To fix this, push the block back slightly until it rests up against sound hole. (Incorrect placement)


If the flute is sounding airy it is because the bird is to far away from the sound hole. To fix this you will need to push the block forward to rest against the Sound hole. (Incorrect placement)


Breathe Pressure

 When are first learning the flute it takes practice to get the correct breath pressure. I like to compare the correct breath pressure to the same pressure you use to whistle. If you blow to hard it can jump and octave and create a high pitch tone. If you blow to soft it can create a weak voice. Practice finding the right pressure and experiement with blowing to hard and to weak to hear the differences.