Hello everyone

I`m looking for pro flautists to help me settle my confusion or rather, bewilderment. I love flute, and I`d really like to learn to play it, but I need to know many, MANY things now.

FIRSTLY
I know very little about brands and kinds of flutes, so I`d like to know what kind of flute I should buy. I:
1. Already play the piano. About to finish Grade 7 ABRSM. Rather good.
2. Am very serious about learning the flute (so plz. don`t go on about beginner flutes). Intending to get my diploma in both piano and flute.
3. Am young. 14. And have rather small hands.
4. Live right in the middle of nowhere; I don`t have access to a large variety of flutes here. I think I`ll probably order one from the internet.
5. Like all kinds of music, but I do have preferences. I`m not gonna go on about them, but I`ll just mention those for flute.
(a) I like flutes that have low, deep tone. So definetely not soprano here.
(b) I don`t want a squeaky little flute. I want the sound rich, deep, and powerful (I know you acquire that with time, but still, the instrument matters.. That`s how it is with piano anyway.. You`ve got squeaky pianos and bass ones).
(c) I`ve heard sth about some models forcing you to take the proper vertical position. I`d like sth like that. But does it have any disadvantages?

SECONDLY
What does it take to be a good flautist? Do you need to play with expression, have strong fingers, long breath or anything like that?

THIRDLY
Does being well-established in music (piano) help? I know it does, but how much, and in what ways?

LASTLY
Anything else I need to know?
Thanks in advance!

Aseel

P.S. You may have seen this posten elsewhere. Sorry. Mistake of mine. Wrong forum.

look youre going about it all wrong... you seem to think that you are going to buy a flute and the first time you blow on it this beautiful sound is gonna come with perfect pitch and beautiful vibrato but im sorry to burst your bubble but unless you happen to stumble uppon a magic flute (if you do tell me where you got it cause i wouldnt mind having one) your gonna have to work a lot to get a good rich expressionful sound...flute is a hard instrument to play at least at the begining...so dont expect anything nd dont dissapointed when it doesnt come out perfectly...youre gonna have to practice a lot get a teacher and maybe even join a school or city band(its nice knowing other people who play your instrument and also its good to learn to play wth other people) and remember dont give up!!!
as for which flute you get(i dont know about brands or anything) well i reccomendend you do get a flute thats simpler maybe even a second hand flute...nothing to expensive cause who knows you might try it out a couple of times and decide that its not for you....

oh i almost forgot

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!1

I KNOW it doesn`t work out from the beginning; that`s why I said "I know you acquire that with time, but still, the instrument matters.. That`s how it is with piano anyway.. You`ve got squeaky pianos and bass ones".. And I AM getting a teacher.. Practicing without one for a year got me into serious trouble; I don`t even want to wonder what starting out by myself would get me into!

Well typically, no matter how far you are planning to go with the instrument, it is best to start with a student model. When beginning, you don`t want to have to worry about all the fancy features of a more professional flute.
After you have improved, and after your teacher feels you are ready, then it would be time to start shopping for your dream flute that has the tone you were describing. Try to go to a flute fair or order a few flutes so that you can try them out and get an accurate idea of how they sound on YOU. Keep in mind no flute is perfect...
As for a good student flute, I would ask your teacher what she suggests. From my experience, Gemeinhardt makes very sturdy student flutes that will serve you well. I started off with a Gemeinhardt 2SP. Perhaps other people on the forum can recommend some other brands.
I hope this helps you! Good luck. The flute is a beautiful instument. -- Em

As a beginner, one of the first things you`ll need to concentrate on is simply obtaining a sound. It`s a bit more difficult than it looks, and at first it will be very distracting and make learning other things much harder. So getting yourself an intermediate or advanced flute would really not get you anywhere. Most (in America) have opened holes, and being forced to learn how to play on opened holes as a beginner would be cruel. It`s simply too much to concentrate on at once. Besides, you won`t have a need for one anyway. No matter what flute you play on, you will see very little (if at all) difference in your tone quality. Tone takes many years to develop, and once you feel you`ve reached the limit of your flute, THEN it`s time to upgrade. You`ll know that feeling when it hits you.

About the small hands thing. You`d be best off with a closed hole, offset G flute. Reaching the keys with small hands can be hard. I have small hands too, and it took me until about age 15 to actually reach the G key (which was offset) and cover it completely without major pain.

About the tone quality thing. Again, tone takes time to develop and no matter what flute you get, you`re going to sound squeaky.

Flutists are required to have all sorts of things, but good breath support is very important. Good, full tone quality will never be acheived without a steady support of air. Even if you don`t have your flute yet, practice breathing. Find a chair, sit down, back straight, and learn to breath from deep within you. Some people like to think of it as breathing from your stomach. There are some good breathing exercises on larrykrantz.com and several other sites on the internet you can try.

Finally, being able to play the piano will help a lot. Instead of learning two things (flute & msuic) at once, you`ll be able to concentrate on just the flute. Flute music, unlike piano, is usually written out in the upper octaves, instead of having the octave symbol. You`ll need to learn how to read those high notes, but it may be awhile before you start actually playing them. I knew how to play the violin before I began the flute, and it made everything much easier.

Good luck with everything!

She won`t know any of that, she`s a beginner.

Just get a student flute. The silver head and all the rest of it can wait. My suggestions:

Amrstrong 200E (we sell those and I think they are wonderful)

Yamaha 211uk

Buffet Crampon

Jupiter

trevor james

Pearl

and there may be others. Be careful about anything made in China

Liz

Thanks everyone..

Tanya: I don`t mean to be rude, but how the hell am I suppose to know whether or not I want a b-foot or offset G or whatever else?? I don`t know ANYTHING about that!! As I said, I`d much rather play low notes (I think that has to do with offset, am I right?).. and what in the world is a b-foot, or a split key mechanism? That in-line G issue, is that the one that forces your hand into the proper position (because I`ve definitely heard sth about that)?? and all the other things.. Can I have an explanation please?
Sorry if I WAS rude after all..

I have been playing the flute since just before I was 10, and could not read music at the time. I`ve played for four years but the last was with a different teacher and I didn`t enjoy and gave up in September (but i still love practicing at home). I would suggest a Yamaha if you can afford it, I really felt the difference from the cheaper models. I have a Yamaha 211S and was told that the silver finish helps give it a better tone. As you are only 14 you should be able to buy it through your school and not have to pay the VAT - a massive saving. As for needing a large lung capacity, I don`t but my previous teacher told me I had the best tone she had ever heard - and it wasn`t like I was the only one in the lesson therefore she doesn`t say that to everyone. I think the main thing to gain tone is to practice. Playing another instrument before is a great start, it means you have a feel for timing and can read music. Not sure if i`ve missed anything but hopefully thats all.

Good luck with whatever you get.

Randommarble

Sorry about the confusion, I was in between classes when I responded, I`m actually in the middle of a research paper right now, but need a break.
Anyway here goes, the good news is we are both pianists so we are both on the same page.
A b-foot will allow you to play the b that is a half step below the middle c on the piano. That b is the lowest note that a b-foot can play. If you get a c-foot then the middle c on the piano will be the lowest note the flute can play. If you want low notes might I reccomend a b-foot.
The off-set G does not effect the sound of the flute from what I gather. It juts out so that you do not have to strech your finger unlike the in-line G where one must stretch their finger to reach it. Small hands I would reccomend an off-set G.
As far as a split E mechanism, I`ve read about them and still are not clear myself as to what they are. One thing I do know is that my flute doesn`t have one. However, I`ve seen it advertized as a major selling point on many flutes. I`ve also seen that those same flutes cost more money.
Sorry about the early confusion I hope this helps a bit more.

The E mechanism allows for the third octave E to be played much easier. (Typically, E is a hard note to get out on the flute, and the E-mechanism helps with the ease of playing it.) Some say that it causes a slight undertone, others don`t have that problem. What it all comes down to is this: For a beginner, the E-mechanism (note: it is also called split-E) is not important, and it doesn`t usually come on student models. Tell me if you have any more questions, and I`d love to help. -- Hannah

look for a beginer i suggest getting a simple flute. a flute IS a high squeeky instrument and if you don`t play it right it will sound bad you said it also needs part of the player to play the flute it does! It doesn`t matter what brand or how expensive you have to practice hard and get a private lesson teacher. a good brand to by is a yamaha flute and make sure if you buy a flute from the internet it is from a music company and not ebay. my friend bought a flute from the internet and it was old with lots of leaks!!!piano did help you learn the notes but positioning your fingers takes work! i have been playing for 3 years and have a private lesson teacher she helps a lot and i still don`t have perfect vibrato so my advice get help, a simple flute, and a lot of practice.Good Luck!!!!

If you want low notes, don`t play the flute. I was (and still am) a fan of low notes, but the time came where I had to get up into the high register whether I liked it or not. The flute is a high pitched instrument, the pieces for flute are going to be written fairly high because that`s characteristic of the horn. Not to break your spirit or anything.

You have to start on a student flute. Well, you wouldn`t HAVE to, but it makes it a lot easier and less stressful. Maybe rent one until you get good enough for a more advanced model. I`ve been playing for four years and I`m still on my student flute (some random Jupiter model), and I love it, and a lot of people in my band borrow it for challenges and playing quizzes because they like how it plays.

You could also become like me and play the flute and dream of playing the bass flute. Those are fun!

About the hand size,even if they`re small you can probably still play an inline G key, (the one where the G key is not positioned in an offset position). You can probably also still play open holes. If you can stretch an octave on the piano you should be able to reach open-holes ok. If your lh ring finger is not shorter than two & a half inches then you should be able to manage the inline G. What do the rest of you think, do you agree with this? Have you guys measured your ring finger? If so, how long is it? I`m borderline so I`ve had trouble deciding this (my ring finger is two & a half exactly).

for the most part the flute itself doesn`t mean a whole lot, as long as the pads all seal properly and the keys are responsive it`ll be fine for starting out. keep this in mind, put james galway on a student flute and he still sounds like james galway, buying a more expensive flute won`t make you a better player and it won`t give you a better sound until your playing skill catches up.