Hi there,

I use to play flute in middle school and then in High School. I was pretty good, sitting almost always 1st or 2nd chair and I was 2nd chair in the regional band. The last time I played was about 5 years ago. I sold my flute in college and I haven`t played since. Well, I recently got a new job and suddenly have a lot more free time on my hands, so I decided I wanted to start playing again.

I bought a few books from the local music store (A new tune a day for flutes by Ned Bennett) and I bought a new flute, a Gemeinhardt 3B (french open hold and low b key, silver plated) I really would have liked an intermediate model instead of a student, but since I`m not sure how much playing or what kind of playing I will be doing, I didn`t want to spend a lot of money.

Ok so a few questions, one, is the Gemeinhardt 3B a decent flute? (When I was in High School my band teacher thought that Gemeinhardts where the best and I had a second hand solid silver Gemeinhart, I don`t remember what model it was. I know Yamaha seems to be the trend these days but I guess I just wanted to stick with what I knew.) And second, any tips on getting back into playing?

just try some other flutes out there in the same price range

Yeppers, try out different flutes in your price range and the differences will be apparent.

You never know what state of adjustment a flute is in until you play it in person and being able to mix and match heads and see the differences in depth is very interesting. At any decent flute shop you should be able to mix heads and bodies of the same brand for optimal match and try out your own head on a flute. Some shops also offer other professional heads for you to try and are willing to offer a head trade-in discount for your flute.

Heather,
I`m right there with you. That`s almost my story exactly, except it sounds as if I may be a little older than you and its been longer since I`ve played.

I just found this forum while doing research about buying a new flute. I`m thinking about going back to a gemeinhardt as well.

There seems to be alot of debate about gemeinhard v. yamaha, not just here, but all over the internet. My opinion is that the debators are not the ones playing your flute. You are the one that has to be happy with it. Even if you are happy blowing into an old piece of PVC pipe, i say more power to you.

I`ve gone to a few of the local music stores and its amazing how much I`ve forgotten. My lips don`t do what I want them to anymore. So its really hard for me to purchase a flute based on its playing qualities. Therefore, I`m basing it on what I used to play, construction, and resale value. I think I`m going with a gemeinhardt 3sb.

hi heather,

i`m 26, and a year ago i also started playing again after not playing at all during college. it`s going to be frustrating at first because you won`t sound like you did in high school. i still don`t have the loud, focused sound and clean technique i did my last couple of years of high school.

i`ve been taking private lessons to try to build my ability back up to what it was. if i ever get a work schedule change, i`ll join one of the better community symphonies.

good luck with it. i hope you enjoy getting re-acquainted with music as much as i have.