I was considering maybe starting alto and/or bass flute... does anyone out there play these? I was wondering if it's hard to learn or get used to. Should I get a teacher or could I just learn on my own? I have been playing the flute for 5 years.

I play the alto occasionally, and have played the bass in the past. They're not terribly difficult to learn in that the basic embouchure and techniques are very similar (though not identical), but to play them well does take some serious work. Alto requires a more relaxed embouchure with a more diffused airstream (this is true to an even greater extent on bass), and intonation is an issue with these harmony flutes, particularly after you leave the bottom octave. If you buy a pro level instrument (altos at the pro level can easily run at $5000+ USD, though, and basses can cost much, much more), these intonation difficulties are diminished, but not completely eliminated. It can be useful to use some alternate fingerings on these instruments, so learning those and incorporating them into your playing could be a challenge for you, as could getting used to the slower response of the larger flutes. If you've played piccolo before, you've likely experienced difficulty transitioning from picc to flute (or vice versa) and this same thing happens when you start out on alto or bass. With enough practice going between the various sizes of flute, this ceases to be a problem, though. If you haven't played picc before, I would start there before moving to alto and bass, as picc will be a far more useful tool than alto or bass. As for getting a teacher, if you don't already have one, and your finances and current area of residence will allow it, absolutely get one even if you don't move into alto and bass playing. A good teacher is invaluable as a student.

in early high school, i played quite a bit of bass flute (most like the alto over the bass, i liked the bass over the alto). my "signature solo" as a freshman was a solo that switched from bass flute from piccolo (that was a beast to play in tune). i cannot stress enough how much a private teacher will help you!!

I have played both, more alto, my students like to try the alto and bass I have here from Jupiter, they do help you develop nice colors in your playing, so play as often as you can..

i took the plunge a bought an alto last fall. It's a Jupiter (not the DiMedici) with both straight and curved headjoints and I really love how responsive it is. I'm fairly short, so I usually play with the curved headjoint. I play it in a flute ensemble and I've also arranged some simple tunes for my 11-yr-old guitarist nephew and me to play together. My favorite is a version of "Be Thou My Vision" that I did for church.

I wish I had enough money to buy a bass flute. It looks interesting and I love it's haunting sound. IMO, I think i'd like the bass better than the alto because unless you have a special piece written for the alto, you have to transpose to the exact same pitch the Concert flute is playing, while the bass would naturally play everything an octave lower.

If you're in a band that doesn't have enough low instruments, the bass flute could sometimes act as a tenor to replace a missing instrument. So future band directers wont have to roll there eyes when they hear they have another flute player.

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My dream is to make the lower flutes alittle more popular.

Being really low-pitched, the bass flute isn't a particularly loud instrument, so if you wanted to use it in a band to add to the bottom end, you'd need more than one bass flutist or would have to amplify/mic it. It would be drowned out otherwise. Alto too, to some extent.

I have used it mainly in flute ensembles, you also hear it on recordings, my new CD will have some alto flute on it...

I know in a large band the bass flute wouldn't be heard, but in a small band (like the one i'm in) that has less than 30 members in it and is missing half the instruments needed, it could be quite useful.

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Why don't they make bass flutes out of plastic? You'd think they would be useful. Wouldn't they be lighter, cheaper, and project more sound? or is that 'plastic projects more sound than metal' theory just another myth? I read somewhere that contrabass flutes that are made of PVC pipe are louder than ones made of metal, but that could have been someone with bad imformation. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Actually, Penny, it is quite possible to make bass/contrabass flutes out of plastic PVC pipe (in fact, you can find pretty simple directions on the internet and make your own if you'd like). However, the keywork poses a problem, so these flutes aren't the most useful. I've heard the idea that metal projects more sound than plastic (which is bull IMO), but not the other way 'round. I would tend to dismiss that idea, in any case.

Actually, Penny, it is quite possible to make bass/contrabass flutes out of plastic PVC pipe (in fact, you can find pretty simple directions on the internet and make your own if you'd like). However, the keywork poses a problem, so these flutes aren't the most useful. I've heard the idea that metal projects more sound than plastic (which is bull IMO), but not the other way 'round. I would tend to dismiss that idea, in any case.

I know it's possible to make them out of plastic, what I want to know is why all the well known flute companies don't do so. All they make is metal ones.

And I've looked into making my own. but thought against it because it seems impossible for me to make all of the cups for the holes the exact same level, so there would be ton of leaks.

A big reason they don't make plastic basses is the same reason most C concert flutes aren't made of plastic...Tradition. Most players use metal instruments, and have for more than a century when Boehm popularized the silver flute. Recently, other materials, such as wood, resins, plastics, etc. have been introduced to the flute world. The Guo flute company makes a C flute of Grenaditte, and perhaps in the future this same technology will be applied to basses, but plastics with the properties necessary for an instrument are still relatively new (particularly with regard to durability given the heat/humidity changes a flute is put through). I wouldn't be surprised to find a plastic bass in the future, but for now, the market seems pretty happy with the metal basses, so there's not much call to develop a plastic one.

Hall also makes crystal flutes. Technically, glass was used as early as metal, but fell out of favor due to poor durability. Of course with modern tempered glasses(pyrex and the like), It's not hard to make one that lasts decades.

Actually, I recommend Hall as well because for $60 or so, it's a very nice sounding flute. It's sort of like owning a good wood recorder. Different sound for not a lot of money.