Got clunky flute fingers?

That feeling in your hands and fingers of being stiff, or sounding clunky when you play, are 95% caused by other parts of your body (not your fingers!)

Got clunky, stiff fingers when you play the flute?

Crazy right? Well, maybe it's no surprise to you, since it's actually pretty logical.

It's not your fingers who have a problem!

The source of clunky fingers is often further up your body. This video gives an overview of the different parts of your body that can cause stiff hands and fingers when playing the flute. (It's normally the shoulders by the way! But your shoulders can trick you into thinking it's NOT them!!)

"Proper flute technique, explained clearly, is like a magical quick fix!"

Do you have clunky fingers when you play the flute? Do you sound like this? I'll give you a grand little overview of why you have clunky fingers. If you can fix every little part of what's causing you to have clunky fingers, which I can actually show you how to do, but I'll do that in my flute course. You'll start to sound like this instead.

You'll be able to move your fingers fluidly and quickly. So I'm Jane Cavanagh. My business is called The Flute Teachers School. And so I like providing super clear demonstrations and giving step by step instructions and guidance on how to successfully implement each new technique. So that's what I'm doing here. This one is a bit of an overview about why people have clunky fingers.

Okay so there are many parts to the human body and all of them are involved in flute playing some more than others. Clunky fingers can be caused by any number of these things, or even one of these things. Chances are, if it's one, it's gonna be more than one.

When you're standing and playing locked knees, you may not be breathing correctly. The reason you might not be breathing correctly is because you may have never learn it. Or you may be tight in your belly when you're breathing. This will stop you from breathing effectively to get the most air.

And I know we're talking about breathing, but it's related to clunky fingers believe it or not. We're working up the body. The next bit are tight shoulders. If you play and you are slightly tight, that tightness, what's it called? Tension. Goes all the way down your arms, into your fingers. In fact, that's the number one reason why people have clunky fingers, tight shoulders

And the sneaky part about it is that you can't always see that someone has tight shoulders. You may think that you are actually relaxed because you look relaxed. But I guarantee you, if you're getting sore shoulders at all, if you're getting sore fingers, if you're getting sore fingers, if you're getting a sore neck, I guarantee you, you'll be tight somewhere. Tight shoulders even if you can't see them flows all the way down your arms, into your hands, tight hands. People think that clunky fingers are caused by tight hands. And it's true, but the tight hands are caused by something further up the chain. Normally shoulders. Sometimes lock knees. Sometimes the belly also head, neck, everything. If you have tightness anywhere, jaw, tongue, mouth, lips, this tightness flows on to your fingers. So you'll hear clunkiness.

And I know I sound bad when I play like that, but I have to kind of do the whole package of like, feeling like I'm not playing well, which affects my sound. If you can work out where that tightness is coming from and learn how to relax it, you're gonna change everything. Like you will sound different instantly.

Instantly you will sound better. So that's what I mean by quick fixes through proper technique, it is a quick fix, but it's not cheap. It will feel like a cheap, but it's a true fix of your technique that is going to amazingly change your playing.

If you want more quick fixers, like these subscribe down below here. If you put in your email address or if you're on YouTube, click up here, I will send you more of these tips. Oops, sorry. <laugh> as I create them. It will also let me know that you could be interested in a flute course that I really wanna create, but I'm only going to create it if - which is a more in depth course, if people actually say they're interested.

So say you're interested below if you are, and hope that helped. See ya.