I've been playing for 6 months and working out of this book with a teacher but it seems a bit tough for a beginner. It wasn't bad until page 28. Is anyone familiar with this book? Is it appropriate for a 6 month beginner. On page 28 excersize 5 and 6 are nothing but 16th note scales. There is no way I can play that. I can play it as 8th notes but not 16th. Is just me or is does this book progress too fast for a beginner?

this book is extremely antiquated, moves at an unrealistic pace, but has nice some etudes in the back...the Rubank series moves at a better pace...

I don't have any experience with that book. However, sixteenth notes don't equate with being fast. It would be good practice for you to subdivide the beat and play them as if they were eighth notes. Just make sure to double the length of any other notes, too (i.e., eighth note would be one beat, quarter note would be two beats, etc.). This will help you prepare for even more complex rhythms.

With any piece, play it slow enough that you can get all the notes and rhythms, then gradually build up speed until you can play it "up to speed". Working with a metronome at first might help, too.

Good luck!

That IS an older book--I used it in addition to the Rubank series when I first began playing over 20 years ago--I agree with the other comments though. The Rubank series is paced a bit better, with the Wagner being a good book to supplement for players who are moving more quickly. However, it is important to remember Atoriphile's comment that sixteenth notes aren't necessarily fast. What you are learning is how the notes related to each other, so just because one note is shorter than another, it doesn't mean that it is always fast. There are more advanced time signatures where sixteenth notes can be slow. So focus on the sixteenth note being 1/2 of the length of an eight note, and yes, practice with a metronome. Slowly at first, and then gradually increasing your speed. You may surprise yourself!

Alyssa

Hi,
I happen to agree with the others.

"On page 28 excersize 5 and 6 are nothing but 16th note scales. There is no way I can play that."

There IS a way if you are really interested in learning the flute. Do you know all of the fingerings for the notes? If so, then try it slowly. If not, learn them first and then try it slowly. No seonse in practicing it fast and teaching yourself to play a mess.
The others mentioned the Rubank series. In the Rubank Elem. one early exercise somewhere around lesson 4 says, "First play slowly; then increase speed."

Here's a short list of how to get it.

1)You carefully play one note at a time. Get a good tone as best that you can. Read through the exercise.
2)Repeat #1)
If you get bored, go a bit faster. Pay attention to your sound.

3)Repeat #1) and #2)

4) Repeat #3)

If you find a fingering coordination problem with an area then you work the smaller area by repeating the difficult part carefully.

Don't get stressed. Understand that you will eventually get it with careful and smart practicing even if it takes a few weeks or months. Scales are the backbone of our music and are rather important to learn. Think of them as the playground sandbox of our flute playing skills. Dig in, learn them and play with them a lot. Based upon what you have written so far here, I'd say that you could not only learn to play that exercise, you could probably play it from memory if you tried.

Thanks for all the good advice. I can play the excersises as quarter and eighth notes as everyone suggested so I will just continue doing that until I build speed.

Sixteenth notes often are played slower than even some quarter notes, depends on the speed of the song. Adagio sixteenth notes would not be very fast at all while Presto would be very very fast. Many slow songs are written with sixteenth notes for the purpose of range. The song may have many long whole notes, and need the range of notes to express what is being played. I have seen 32nd and yes even 64th notes on Adagio pieces, and that seems to be a common thing in classical music from the Mozart through Brahms days. (Do I have to call these the classical and romantic periods?) At least in my experience, which is fair at least. I know Mozart's Andante in C for instance is a slower piece, but full of sixteenth notes.