PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Off-Topic Flute Suggestions

Hi,

My wife and I are looking at flutes and have no idea what to get, we were shown a student model Yamaha for around $480.00 and Armstrong for $380.00 I don't know what C or B footjoint means or if open holes is better than closed. Is there a flute that is entry level but could be used for a little more latter?

Thanks for any suggestions I'm lost on this one.

Closed holes and C footjoint for entry level. The Yammy or the Armstrong are good solid choices.


--Mac

I play flute. Mac's advice is good.

The student Gemeinhardt flutes are also good, and there are a lot in that price range. The model 2s are OK, the 3s better because they have more silver. The more solid silver (as opposed to silver plate) the better, starting with the head joint, which is by far the main determinant of the sound you will get.

If you find a good deal on an open-hole flute, you can still buy it and plug the holes with cork or even little plastic buttons made for that, while you are learning. Then, when you get good, you can pop out some or all of the cork. I still like to leave one in, for a finger that doesn't always hit the right spot.

The B foot costs more and you will hardly ever need it unless you become really serious with classical literature. Funny, but I've played a B foot flute for over thirty years and only two days ago had to use the B foot for the first time ever in a concert, on the Theme from Black Orpheus, which goes down to that low B.

Also, you may find some flutes with an inline G and some with an offset G. The offset ones are much easier to learn on. There is no significant difference in the sound. If either of you has really long fingers, you might prefer the inline G, but almost everyone will find the offset G easier.

I didn't like the placement of the Bb key on the Yamaha student flutes. Too easy to hit Bb when you want B natural. But that's personal preference from switching to other woodwinds.

Let us know what you buy. Don't forget to get and use a cleaning cloth swab after every use. The swab will also tell you where the tuning cork in the head joint should be. Write back if you need to know more. If you need to add cork grease to a loose cork, be careful to always push the cork out through the base of the head joint, never out the end that it is on.

I'm no flute expert, but we bought a more advanced flute for my wife some years ago and I learned a few things at the time.

We bought a Sonare which seems to be Powell's budget brand - it included a Powell signature headjoint and a B footjoint. We got it new for around $2200.00 Australian at the time (around 2002). Powell are a well renowned American flute manufacturer.

Now, some explanations:
The footjoint defines the lowest note the flute can produce. A "standard" flute will have a C footjoint, giving you a middle C as the lowest note you can play. A B foot joint takes you down to the B below middle C. Pretty simple really. It's just longer and has an extra key.

Open or closed holes: Advanced players use open hole flutes. This simply means the the closure of the holes depends on the pad of the finger rather than just the pad of the key. The key still has a pad, but the centre of the key is open which require's the players finger to block it. This requires accurate finger placement and some practice to get right. Many open hole flutes come with plastic inserts to block the holes while you learn how do do this correctly. I don't know if there is any real advantage other than possibly forcing better technique. Although thinking about it, it would be possible to change the pitch of a note (maybe harmonics) by closing the key but controlling the closure of the hole. I don't really know enough about flute technique to give definitive reasons.

The headjoint contains the mouthpiece. The orifice in the mouthpiece may be round or squared off. Near as I can tell, shape selection is purely a matter of player preference - and possibly reflects the players embouchure development. The material it is made of will have a great impact on the tonality of the instrument.

From the little I know (based on my wife's experiences), I would select a B footjoint and open holes BUT with the plastic inserts so I could still play whilst learning good technique.

Brand selection is not something I can really make recommendations about. My wife's student flute was a Buescher and quite good. She outgrew it and hence the Sonare.

However, like any instrument buy the best you can afford. This is an investment in your musical future and if you get something that is poor quality you will quickly become frustrated with its limitations and think that it's all too hard for you and that you'll never get it when in reality its the instrument letting you down.

Yamaha student instruments do have a good reputation, but they clearly are not up to the standard of their professional instruments. At least this is true of their brass - I assume its the same across their range. I have no real knowledge of Armstrong.

What I would probably do is look for a second hand professional grade flute in good condition rather than a new student model. This way it will continue to be a good instrument while you develop as a player and won't hamper you with its limitations.

Try to find a good instrument repairer and ask their advice RE brand (and model in some cases). They know the good ones and don't have a vested interest in the sale.

I notice Mac and Matt posted while I've been interrogating my wife and preparing this little missive. Matt's experience is different to my wife's. She was constantly frustrated with the lack of that low B on her Buescher so I guess it depends on the music you play whether the B foot is a necessity or a luxury.

Lawrie, yes, for jazz, a low B is not essential. For the classical flute repertoire, it is.

I love Sonare flutes! Outstanding performance, with a Powell head joint. Much better than the student models listed so far. I had one, which I traded up to the Powell I play now. I didn't mention Sonare only because I thought it would cost well more than the ones the OP cited.

A used intermediate or pro flute would be great. Just be careful that the pads are OK, since a repad job on a pro model flute can cost as much as buying the whole student flute.

Another thought: right now, with USA school kids searching for student flutes, may not be the best time to find a large choice. Wait a month and you're get some trade-ins.

Thanks Everyone for the advice, now I don't feel so in the dark, I'll let you know what we get.

Thanks Again

The other posters have given good information- here's my 2 cents. I got my first flute last year, a used Yamaha YFL-221 in very good condition. I paid about $525 for it. The flute has been very stable mechanically, and it plays well. I think it is a good beginner-level flute, but any one of the brands mentioned above will probably work well for you, with this caveat: for any flute that you get, make sure it is set up properly by a good flute technician. I bought mine from a respected flute tech in NC - Nancy Shinn. I can recommend her, based on my experience with the flute she prepared and sent me. Her website is called Flutestar. I'm sure there are other good flute specialists out there, but Nancy is the only one I'm familiar with so far. I noticed that you're in NSW, though. It might be prohibitively expensive to have one sent to you from the States; I don't know.

G'day, and good luck in your flute search.

--Doug

I think the original poster, SoundHauler, is likely not in New South Wales; Lawrie is.

Good to know there's a flute tech you have found that you like. I found that mine in Poughkeepsie NY is better than the ones I've worked with in Albany and New York City. Go figure.

Where there is a flute student there is a flute teacher.

Often a very good idea for the flute student, or parent of the flute student, to take the search for a new flute to the flute teacher.

Often is the case where the flute teacher not only knows flute dealers but may be in a position to earn a commission as well.

And besides that, it is much better to know that the student has a flute that the teacher has tried and approves of than the other way around.

It can often mean a savings for the purchaser to do this, too.


--Mac

I'm not a flute player, but my wife is. She got her flute from Carol Nusbaum (sp?). She has a website (Google it). My wife wanted something above her Armstrong student flute. Nussbaum sent her 3 flutes to try: Sonare, Altus, and Miyazawa. She opted for the Miyazawa. Carol also had a $28,000 Powell, but that was a bit much for us. Anyway, this is one way to try some different flutes. Checking with a teacher certainly couldn't hurt. You could also ask some experienced flute players for more opinions. I can tell you that both Mac and Matt know their stuff though.

By coincidence, Selmer just sent out this article about flutes in their marketing magazine, Keynotes. It's probably more than anyone, even flutists, would want to know about materials, options, and design. There are no copyright restrictions stated.

http://www.keynotesmagazine.com/article/?uid=260