Daily Exercises CHROMATIC EXPANSION WARM-UP When I begin to practice I like to get everything moving mechanically with the fingers, embouchure as well as the air. This is one of the few exercises within this method that is slurred. You will notice that we begin in the lower register of the flute but starting on Ab1 because when we first pick up the flute our embouchure needs a note that is easily produced in the low register. I believe that trying to start with the lowest note meaning B1 will not place us in the right embouchure nor will it put the flute’s vibration and resonance into motion cleanly. Many times I will blow my warm breath into the flute to warm it up. This seems to help to produce these first notes more easily when I began to practice. You will notice that the repeat bars are provided for each chromatic expansion. This is to remind you that if necessary you should repeat the phrase until you are producing an overall good sound as well as producing clean fingering. As each section within the repeat bar grows it expands and contracts the embouchure as well as getting you to adjust the air stream along with movement of the jaw. Essentially what you find out regarding your embouchure, air stream and jaw is that there are generally 4 positional movements for low, mid, high and extremely high. I say this in a very general way since each player will find these positions at different breaking points on the flute depending on his or her own embouchure shape, strength and positioning. If necessary you may lightly tongue certain notes when needed. Breathe when necessary. The chromatic of neither the entire expansion nor even its portions need be played in one breath. The importance here is to get everything working from the lowest to the highest notes and back down. Strive for evenness in time, volume (forte) and finger control. Work on breath control as well . Speed and accuracy will come with time. If you play the entire expansion in control of everything in one breathe your quite the flutist. I know I can’t ever seem to be able to.
