A flute is a flute, is a flute. Or is it? It took me nearly two years to discover a make of flute that ticks all the boxes for me. That discovery came about by chance. There are many different makes available and what suits one person will not necessarily suit another. My preference is for authentic Native American flutes rather than the Native American style flutes that are available. I remember the day I unpacked my first authentic Native flutes. They felt different, a more natural feel to them. When I started to play, I noticed they had a different tonal quality, the lovely haunting sound that I am so fond of. They fit into my hands beautifully and the mouthpieces were very comfortable. In short, they could have been made with me in mind. They are now my working flutes of choice.
Another thing to bear in mind when shopping for a flute is what key it is tuned in. The most popular keys are A, G and F sharp. These are all suitable for a beginner but be aware that the flutes differ in size so, if you have very small hands, you will need to consider the finger stretch as the F sharp, for example, may be a little too big for you although finger stretch can differ from make to make. The size of the finger holes can vary as well, especially with different makes of flute so that is also something to consider. The A tuned flute would, in most cases, be the most suitable for a child. A further consideration is the block above the sound hole. When the flute starts to water out, as it will, due to moisture from the breath, the block will need to be removed so the flute can dry out. Putting the block back on can be very fiddly although I know of one make of flute where this has been made much easier. Again, this is something my students can try out for themselves if it’s an in-person lesson. For online lessons I can simply demonstrate it.
As you will generally not have much of a chance to try out flutes prior to purchase it’s well worth doing some research before deciding which would suit you best. There are some very good reviews on the internet where you can also hear them being played. Horizons Flute Store (in America) is probably my favourite. Their reviews are comprehensive and you can hear the flutes being played as well, just be aware that some of these makes of flute may not be easily available in the UK. For my own students, I have a small selection of three different makes of school flutes that they can try for themselves to see what type would suit them best, but please note that I do not sell flutes myself. All three makes are easily available in the UK.
One final consideration is that some makes of flute are more sensitive than others. I was doing very nicely with my own progress – or so I thought. When I first got the make of flutes that I play now I was in for a cold hard shock. |I discovered that my playing, at that time, wasn’t quite as good as I thought because the new flutes were showing up every tiny mistake, which hadn’t shown up on the make I’d played previously. However, the new flutes turned out to be a real advantage because my playing improved quickly and dramatically. These new flutes proved to be the best teachers I’d ever had with a few advantages I hadn’t even thought about.
To paraphrase an old saying, I hope this has given you ‘flute for thought’.
With best wishes.
Brenda