Pick 3-4 brands and try out the flutes in your price range. Purchase the one you like best.
Definately have a music book handy with things you want to test out if you are going to physical music stores.
Do check pricing at
http://www.flutworld.com ,
http://www.flute4u.com , and
http://www.wwandbw.com before making your purchase.
Here`s a good article:
2.1.19 How to choose a flute.
(From M. D. Greene) Buying a flute is in my opinion at least as stressful and complex as buying a used car... perhaps more so.
If you`re lucky, you can go to a large, well-stocked store which sells many different brands and types of flute, and try them until you find your perfect new instrument. If you`re even luckier, you will have a patient and highly trained flute teacher to go with you and give advice.
If, however, you are so unfortunate as not to enjoy these advantages (as I lacked, when buying my flute) then you must be much more attentive and much more patient. If you can obtain Nancy Toff`s _The Flute Book_ there is an excellent section on how to buy a flute. It is basically a "weeding out" process, in which you first settle on what basic type of flute you want, pick some well-known brand names, and then have some of each sent to you. Play them, and return the ones you don`t like, even if that means returning them all. Take notes on why you did or didn`t like each one.
Caution: flutes vary even within the same model and manufacturer...if you find one that is good, it`s best to stick with it rather than hoping for a "miracle flute".
Before beginning the process decide how far you wish to progress on the flute. In my case I know full well that I will never be anything like a Galway or Rampal -- which by the way does wonders for my ego -- so I immediately eliminated the upper-end flutes made of such precious metals as gold, Aurumite or platinum. I also had bad experiences with the low grade student flutes, so out they went too. That leaves the middle grade flutes by reputable manufacturers.
You must decide if you want a B or C foot; open hole or plateau; offset G or inline; split E mechanism or not; pointed French arms or not. These are personal preferences and depend on your style of play. Once you`ve settled that, each manufacturer will have several models you can choose from. If you have specific questions about any of these options, the members of the FLUTE list, which include people far more knowledgeable than myself, can almost certainly answer them.
Hint: practicing diligently and loving your instrument is far more important, and affects the sound, more than any option.
In general, the more silver in a flute the better. Models begin with all silver plate, then move up through: solid silver head; solid silver body and head; solid silver body, head and keys. Whether the springs are gold or not is another personal preference. I can tell you from my own experience, that flutes which look identical can easily be extremely different in price; further, that this price difference is usually justified, believe it or not. The minute differences in headjoint manufacture and design, particularly, make huge differences in the sound. I am naturally skeptical (and a tightwad) and I had to be convinced of this; but now, I believe it.
When playing, check for leaks at the pads. Check the mechanism, key by key, for free and fast motion. Check for clicks, pops and other noises. Make sure that the head joint and foot fit the body, smoothly and securely but not overly tight. Check for bent keys such as the g# key which sticks out and can be damaged easily. Take a piece of music you know well and play it on each test flute. One will feel more fluent and easier to play than the other. Try to over blow the flute into the second and then the third octave; a good one will over blow easily, without "screaming" in the third octave. Further, it won`t be excessively sharp in the third, nor flat in the first octave (use an electronic tuner). See if the flute can be made to play fortissimo in the low notes and pianissimo in the high ones. Try to do fast octave or double-octave leaps, allegro, without missing notes.
Hint: if you find a flute which does *all* this perfectly, take it to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington and tell them, they`ll want to buy it from you and put in on display!
Good luck with your search, and remember that patience is a virtue. Keep saying that to yourself, as you receive those expensive silver tubes in the mail and send them back... patience... patience.... patience... ;-)
(From Alexa Still)
To second what has already been said: definitely go for silver keys if you can. Silver keys can be repaired indefinitely, and the flute is always going to be worth something. Silver plated keys make the instrument effectively a "throw-away" flute, and once they are worn out, the flute is worthless.... a bad investment in most cases!
Other things asked about are largely cosmetic, and vary considerably from flute to flute. For example there isn`t really an audible difference between Y keys or pointed keys, and drawn or soldered tone holes. Soldered have a sharper edge and I think they are supposed to seal better, and be more accurately made, but they can come unsoldered sometimes! Drawn tone holes never come unsoldered, but aren`t considered as fancy because the tube may be distorted when they are drawn from the tube, and distorted tubing theoretically may not sound as good.
White gold springs are supposedly the best choice because they break less often, but I`ve seen quite a few broken ones!!!, so as long as you like the action (springiness) I wouldn`t worry about this aspect too much. This is something a repair person can change for you pretty easily if you like everything else but not the springiness, or even what the springs are made out of.
I am sure that Silver and Britannia silver sound different, but probably not as different as two different makes in the same metal, so again, be influenced by your ear most of all! Just try what ever you buy first, and attempt to try lots of models before narrowing it down.
(From Jennifer Grady)
The first thing I would tell you is:
Don`t be in a hurry!!!
Next:
Make sure that you play the instrument that you plan to buy first. Sometimes you may try a model and then agree to have one made like the model that you played, but all instruments are unique and they all sound and play differently. Even instruments of the same make and model. Play it for two weeks if you can. Find opportunities to play it in different settings (a performance or for friends). You will know after that time if it is right for you or if you are feeling frustrated.
Then:
Try lots of different kinds of flutes. There are several ways to do that. The best way is to attend a Flute Fair or the NFA Convention where there are many flutemakers represented. There are several places in the USA that carry professional models and then you can always have the flutemakers send you new models to try out for two weeks (being held on your credit card until the flute is returned). The problem with the last suggestion is that you pay shipping one way and after a few times it starts getting expensive. I have a list of websites for most of the flutemakers if you need it. (Also on Larry`s web page, he has all the Flutemakers listed with addresses and phone numbers).
A last suggestion:
Try out used professional instruments. You can get a great deal that way. Ginger Hedrick of the
http://www.flutes.com/ The Flute Exchange has a large selection of used professional flutes on consignment. She is a nice person and is very helpful. She will send out flutes to try for 10 days and you pay shipping one way. The flutes may be older, but with a little work or an overhaul, you would have a wonderful instrument at a reduced price. She also has used head joints from the best of the makers.
http://www.fluteworld.com/ Flute World also has used instruments to sell.
I just bought a used Handmade Haynes that was 17 years old from a gentleman in Portland, Oregon who sells professional flutes on consignment. I bought it for $4,000 and put $660 in repairwork (I can also recommend a fantastic repairman!) and now I have a magnificent instrument that I am very happy with. (I also just bought an incredible head joint from Mr. Drelinger that has made a great flute even more fantastic. I can`t say enough about having a great head joint...).
When I still had my old Selmer, I was trying out some Burkart heads and one in particular totally blew me away! I had thought my flute was so clunky and sluggish, but when I put that head in, the response time was so phenomenal that my fingers just flew! It was so light and quick, I couldn`t believe it was the same instrument.
Kind of a lot to consider, huh.... Bottom line, of all the instruments that I played (and there were a lot in all the price ranges...), there were only a couple that stood out. The Altus 1507RB was fantastic (it is Britannia silver) but also way out of my price range. I also loved a new handmade Powell (silver) that I played, but it too was way out my price range. I am very happy and grateful that I found the flute that I did. I will probably be playing this flute until my fingers fall off. Be careful in your choosing, it is more than just buying an instrument. It is a bit like a marriage. There is a real emotional connection with it and you need to be compatible. Sort of an extension of your soul... When I bought the first flute (the flute that I ordered and ended up not keeping), I couldn`t believe how stressful and upsetting it was. It took all the joy out of my playing. Now I am relaxed and I am having great fun. I look forward to each time I go to take it out of the case and I totally lose track of the time...
(from Patricia George)
I think in looking for a flute, I would look for a flute that has lots of colors and with good response. (Tuning is important also) If a flute only has a bright sound or a dark sound, I would compare that to going to one`s closet and only finding dresses of one color. To live life fully, one needs lots of colors of dresses. (I am a true Texan (now living in Idaho)--I love to shop!)
If you will turn the flute head joint over, with the embouchure head facing down, you can tell a lot about how a flute will play and sound. If the embouchure plate (that would be on the left side when you are looking down) is really close to the tubing, then the flute will respond quickly. If the embouchure plate is farther away from the tube, then the tone will be more beautiful. The trick is to find the compromise--that distance where you have quick response yet still a beautiful tone. Some of the modern makers have taken this art to a new height--making heads that are very quick in response. However, it has been my experience that these flutes don`t project as well as some other flutes and don`t have a range of colors. This is why it is important to test a flute (headjoint) in many settings with the best pair of ears that you can get to listen to you.
I think colors are very important in performance and in instrument selection. But of course my flute heritage dictates this (Mariano, Kincaid and Baker). Some flutists have been very successful with one color and using a wide dynamic range. Just another way to get "there" I would think. This is a personal choice. I like colors!
Do you remember the discussion that we had sometime back about the "cushion of air" surrounding the tone? I think that this is the solution for projection. I believe I wrote about one of my first lessons with Kincaid--how beautiful his tone was when I was sitting at the picnic bench in front of his mountain cabin--yet how shocked I was when I went inside for my lesson and heard all this air around his tone. To keep this short---in a few lessons I mustered the courage to ask him about it (I couldn`t bring myself to say--gee, your tone is airy--why are you doing that----until I knew him better). He explained about the "cushion of air" and the funnel effect (the big part of the funnel is with you and the smaller part is what goes to the audience. Exploring this idea in several settings and combinations of players will show you how effective this idea is.
Choosing a flute is a huge area of concern. So much to know, to hear and to learn. Remember too that as performers sometimes we need to be "solo" performers and other times "tutti" players....and all with the same flute.
John Mack (Principal Oboe of Cleveland) once said--we are all looking for the reed that plays high, that plays low, has a beautiful tone, has quick response etc, but I only had that reed once and that was in something like 1957---the real truth is that you must learn to play on a bad reed because that is what you will have most of the time!
[Source:
http://www.larrykrantz.com , home of the FluteLIST]
