I`ve been playing for seven years, and, sad though I am to admit it, I still sometimes can`t tell when my flute is out of tune. I mean, when I tune to the band I can definitely tell... but I`m reading a lot of flute literature and it talks about how when you do range and flexibility exercises (alternating high and low notes) how some notes come out out of tune. This is what I can`t hear... any pointers?

Telling if you`re flat or sharp when it`s just you, with nothing to tune to, is hard. (I still can`t tell sometimes) It`s something that people with lots of ear training or perfect pitch are lucky to have, but you can start to train yourself.

Try practicing with a tuner, playing different notes until they are in tune. Sing the notes as well. After you feel comfortable (this may take a LOOOOOOONG time), work with someone else. Start by singing the note, so you have it in your head, and let THEM tell you if you`re flat or sharp (this way you can`t cheat by looking), then move on to the whole flute.

Good luck,
Gumdrop

I have an aural skills class right now in college, and before I was having so much trouble distinguishing the pitch, but as much as I hate to say, singing really does help- if you can pick out the keys on a keyboard or something work with that for awhile and try to sing along with it- use solfege (do re me...). Working with a tuner could also help like gumdrop said. Practice, Practice, Practice.

If you want to know if the flute itself is out of tune, put the tuning rod in the head joint. (Plastic or wood, not metal. Metal tuning rods are bad for the instrument because of the burs made by the friction of metal against metal.) If the line is not in the centre of the hole, it`s out of tune. If you are trained to put it back in tune, do so. If not, find someone who is. As for when you are playing, you should try ear training.

Ok, Alex, umm...lets see. I have many flute students in my HS band that i teach that have been playing since they were like 3rd grade and trust me there is nothing wrong with you i still sometimes have problems and im just a teacher!

"...Metal tuning rods are bad for the instrument because of the burs made by the friction of metal against metal.) ..."

There is nothing wrong with a metal cleaning rod providing it is smooth where it matters. Every commercial rod I have ever seen is smooth where it matters.

Get a metal spoon and drag it gently across a softer surface such as wood. Does it leave burrs or any other damage? No.

However I have nothing against wooden or strong plastic ones either.

I don`t think you can ever tell if your really in tune or not...but you can tell if your out of tune and if you`re sharp or flat if you`re playing with like a piano or something. What I would suggest would be to go up the chromatic scale with a tuner (after tuning to an A or any other note) and mark which notes you are flat and which notes you are sharp so you know what your pitch tendencies are for your instrument.