Dizi embouchure, octaves...

[balfouri]

I have a few questions about playing the dizi. I'm trying to follow the 2measures method, but even practice 1 is way above my can. (it's all on a C key dizi)

The practice seems simple enough and starts with something like this: 5555. The first So being lower, the three So after that being higher.

This already raises many questions to me.

Is my normal blowing supposed to produce the higher notes or the lower ones? In three days I went from horrible wind to decent sound with no finger hole covered, all the way to 6 hles covered.

So, I can play 5, 6, 7 (with the little dot under, sounds pretty low), then 1, 2 and 3 (without the little dot, sounds a bit higher).

I'm sorry this may not be very clear, but in short, How do I play a simple 5?

Thanks :-)

[balfouri]

Of course after posting this deperate call for help, I grabbed my flute and just... found it.
Turns out I may have been putting too much of my lower lip on the hole.

Hard to explain but I really think I got it. Sorry for the noise :-)

I'm happy...

[Blue]

Should I post a youtube video on how to do this?

[balfouri]

Please do. Eventhough I have made a huge step forward today, I'm still quite unclear what I'm actualy doing...

Thanks!

[edcat7]

Balfouri,

If I understand you correctly 5555, the first 5 being the lower octave and the next three 5's on the second octave?

Wow, that is difficult for the first exercise.

I would start at the other end: play 3, 2, 1, 7, 6 and then 5. And until you become more confident with your embouchure stick to the lower octave.

At this early stage your normal blowing should only produce the lower octave. Also I suggest you get a metronome; there are very good ones on eBay for less than £GBP 5 (inc postage).

btw. I wish all guys would state their location, I have no way of knowing if you are ahead of me or behind me in time.

Best wishes

Ed

[davidmdahl]

Don't be shy about emailing Tim Liu with your questions. I found him very responsive to my emails. There are basics to playing the flute that are pretty much the same for all sorts of flute, so I suggest finding videos on Youtube regarding playing the flute. They don't have to be for Chinese flute, since the basics on blowing and embouchure will still help you. You also might find a local (Western) flute teacher who can help you with the basics, even if they don't know about Chinese flute. Someone experienced with Irish flute should be an excellent choice, but even a classical flute teacher could help.

[edcat7]

Yes, any flute player could give you a good start on the basics. But I found from listening to another self taught dizi player who had classical and Irish flute tuition, the Chinese flute is played differently.

PhillipR said he listened to a lot of dizi music and that's a very good piece of advice.

[phillipr]

As both Ed and David have pointed out, anything that gives you the basics of blowing a flute is pretty much going to tell you the same thing. That being said, there will be minor embouchure adjustments that you'll need to make to get the specific sound you're looking for. I've actually found that I have to adjust my embouchure ever so slightly when I'm practicing Chinese music as opposed to when I'm playing Irish music. The reason for this is that the desired sound for Chinese music is different from what is desired in Irish music (what I know the best). I find that if I've been playing Irish music for 20 minutes or so, should I wish to practice some dizi for awhile I actually have to do some embouchure warm ups just to find the right tone for the dizi. Irish flute, since it's mostly used for dance music, requires a much louder, almost open, trumpet-like sound. This is in part because the Irish flute is played almost like a percussion instrument, where there is a definite pulse built into the style of playing. Dizi playing, on the other hand, requires a much more precise embouchure, bringing out a more "narrow" sweet sound with an evenness between the upper and lower octaves.

As Ed pointed out, the only way I've been able to discover any of this is by listening to a crap-ton of dizi music (I did the same for Irish music when I was first learning). I do this in part because I thoroughly enjoy Chinese music, especially dizi music, and also in part because I don't have a teacher. Since I don't have a teacher the only way that I can really learn is to listen very attentively, and watch YouTube videos very closely. Whenever I have a new Irish flute student I always tell them that about 75% - 80% of learning to play the music is simply listening to it.