keep it down. play a long a then take off the pinky key then add again and listen. it changes slightly. i think it is for correct venting and pitch

 

sax is my second instrument with flute being my first btw

 

I would advise to take some lessons with a good flute teacher, Bad habits are hard to correct once ingrained and time consuming.

 

This is very true. Self taught flute is usually pretty much full of counter productive results.

 

Agreed, I tried learning on my own first, and when i went to take formal lessons, I spent the first month or so unlearning all the bad...

Keeping RH pinky down is a big one for longer notes (E-F) and will make a slight difference in sound (IMO). It also gives you good balance when holding the instrument.

 

You're going to college to learn proper technique and pinky down is proper technique, so, yeah, you should keep the pinky down. Your professor will make you do it anyway. Once you get off the long tones and play more technical passages, you'll find that it helps in keeping the balance of the instrument.

As you learn other instruments, you'll find out just how lazy playing the saxophone has made you

 

Also remember to lift LH1 when playing D2 and Eb2 AND use the RH3 for F#1 and F#2 rather than RH2.

 

Yup, you will get these notes to sound, but they speak completely different when you actually do it right (go figure?)! Proper technique ftw!

 

Hold the RH pinky down mostly for stability. Once you get into the habit, it comes naturally.

 

I work on so many flutes that now I hold the Eb down on sax!

 

Careful that you don't let E and F get too sharp on sax, they're already annoying enough as it is!

 

In the mean time, while I find a teacher, what are the bad habits I should look out for.

Brief story. I first went to a high school that was big on music in the US, so finding a teacher wouldn't have been a problem. But for my senior year, cause of my dad's job placement I now attend international school in Beijing, China. The school has their own teacher for every instrument, but the students themselves aren't very good. The school isn't as big on music as my old HS in the US. So should I try lessons with the flute teacher anyways? Cause seeing the output results from the other flute players in the school, I'm not quite sure if I want to. Then again, it could be the students just not working hard or not caring enough to practice.

 

...Then again, it could be the students just not working hard or not caring enough to practice.

Oh no! They are modeling some of the practices of USA students. I would ask to audition with the flute teacher and get a sense for their teaching technique and hopefully hear him/her play. See if you fit with their teaching and if YOU are going to want to practice and work hard to meet their goals for you. As a teacher (not music)who has had some very successful and some unsuccessful students, I would hate to be labeled a failure for the ones who decided not to do their homework and follow instruction.

Oh yeah! RH Pinky down...except when RH pinky isn't supose to be down. Others have figured out the best fingerings. Play what the fingering charts say, and use alternate fingerings when they make sense. Your teacher can help you with the what makes sense part.

 

make sure communication isnt a problem otherwise you may not be fully taking in what the teacher is trying to say to you.

 

Oh, since its international school, the teachers speak english as well. Its like a requirement. So I'm assuming communication won't be to big of a problem.

 

As far as alternate fingerings go, I use the sax fingering for F# for quick passages and really can't hear any difference. I know it's a no no, but I'm getting old and my fingers aren't as agile as they once were. I find I can practice on the flute longer than any other instrument I play, as my lower lip gets sore after a lot of sax playing. Once you start playing the flute, it's addictive and I think you are going to really like it. It is, however, a beast that requires constant practice so you don't lose your technique.

 

Want something that will actually help with tone production on flute?

Get one of these:

It's called a Pneumo Pro. Great training tool for air direction on the flute. Comes with an instructional DVD as well.

 

.....or maybe you could just get the blond flautist to come along on gigs to play the flute parts...?

 

Just like any instrument, study the CORRECT fingerings; they do make a difference. Intonation on the flute defines you as a player, just like any other instrument. Fingerings can be changed for dynamics & timbre on particular notes. Today, flute playing in at a high level no matter the player's primary instrument. Lew Tabackin, James Moody, Paul Horn, Joe Farrell have set the bar 3 decades ago. It's time to catch up.

 

Try holding the flute for the second or third C#, without the little finger. Pretty unstable! (Unless you are resting the flute on your shoulder! - or cradling it between finger and thumb!

Play first and second octave E without little finger. They're pretty flat!

If you cannot get used to playing with that little finger down most of the time, you will have even more trouble putting it down for those particular notes.

(And BTW, try second octave going quickly between D (correct fingering) and using middle finger F#! FAR easier using the correct, ring finger F#)


So don't be so darn lazy, and do the thing properly! Follow a simple fingering chart, available all over the place. There are good reasons for the correct fingerings. If incorrect fingerings have not hit you yet, they sure will later, if you ever advance as a player..

 

Embouchure and tonguing are the hardest things to adapt to when going from saxophone to flute.
Fingerings will be the least of your problems, so try to get it right from the start.

 

So the music teacher at my school pulled a few strings for me and got me a lesson who is supposedly the best flute player in all of Beijing. And I had my lesson with her yesterday. I'm SUPER glad now I took the lesson. Fingerings as daigle said, we the least of my problems. I'm just paying extra attention to my fingers in attempt to keep that pinky down and move the fingers at the same time when i have to lift it. My embouchure was the big thing for me. Tonguing wasn't a problem because my friend told me, essentially, it was just like saying "Tu". So on top of that she explained staccato tonguing and legato tonguing. But jeez....embouchure was my big thing. Good thing I now know what to do. Now I just gotta build the lip muscles.

She's having me do long tones, scales, embouchure practice, slurring octaves, tonguing, and a short piece. I feel she might be taking things fast, although it may be because i already have previous experience with a wind instrument, she can move me at a faster pace than other beginners. I wouldn't have guessed I would be slurring octaves in my first lesson. Haha

 

Her approach sounds great. Have fun!

 

The reason for the pinky down is simply for balancing the flute, pitch is minimally affected. Personally, I don't see how one could even play the flute, properly at least, without it. Try playing a C without the pinky and see what happens. So, pinky down folks.

 

Pitch will be affected for quite a few notes. The pinky key provides additional venting.

 

Just an update: I'm getting more and more used to keeping my pinky down. My tone has improved greatly from what it used to be, and I can keep higher notes from cracking. Can't wait to get better at flute.