I`m wondering whether to play the clarinet or the flute. I first decided to play the flute, but then I went to a concert where the clarinetist was amazing so now I want to do both. Can anybody give me some insights on both instruments? Whether one is easier than the other?

If you like them both, perhaps you should consider starting with clarinet and then learning flute once you have become relatively experienced (one or two years). I find that when one starts a new instrument one gains an entirely new perspective on the music. I suggest starting clarinet first because it will probably be harder to learn clarinet after having learned flute than vice-versa. I might be wrong since I have only experienced doing flute first.

Actually, I learned Clarinet first and found it easier to pick up Flute. Took me an hour to get a darned sound out of it though. But anyway, the Flute has similar fingerings to the upper register of the Clairnet, so it might be easier to learn it that way, although you would still have that same advantage the other way around I think. But I wish you the best in whatever you choose to do.

P.S. - It also helps if you already have some musical brackground from taking another instrument.

I can also say that I learned to play clarinet first and found it really easy to move on to the flute. My parents surprised me with it and within 10 minutes I was starting to play. The fingerings are very similar and I think that it is what made it so much easier for me to learn.

Well, I personally like the flute better, and would much rather pick that over clarinet. I just love the sound of the flute, and everything about it! The flute is a beautiful instrament, and I think anyone who plays it will love it. I am not saying there is anything bad about a clarinet though, I personally had the same problem as you, deciding between flute and clarinet. But now, I am S0o0o0o0o happy that i picked flute. If you have any questions, just ask!

A flute player,
Kelly

I agree with Kelly, flute is better. Flutes rock!!! But if you like them equaly you should learn clarinet first and then move on to flutes. If you want to learn one, do flute!!!

hi i have only played the flute, but it is generally harder to get started on because of the embouchure. i do know people who have gone from clarinet to fife but then given it up. id say if u dont have previous musical experience to definetly go for clarinet first, but u will find that u prefer one over the other so if it doesnt work out then still try the flute

My daughter has played the clarinet for 3 years now and in the last year she has picked up my flute that I played for 20 years and taught herself the basics. She said it was easy to pick up, but still wants to stick with the clarinet. If you want to do two instruments you could consider doing the clarinet and then perhaps the bass clarinet. That`s what she ended up doing because the fingerings are basically the same, just a different sound. In high school I played flute, piccolo, and then tried the trombone. THAT was hard going from treble clef to bass. But good luck with whatever you choose.

clarinet is easier to start on. if that` what your looking for. other than that, they`re both amazing insturments.

here`s a tip: play the bassoon

Here`s a thought for you from 33 years worth of PLAYING time...One of my very first teachers recommended the flute over any other wind instrument because fundamentally, all of the fingerings as they relate to the written music are the same. If you learn the flute first, you can switch over to the oboe,the english horn, all of the saxophones, or the clarinet with relative ease. In fact, if you played the recorder in your elementary school system, you already know the basic finger positions for all these instruments! One person who responded to you is right on the money-- Only the fingerings in the clarinet`s second octave work this way. The tricky part is having to learn different finger positions for the notes in the other octaves. The REALLY hard part for me was and is trying to learn and remember all of the possible fingerings for the whole instrument. (there are 82 of them!) I started on the flute when I was 12 years old. I am now a LOT older and will be playing the flute, clarinet and saxophone in a brand new off-broadway musical production. You want to know the really funny part? I`ve only been playing the clarinet for three weeks! Playing the clarinet first will help you with your reed embouchure and that may help you with sax or bass clarinet. But playing the flute first helps you to learn the whole woodwind family! Think on this....and enjoy a lifetime of musical memories!!!

I would go with clarinet but it depends on what you want to do - clarinets tend to be more versatile than the flute and a lot more expressive due to its ability to extend dynamic range and tonal quality. I find the flute to be harsh and irritating - not to mention a bit of the same old same old. But that`s just me.

You`ve probably already chosen which instrument your playing, but for all the people that might look there are a couple more things to consider. When you play reed instrument you will always have to buy reeds for it, which isn`t a big deal and can sometimes be fun to play on different reeds. Also if you have trouble choosing between instruments, look to see where your friends are. Do you want to be in the same section? Also is there a ballanced number between flutes and clarinets, asking your teacher can help.

I`d say that you should learn both, altho you`ve probably chosen by now but still. It would be easier however to play clarinet first than go on to flute. Thats just my oppinion.

Jeshua

ok...well i played flute for one year, then switched to clarinet for two years, then switched back to flute for two more whole years (still playing around on my clarinet for the first year/year and a half) and this year, i played flute for marching season as i was beginning to learn oboe (which i`ve been playing almost a year! go me! ) and then played oboe during concert season, next year im marching bass clarinet and then concert season playing my oboe...unless my bd convinces me to stay on bass. I personally would reccomend learning the clarinet first if you think you are ever going to switch to a third or fourth woodwind, because you have to learn how to transpose with clarinet...i personally found it much harder to go from flute to clarinet (concert C to concert Bb) than i did going from clarinet to flute...lol i still know all of the fingerings for my woodwinds so thats good

i think they are both really easy i just started playing instruments and if i think they are easy it should be easy for you