Well, here’s a question for you which has puzzled me for years? How do you guys or gals keep the flute from slipping from your lips? Doesn’t the slick facial hair make the surface area a bit slippery below the lower lip line? And how does it affect the flute? Does it have a slight abrasive action on the wood ie you could tell the difference between a flute played by a bearded player and one without facial hair?
Me.
I hold the flute in my hands.
It never occurred to me that anyone might actually rely on the thing sticking to their lips.
No abrasion takes place.
It never seemed to slow Ian down, Vanessa:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Anderson_(musician)
Mind you, check out some of the beards on this page, I’d say they’d make it a …. trifle tricky to tootle a Flute:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/1,1518,413980,00.html
Must admit though, my own beard doesn’t get in the way when I play the Concertina, but if it was as long as Hans Langseth’s, it might be a different story - 17 1/2 feet!
It can now be seen at the Smithsonian Institution:
http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/long95.html
Darn it, Wikipedia is acting up! Try this one Vanessa:
http://www.angel.dk/jethrotull/default.html
Have a go at growing your own, then you’ll know . . . you never know it might suit you. 🙂
Hey Stewpot, keep this to yourself, but here’s an old photo I found of Vanessa ……… now you know why she is so interested in Beards!
http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/16655/mcms.html
Looks like a man in a dress to me . . what ever turns you on I suppose . . go fot it Vanessa !
Just noticed also she/he has got hairy legs. I wonder what the rest of her was like? . . I’m starting to put me-self off me tea . .
Well Stewpot, sorry to spoil your tea, but at least now you know what women look like naturally, that is, when they don’t go in for all that shaving, trimming, waxing, Brazilians & the like! 😉
vanessa -There is a flute-player in this neck of the woods who used to look like Animal in the Muppet Show when he started in the ’70’s. The face fungus certainly didn’t get in the way of playing the flute, or doing practically literally anything else. You’d know him in a session, he would be the first person to chat you up.
I should add, he’s the salt of the earth.
I’m bearded.
I use a Rockstro grip and have no trouble holding the flute at all.
The beard has never been an issue with either wooden or metal flutes.
--James
I grow a beard from time to time (when she-who-must-be-obeyed lets me). I have found that just a few millimetres of shaving is required near the edge of the lower lip. I just don’t like the way it feels when playing the flute otherwise.
Oh, ptarmy, how could you!!!! I trusted you when I poured out my heart and showed you my childhood picture…. and now what do you do? plaster it all over the internet!!!!!!… shame on you!!!!! and I thought you were a real gentleman of the chivalrous sort!!!!!
Anyhow what’s wrong with a bit of facial fluff, hairy legs and armpits on a woman, stewpot?
http://www.flashnews.com/news/wfn5050221J23226.html
My hairy genes go back to a long line of strong Austrian and German women… and I’m proud of it… so here you go!!!!!
Grey Larsen has a beard, but I don’t know it affects his flute playing. He sure sounds great, tho…!
For more on Grey, see
http://www.greylarsen.com
stv
http://cdbaby.com/Culchies
I too have a beard, but I keep it very short (NO. 1 i.e. 1/8 inch) - sometimes I have problems with the hairs under my lower lip acting a bit like non slip when I DO want to move the flute (The hairs all lie in a particular direction), but otherwise no problems, neither on metal, nor wood.
So, it can get a bit slippy? When I play, the flute also rests a bit on the area below the lower lip-line and it does kinda stick… well, not stick, stick… but it doesn’t move unless it’s a hot summer’s day and my face is sweaty…. then the flute slips away from me - so I presumed with a beard it must be more difficult to maintain one’s embouchure and to hold the flute steady….. although there seem to be a large amount of bearded flute players around… anyhow what happens if the beard is really long… doesn’t the hair get into the embouchure hole… well, when I play the flute outside and the wind blows I sometimes have trouble keeping my hair out of the embouchure hole, and if it gets stuck or sucked in then the tone suffers and muffles… any problems like that with a long bushy beard?
I find that I have to trim the mustache hairs so that they don’t curl into the mouthpiece and interfere with the tone. Also, I just hate to get hairs in the mouthpiece and in my mouth!
And, I find the hairs below to provide a nice smooth, frictionless socket to rest the head. If I cut too much off there, the flute just sticks to my face!
When I sweat the flute slips around on my goatee, otherwise I never have problems.
I can honestly say that my beard has never interfered with my playing. I think it’s great the way beards hide the lip contortions necessary for a good embouchure. It’s not fair really that we are the only Irish musicians that have to pull horrible faces all the time in order to play.
Here’s a picture of me happy with my lot. http://www.saybrookgifts.com/catpages/product45002.html
Matt Molloy has a beard, doesn’t seem to bother him ;)
Tommy
i’ve got my beard stuck in the tuners on the fiddle [ouch!] but doesn’t seem to bother on the flute as long as i keep it away from the keys.
I simply avoid washing or cleaning my beard - I can stick the flute to it and use both hands to gesticulate without worrying where to put the flute.
Wood sticks better than polymer or PVC.
thanks guys, for your replies and good to know that beards do have their advantages🙂
And wow …. the great bearded man himself plays the flute in his humble abode up at the North Pole - keeps him out of mischief for the rest of the year I suppose… wonder if he plays ITM?
So, thanks, sangtag clause, for your contribution to my humble thread🙂…
… and I pm you with my christmas wish list - better to get in early before the rush starts😉
10 out of 10 for such a original and thought provoking disscusion Vanessa . . and how can we be THAT sure your a girly after all . . ?
By the way , I’ve got one . . its a bit grey, but the wife likes it . . though not every night . . 🙂
I’m reintroducing myself to flute after 20 years without one - I’m finding it very difficult to re-discover the great embouchure I once had - I’ve been advised to cut the hairs under my lip, but somehow I think all the dental work in the intervening years is more to blame.
". . and how can we be THAT sure your a girly after all . .?
… because I’m wearing the badge😉
http://shop.abc.net.au/browse/product.asp?productid=468120
http://pic1.picbin.net/direct/2ehwpl6.jpg
where is john’s beard ? he normally has a full facia
http://pic1.picbin.net/direct/y0noylp.jpg
A closer look
his looks more like designer stubbles…
Actually… this is a fallacy. The beard and moustache doesn’t really interfere with the ability to hold the flute.or involve the area of your lips that produces tone. It’s close… but no cigar.
a bit like in the way the hair around your crack doesn’t alter the tambre of a good flatulant
oh, I’m in stitches laughing😀
Ripthecalico, you silver-tongued devil, you have such a way with words 😀
Bearded flute players will never look or sound the same again for me !
