Holding the flute: finding a natural hand position

How can we find a natural, relaxed and comfortable approach to holding the flute? What hand position works for you? My solution...as usual is: experiment and play around. Find what works for you! I love round, free fingers and everything that allows them to move quickly and freely! I hope you enjoy finding it :) Happy practicing!
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[@kaso711]

Thank you so much for showing multiple angles, anticipating what questions we might be having, and explaining things so well!

[@christofcousin6617]

8:47 is a key image to really understand the position of left hand...great value ! Thanks miss !

[@TheBrownbuck]

Awesome video. my hands used to feel so tired with slow fingers as i always had straight fingers. Thank you for making this great video and posting it. One of the most valuable information to flutists esp. beginners. you are Great! we love u

[@Verschlungen]

What wonderful, imaginative advice. Thank you! As an aside, I used to play French horn (way back in the 1950s and 1960s), also oboe (and less seriously, I have taken lessons on the baritone sax, cello and violin over the years). I'm now trying to teach myself how to play the flute, and I find it to be sui generis -- an absolutely fascinating instrument because so much of 'the instrument' is actually the player. It seems the player must meet the instrument not just halfway (as it feels with violin or French horn) but "75% of the way" with only a meager 25% provided by "the instrument" itself. It's like learning (at age 80) "the secret life of the flute-playing community," beyond all imagining.

[@TheFlutePractice]

I absolutely love this comment! I have always felt that but it’s so interesting hearing it from someone who has played multiple instruments! It really does feel like so much of the instrument is the player. My teacher used to say: you are the instrument!

[@ronaldeng3454]

Thank you once again. I was having tension in my rh. Your video helped me to make a change before it became a bad habit

[@edelweiss-lotus5697]

Thanks so much! the muscle of my right thumb, after my right hand position was modified, acked soo much! I do not know why I never had such problems on my old Trevor (thicker and bigger keys), but it became obvious that I had to find another right hand posture for my thinner Yamaha.

[@ccflute]

thank you for this video. the detailed explanation on left hand shape and position is what i needed. i have intense left neck and shoulder pain in about 10 minutes i start practicing. i am going to try your left hand socky method (and left index finger and thumb position) on next practice and i think it will help to release the tension. thank you!

[@kentfronda7248]

Thanks..a lot

[@justbored9931]

thank you sooooo much

[@argon805]

interesting, thank you!

[@carolinafluteman6598]

One day, I'm going to master this!

[@albertrodrigo2432]

Tatiana, may I ask a question? I tend to develope a lot of tension in my right- hand little finguer, and mostly when I play a C. I think it is because I don't hold the flute by the correct points. What do you think? Thank you for your videos. They inspire me a lot. Regards from Barcelona

[@emmabougot4936]

Thanks for this video ! My big question is how do you manage to make the sound in your intro (as if it was rollled) !!

[@TheFlutePractice]

Hi! I have just made a video about just that :) It is called flutter tonguing and is lots of fun! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnK3YZ6QadiMhdU

[@PierreC2]

Good video Tatiana....my problem is when its time to play a C and then a quick D..coming back to another C. I always thought that the way i hold the flute is not the right way, cause i feel that i'm going to drop the flute ! Thoughest part for me on the flute fast C to D and back Good work !! keep it up

[@TheFlutePractice]

Hi :) play around a bit with the balance in your hands and try see if you can feel the shift in the balance! Good luck :)

[@ubizmo]

So what do you think about the use of finger port and thumb port gadgets?

[@TheFlutePractice]

I really think everyone has to find what works for them! I know several flute players who use them and some who really need them. Our hands are not all the same and we cannot apply the same rule to everyone. I have not experimented enough with these devices but I really do encourage it if anyone is struggling or they feel it could help make your playing easier in any way! Hope that answers it :)

[@robschannelofwonders2981]

Hi there. Brilliant as ever, helping an old guy tackle some old bad habits :-) Have you ever taught anyone with hypermobile joints? My daughter loves playing flute but struggles playing for extended periods of time because of finger pains. Is there such a thing as a flautist's support glove?

[@bobthegirl90]

Hi I am by no means an expert but I have hypermobile joints and get pain in my left wrist from playing the flute for a long time. Same with guitar actually. Not sure where you are in the world but in the UK you can get these rubber contraptions that you attach to the flute to support your right thumb and left index finger. I think it's called thumbport and fingerport. I had some success with those. There's also something called a bopep which I think is similar. Might be worth a try.

[@MrCJPopeye]

Hey! Thanks for that video. Great job like ever. My hand position seems to be ok, and it feels natural but I feel a kind of tension in my forearms when I'm playing scales up. But not when I play scales down, and downward they sound more fluent. It feels like when my fingers don't wanna do what my brain want them to do. Do you have any tips how to work on this issue?

[@TheFlutePractice]

This does make sense if you think about the fact that putting down your fingers requires just following gravity while lifting fingers requires an action against gravity. What I found really helped me was to think of my fingers really flicking up and moving quickly but flick your fingers that they immediately relax after moving. Does this make any sense?

[@MrCJPopeye]

Thank you very much! It sounds logical. I've tried it some days and it works well, but that flickering has to be particuly trained. Next step ist just practice and practice and practice and.........

[@cesarvidelac]

Hi, I am just an amateur, don't even read muisic, but I started to practice in community courses around 2004, but had to quit. I'm a type 2 diabetic and a year after starting I developed a serious neuritis that almost paralized my right hand. My left arm was afected too, but it was much less serious than the other hand. After 16 years I regained the strength in both hands but I realized my dexterity is much much less than before. My right pinky is short, twisted (my mom's exact same hands) and I have this problem of reduced dexterity. Recently I watched a reaction video, a flutist reviewed a Jethro Tull video and noted that Ian Anderson has a very strange right hand position. He places the pinky as "lead" finger and the rest of the fingers press the plates with the second phalanx instead of the fingertips, and that allowed me to really close the flute and play the C. Do you have any advice respect my situation? Pros and cons? I'd really appreciate very much your opinion about this. Love your videos.

[@mariadavis8745]

A very helpful video. Thanks. Lately I have developed a pain in my thumb joint just after playing. I've checked my hand position and can't see anything obviously wrong with the way I hold the flute. I wondered if you've heard this complaint before. I've heard that people get pains in their wrists but never heard about thumb pain.

[@mariadavis8745]

By the way it's the right thumb joint not the left.

[@TheFlutePractice]

Hello Maria. It is possible to get pain in the thumb and this type of pain is very common among wind players because most of us are holding the instrument with that thumb. I would suggest taking the thumb away completely and try playing without it. This feels really horrible but with practice you realize that you don't really need the thumb as much as we think we do. When you put in back it often feels really easy and you no longer need as much force. Also check that the thumb is not too far over towards the ring finger but rather under the index finger. Physiologically this can cause problems for the thumb and hand! If the pain does not go away I would also really recommend finding a teacher or specialist to help. I have a contact who may be able to help over skype if you are interested! Alternatively you can always send me a video via email or on social media (if you are brave to go public and help others learn!)

[@joemagnets9940]

Hi Maria. The Thumb extends all the way to the wrist. IF you're getting a pain where the thumb joins the wrist, I've found that bending the wrist that's giving you the pain, into as much of a 90 degree angle, so as to separate the thumb away from the wrist, thereby stopping those two bones, wrist and thumb bones, from rubbing or contacting each other stopped the pain that I was having from that thumb-wrist joint. If you noticed James Galway, when he plays the flute, his elbow is up high, especially his right side. I find that keeping both elbows elevated and wrists bent helps keep the thumb and wrist joint both separated, it may work for you too.

[@user-nf4st5kn6l]

Question about the right hand thumb: I saw a video telling that the right hand thumb should push the flute from behind, i.e. not resting the weight of the flute on it. Rather balance the flute horizontally. That do you think?

[@TheFlutePractice]

Great question. For me, it is a bit of a combination of the two. I LOVE the idea of having the 3 horizontal forces, pinning the flute in place. But, I also don’t like to have my thumb completely on the side of the instrument or use excessive force. Some people love it though. I did a video on Rockstro (which is essentially the pinning the flute in place model). Maybe an interesting video for you to watch.

[@Bella-ft9hh]

You have an open hole flute *gasp* i never realized

[@TheFlutePractice]

Hehe....I do! Not sure if that is a good or bad thing?!

[@camilaaugustomalves]

Thanks for the tips! I have a lot of problems with my right hand position. My thumb is always moving and I'm having a hard time finding a comfortable position. I decided to put a thumb port. It helps a little, but I still find my right hand position uncomfortable. And, I don't know why, but I'm feeling a lot of pain in my left arm...i'll try to follow your tips to see if it helps.

[@TheFlutePractice]

Hey! I am glad you are experimenting with this! It really took me such a looooonnnng time to figure out something that is really comfortable for me! If you would like to send through an email with a short vid or picture of your playing I could help more individually. I always encourage people to try post it onto my Facebook page (hoping to eventually create a group for our growing community) so that I can comment and give Feedback so others can learn too. I know this is scary so email is always an option :D Have fun experimenting in the meantime and let me know how it goes!

[@wilsonmartins852]

I'm a beginner... if the index finger of the left hand is divided into 3 parts, does the flute have to rest on the third part above the hand? is this support on the side of the finger or on the inside of the hand above the metacarpal bone? is there anything i can do to feel more firm in my left hand to hold the flute?

[@lorrieprothero2175]

I can hold firmly with my left however it puts pressure on a nerve and causes my finger to go numb

[@preethimn3]

Tat intro music 😍👌

[@shirleybond3724]

Hi I have small hands and struggle to reach the D flat/C# key & the low B...I have not tried to reach the high C facilitator, I do not think its an option, at all. I have seen, on “flute tube”, an episode where the instructor says the thumb on the right hand pushes the flute forward...so the flute is not held up but balanced with the help of your right thumb-so there should be no pressure in your fingers and this means all your fingers remain mobile and your pinky has zero pressure. She goes on to say that the wrist should flow straight into your hand, not bend, which creates a natural curve in your fingers. Do you know this instructor and what advise do you have for small hands and short fingers for the right hand?

[@TheFlutePractice]

My best advice is to not take anyone’s advice as a gold standard. Everyone’s hands are different and they need to find a unique solution and figure out what works best. I’m doing a hand position workshop on the 11th of April that you may want to join. Send me an email: [e-mail]

[@elliehammond1359]

Should your left hand index finger be touching the flute?

[@TheFlutePractice]

Yes. Just about or on the knuckle on the finger. But the right hand index should not be resting against the flute

[@happy-ep5xz]

I think the right hand finger position does not suit bamboo flute

[@tatianathaele4094]

Madhuri Nanduri hey! Yes...from what I have seen of bamboo players they tend to use a very different hand position. I think it is really important to find what works for you and your instrument☺️

[@tortols1548]

My fingers get really uncomfortable and in pain even if I watched this it was uncomfortable

[@markanding9465]

I tell my students that flutes were made for human hands, not horses hooves or dog paws. That if we hold it right, it should feel natural.