Hi. I'd like to buy my first flute and I noticed that the Gemeinhardt 2SP and the Gemeinhardt 2NP have the same price, although the first is silver plated and the second is nickel plated. Any suggestion ? Thanks !!

Nickel plating is said to be a lot more slippery to hold compared to silver, so I would definitely choose the silver plating.

The only reason to chose nickel over silver might be if you are allergic to the silver plating.

That said, get a Yamaha flute instead. It has a much much better tone and scale. 20 years ago, they were nearly identical midrange flute companies. But Yamaha has moved forward since then and it's now a huge gap that has developed between them.

Gemeinhardt hasn't made a single notable change to their flutes in 20+ years.

What's your budget?

Yes ! I did buy a new Yamaha flute today, a student silver plated 221.
I was at Flute World and compared it to a Jupiter 511 and a Gemeinhardt SP2. The one I liked less was the Gemeinhardt, the Jupiter was good sounding to my ears but the Yamaha won in a side by side comparison: more mellow sound, deeper basses.
Now...I just have to learn how to play the flute in a decent way !

Welcome Gerardo! I am also a beginner (even on the same flute model!) and enjoy my learning experience a lot. After a year and a half I would say that playing in general is not that difficult to learn, but the "decent" part is definitly challenging. As soon as I learn how to do something well, I notice so many other things that are sounding almost... terrible.

Wish you good luck! and I believe you will most likely be very happy with the Yamaha.

glad you found one, i have been learning about a year and a half and i have enjoyed it (apart from when my tone fell apart one practice) but one thing is never quit at it because even if you cant get it straight away you will get it soon.

"Now...I just have to learn how to play the flute in a decent way !"

Then get thee with a decent private flute teacher..
....now!
Don't wait.....

I learned the flute for 6 yrs since 8, I used Jupiter S511 for the first 2 yrs, and gotten ABRSM grade 5 merit, it's very light flute, means less metal, good for beginner younger kids, but when I am over grade 5, it's too light for novice, the sound becomes overblown, and high registers are not good for above grade 5 pieces, so I bought a Yamaha 211, sweet, it's a good flute, easy to blow, good intonation, with Split-E you can play high register very easily, (with 221 you still can't play Poulenc and many grade 8 pieces smoothly)!

So I never changed flute ever since... I used it for 4 years already, and gotten grade 8 distinction. no a single problem or leak or any oiling needed or breakdown...a great flute for me.

If you go to youtube and search "flute 211", you'll see my videos played with 211 all over youtube. you can check it's max speed(my bumble-bee), intonation and tone colour and colour changes. It's a good flute. I am planning to take ATCL and dipABRSM with 211 too!

Never underestimate a 211 and its CY headjoint! many good players have ordered Yamaha 811 or 821 or 881 just for the CY head instead of the 884 's EC head!

But many people keep asking me to upgrade to a better flute. Why I never changed? becoz Pahud came here 2 years ago and said it's not the flute, it's you who make the sound. Then he demonstrated he can play any tone, I mean beautiful tone with our 221 or 211... I still like my 211! =)

to save your time and trouble, this is the speed of 211:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW7cmd3HJeE

this is the tone color and intonation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43tB4xEu4eA

oh Bilbo, that Bilbo challenged me over and over on Galway Flute Chat and Larry Krantz Flute List, didn't know you were a monkey ;p just kidding..^_^

Play something for us....

I found that with a student flute, if without Split-E, it's hard to play poulenc sonata smoothly and softly and easily on the high register. Trust me, get a flute with split-E, then you can get grade 8 with distinction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHL2FyzlWIE
(played a year ago, not a good play)

I personally despise split E's. A Yamaha student flute is a great flute and true, it is the flutist not the flute. But, a true high end professional flute is a world of difference and when you are ready for one, you will no doubt feel and hear the difference! A student flute will eventually hold you back and that is why professionals play on professional flutes.

Bilbo does have some beautiful music of him playing already on youtube. He is an amazing flutist. He is a rabbit, not a monkey by the way.

I am not trying to rude at all, but why must grades, merits and chair placements be so emphasized by young flutist on the internet so much? You really shouldn't feel like you need to prove yourself to anyone. It is not about competition, or who is best, it is about the love of music

Yes, very true, split-E on professional flutes or professional headjoints is not that much a difference, but on student flutes, it is important. It's not about how you can play high-E note or not, or how strong your air-force is, it's about smoothness and even high register, if you play a high note passage, because of no high-E, you tend to give it more force, then the other high notes are affected by your force! On the high register, you want to play as softly as possible and as weakly as possible, sometimes that high-E (without split-E) will give you the stress and too much force applied!

I know what you mean by high end professional flute is a world of difference, I have tried them and yes they are very responsive and easy to play difficult passages. But I prefer to work on slow and difficult and poor sounding student flutes, to make it faster and easier and prettier on tone with my own self, it's like running with a lead bags around me, one day with the lead bags, I can run twice faster, with a pro-flute I will play much better by using its facility instead of relying on its facility now as a student. But you are correct, my 2 teachers both have said that I have almost maximized my Yamaha 211. I may change flute maybe within 1-2 years depends on how much I can improve this year. It's not the money issue, my grandma is rich and she always took me to get a gold handmade flute, but I'm only a kid and flute learner at this moment. people will tease me if I hold a gold flute at 14.

I don't feel 211 is holding me back now, and I am not a professional so I don't feel I need a professional flute yet.

Oh you saw Bilbo playing on youtube, great, I always like to see my critic's playing to understand how accurate they are. Many times, many kids on youtube who can't even play well but said a lot of things to misguide me. I need good people to critisize me for me to improve fast, as you know my goal at my 13th birthday is to become a musician, and at my 14th birthday is to become a professional principal flutist someday. I will work hard from now to this goal, because it's late for me, I'm getting old, many people in my country are much better than me and much younger than me, like 10-12 yo. Even my new assistant flute (11 yo) is getting better and try to steal my position.

Grades, merits and chair placements are not important in music I know, but people are very much care about them in real life and especially in Americas, you can see people's posts are with all their professional titles - like I'm professor of xxx university, principal flutist of xxx orchestra, DMA of Music, PHD, MA, or BA in music...etc. I thought this is what the tradition to post here, right? no?

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Oh, also grades are very important here in Hong Kong, we were once rules by British for over 100 yrs, so we used and still use British systems, for example the music grades to see what's your level, it is very important in UK, Canada and Australia and commonwealth countries. That's why you always hear people on two LISTS (and Josh and many young players) talking about their grades. I prefer talking about grades AND post my playings.:)

Oh okay. I guess I don't see what the fuss is all about. I see is more as bragging rights than anything. You can get the grades and work hard at it, but why feel like you have to tell everyone on a chat forum? It seems like a lot of competition to me and people trying to one up others. Sometimes it is better to be humble about things

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I have a rich lover in England that could by me a platinum flute. So what! lol! JK!

I used it for 4 years already, and gotten grade 8 distinction. no a single problem or leak or any oiling needed or breakdown...a great flute for me.

Are you saying that you have not had your Yamaha serviced in 4 years? If so, that is not good at all for the flute. It is a wonder it is still playing! A flute should have a COA at LEAST once a year.