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10 things nobody told you about learning

to play the pan flute


So you recently had bought yourself a pan flute and you are super excited
about playing your favorite songs, and show your family and friends how good
you are a this. Well, some years ago I was on the same situation and there are
some things that I learned that I will share with you that probably no one had tell
you yet:

1. You won't be a master pan flute player immediately

Well, when I bought my first pan flute I had the hope that this was the hidden
talent that I had be looking for so long and I was going to master it immediately,
or I would be some kind of a music prodigy. After trying for three hours two blow
the pipes with no success I realized I was not. If you have decided that you
want to learn how to play the pan flute you have to know that it is going to cost,
you quite a bit of effort.
2. You are going to get frustrated

Yes, as I told you before, trying three hours of blow the pipes with nothing near
as a sound or a whistle as a result IS FRUSTRATING. I didn't learn how to blow
the pan flute at least producing a whistle until the fourth day. Blowing each pipe
of the pan flute properly took me about one month. I am not a patient person so
by the end of the first week I was frustrated and upset. But, well I already had
the pan flute and I was on vacations, so I kept trying and slowly (really slowly) I
started to see results.
3. Everyone will expect results fast

I started to get annoyed each time my mother saw me trying to play my pan
flute and always asked "Can you already play a song?", or my girlfriend telling
me "That doesn't sound right...are you sure it's not defective?". Sometimes I
went to the park to practice and people came to me and asked me "Oh that is
awesome! Can you play "The lonely Shepperd”? and I was like "I am still
learning...". You just have to get used to it, everyone will expect you to play as
Zamfir from the first day.
4. You will have to learn a lot of stuff

Yes, you will have to learn a lot of things such as vibrato (different techniques),
staccato, legatos, arpeggios, maneuvering the pan flute, embouchures, tunings,
scales, registers, etcetera. The pan flute (as other instruments) is a musical
instrument that requires to learn techniques, terms, and at least basic
knowledge of music.
6. You will run out of air

After sometimes after I learned to blow the pipes properly and I was working on
my first song "My heart will go on" (yeah it's cursi I know) it happened, by the
end of the song I had no more air and I felt exhausted. Playing the pan flute will
require that you develop some endurance in your lungs for blowing the pipes
(especially if you are playing a 20 pipes or more pan flute).
7. You will be annoying for some people

Frequently, when I was practicing in my house, my sister got annoyed by the


loud noises and started yelling at me to find a place to practice where I don't
bother other people. So I went to a bench in the middle of my apartment
building and started to practice, but a neighbor came to me and told me that it
was prohibited to make loud noises there because it bothered other persons. I
decided to go to a park and there I find my perfect place to practice.
8. Other people will be happy to hear you

The first time that I went to the park, I sat on a bench and start playing "My
heart will go on" still making a lot of mistakes, after a while, a woman that was
on other bench came to me and told me that my music was incredibly beautiful
and relaxing. She lived near the park so usually came to hear me when she
heard that I was practicing. There was also a nice old lady that came to me
once when I was practicing how to play "Ave Maria" and told me I was playing
beautifully, after that she asked me to play it every time she saw me on the
park. Also, many people were surprised of someone playing a rare instruments
and sometimes they asked me to take a photo with them.
9. You will learn to love your instrument

If you truly work for learning how to play the pan flute, if you can overcome the
frustration, if you dedicate time and effort for learning the techniques, if you
have patience about people wondering when you will play like Zamfir, if you find
your perfect place to practice and you do it every day, if you learn how to deal
with the failures and work on becoming a better pan flute player each day, one
day you will realize that you love your pan flute, that you and your pan flute
have a story, that your pan flute is a part of you.
TWELVE TERRIFIC TIPS FOR POWERFUL PAN
FLUTE PLAYING
By David Osborn

Theoretically, the art of playing the Pan Flute is something that can be studied
and understood very simply, even within the space of an afternoon. The art of
Pan Flute playing can be distilled down to a few very basic principles. However,
it’s the consistent application of those principles through daily practice where
the real time and effort needs to be put in, to bring the body and the actual
physical execution of those principles and practices into line with the underlying
theory. In this article, I will distill the basic principles of Pan Flute playing down
into a set of some twelve tips or guidelines, starting with the most basic and
preliminary, and working our way up to the most advanced, step by step.

Tip One: Posture – The player should sit or stand in a comfortable posture with
the spine, neck and head held erect. By “comfortable”, I mean that there should
be an absence of undue stiffness or tension in the principal parts of the body
concerned – the head, neck, shoulders, arms, back, chest, abdomen or torso.
The body should not be unduly hunched over the Pan Flute; neither should it be
stiffly or rigidly drawn away from it in a kind of military posture; neither should it
be crouched or leaning over to one side or the other. This comfortable yet erect
posture should allow for balanced and efficient movement, and for the free
interplay between the player and his instrument. Being balanced also means
being centered.

Tip Two: Hand Position and Holding the Pan Flute – The correct and
efficient manipulation of the Pan Flute for playing purposes depends on the
proper way of holding it, with each hand having its own clearly defined and
differentiated role to play. The right hand, which is the dominant hand in most
people, should hold the longest or lowest pipes of the Pan Flute firmly anchored
in the palm of the hand, in much the same manner that one would hold a gun,
with the index finger of that hand outstretched along the bottom frame of the
instrument. The job of the right or dominant hand is to guide the instrument
quickly, accurately and reliably back and forth from pipe to pipe, to play the
notes desired. The job of the left hand, which is the non-dominant hand in most
people, is to steady the instrument, and to execute the vibrato as well as the
grace note inflections. The left or non-dominant hand holds the shortest or
highest pipes of the Pan Flute lightly between the thumb and the finger tips, with
the wrist being in a comfortable and relaxed position.

Which hand is the dominant hand? It is the one you write with. The dominant
hand is also the one that is the quickest, most powerful and most accurate and
reliable in its movement, so it is given the crucial task of moving or guiding the
Pan Flute back and forth from one pipe to the next, as desired. And so, the
traditional rules for playing the authentic Romanian style Pan Flute, which has a
wider span than the various types of panpipes from South America and the
Andes, dictate that right handed people should play with the low pipes on their
right, whereas left handed people should play with the low pipes on their left.
Since the various panpipes from South America all have a narrower span than
the Romanian style arched Pan Flute, mainly because the pipes are in two rows
or tiers, the correct division of labor between the two hands is not as crucial.
And so, with the South American panpipes, which side one plays on is usually a
matter of habit, and which side one’s teacher played on, with virtually all players
from Ecuador (I have yet to find a single exception) playing left handed, and
players from Peru or Bolivia tending to play right handed – with Mexico and the
rest of Latin America falling somewhere in between, on mixed sides. I have
heard of one Bolivian player, Carlos Crespo, who can play panpipes with equal
virtuosity on both sides, but he is a unique phenomenon, and definitely an
exception to the rule.

Tip Three: Proper Breathing – The Pan Flute is the closest instrument to the
human voice, and as with singing, proper breathing is also very important for
playing the Pan Flute. To play the Pan Flute, we use deep abdominal or
diaphragmatic breathing, supplemented by chest and shoulder breathing for a
full breath from bottom to top. Deep abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing is
done by expanding the lower ribs, also called the floating ribs, out to the sides,
enabling the diaphragm to descend fully on the inhale – and it is possible to do
this rib expansion independently of breathing. With abdominal or diaphragmatic
breathing, the abdomen, all the way down to the pelvic cavity, goes out or
inflates with the inhale and goes in or deflates with the exhale. There are
physical exercises one can do to strengthen or enhance one’s abdominal
breathing capacity, such as lying on one’s back and placing a pile of heavy
books on one’s abdomen while breathing abdominally. This foundation of deep
abdominal breathing is supplemented by taking additional air into the chest and
tops of the lungs, around the shoulder area. Full deep abdominal breaths are
taken between longer phrases, with shorter “catch breaths” taken between
shorter phrases, as needed.

Tip Four: Proper Embouchure – The correct lip and embouchure formation for
playing the Pan Flute closely resembles that for playing the transverse classical
flute, except that the lips are held more tightly, and the lower jaw is thrust
outward more in a kind of smiling configuration. Otherwise, it is quite similar to
blowing soup on a spoon, with the tightened lips focusing the air stream on a
single point. To play or blow a note, the center of one’s lips needs to be aligned
with the center of a pipe, with the lower edge of one’s lower lip sitting right on
top of the pipe rim. Then, with the lips properly aligned and in place with the
pipe, blow downwards at an angle of approximately 45 degrees, so that one’s
air stream hits the far edge of the pipe rim. This should produce a clear, strong
and focused tone.

Tip Five: The Attack – After obtaining the proper embouchure and lip
alignment with the pipe to produce a clear, strong focused tone, the tone can be
given even more power, clarity and definition by initiating it with an attack. The
attack is performed by initiating the tone with a clear articulation of the tongue,
as if you were saying, “TU”. Most notes and musical phrases on the Pan Flute
are usually initiated with an attack. The attack can either be harder or softer, as
in articulating “DU” instead of “TU”, but usually, it is desirable to begin the note
or phrase with some sort of attack. The particular musical circumstances of the
phrase or passage will dictate whether your attack is harder or softer, but the
attack is a big help and support to tone formation. Maestro Zamfir would tell me
that the attack was like the crucial moment of a race at which the gun goes off
and the runners leap out off the blocks – everything flows from that moment.

Tip Six: Practice Long Tones Daily – In the beginning of each practice
session, it is highly desirable to first practice long tones, as long as you can
comfortably hold them, in order to secure a good, clear, strong tone. This will
help you greatly in strengthening and firming your embouchure, in giving you a
steady, dependable tone quality, and in establishing a steady and firm rapport
with your instrument. In Pan Flute playing, there are two basic exercises that
will greatly strengthen and firm up your embouchure; the first is practicing long
tones, and the second is tonguing. To these basic two, when the player is
advanced enough to tackle it, comes playing the chromatic notes. But first, a
good, strong embouchure needs to be set and cultivated, and for this we
practice long tones.

According to my teacher, Damian Luca, a Pan Flutist’s tone is a direct


expression of his or her inner Soul, and all the subtle spiritual qualities thereof.
A remarkable statement, indeed, but from what I’ve heard and known of players
and their tone, I would have to say that he’s right. And practicing long tones is
the best way to develop one’s tone to its fullest expression, so that your inner
Soul may express itself more fully through your instrument. I cannot emphasize
enough the importance of developing a strong, full and solid tone. I remember
the time when Damian Luca took me aside and blew faint, pretty notes into his
Pan Flute; he said to me, “That might sound pretty, but it is not NAI” – the Pan
Flute. Although it is also good to have full control over things like volume and
sound level, the basic or default mode on the Pan Flute is to play with full power
and intensity of tone. So, in addition to one’s innate Soul qualities, one’s
personal power and vitality also shines forth through one’s playing.

Tip Seven: Practice Tonguing Exercises Daily – In playing most other


musical instruments, there are six to ten fingers available for articulating and
playing the notes. In playing the Pan Flute, we have just one “finger” that
articulates the notes, and that is the tongue. In Pan Flute playing, we have four
basic tonguing techniques: Single Tonguing (TU, TU, TU), Double Tonguing
(TU-KU, TU-KU), Triple Tonguing (TU-KU-TU, TU-KU-TU), and Flutter
Tonguing, which is like rolling a long Spanish “R” while blowing into the pipes.
Single Tonguing is like a single, simple stroke of a pick on a guitar string;
Double Tonguing is like a double stroke of the pick on the guitar string, which
can either repeat the same note, or articulate two different notes consecutively
– and so on. Besides blowing long tones, doing tonguing exercises daily is the
other secret to developing tone and embouchure. While long tones help with
building the basic volume, breadth and steadiness of the tone, tonguing
exercises develop precision, sharpness and focus of the tone and embouchure.
The masterful utilization of tonguing is also one of the secrets to developing
speed and technique in your playing.

Tip Eight: The Laws of Movement – Being able to play the Pan Flute with any
degree of fluency and proficiency requires that our movements from pipe to pipe
be quick, efficient and accurate, with a minimum of wasted effort and motion.
The cardinal or guiding principle here is to move the instrument to you rather
than you to it. In other words, your head, neck and torso should remain, as
much as possible, still and steady as the central pivot or fulcrum around which
everything else revolves. Because the Romanian style Pan Flute has a
curvature or arch to it, a player can conveniently move from pipe to pipe by
deftly pivoting or rotating his or her arms and shoulders to and fro. When we are
playing the low pipes – on the right for most players – the shoulders, arms and
hands should rotate towards the left, and vice-versa for the high pipes. Although
one cannot keep one’s head, neck and torso absolutely still and motionless like
a statue, there should still be the definite feeling that you are moving the
instrument to you, and not you to it. Another thing that establishes stability and
reliability of motion is keeping one’s lips in contact with the rims of the pipes.
Interval exercises also make one’s movement on the Pan Flute more refined,
efficient and accurate. Moving from one pipe to the next, no matter what the
interval or distance, should be as sure and natural as walking.

Tip Nine: Inflection of the Chromatic Notes – The Pan Flute is usually tuned
in the key of G Major, but if we wish to venture outside of this key, or to play
accidental notes, we must learn how to play the sharps and flats, or the
chromatics. All chromatic notes are executed on the Pan Flute by lowering the
natural pitch of a pipe by a half step (or occasionally more) by either tilting the
instrument towards you (the beginner’s method), changing the blowing angle
and blowing more downwards into the pipe, or a combination of both. The tilting
of the instrument is done mainly with the left or non-dominant hand. Although
the beginner will mainly tilt his or her instrument to play the chromatic notes, as
one advances in one’s playing, it will be done mainly by altering the position of
the lips and jaw, and blowing more downwards into the instrument. As Maestro
Zamfir once explained to me, when playing the natural notes on the Pan Flute,
the instrument is in a normal, upright position, but the lips and embouchure are
in an abnormal position, with the lower jaw jutting out. Conversely, when playing
the flattened chromatic notes, the instrument’s position is not normal, being
tilted or inclined inwards towards the player, but the player’s lips and
embouchure are in a more relaxed, normal position, in which the lower jaw is
not jutting out to hold the instrument upright. So, to summarize, when playing
the natural notes, the instrument’s position is normal, but the lip and jaw
position is abnormal; when playing the chromatic notes, the player’s lips and
jaw are in a normal position, but the position of the instrument is inclined
inwards, or not normal.

Because all chromatic notes on the Pan Flute are produced by lowering the
natural pitch of a pipe by a half step, the note C-sharp, for example, is played
like a D-flat, by lowering the natural pitch of the D pipe by a half step. And so,
when playing in sharp keys like D Major, for example, we skip the C pipe and
play two consecutive notes – C-sharp (played as a D-flat) and D natural, both
on the same pipe. The keys involving flattened notes are usually more
straightforward, especially the simpler, more basic ones. To play in the key of C
Major, for example, the only chromatic alteration that is needed is to lower the F
pipe, which is naturally sharp, by a half step to F natural – and the C Major
scale involves a straightforward playing of all eight consecutive pipes, with no
skipped nor doubled pipes. Proper tuning and intonation on the Pan Flute are
not automatic, however, and we must listen to the chromatic notes in order to
play them in tune.

The full development of a player’s tone and embouchure on the Pan Flute is
accomplished by the simultaneous, coordinated strengthening and development
of three anatomical structures: the lips, tongue and jaw. In tone work and
development on the Pan Flute, we have three basic types of exercises: long
tones, tonguing exercises and chromatic exercises. Playing long tones focuses
mainly on developing the lips and embouchure. Tonguing exercises strengthens
and quickens the tongue. And practicing the chromatic notes mainly
strengthens the jaw muscles. Once the player has progressed beyond the initial
stages of playing the chromatic notes, a great exercise for developing one’s
lips, tongue and jaw muscles is to play a series of triple tongued triplet figures
up and down the G Major scale, with the first note of the triplet being natural,
the middle note being flattened by a half step, and the final note being natural. I
guarantee that when you first try this exercise, you will feel your lip and jaw
muscles burning – and, as all bodybuilders say, you don’t grow without burning.
Full embouchure development in Pan Flute playing requires that we strengthen
our lips, tongue and jaw muscles to Olympic proportions.

Tip Ten: Listen to Play in Tune – Unlike other Western instruments like the
piano, whose tuning is set, proper intonation is not automatic on the Pan Flute;
one must LISTEN to play in tune. There are two main areas in Pan Flute playing
in which proper intonation is crucial: the high notes and the chromatic notes.
Beginning players will find that the higher they go above a middle “D” on a
regular Alto Pan Flute in G, the more the pitch tends to sag, and the more
breath and embouchure support is necessary to play in tune. Sufficient “pucker
power” only comes with regular and persistent practice. The other critical area
in which it’s necessary to listen to play in tune is in playing the chromatic notes.
The more you tilt or incline either the instrument or the blowing angle
downwards and inwards towards you, or both, the flatter the pitch of a pipe gets,
but the lowering of a pipe’s pitch by an exact half step – or any other desired
amount or degree – is not automatic, and requires one to listen as one practices
to play in tune, to get the execution right. Since proper intonation is not fixed or
predetermined on the Pan Flute, it is also capable of playing Oriental style
microtones, as has been demonstrated by Egyptian Pan Flutists.

Tip Eleven: Appoggiaturas / Grace Notes and the Vibrato – In Pan Flute
playing, the left or non-dominant hand is used to play a kind of peculiar
appoggiatura-like figure that is a frequent embellishment of notes, especially in
traditional dance forms like the Hora. The left hand wiggles or dips the
instrument towards the player, combined with an accompanying alteration of the
embouchure and breath to execute a particularly pleasing ornamentation. In
executing the vibrato, a long note is played, and the left hand slowly wiggles the
instrument back and forth, bending to and fro loosely from the wrist, to execute
the vibrato, in much the same manner that a violinist executes the vibrato with
his or her left hand. The incredible fluidity and openness of tone, texture, pitch /
intonation and sound on the Pan Flute is definitely one of its most distinctive
and appealing features.
Tip Twelve: You learn technique to forget it – When I was studying music in
college, one of my music professors told me, “You learn technique to forget it.”
Although that might sound like a kind of odd statement, what it is saying is that
you must thoroughly practice all of the above techniques on the Pan Flute until
they become second nature to you, and you can perform them automatically,
without even thinking about it. Then you will reach “the zone” of real Pan Flute
mastery, that Zen-like state in which everything comes together perfectly in a
state of selfless ease and abandon.

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