I am 13 years old and working on grade four on flute. I am currently using one of the school flutes but it is rather flat and i am hoping for a new one for my birthday. My teacher reccomended the Yamaha 211 but it is quite expensive and i wanted somebody elses opinion. I preferably want one a bit cheaper but its not that important.

Well do you wanna email me if you have any ideas. rachelamigates@hotmail.com

Hey!
I don`t really know much about the Yamaha 211 flutes or their price range, but my first flute was a Gemeinhardt and I loved it for a beginner flute. I have had it for 9 years and it has held up pretty well over the years. I got it through my school and back then it was about $700. Good Luck on finding the right flute for you!

what grade is grade four? (i`m not familiar with the grade scale...what piece of music are you working on now?) if you want suggestions, i`ll just say anything that is Japanese is usually a good deal (they tend to run expensive depending on what you want on it though) but if it`s your first personal flute, then i woulnd`t go all out with the bells and whistles. my first `real` flute was a Miyazawa and have been playing it for 7 years and love it. e-mail me if you need help

Take your teachers advice, the 221 is a great flute.

I`m the only one here who knows anything. Don`t listen to the rest!!!

ive got the yamaha flute. at first it was really good but over the years it has become slightly sharp on the higher notes like with most yamahas.

I reccomend that you look into a Pearl or an Alpine. They are both reliable and can be found in moderate price ranges.

"ive got the yamaha flute. at first it was really good but over the years it has become slightly sharp on the higher notes like with most yamahas."

Fran, a flute does not BECOME sharper, unless you have messsed with the crown cork, or changed the head. The tuning is set at the factory by the spacing of the tone holes and some other fixed parameters.

If it has BECOME sharper it could be you are now blowing harder, have changed the direction you are blowing in, cover the embouchure hole less, play in a warmer room, hold your head higher, put your chin further forward, play louder, etc, but it is not the flute that has changed.

Alpine???? I wouldn`t trust a no name brand as that.

Nor would I!!!!

I believe Alpine flutes are actually sold by fluteworld. They`re a student line from some pro maker.

You might be confused with something else, but they are not sold a Flute World. They are in the same category as Bestler and sky flutes on ebay. Not very good and a very cheaply made unfortunately.

Gemeinhardt is good. If you`ve been playing for a few years I suggest you consider an intermediate flute not another student flute. I would stay away from cheep e-bay unknown brands. Here`s a good tip. do a google search on the brand that you`re considering. If you can`t find a Home Page for that brand- don`t buy it. All the major brands have a home page that you can research the different models-take advantige of it. Then if you like, you can go to e-bay and find a good deal on what you researched. Just this December and January, I researched and found a pro. flute and a pro. piccole (both Gemeinhardt) on e-bay for great way more than half off. The flute retails for $2500.00 and I got it for $800.00. IT was 6 years old but was only used for about 50 hours. I had it looked over by a flute tecnition and everything checked out great. The piccolo retails for $900.00, My husband picked it up for me for $575.00. Both are silver with white gold springs and solid silver head jounts with 9k glold lip plate and gold interior. You can find good deals on e-bay---but you need to do the research first.

There is no such thing as a pro Gemeinhardt flute and I would NEVER recommend them to anyone.