THE FLUTE GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND BEGINNERS
What is Flute?
Flute is the highest sounding and the only non-reed woodwind instrument. It is cylindrical in shape. There are several flutes in the flute family:
Is it difficult to learn?
Apart from that, the players need to have arms long enough to reach the holes, and strong enough to support the instrument out while playing without straining the neck or hands. It is common for children of seven to nine years old to start learning the flute. However, there are flutes designed specially for even younger beginners who have shorter arms. Thus, it is possible for children as young as four to five years old to start learning the flute now.
Generally, it is easy to produce sound out of a flute if the players kept the instrument in a horizontal line. By playing in front of the mirror will helps to ensure the correct position and make the flute learning process at the beginning stage an easy one.
How to choose?
More expensive flutes will have more silver content, starting from the head-joint and slowly level up to the rest of the parts, as the head-joint is the heart of a flute’s tone production. Professional flutes have silver content up till 99.7% (Pure Silver), but the more common one is sterling silver (92.5% silver). Generally solid silver flutes can deliver a very pure, sweet tone.
The best metal would definitely be gold, as the tone it produces is very warm, dark and rich. However the price of the gold is too expensive to compromise with so a solid silver flute will be the next best option to have if one is looking for a professional flute. Another benefit of having a solid silver flute is that it is more durable as scratches and dents are much easier to remove.
The following list grades the quality of sound from fine (1) to best (6):
Other parts of the flute:
However, if the player can comfortably reach and cover all the holes, then the open-hole flute is recommended, as they can use the flute for a longer period of time (to achieve more advanced techniques). Open-hole flute is more difficult to make, which thus makes it a little more expensive to purchase and service than the close-hole flute.
Figure 4: The Split-E Mechanism of Flute
There is another alternative that can help produce the high E with ease by using a donut-shaped ring that is inserted into the lower G tone hole. Different flute makers have their own name for the ring, some examples are “high E facilitator”, “E disk” and “low G insert”. It is an economical alternative to the split E and it can be added to any flute at any time.
Figure 5: A "Donut-shaped ring" inserted in the lower G tone hole.
Figure 7: B foot-joint vs C foot-joint.
Most beginner flutes have a standard C foot. B foot-joint will have one more key added to the bottom of the flute, making it slightly longer, heavier and more expensive. This extra key extends the range of the flute down to B3 and adds to the overall power and projection of the sound, particularly in the low notes. It is not a must for beginners, as the repertoire for beginners does not reach so low to B3 yet.
Generally, curved lip –plate is easier to blow, as it is more comfortable to rest the lips on top of it if compared to a straight lip-plate.
Flute for younger beginner.
For many years, curved head-join flutes are the choice for children learning the flute, as their hands are not developed enough to hold an actual flute correctly. However, it is also very common that young players find it difficult to balance the flute properly while playing, as the heavier curved head-joints will bring the instrument down on one side. The alignment will also be inaccurate due to the protruding curved head-joint.
With the disadvantageous in mind, Flute and Music Academy strongly recommends the “Waveline” flute by the Jupiter, which is a perfect flute for young kids. The “Wave-Line” technology allows for a more stable instrument, as the curve in the tube brings the weight of the flute down through the instrument. Most importantly the “Waveline” flute aids a seamless transition to a standard concert flute. For the budget conscious, the Nuvo Student Flute or JFlute is also an option.
Rent or Buy?
We would always recommend the students to buy their own instruments. The reason is very simple; the cost of renting can quickly goes beyond the price of buying a flute.
Whether to buy a brand new flute or a used flute is the next question. There is no right or wrong answer to this question, for there are so many factors to consider. A brand new flute usually comes with a warranty from the manufacturer, while buying a used instrument means there are certain risks that you might need to bear, although there is a possibility to get good quality instrument with a much lower price.
Why buy from Flute and Music Academy?
As a woodwind specialist, Flute and Music Academy provides flutes and accessories of all ranges and top brands at reasonable prices. We do not carry cheap and unplayable flutes that would be better off as lampshade-stands. We take our core values integrity, respect, expertise and excellence seriously. Buying unknown brand of flute from a music shop that has limited support and/or knowledge of winds will be at your own risk.
We are also affiliated with WindWorks Singapore to ensure that all our instruments are checked by professional technicians.
How much am I looking for?
These are the entry flute brands that are available and recommended by Flute and Music Academy:
Royale Flute (Housebrand)
Yamaha/ YFL-222: C-foot, Close Hole, offset G
Yamaha/ YFL-212: C-foot, Close Hole, offset G, E-mech
Jupiter/ JFL-700WD: Prodigy Flute to Low D (reddot design award, 2013). For 4 – 8yo
Nuvo Jflute 2.0: Design for children 4 - 8yo
Essential Accessories for Flutists
There are a lot of different accessories in the market available for flutist. However, there are only a few must have accessories for flutist:
Additional Tips
Parents may find that starting with an intermediate flute is a good idea if they are reasonably serious for their children to learn flute well, as money can be saved by not upgrading the instruments after a year or so. Always have a discussion with the teacher first before buying an instrument will always be very helpful.
What is Flute?
Flute is the highest sounding and the only non-reed woodwind instrument. It is cylindrical in shape. There are several flutes in the flute family:
- Piccolo:
- The smallest flute.
- Sounded one octave higher than the regular flute.
- Usually made of wood.
- The concert flute:
- The regular flute.
- Alto flute in G:
- Transposing instrument: sounded a Perfect 4th lower than an ordinary flute.
- Bass flute:
- Rarely used in orchestra.
- Pitched an octave below the concert flute.
- Contrabass Flute.
- Subcontrabass Flute
Is it difficult to learn?
- Flutes
Apart from that, the players need to have arms long enough to reach the holes, and strong enough to support the instrument out while playing without straining the neck or hands. It is common for children of seven to nine years old to start learning the flute. However, there are flutes designed specially for even younger beginners who have shorter arms. Thus, it is possible for children as young as four to five years old to start learning the flute now.
Generally, it is easy to produce sound out of a flute if the players kept the instrument in a horizontal line. By playing in front of the mirror will helps to ensure the correct position and make the flute learning process at the beginning stage an easy one.
How to choose?
- Flutes
- Materials
More expensive flutes will have more silver content, starting from the head-joint and slowly level up to the rest of the parts, as the head-joint is the heart of a flute’s tone production. Professional flutes have silver content up till 99.7% (Pure Silver), but the more common one is sterling silver (92.5% silver). Generally solid silver flutes can deliver a very pure, sweet tone.
The best metal would definitely be gold, as the tone it produces is very warm, dark and rich. However the price of the gold is too expensive to compromise with so a solid silver flute will be the next best option to have if one is looking for a professional flute. Another benefit of having a solid silver flute is that it is more durable as scratches and dents are much easier to remove.
The following list grades the quality of sound from fine (1) to best (6):
- Coloured flute made of cupro-nickel.
- Silver-plated head-joint, body-joint, foot-joint and keys
- Solid silver head-joint, silver-plated body-joint, foot-joint and keys
- Solid silver headjoint, body-joint, and foot-joint, Silver-plated keys
- Solid silver head-joint, body-joint and foot-joint and keys.
- Gold head-joint, body-joint and foot-joint.
Other parts of the flute:
- Keys – Open-hole/ Closed-hole
However, if the player can comfortably reach and cover all the holes, then the open-hole flute is recommended, as they can use the flute for a longer period of time (to achieve more advanced techniques). Open-hole flute is more difficult to make, which thus makes it a little more expensive to purchase and service than the close-hole flute.
- Split-E Mechanism
Figure 4: The Split-E Mechanism of Flute
There is another alternative that can help produce the high E with ease by using a donut-shaped ring that is inserted into the lower G tone hole. Different flute makers have their own name for the ring, some examples are “high E facilitator”, “E disk” and “low G insert”. It is an economical alternative to the split E and it can be added to any flute at any time.
Figure 5: A "Donut-shaped ring" inserted in the lower G tone hole.
- In Line/ Offset G
- Foot-joint
Figure 7: B foot-joint vs C foot-joint.
Most beginner flutes have a standard C foot. B foot-joint will have one more key added to the bottom of the flute, making it slightly longer, heavier and more expensive. This extra key extends the range of the flute down to B3 and adds to the overall power and projection of the sound, particularly in the low notes. It is not a must for beginners, as the repertoire for beginners does not reach so low to B3 yet.
- Lip Plate
Generally, curved lip –plate is easier to blow, as it is more comfortable to rest the lips on top of it if compared to a straight lip-plate.
Flute for younger beginner.
For many years, curved head-join flutes are the choice for children learning the flute, as their hands are not developed enough to hold an actual flute correctly. However, it is also very common that young players find it difficult to balance the flute properly while playing, as the heavier curved head-joints will bring the instrument down on one side. The alignment will also be inaccurate due to the protruding curved head-joint.
With the disadvantageous in mind, Flute and Music Academy strongly recommends the “Waveline” flute by the Jupiter, which is a perfect flute for young kids. The “Wave-Line” technology allows for a more stable instrument, as the curve in the tube brings the weight of the flute down through the instrument. Most importantly the “Waveline” flute aids a seamless transition to a standard concert flute. For the budget conscious, the Nuvo Student Flute or JFlute is also an option.
Rent or Buy?
We would always recommend the students to buy their own instruments. The reason is very simple; the cost of renting can quickly goes beyond the price of buying a flute.
Whether to buy a brand new flute or a used flute is the next question. There is no right or wrong answer to this question, for there are so many factors to consider. A brand new flute usually comes with a warranty from the manufacturer, while buying a used instrument means there are certain risks that you might need to bear, although there is a possibility to get good quality instrument with a much lower price.
Why buy from Flute and Music Academy?
As a woodwind specialist, Flute and Music Academy provides flutes and accessories of all ranges and top brands at reasonable prices. We do not carry cheap and unplayable flutes that would be better off as lampshade-stands. We take our core values integrity, respect, expertise and excellence seriously. Buying unknown brand of flute from a music shop that has limited support and/or knowledge of winds will be at your own risk.
We are also affiliated with WindWorks Singapore to ensure that all our instruments are checked by professional technicians.
How much am I looking for?
These are the entry flute brands that are available and recommended by Flute and Music Academy:
Royale Flute (Housebrand)
Yamaha/ YFL-222: C-foot, Close Hole, offset G
Yamaha/ YFL-212: C-foot, Close Hole, offset G, E-mech
Jupiter/ JFL-700WD: Prodigy Flute to Low D (reddot design award, 2013). For 4 – 8yo
Nuvo Jflute 2.0: Design for children 4 - 8yo
Essential Accessories for Flutists
There are a lot of different accessories in the market available for flutist. However, there are only a few must have accessories for flutist:
- Cleaning rod.
- Cleaning gauze or swab.
- Swab cloth (microfiber).
- Key Oil.
- Pad cleaning papers.
- Metronome & Tuner.
- Music Stand.
- Remember the position of how the three pieces of the flute (head-joint, body-joint and foot-joint) are arranged in the case; as if you put the keyed pieces into the case incorrectly, you risk bending the keys.
- After every playing, use the cleaning rod and a soft cloth to dry all of the condensation out of the bore. Pay extra attention to the head joint.
- Occasionally use a soft cloth to carefully wipe away fingerprints and keep the flute clean.
- Never press with any force on the keys or the mechanism.
- Keep the flute in the case when you are not using it to avoid exposure to moisture.
- Always lay the flute where the least amount of keys is touching the surface of the table. Use a flute stand if you have one.
- Have the flute serviced at least once a year by a trained flute technician.
Additional Tips
Parents may find that starting with an intermediate flute is a good idea if they are reasonably serious for their children to learn flute well, as money can be saved by not upgrading the instruments after a year or so. Always have a discussion with the teacher first before buying an instrument will always be very helpful.
