Current page :ADDRESSING TECHNICAL PROBLEMS
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS WHILE PLAYING LIVE
FLUTE WARM UP
You may acknowledge the fact that when you start playing on a flute it takes some time for the flute to "warm up " ie , to get the proper tone and flow .In carnatic "kutcheries" the flautist gets his "warm up " by playing a "varnam" before he starts playing a "keerthana " and he has the advantage of playing in "samam " is in the same octave through out the concert .However "light" flautists have no such opportunity for a warm up as they have to keep changing flutes from song to song and in most cases they have to use more than one flute in a single film song . So how do they do it ? How are they able to play on a Base flute in the beginning of a song for example and how do they shift to a Middle octave flute in a matter of minutes or seconds and how do
they manage to maintain the tone and flow for each flute ? Experienced professionals are so well adapted to their different flutes that they face almost no difficulty in accomplishing this .But for a less experienced flautist this is a major challenge that he will have to address. I will divulge two "secrets" to overcome this problem
(1) An extreme method is to immerse all your flutes in a water tank about 1/2 an hour before the stage show .
The flute will remain cool for about 3 hours and a moist flute will give you a wonderful tone ! But remember
this is not very healthy for the durability of a flute and it may damage your flutes in the long run . Extreme care must be taken to dry the flutes after the stage show as a wet flute will promote fungal growth inside the flute .
Try putting a wet flute in a closed bag or cover and you can see the results in two days.However for an amaturer it is an easy way to get over this problem and they may use this method in the beginning of
their careers to boost their confidence till they become fully mature professionals.
(2) If you take a flute and play it for a few minutes you will notice that the mouth hole or embouchure becomes
very warm when you touch it with your fingers .This is because of the moistened warm air that you you have
applied to the flute. That means that your flute has "warmed up " and you are able to maintain equal tonality .
Now if you are able to create the same warmth artificially before you start playing on the flute will you not
get the same tone that you get once the flute has warmed up by playing ? Hence another simple method
is to "rub" the mouth hole or embochure on a piece of cloth or a towel so that it becomes warm .Try rubbing
the mouth hole of a flute on a cotton towel vigorously for a couple of minutes and then touch the mouth hole
with your fingers. You will find that the mouth hole very warm . Do it again and play the flute immediately .You
will be surprised at the even tone you will able to maintain ! No starting problems for any flute . You can utilise the gaps between "bits " you have to play for "rubbing " your flutes and you can be very confident when
your next "bit" comes ! .However this is also not a recommended long term solution as constant rubbing can
increase the wear and tear of your mouth hole and damage your flute . But as in the case of the first method
beginners can use this method during their initial stage career.
BLOW HISS
Any flautist will remember his first performance under a open microphone . The tunes that he played so beautifully at home would come with a nasty hiss amplified through the amplifier in front of a live audience . A point to be accepted is that when you play the flute there is bound to be a " blow hiss". It is inevitable because the flute is a blowing instrument.And the microphone has no way of differentiating between the blow hiss and the actual note. However ,there are methods to reduce the "hiss ' and they are :-
(1) Learn to position your self correctly under a microphone . Some artists have more gain ie, (volume ) than
others and hence each individual has to guage his own mike distance .
(2) Use a windscreen . It is a mask made of sponge or rubber and Commercial
versions are available .
Link--- http://www.microphones.com/microphone.cfm?urlid=174
(3) Use only a dynamic microphone and do not use a Condenser microphone in live stage shows .
(4) Increase the volume of the accompanying "sruthi " . If you are using a tampoora or a keyboard then you can slightly increase the volume of the accompanying instrument to reduce the Hiss.
(5) Decrease the mid-frequency in the mixer or delay system .
(6) Familiarize yourself with sound systems , delay systems and mixing consoles .
(7) Finally learn to produce clear notes h clarity and try to reduce hiss by practice under an open microphone all
the while accepting the fact that a little hiss is necessary for the natural tone of the bamboo flute .
PLAYING TWO FLUTES SIMULTANEOUSLY
Some of the flute backgrounds that you may have to play may have two flutes playing simultaneously. ie. a medium sized middle octave flute and a big base flute both of the same octave .These two flutes when played simultaneously create an all together different kind of melody .Example :The bits in the song Kallayee kadavathe Film - Perumazhakalam . In order to reproduce these bits there has to be two flautists .One must play on the middle octave flute and the other on the bass octave flute .However many flautists nowadays take the aid of modern technology and use a "unit" as it is called which is actually a piece of electronic equipment which produces the sound of another flute when you play one one flute!
For example you can play the flute background of Kallayee kadavathe on a Middle octave flute and if your microphone is connected to this piece of equipment then at the press of a foot pedal then your audience can hear the sound of two flutes when you are actually playing one flute ! . This equipment is a boon to solo performers on stage as they can completely self sufficient and there is no need for another flautist on stage . The equipment can also change the pitch of your flute . For example you can play on a medium sized middle octave flute ie, a G flute and you will get G very sharp notes at the press of the foot pedal .You may know that it is impossible to actually play a G very sharp flute as it would be very very small and humanly difficult or impossible
to play .
For beginners I would recommend a Zoom 505 II Guitar unit . This is actually a guitar unit used by guitarists and you can use it too for starters . Simply plug in your microphone "out" to the " in" of this unit and give the " out " of this unit to the amplifier . You may later go in for better models which have more features if you want to upgrade . Many models from many companies exist .
Link : www.zoom.co.jp
TIPS FOR RECORDING
(1) Always carry your own microphone .Remember that the sound engineer at the studio
is not a flautist.
(2) Use a condenser microphone while recording . Never use a dynamic microphone .
(3) However make it a point to use a dynamic microphone when the flute is played "dry"
ie without any "sruthi" or any accompanying instrument .
(4) Do your home work . Learn as much as you can about acoustics and sound engineering.
(5) If you have a computer try to set up a home studio and improve your recording skills .
ABOUT PLAYING A FULL FILM SONG ON A FLUTE
The flute is an incomplete instrument .It has its limitations. And not every one can play it .It was considered to be an instrument in -capable of a solo performance ie, a "kutcheri "until the early 1900's .A renowned Carnatic flautist Shri Sarabha Sastry (1872--1904) was the first flautist to exhibit a solo "Kutcheri" in the late 800's.Then under the adept fingers of the legendary T.R. Mahalingam (Flute Mali as he was called ) the flute was accepted as an instrument capable of a solo carnatic concert .Mali invented the Cross fingering technique which gave the flute a new dimension . Later on Dr N. Remani and others continued to keep the fact alive .In the new generation we have the great Shashank to keep the carnatic flute tradition alive .
However none of these great carnatic play a light film song for some reason which we do not know . Maybe it is because the systems are entirely different . Or may be they believe it will affect their image or maybe it is due to the fact that they have realized that they just cannot do it . Whatever the obvious reasons we do not have a couple of CD's in Tamil or Malayalam which we can claim on their behalf.
In Malayalm Shri P.R. Muralee , in the early 1990's brought Malayalam film music on the flute to the average malayalee in two cassettes . Then in the early 2000 Shri Josie brought forth a CD . It is up to the Visitor to hear these songs and judge for themselves .
I personally believe that it is impossible to play a full film song in its absolute perfection that the average listener would want to hear .Attempts have been made in the past and attempts will continue to be made .Who knows ? We may have the good fortune to have an "Avatara " like Sarabha Sastry in the light film song arena .Till then the flute continues to be an incomplete instruments to us the light flautists .
10/10/2007
