How To Avoid TMJ When Learning the Flute

Begin with a default tendency to stand up straight and raise the head back away from the flute. At the same time, tend to roll the flute away from you. You will get no sound! This is good. Now roll head and flute toward each other until you achieve optimal resonance.

There must be some flexibility when playing, but the lower jaw is not made to move a lot or remain in an advanced position. So start in a relaxed, natural position.

Proceed like this: Gently move your lower lip/jaw forward and back until you hear optimal resonance.

Pull the lower jaw back a little. The air stream dips; the sound changes. Lean back, roll head and flute away until it is optimized.

Repeat until the jaw cannot be retracted anymore. Ask yourself: Am I satisfied with this sound?

The opposite: Advance jaw slightly. Air stream rises; sound thins or disappears. Dip head toward flute; sound reappears. Repeat a few times but don't cause yourself strain.

In this way you will find the optimal balance of resonance and somatic ease, and the ability to move around a little.

This should be practiced with the “balloon embouchure” exercise from Robert Dick’s book on circular breathing.

Some other factors that help:

• Relax. The balloon-embouchure exercise is good for that. Abandon old habits every day, first thing. You can always pick them back up again.

• Tend to let your mouth droop toward the lip plate rather than lifting the corners in a tight smile. Neutral may be fine; the whole point is to produce best tone with minimal distortion.

• Inner-ear imagination is much more important than muscles in producing tone and exploring timbres. More on that in a future post, I think.