I`d say Yamaha or Gemeinhardt. Both are quite expensive, but playing them is amazing.

yeah get a Gemeinhardt!I am getting a Gemeinhardt KMG Ltd.

defiantly yamaha...i started out on an armstong...played a Gemeinhardt but yamaha is by far the best

gemienhardt is the best i`m saving up for a french model i recomend it to all the players in my section but really you should try many brands and see what is best for you hope this helps

I am looking at a Venus piccolo to buy. Has anyone actually heard of the brand and does it work? I`ve gone to a number of websites looking for information on them. Half say they are junk, but the other half highly recommend them? What do you think?

I`ve been wondering that as well. I`m been thinking of buying a Venus as well, simply as a back-up piccolo, but I didn`t know if it would be worth it or not.

My first ever flute was a Selmer Bundy. I didn`t like it much at all. Then I got a Gemeinhardt M2, which I still play in marching band. I`ve never had any problems with it, although the C#s tend to play VERY sharp, as compared to other flutes.

My current flute is a Gemeinhardt 3S. The only thing I don`t like about it is the low B key... it`s a bit difficult to work with.

What exactly are you looking for in a flute? You need to decide that before you start looking at different models.

1. What should it be made out of? Nickel plated? Silver plated? Silver headjoint? Solid silver?
2. Open holed or closed holed?
3. Inline G or offset G?
4. C foot or B foot?
I`m assuming you`re just looking for a student flute, so any other options I`ll just leave out, as they`re seen in professional models.

i went onto that site www.fluteworld.com and i cliked on2 pearl flutes. what is the difference between French modesilver plated, C foot, silver plated and offset G and split E and silver plated, curved & straight headjoints, C foot? cz i am new to the flute thing and i dont have a teacher yet so i am really interested!

a french model means open holed. since you are new to the flute business, i would suggest a student flute which is a closed holed flute. silver plated is cheaper. that`s what most learners learn on. a c foot is the very end part of the flute. it is the foot joint. the lowest note you can play with a c foot is low low c which is below the staff. if you have the b foot the lowest note you can play is low low b below the staff. having a b foot can also let you play high notes easier. the offset G is just well, it is difficult to explain w/out a picture. a curved head helps younger children who dont have arms long enough to play. a straight head is just a normal flute head joint.
that`s about it!