Woops, typo, I meant to write throw.

Actually, I found the higher end flutes easier to play since I have developed a strong embouchure and the tone rings clearer and truer with the high-end instruments. In short I think from my experience playing many different high end flutes from Powell's to Muramatsu's that the better the flute and mouthpiece, the better the sound in general. (There are always exceptions, just a general trend that I found over the last 10-20 years)

There are so many types of holes, and styles and all that of course, but I am comparing apples to apples here. I play a concave mouth piece, with no wing tips, and I like mine cutting hard angles on the hole. I compared my Pearl PF-775 to a Powell Professional model, and there is very little difference to me, but still, I could tell it was just easier to get a nice sound out of the Powell. I worked less to get the same sound. I even used a Powell with a Pearl head joint, yes fitted. You can't just throw any mouth piece on any flute. My teacher used a Pearl head joint on a Powell for instance. I played it, and learned that if I had 10K I would be playing a Powell. If I had 15K I would buy the Muramatsu. It plays the best, and has the purist tone. (All I tried were solid silver flutes, no gold, and no mixed metals, just sterling here. I have been to 5 NFA annual conventions as well as deaceds of training from school and a teacher who was a principal flutist in a city symphony in Kansas) Now, that is what I learned over the years, but now, who knows, I might change my mind. I do know that good flutes sound better for a reason, why else are you spending the money? I don't buy because it has a brand on it, either. I play a Pearl after all!! No one likes Pearl! Well, there are few of us Pearl lovers left. I think they blow the Yamaha flutes out of the water....Kara, don't throw things at me...please!!!!

Ok, ranting roger is done....thanks for tolerating me...

Hey, where did our friend disappear to? He didn't answer anyone's questions....

I don't know. Maybe he is in a colma or something. He usually lives on 8notes.

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"I think they blow the Yamaha flutes out of the water....Kara, don't throw things at me...please!!!!"

VERY funny!! I play on a Pearl piccolo, ya know! lol!!!

tbh from my knowledge all would be good flutes, my friend has an over 7 year old jupiter and it plays fine still, the gemeinhrdt 2sp(or which ever it is) has extremely good reviews and is a cheap and respectable brand and plenty of people play pealrs with otu a promblem i personally play and open holed unbranded (xe) flute which my teacher says a have a very good sound on so i'd go to a music shop with your daughter(or even a couple of music shops) and then give her the choice (with in your price range) let her hold them and see which is most comfitable for her because as long as she is comfitable and you do get a reputable brand then you shoukld have no problems (i have heard stagg also makes good flutes and they are cheaper then others)

What an interesting - and heated up- debate I have been missing. The initial post (or lack of it) made me skip over it until today.

After so many experienced opinions and a few too (IMHO) emphatic assessments, I hesitate about adding my grain to this salt bed, but here it goes, anyway:

I started studying on an old model (albeit unused) Gemeinhardt M3. I advanced with it for three years until it started to have mechanical problems. I believe it was good choice, easy to play (to a certain level, yes) no B foot, no open holes. I had too much to learn without those additional difficulties.

Then I bought an intermediate Yamaha that has many advancements and possibilities and a few drawbacks. The B foot is one of them. The B foot was imposed by the marketing strategy of Yamaha in USA and I had no choice except buying in Europe.

I am now starting my 5th of lessons and this flute is still a challenge, though I believe I will advance and get to the level required to take the most advantages from it.

But I am convinced this not a flute for normal beginners, unless we think of a quite talented one.

Paying the extra bucks for the B foot at beginner level (and probably also at intermediate level) is (IMO) a mistake. It not only adds weight and cost, it increases the difficulty for jumping to low C because of its two rollers and, in my case, makes some notes more resistant, such as middle D sharp. I was told in this Forum that the reason is its poorer venting for that note, caused by the longer foot. To compensate, the player needs to have a consolidated, strong and controlled embouchure and very correct air column pressure. Something I am starting to develop now, but certainly was impossible as a beginner.

Whatever the reason, I am sure that if I had started with this instrument from the very beginning, things would have been harder than what they actually were for me.

So as Kara says, what is wrong for a student to study with a student flute?

Moreover, I think that it is basically correct for a beginner student to begin with a student flute and not with more resistant instruments. That was my personal experience as a student.

And Flutist06 clearly stated the reasons why higher level instruments can be more resistant. (near the beginning of this thread).


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BTW, have you noticed that Vanuato is the most exotic place in the world for a flutist in this Forum?.

It has defeated N.Z! (just kidding)

I honestly LOVE jupiters, they are not that expensive and when your work with them you can get an amazing lower register. At least for me, 'cause I know that some people just do not get along with them.

I have never played a Jupiter, I must be missing something! I will see if I can find one sometime and try it out! I don't expect miracles, believe me, I had an Artley Flute as my backup flute for years, and it was a silver plated hunk of tubular metal worthless except for the small metal value in it. I don't suppose it helped that I banged it on the piano every time I played a wrong note. (My piano stunk too, an 1898 upright with broken keys shaped like the head of my flute...hmmmm) Dented and beat up it played terrible. So why not spend a thousand and beat the living daylights out of an Armstrong M-80? I figured Armstrong, begins with an "A" it will be as good as an Artley. That makes sense. So I bought an Armstrong in 1980. Next in the Alphabet was Bundy....more on that later!

Oh, never buy silver flutes, the silver dents much easier than the silver plated ones....just an important FYI I needed to add!

That is usually true, but I have to say that Powell does something with their flute different as my flute is hard as a rock!! Of course I am SUPER careful with it, but one time another flutist smacked her flute into the end of mine and she got a big dent on her solid silver Gemeinhardt while mine went untouched. Pretty cool! I hate sitting next to other flutist that don't care about their flute and just swing it around or put it on the floor. People need to have more respect!! I think I need to eat, I am crabby. lol!

I started out in 6th grade on an open-holed silver flute with a B flat foot joint and I think it helped become a better player. I didn't become additionally frustrated.

I expect that had less to do with it being an open hole instrument made of silver and with a B foot (rather than a Bb foot). It's perfectly possible to find absolute junkers of that description that probably would have increased your frustration 10 fold. A basic student flute will more than suffice for a beginner so long as it is in good working order.

I still don't understand how anyone can play the flute even just one year and think that they have a B flat footjoint. How can you not know that it only plays to a B natural? Do they just not play the lower register or what?

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I agree with Chris. It is not the flute that makes you a good player, so open holes have nothing to do with it or a B FLAT foot. lol!! Sorry I couldn't resist!