Hey guys I have quite a few questions that I was hoping anyone of you guys could kindly answer. I apologize in advance for the wall of text....



About the embouchure: I understand I'm not supposed to pull my lips against my teeth. Why is that exactly? What are the negative effects that come from playing like this?
The problem though is that when I play with my lips relaxed I have tendency to sound airy in my mid to low register. How can I fix that?
And I realized that even if I relax my lips that I still have a tendency to tighten up after playing for a while. Anyone got any tips to help with that?



Should I buy a new head or an entire new flute?:
I still play on my beginner model 2SP Gemeinhardt that I had gotten in the 6th grade (so the flute is about say......4-5 years old). Anyways I was considering about asking my parents if I could upgrade to a new flute/head joint. I've read that by simply getting a better head joint more suited to your playing, you can have a greater ease in response, articulation, and tone. Is this entirely true? Even on my student body?

O and btw I'm on a serious budget. So I'm trying not to buy anything too expensive....

I have read that it can be cheaper to at least upgrade the head joint. But apparently not by much lol. I've seen all sterling Gemeinhardt heads go for around 700 where I can find an intermediate flute go for about the same price(????). Should I just buy a new flute? If so are there any other reliable models and brands that I should look into?
I was also planning on going to buy at either flute center of NY or Flute World xD. Are these good places to buy?



Again sorry for all the questions. Thank you so much for any help and advice. I really do appreciate it.

I too could not help you with your first question with out seeing it. I have a similar Gemeinhardt but with a J1 head joint that i have had for 4 and with the head joint it works fine and sounds nice but i am thinking about getting an open hole in the next year or so. if you went in to the shop you could probably try your flute with a new head joint and try a more advanced model and see what you like the best.

Not really sure about your budget but, if you are restricted to just upgrading your headjoint I'd suggest looking somewhere other than Gemeinhardt. But really you should consider upgrading to a new flute. If you're in the -$1000 range I would suggest looking at the student Yamaha. If you can get enough for around 2000$.. maybe a Yamaha 500 or Pearl's 700 flutes.

When people upgrade headjoints, they are buying handmade headjoints, not just solid silver machined headjoints. You will not see much difference in a headjoint that is silver and machine made by the same company that made your silver plated headjoint. If you want to upgrade, you need to go for something handmade and you need to try it out to see if it works for you. Everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for you.

I have a Drilenger. It is amazing. I can't believe the huge difference that it had made with my flute playing.

My instructor likes her Brannon headjoint. James Galway loves Nagahara among many others. There are tons of choices out there.

I just wouldn't upgrade a student headjoint for another student headjoint.

Be warned there are companies out there selling headjoints designed by fameous flute head joint makers. They were "designed" not cut by the person.

Just my 2 cents.

If you are willing to risk it you can try and buy a cheap used flute. Be aware though that most cheap used flutes are going to require anywhere from $50+ of repair work. If you look on craigslist you can probably find tons of student yamahas. A good used yamaha would be a step in the right direction. The 225s, 225sii, or 221 are all pretty good student models.

Before buying a used flute though test the flute for leaky pads, make sure the head joint cork is not leaky, ect. ect.

Yes, get rid or the Gemeinhardt and get a student Yamaha. Don't you have a private teachers to ask these questions? Gemeinhardt is crap. They have a poorly designed headjoint and their mechanism is also crap. The lower end Pearls aren't much better.

Yes, get rid or the Gemeinhardt and get a student Yamaha. Don't you have a private teachers to ask these questions? Gemeinhardt is crap. They have a poorly designed headjoint and their mechanism is also crap. The lower end Pearls aren't much better

Dude. If you're not going to help go away.

You wanted to know what to do, right? So, I told you. I am sorry if you don't like the answer. Don't ask for help then if you don't want it. DUDE!

You wanted to know what to do, right? So, I told you. I am sorry if you don't like the answer. Don't ask for help then if you don't want it. DUDE!

Actually I was the one asking for help xD.

Thanks guys. I'm actually thinking of buying from the flute market at some point. But for the moment I'm actually worse off then I thought.
My parents will not buy me another instrument after I get my Oboe unfortunately. So I'll have to wait a couple years.

But thanks guys for the help.

Yes, get rid or the Gemeinhardt and get a student Yamaha. Don't you have a private teachers to ask these questions? Gemeinhardt is crap. They have a poorly designed headjoint and their mechanism is also crap.

Funny I took my solid silver Geme Model 2s I bought in 1975 to the flute store and had the salesman and repairman look at it and both thought with a new pad job that flute would sound better than the $1000 intermediate open holed Yamahas they were selling. I ended up spending $1000 on a used Mateki instead.

Well the salesman would have made some $ if I had bought the Yamaha I was looking at, and the repairman has been playing a Mateki semi-pro flute for 25 years, so I think he knew what he was talking about when they both suggested just having the Geme serviced. The Mateki flute I bought later didn't have anything to do with them.