I`m interested in getting a new flute. I`ve heard and played many Miyazawas and was very pleased. I`ve also played a Muramatsu and was ALMOST as pleased as I was with the Miyazawa.

One of my two flute teachers is all "YAY! MURAMATSU! I HATE MIYAZAWA AND THEY SUCK! AND I REFUSE TO LET YOU BUY ONE!" and my other teacher is all " EWW!!!!!! MURAMATSU!!! yucky! who`s miyazawa?? GET A POWELL!!"

the one who`s against miyazawa says its because they arent doing too well as a business. i think she`s against them because she play tests for ervin monroe and is buddy-buddy with him ever since she was 13. the one who`s against muramatsu says its because she liked the powell better. i believe it. her powell is nice, but too expensive for my pocket.

im in a bind between the two and i want to know what you think.

Well I have no idea which is better, but it`s not totally your teacher`s choice for you to buy or not to buy a brand, unless their paying for your flute or something which is probably not the case here...

It`s probably a matter of `different` rather than `better`, as with top quality clothing, vehicles, etc.

There is no perfect flute. Each manufacturer has made a different set of compromises in the design. These include such things as tone, evenness of tone and tone over the entire range, the degree to which the player can alter tone and volume, the degree to which pitch changes with volume, the speed at which the instrument responds, and of course, other slight intonation compromises that may have been made to achieve the above.

YOu wait until you are experienced enough, and well enough practised to detect all these things, and choose accordingly. Otherwise, you choose the one that you happen to like playing in your present state. Note that the material of the body and keys has little or to do with all these things compared with the actual design - the precise shape of every relevant part.

Ignore the ignorant comments of any person who condemns all makes other than a certain one.

You say somebody condemned Muramatsu. I sure would like to be able to play as well as Galway, who said in 2002 that he practises on a Muramatsu EX, which is the cheapest in Muramatsu`s range. He chose it, not knowing it was a `cheaper` flute.

I don`t think so many professional players use Miyazawa, but I don`t know the reason - which could be entirely snob stuff. That does not mean that Miyazawa is not ideal for you. And there are many other brands that may be equally suitable.

Well, both brands are wonderful. It all depends on what sound and feel you are looking for. One is not better than the other, just different.

Even though I play on a Powell and like the sound and playability of it over any other brand, I will never say that it is the best. There is no best, it is all matter of opinion.

If you were to ask me what brand that I would choose between the two, I would say the Miyazawa.
Good luck!

Well said, Arak and KC!!!! Here Here!!!!

Thank you.

Thank you.

thank you. i just didnt know if miyazawa was like... a horrible brand and fall apart. i`ve never really heard of them before except through one performer.

and i have been playing for quite sometime. i assure you, i`m not one of those people who`ve played for about a year and now think they know everything.

Miranda - I`ve played on a Miyazawa and owned a Muramatsu AD for a number of years. "Generally", the Miyazawa`s reputation is that of being a more "strident" tone, and if this is a consideration, re-sale value isn`t as good as the Muramatsu. We all have our own opinion, but I preferred the Muramatsu: gorgeous, big sound (nice standard headjoint) and the mechanism was fabulous. Never needed a tune up in 3 years (although it probably should have gotten one anyway). If it`s good enough for Jimmy Galway... By the way, I, too, play on a Powell now and love it - but yes, they are expensive.

Thank you!

Even though I was really liking the Miyazawa 302, I have fallen in love with a Muramatsu AD. Now since I`ve narrowed it down between the two, I plan on comparing them both (even though I know it is not necessary... I`m alomst positive I want that AD!!!) together and make my decision that way.

Thank you for your advice! It really did help me alot. Even in the beginning, I have swayed a bit more towards the Muramatsu and hearing what I have about Miyazawa, since I`m not exactly familiar with them, I`m 90% sure That I`m going to go with the Muramatsu. Thank you so much for the info you`ve told me!

i play on a miyazawa and i have a friend who plays on a Muramatsu. all i can say is that she sounds good on her flute and i sound good on mine. i don`t know what your teacher was referring to when he/she said no to the two. maybe personal experience. see which one you like better. personally, i wouldn`t mind a powell me = don`t have money

Here is my experience with Muramatsu. Now please keep in mind, this is only my personal experience and others might and will disagree.

Just keep in mind that if you don`t have longer fingers then the Muramatsu after time may become a problem for you. I owned a DS for about 6 months and I had that problem. The reach is a bit further from the body to the foot when trying to reach the C, C# and low B. I have compared it to many other brands and it is the furthest away.

Everyone that tried my DS had problems with the intonation on it, so it wasn`t just me. It might have been just my particular model though.

At first I fell in love with the dark sweet sound of the Muramatsu, but later on found out that there is no projection on it and it just gets lost in ensembles.

It was harder to control after a while for me. Maybe because it played practically by itself? Who knows. All I know is that the headjoint did not work for me. I tried several other headjoint and still had a problems. In the end I came to the conclusion that it was the body of the flute that was not working for me.

The great thing about Miyazawa it that they have many different cuts of headjoint to choose from.
It is too bad that Muramatsu hasn`t come up with that idea yet.

I wish that I would have had a chance to try out a Miyazawa before jumping into the Muramatsu. I really don`t know what your teacher is talking about. The Miyazawa is just as comparable to the Muramatsu flute. In fact, I know more professional flutist that play on a Miyazawa than a Muramatsu. Just don`t let yourself get into the hype that because James Galway plays on one that they must be the best, and that if it works for him, it will work for you. I found out the hard way that what works for James Galway, does NOT work for me at all!

If at all possible take the two models out on trial for about a good week, maybe longer.
Have you considered the Powell Signature flute?

Good luck with it! I really hope that I was able to help a bit.

My teacher would recommend a Straubinger. And I must say that her flute body feels wonderful under my fingers. My personal feelings though, is that any good handmade flute BODY is going to serve it`s user well. It is generally thought that most of the tone comes from the headjoint and the player. Therefore, find a body that you really like the feel of, and then perhaps look at a nice headjoint. I play on my first flute body, a used Yamaha 461H, but with a nice Drelinger Karritium Max headjoint. It`s great for me in particular, and I know that I have not yet exceeded the abilities that the springs, key placements, and scale of the Yamaha body offer.

It`s definitely a matter of personal choice more than anything. Another pair of trained ears to help you is always handy too, but ultimately it has to come to you. Good luck!

I agree, usually if you can get a great body then all you need is the perfect headjoint.

For some strange reason this wasn`t the case on the Muramatsu flute for me though. The body of it just did not accept other headjoints.

No matter what headjoint I put on it, I had a very difficult time controlling the sound or the pitch.
I was beginning to think that I just lost my touch and wasn`t able to play the flute like I used to.

After months of frustration, I decided to pick up my backup flute which was a Yamaha student flute. And bingo! It all came back. That is when I decided that it had to be the flute that was just not working for me.

As soon as I picked up the Powell and the Miyazawa, it confirmed my theory.

So in short, I usually would agree about just getting a comfortable body and worry about the headjoint, but that just wasn`t the case for me with the Muramatsu flute.

I am happy to say that my Muramatsu did go to a good home several months ago. I have been enjoying my new Powell without any problems.

I have to wonder if your Muramatsu was sick - leaked somewhere.