How to Hold a Flute

Holding the flute is one of the most basic things that you should know before attempting to play. The sound that you produce is highly dependent on the way that you hold your instrument, so it is worthwhile to make sure that you get it right. 

To hold your flute, put your left thumb on the bottom key with your index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and pinky on the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and side keys respectively. The fingers of the right hand should go on the lower keys, with the pinky on the first key of the foot joint and the thumb underneath. 

That being said, let’s get into the specifics. 

Left hand position

On the flute, the left hand goes on the keys closest to the head joint. The head joint is the section of the flute which has the embouchure hole, or the hole that the flutist blows into. 

Finger position

Each finger on the left hand has a specific key which it rests on. The easiest starting point is with the left thumb. If you look on the bottom side of the flute, you’ll see a single key (which is technically two different keys, but don’t mind that for now). The left thumb simply sits on this key, like so:

Once your thumb is in the correct spot, you should curl your left hand so that the remainder of the fingers reach the keys on the top of the flute. Your index finger, middle finger, and pinky should specifically be placed on the 2nd, 4th, and 5th keys respectively. You never need to touch the 1st or 3rd keys. 

The pinky, meanwhile, goes on a small key slightly off to the side of the instrument. You can see the proper position of the left hand below:

Holding the flute in place

The left hand also has a role in holding the flute up your mouth. However, it doesn’t do this by gripping the flute directly. Rather, you should use the joint between your index finger and palm to press the flute just underneath your lip. You can see below what this should look like:

Your left thumb and left fingers aren’t actually doing any of the work of holding the weight of the flute. Rather, your left hand holds the flute in place by allowing it to rest on the joint between your index finger and palm. In general, putting too much pressure on the keys is a bad thing and can damage the pads.

The fact that the joint between the palm and the index finger keeps the flute in place means that the fingers of your left hand are coming at the keys at an angle. If the fingers of your left hand are ever coming to the keys ‘head on’, then you are doing it wrong.

Right hand position

The right hand goes on the portion of the flute furthest from the head joint. Rather, it goes relatively close to the foot joint, or the smallest part of the flute which attaches to the end and has a few additional keys on it. 

One notable detail about the right hand is that you should aim for your wrist to be as straight as possible. This is not necessarily the case for the left hand, as the left hand comes to the keys at an angle (though one should still try to avoid bending the left wrist unnecessarily).

Finger position

Recall the location of your left pinky on the small side key. Beyond this side key, you are going to skip two of the larger keys. Then, you should put your index finger, middle finger, and ring finger on the three larger keys immediately beyond those. 

Then, notice that the foot joint has a small cluster of keys. You should place your pinky on the first (closest to your hand) of these. You can see below the correct position of the right hand:

Your thumb will go on the bottom of the instrument, so your right hand should be curled into a loose ‘C’ shape.

The right thumb

The right thumb does not go on any key. Rather, it serves as an anchor for the right fingers from the bottom. You should place your right thumb underneath the flute like so:

There is actually no “perfect” position for the right thumb. As you can see above, I tend to keep my thumb straight, vertical, and turned sideways. However, everyone’s hands are of different sizes. It may be easier for you to have your thumb bent (in a J shape), or have it turned so that your thumb faces toward your body. You’ll find flutists using any of the following, and generally all of them are considered acceptable:

The best right thumb position is the one which allows you to move your fingers most easily and quickly. If you are reading this guide, you are probably not yet playing your instrument much, if at all. Once you begin doing so, you will likely find it worthwhile to experiment with the position of your right thumb and find what is most comfortable.

The right thumb can often be a source of awkwardness in flute hand position. For now, just go with whatever feels natural.

The angle of the flute

The flute should generally be at a slight downward angle toward the ground. It is commonly-given advice that the flute should be parallel to the ground, but I find that this puts too much stress on the right shoulder. If you find it comfortable to keep the flute parallel, then by all means do so. If you find it uncomfortable, you can correct it by lowering the right elbow.

If you ever play in a marching band, keep in mind that they will ask you to hold your flute parallel to the ground. This won’t cause injuries or anything, so you don’t need to worry about it. It may make playing slightly more difficult, though, so I recommend you angle your flute slightly downward during your ordinary practice.

It is without a doubt a mistake to keep your flute above parallel, however. While keeping the flute parallel may not stress the shoulder if you are comfortable with it, keeping the flute above parallel probably will. 

You should also make sure that the angle of the flute is not too low. This is usually caused by keeping the right elbow close to the body. While it is good to keep the elbow relaxed, it shouldn’t be so close to the body that you need to drastically tilt your head. Doing so will prevent your airstream from correctly hitting the edge of the embouchure hole, giving you a sound which is either airy or nonexistent.

You can see below the correct angle of the flute compared to the two most common mistakes.

Posture

The flute can be played while standing or while sitting, and what constitutes proper posture depends on which one you are doing. 

Regardless of whether you are standing or sitting, proper posture should be upright but relaxed. There is no need to stand rigidly upright, but do make sure that you are not slouching. Slouching restricts airflow and makes it more difficult to support your sound. 

The head should also remain upright and level. Try to avoid having your head “tipped” in any direction, especially to the side or forward. Also avoid twisting the body (except in marching bands).

Standing posture

While standing, you should have your feet at about shoulder-width apart. It is common to have the feet be at a 90 degree angle, which offers better support and prevents falling over. You can see what this looks like below:

Also be sure to keep the knees just slightly bent; locked knees restrict blood flow and can lead to you falling over.

Sitting posture

You should make sure that you are sitting toward the front of your chair. It is best to literally be at the edge of your seat while playing. The reason for this is that sitting back on the chair encourages slouching and ultimately restricts air flow. 

Also, keep your feet flat on the floor. Using a footrest of any kind or stretching your legs out in front of you will only make it more difficult to stay upright.

Oftentimes musicians are seated in close-quarters, and if this is the case for you then you should make sure that your flute is not behind anyone else’s head. Having your flute behind someone else’s head not only risks you hitting them in the back of their head, but also causes you to twist your body, which is not good for your playing.

Conclusion

Learning to hold an instrument properly is the first step to sounding great. It is a good idea to pay attention to how you are holding your flute and your posture while practicing. Consider using a mirror, for instance, so that you can look at yourself as you practice. I find that this is one of the best techniques for improving anything relating to body position for nearly any instrument.

Of course, holding the instrument properly isn’t all there is to sounding fantastic. You might also be interested in learning how to practice properly, in which case you can find our guide on the subject here.