...but I am not going to get into that matter. This happened a month ago, and it is old news, and I would end up launching into an angry rant that nobody wants to hear. So, for now, I will just leave it at "he lost my flute and I am dreadfully angry, because even though Mary, Queen of Scots didn't work properly she was still mine and I miss her and I want to strangle the BD every time I see him, plzkthx."

For the past month now, I have been stuck with the daunting task of using -- dun dun DUN! -- a school flute. (No need to be too alarmed, dearies, she won't attack and give you herpes!) This instrument is a piece of crap. Not only is it a Bundy, but it must be fifty years old. And nobody takes care of it. (Last time it was serviced was 1999, according to the tag. Honestly now.) I have had to clean so much grime off just so that it is acceptable and sanitary to play. Disgusting, really. Can I get a group "ewww!", please? Thanks, you're too kind.

Unbelievably, this is also not the quandary. (*Dodges flying objects and tomatoes* I'm getting there!) This flute's problem is that I cannot play for more than fifteen minutes without the tone getting all airy and moist and gross. And that definitely does not happen on the other flutes I have tried, which means that either my embouchure has changed drastically in a month, or this flute is a psychotic and temperamental loon. (And I get frustrated easily. Jenna + Frustrated + Flute = major no-no.) There are no music stores in the area, so I cannot easily get her serviced, and thus my question is: what can I do about playing? I cannot just stop my practice altogether, but playing with her is difficult and esteem-lowering and most certainly not kosher. What do you think is the problem? Dried cork? Leaky pads? Old age? Bunseeds?

Also, another off-handed question that some of you may be able to answer but is not completely necessary; I have been playing the flute for seven years now, on an old student model Armstrong. A round-about and vague inquiry, but what good professionals in a decent price range would you reccomend? Please bear in mind that I am a student, and it prooobably should not be more than $3000 or so, at most. Since, y'know, I'm saving for it and all. I would really like a Pearl Quantz-Coda (725, I believe the model number is), but those are $3600. And as I am trying to achieve this unlikely goal of a professional by the middle of my junior year and am currently going into my sophomore, this is nearly impossible. Any suggestions?

Thank you, everybody! I really do appreciate all you do for me on this board. You are life savers. =] And I apologize if this post is too nonsensical for your tastes; my posts in my Xanga and on other forums are like that way purposely to make people laugh, and it has sort of become a habit.

Loooooove!

First, let me say this. If your band director lost your flute he is ultimately responsible for replacing it. If you can PROVE he is at fault, take it to the school board or whatever you have to do to have it replaced. That's absurd.

I have no idea what the technical problem could be on that flute. It could be leaks in the pads, headjoint, or possibly that the pads are absorbing moisture, I have no clue. That is absolutely a tech type question.

As far as Pearls go you will hear different things from different people here as you will when anyone specifically says they like a certain brand. I like Pearls. Any Pearl model you buy in a 600 series or up is going to be a HUGE improvement over the model you have now. Be prepared, I find the head is cut a little different and it took some time to adjust to. The mechanism is very fast and there are times I can't believe how fast I can play on it. There is no way my old student flute could hold a candle to the Pearl.

This might be something Patrick or some of the other full time professional flutists could advise a little better on, but I would say that there are LOTS of flutes that are not necessarily "professional" models that would last you through high school and college. I would imagine that until you find that one perfect flute for you, most flutists spend a lot of time trying new flutes, and upgrading or changing instruments. If it were me, I would buy a much better intermediate model than what you own currently, or owned I should say, and save dropping thousands of dollars until you are absolutely sure you will do this for the rest of your life. When and if you make that decision be prepared to drop A LOT of money on a flute, and be prepared to have a solid flute as a back up. Hope that helps a bit.

Well, never having seen the flute, it's hard to tell what's happening, but I'd venture a guess that the problem lies in the pads. They may be absorbing moisture from your playing, causing them to swell slightly, and if they are not seated quite right, this change in dimension could be opening up some leaks around the top of the toneholes. It would also be worthwhile to check the cork in the head (it should not move with any reasonable amount of pressure), though I doubt that's the problem, as the cork too would likely swell likely (if it changed at all) from the moisture inherent in playing, causing it to seal better. If you can, get a hold of another flute (that you know works well), and see if the same airiness occurs on that flute. If it does, your embouchure is probably at least part of the problem. Your best bet really is to take it to a repair tech (you might be able to ship it to a music store or tech outside the area), and let them take a look at it, because even if you can identify the problem, you won't be able to fix it yourself (assuming it is the flute and not you that is having the issues). As for the flute shopping, this question comes up EXTREMELY often, and if you search back through some of the older threads (I'd stay within the last 6-12 months), you should find the names of PLENTY of suitable makers. In the end, you will have to play test all the options to see what suits you (you can't just look at a picture on the internet, consider what features it has, and decide one flute is the one for you)

DottedEighthNote: Firstly, I would just like to say that I know this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, otherwise I would not be willing to drop so much on a flute. Nothing else I have ever done gives me the same thrill as music, and I have known since my first year playing that playing the flute is what I was born to do (excuse the cliche). =)
I also had assumed that the problem lies in the pads, and I guess it is difficult to tell from the mediocre description provided. Always seems to be the problem with my instruments.
And thank you for the insight on Pearls. You did help, and I appreciate the time you took to make your post.

Flutist06: I have tried playing on a friend's new Gemeinhardt, as well as another friend's Blessing, and the problem occured on neither instrument. My embouchure probably is contributing at least partially, but overall I am confident enough to say that it is technical difficulties with the flute.
It certainly does look like a pad issue, then. Do you (or anybody else here, for that matter) know of a way I can be sure and maybe solve the problem at home, at least temporarily, without having to drive an hour and a half to a repair shop?
Also, I have tried a few Jupiters and Gemeinhardts and Altuses and Pearls, and Pearl suits me best and doesn't break my budget. I was just trying to be sure that there weren't any better options out there.
Thank you for your input!

There are different options, but there is no such thing as "better" flute. That all depends on what suits the player. I play a gold flute, which is perfect for me, but for many of the other people I've let play it, it's too resistant, and they prefer their silver flutes. As for the pads, do a visual check first (once it starts to get airy, take a look and if there are any leaks big enough to see with either your bare eye or a magnifying device. If so, that's your problem. If not, you can make a feeler relatively easily to check the pads, but unless you know the proper technique to use it (which I'm not sure I can translate over the internet...Demonstration seems a better way to learn), it probably won't help a lot. And I definitely would not try to fix it yourself, especially without knowing exactly what's happening, as the number of things you could do wrong that would cause more problems are huge, and chances are that you would fall into at least one of these traps is pretty good unless you're trained in flute repair. I still suggest trying to get it to a repair tech.

Kitto, I am so sorry to hear that about your flute
Do be careful who is recommending which brand of flute becase there are some people that will praise a brand because, A. That is all they can afford. or B. They are inexperienced with flute brands. To recommend a Pearl 600 series to someone that would like to go though college is something I would not recommend myself. Dennis who is another forum member can tell you about that if he chooses to I do wish you the best of luck in saving up for a new flute.

>>I still suggest trying to get it to a repair tech.<<

Personally, if repair is as far away as she says, I would be pursuing the band director with a vengeance, to either get the replacement value (not the actual value) of the lost flute to put towards an intermediate level flute now (which can be used as a back-up flute later) or to simply replace the student flute (which means, if they give her replacement value, she's where she was before the school lost the flute) if she hasn't decided how to proceed on her next purchase, OR get the school to provide a working loaner until that issue is settled, even if they have to go rent one. I certainly wouldn't pay to repair the Bundy myself.

But, that's my 40 yr old self talking, not my high school self. Of course, my mother and father would have been in there doing what my 40 yr old self is saying, anyway.

Wow Kito, this is quite the predicament. Logically speaking, the others are correct - your band director should be held responsible and be required to provide adequate compensation.

However, going above his head and getting him in trouble will undoubtedly generate some bad blood between the two of you. I'm not sure if your band director would be the type to retaliate with a personal vendetta. It could result in unfair chair ranking, grades, etc.

Perhaps if your parents intervened and pressed the matter it might remove some of the heat from you. I'd try to get the value of your flute, and put that toward a better instrument.

Most brand recommendation posts are disasters as everyone believes their brand is best. However, generally speaking, it is usually safe to go with a brand made in Japan or Boston. Sorry to be so broad, but you will receive positive and negative commentary about virtually any brand you mention here.

Flutist06: Will look into a repair tech, then. Thank you!

Kara: Don't be sorry! Hakuna matata, life goes on. I will get a new one eventually! But apparently Pearl is not the best choice on the matter. Mind if I ask why? =/

Pickled: Repair is that distance away. My town is in the middle of nowhere, honestly. And trust me, I have tried the options you specified; my school is awful about student relations, so my band director refuses to replace the thing because he blames it on the music department coordinator's so-ineptitude. (What my band director refuses to realize is that if he had sent the flute out in April like he was supposed to, neither of us would be in this predicament!) Basically, we are in a quagmire and something is telling me that my family is going to end up taking this to court. Positively thrilling.

Tim: You have hit the nail on the head, so to speak. We already have bad blood between us, and refuses to move me up to first part for that very reason, even though I deserve it (not to sound concieted; most of the flute section has said it, I am just agreeing with them). And the broadness is not a problem. Research is fun!

Thank you, everyone. I appreciate it!

Any Pearl model you buy in a 600 series or up is going to be a HUGE improvement over the model you have now. This might be something Patrick or some of the other full time professional flutists could advise a little better on, but I would say that there are LOTS of flutes that are not necessarily "professional" models that would last you through high school and college.

Do be careful who is recommending which brand of flute becase there are some people that will praise a brand because, A. That is all they can afford. or B. They are inexperienced with flute brands. To recommend a Pearl 600 series to someone that would like to go though college is something I would not recommend myself.

I do not believe I said at all that a 600 series is going to last anyone completely through college. I do believe I said it is a huge improvement over the current missing flute.

Kitto,

This is a constant debate on these forums. Everyone has flutes they like and don't like. We have said over and over try out as many flutes as possible and fine the one you are comfortable playing on. If it is a $15,000 Haynes, go play it and have fun with it. If it is a $2000 Pearl or Yamaha as long as it is what you are happy playing on, at the end of the day that is what matters.

The most important thing I would recommend for you is a mechanism upgrade. There will be pieces as you enter college that you will not be able to play as well on a student flute. If you are able to hold out as long as possible while you save for your dream flute, that is fantastic! My main point in shopping for a flute in your younger years is you don't necessarily need all the bells and whistles like a C# trill to have a flute that will get you through your college years. I wish you the best of luck with your search!

Personally, I think the headjoint is far more important than the mechanism. It's great to have a fast, flowing mech, but you can play most things on a very basic, machine made mech without too much trouble. I'm currently at a university with a topnotch music program, and one of the other flutists plays an Armstrong body (student model) with a custom made (I don't know by who yet) head, and sounds magnificent on it. If anything, I'd say a better headjoint is in order (if not an entire dream flute), because what's the point of having a great mech if the head you're playing on negatively impacts the tone, or isn't flexible enough to allow the leaps needed for lots of the more difficult music? I agree with the rest of your post, though Dottedeighthnote. Everyone does have their favorite brands, and are often eager to suggest them, so you have to take everything with a grain of salt. It doesn't really matter what you play on, as long as it works for you and you're happy with it.

Mm, I guess I was a bit overzealous with my flute-shopping, eh? I will bear all of your suggestions in mind as I both confront my band director (again) and try to find a new and better flute in the case that I don't get mine back and decide to get cash value instead of a replacement. Thank you, everybody!

If anything, I'd say a better headjoint is in order (if not an entire dream flute), because what's the point of having a great mech if the head you're playing on negatively impacts the tone, or isn't flexible enough to allow the leaps needed for lots of the more difficult music?

Good point, very good point. It's too bad we can't all just say, ok, we want this and this on our flutes with this type of head, and these key extenders, made from this type of metal, and throw in these bells and whistles then walk away with the "perfect" flute. Ahhh but we can dream.

Yes, that is too bad. But life is full of compromises, so why should instrument selection be any different? I got really lucky that I found my dream flute so early on, and was able to buy it.

I am lucky because I have my dream flute too. but just had to wait a little longer in life to get it