okay, so i just got my braces off this morning. ive been playing flute for over four years now and ive NEVER played without them. well, now i cant even make a sound!!!!!!!!! i REALLY need some advice!! i start marching band in a week and i have tryouts shortly after!!! i dont know what to do!!!!!!!!! can ANYONE help?????
first of all..relax, this is normal, your mouth muscles need to get used to playing without braces, just like they did when you got braces, play for short periods of time, don't stress, most of my students go through this...
Chromatic scales twice a day.
Once in the morning and once at night.
Start on a comfortable note that you can get and play up one octave, then back down. Then go up a half step and do the same thing; up an octave and back down. Continue until you can't go any higher comfortably. Then go down.
Do this once in the morning and once in the evening. You should be back to most of your range in four days. This is what I use with all my students who get their braces off and it works remarkably well.
John
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oh, after four days, if you do this, report back as to whether it worked or didn't work.
It is freaky at first. When I first started playing in band, I had braces. I had never played without them when I got them off. Be patient with yourself.....
That's really odd. When I got my braces off I played better than ever right away. I guess people are just different that way. :/ Just work on it, I'm sure you'll get it down in no time. Good luck.
I learned flute with braces, was decent. Got braces off after 3 years of playing (got flute one week, braces the next) and couldn't play worth a darn and was probably the worst flutist in my middle school when just the week before I was in the top 3. After a couple of weeks, I progressed faster than before and was playing even better (of course, I then got a flute teacher). I then progressed to being the top flutist in my state for 2 years running.
MORAL: Braces sucked, but it'll get much easier. And you'll probably be even better when you get back to playing like your normal self
eek! I's so worried about this too. I've had braces since before I started playing oboe, and I get them off sometimes this year (December hopefully.) I heard someone say that braces helped an oboe embochure once used to it... Any oboists (or anyone else) know about that?
Oh, this one takes me way back. I had the braces put on during junior year. I played with them on through my sophomore year of college, and I was a flute major at that time. I had them taken off just before my final jury of sophomore year and I couldn't play a note when I first picked up my flute. After a small emotional breakdown in the practice room, I called my flute instructor. The trick was retraining my embouchure to adjust for the lack of metal in my mouth. This only took a few practice sessions with the etudes and scales that we all love so much. I worked with slow, steady tones first...just like a beginning player again. Don't give up and I hope you are already back to your old flute playing self by now!
I got my braces off a few days ago and it was a disaster! I couldn't even play a middle C, but after a few days of adjusting to the lack of metal in my mouth I found I could play even better than before. Don't give up!
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