hey i play trumpet, but am considering taking up the flute for my mum (seeing as thats what she wanted me to do originally) for fun-
what dyou guys think?

should i get a teacher or just buy a flute & self learn-i know the music stuff..

never ever learn an instrument just for your mum

From what my band director has told me:if you try to learn flute while playing trumpet, your mouth will get messed up. Same thing from flute to trumpet-you`ll lose your emboucher (sp?)

It could be difficult to get your embouchere(can`t spell) right since they are totally different. but it might be alright.

PLAY THE FLUTE! it will be the best time in your life!!

Jessie wrote "From what my band director has told me:if you try to learn flute while playing trumpet, your mouth will get messed up. Same thing from flute to trumpet-you`ll lose your embouchure"

Although this is often heard, usually from people who have never given a second instrument a SERIOUS try, but it is far from true.

BEcause the trumpet tends to temporarily thicken and numb the lips of a beginner, your embouchure may have problems initially, but these can be overcome by practise on both instruments. Eventually you can quickly change from one to another without problems, as professional doublers do.

There is not too much wrong with Sir James Galway`s tone, and in 2002 he wrote in his forum.....

"I play the French horn and saxophone (real bad on both) and it has not affected my embouchure at all. In fact, playing the French horn actually improved it. I became more aware of the changes which are necessary on the flute.
My brother plays the flute, Clarinet and Sax and I think he is great on the flute."

As a considerably experienced doubler, I totally agree with him.

Arak, why are you so pessimistic?!
I did not say that you cannot play a double instrument at all! I personaly play clarinette and trombone and I can still work my mouth fine-but that is just me. Other people might have problems because every mouth is different!!!
Plus, that is just what my director told me...I did not force him to tell me his opinion so I can come and type in that "I" think that no one else should play any other instrument because of dire, serious mouth issues. If you think that I have not given other instruments a SERIOUS try, then you apparently do not know that I plan to become a music director and have basic skills in most band instruments.
I do not regret being upset writting this because you, Arak, have not been very courtious, and I find that VERY insulting. Please respect my opinion, as I respect yours...I only hope that you might be a bit more opptimistic and leniant on what others have to say.
And I have been to Galways forum and have respect for the man, but I do not see how his opinion automaticaly puts mine in the red...

Well said Jessie. I couldn`t agree with you anymore.

Arak, please don`t take this the wrong way, but perhaps you may try to work at being a little bit more open minded in the future. We need to agree that we aren`t always going to agree on everything. No one is going to agree on everything. The I`m right, your wrong message, doesn`t always go over well with others. Just a thought.

What a lot of peculiar miscommunication, misunderstanding, emotional defensiveness, and personal attack! Are we sure here that we really know the meaning of the word `pessimistic"?

Jessie wrote "From what my band director has told me:if you try to learn flute while playing trumpet, your mouth will get messed up. Same thing from flute to trumpet-you`ll lose your embouchure"

This is what I commented on.

I encouraged you not to take this comment to heart. I wrote that a person CAN master more than one instrument. I was being positive and OPTIMISTIC. Your BAND DIRECTOR was the negative, pessimistic one.

I provided an extremely positive, OPTIMISTIC quote from Galway. Surely it was an optimistic move to provide that.

Yet Jessie accuses me of being pessimistic. That simply does not make sense! Have you got my post mixed up with somebody elses?

Then Jessie writes "....And I have been to Galways forum and have respect for the man, but I do not see how his opinion automatically puts mine in the red..."

I quoted Galways` optimistic view to back up my own optimistic advice. I actually did not comment on your view at all. I commented only on the band director`s view. What is your problem?

Then `Comment` writes "Well said Jessie. I couldn`t agree with you anymore". More weirdness! How can you agree with what is so clearly a misunderstanding or complete nonsense?

Comment goes on...

"Arak, please don`t take this the wrong way, but perhaps you may try to work at being a little bit more open minded in the future."

I was totally openminded about the possibilities for somebody considering launching into doubling on more than one instrument. I was encouraging because I KNOW form my experience, GAlways, and that of many other doublers, that it can be successfully done.

Now I will quote you a VERY close-minded statement:

"....if you try to learn flute while playing trumpet, your mouth will get messed up. Same thing from flute to trumpet-you`ll lose your embouchure"

Can you not see that?

Please also consider this VERY basic fundamental of logic... If somebody makes a blatant statement (such as the one quoted above from the band director) it requires only a SINGLE example where it is not true, to PROVE that statement wrong. I provided those examples: my own experience, that of Galways, and that of other doublers. Actually Galway goes on to provide his brother as another example of a very capable doubler.

It would have been far better for the band director to say that SOME people, particularly those who do not do sufficient practise to master the instruments, find that the embouchure of one instrument can interfere with playing another..... but that players who work on these issues conscientiously can expect to completely overcome them, as have many, many very successful musicians, some such as Galway, claiming that a second instrument actually IMPROVES ones playing of the first.

I repeat, if the band director was correctly reported, HE WAS EXCEEDINGLY pessimistic. My approach in my post oas the opposite, OPTIMISTIC.

I would really appreciate it if you would care to explain any confusion, or was this just another opportunity to actually ignore the positive stuff that Arak had to say, and just to have a go at him because for some irrational reason you treat him and every thing he writes as dirt?

Yes, synapse = Arak

Don`t let this interfere with your considered attempt to explain yourselves, for the sake of harmony and sense in this forum.

For the sake of harmony and sense!
OK, there are so many things with your statements that are totally offending. I have a very open mind- you have to have one to take up music! And yet you, Arak, might benifit from your own advice...
I agree with you that my band director is pessimistic-he and I have been fighting for awhile because he is so blunt and conceited and I do not tolerate that. But I feel that you are falsly accusing me of personality flaws. Phantoms of a thought....
Please do not play mind games with me and tell me that I was the only one wrong here and that my director was wrong...this forum is for the opinions of people to help others and I do not see how this is helping anyone with you and I fighting about a small suggestion to a perfectly valid question- I hav plenty of thoughts on this subject, but regret to say that, due to an inevitable attack on my opinions by you, Arak, I will not voice them.
And you need not quote me-I know what I said.

"But I feel that you are falsly accusing me of personality flaws."

So you say, but it would help if you provided a single example. after all, aren`t we searching here for good communication and understanding?

I commented ONLY on what your band director said. I made no comment on you whatsoever. Please do me the common courtesy of checking this!

I would apologise, but there is nothing to apologise for!

You want only a single example?! Please, Arak, lets act like civilized adults on this!? I feel very upset that you would attack me so strongly on a simple post. You say that I am being the pessimistic one and am closed minded as well as my director. I take great insult on being called closed minded as well as anyone around me being called that. I am serious about my music and need not justify myself in great length to a person who has done nothing but bash my thoughts and the thoughts of my director. As you, I have nothing to apologize for such as the fact that I am supportive of the director that has done me and my band wrong so many times in the past...If I can stick up for someone who has done nothing for me, then I can surely reason with you. I have no reason to dislike you nor target anything you have to say-but you are putting my thoughts on this simple matter in a negitive light and that is very degrading. I did honor your request and double check my previous posts, but I find nothing incriminating of what I wrote that could possibly
make me regretful. And, once again, you need not put what I have to say in quotes in your next post, for it seems rather elementary to fight about simple words.
I regret this miscommunication and brace myself for whatever you may find `wrong` in this post.

Hey dude, I play the French Horn and the flute and i have no problem with the embochure(can`t spell). You have to play the flute. The flute is a great instrument to play (the French Horn is too)!

ehh, i kinda think arak is right in this one. i didn`t really find anything offensive. doesn`t matter either way, it has nothing to do with the thread.

@orig. poster: doubling is fun. i think with enough practice you can double properly. i play both the bassoon and the clarinet, and although the difference is not as large as the flute and the trumpet, i did notice a difference but with practice i corrected it. just be aware that your embouchure might pay the price if you`re not willing to practice both instruments enough.