Hi,

This is my first posting to this forum.

I'm an advanced clarinet player and I want to learn the flute for the following reasons:

1. Lots of Baroque repertoire
2. Love the sound
3. Short set up time
4. After playing my clarinet for about an hour I get so tired that I can't continue playing even though I want to.

The third reason is important because I often have short periods of free time, like before work. I can't play the clarinet during these times because with a 10 minute setup and a 10 minute break down time, it takes too much time to fit in a quick practice session.

The fourth reason is the most important and one I need help with. Although both the flute and clarinet use mouth muscles, I'm assuming the muscles involved in each are different enough that when some are tired after playing the clarinet, others will be fresh enough to play flute. Is this a correct assumption.

Are some of my assumptions about the flute correct?

Thanks,
RonnieDeJong

I'd have to say that in my own experience, I could switch back and forth all day between flute and clarinet because the muscles used were different-not just in the face but also in the arms and back.
Glad to hear you'll be joining us!!

Hi Ronnie,

Regarding your concerns:

1. Lots of Baroque repertoire
True, but there should be Clarinet versions of a great deal. Also the oboe has quite an extensive baroque repertoire that can be used with flute. You will find oboe repertoire quite demanding yet it will be accesible while starting on the flute as it's range mostly hits a flute's D3 with scatterings of Eb&E3s (though can go up to G, but not usually)

2. Love the sound
Can't argue with that.

3. Short set up time
It's not drastically short, but you have a longer clean up time. The flute head, body, and foot are cleaned/dried individually inside and out. You must do so to remove sweat and what not lest the plating on the body and keys get worn over time. You may find the flute assembly and put away can take longer that the clarinet as you don't have the need to clean the body and the swab works reasonably well.

Now a lot of clarinetists don't seem to bother with wiping their keys if you don't then definately the clarinet will take less time than the flute to assemble and put away.

4. After playing my clarinet for about an hour I get so tired that I can't continue playing even though I want to.
You may find the flute exhausting as well, for your entire body and not just your embouchure. Certainly not to the extent of embouchure exhaustion. Though if you were practicing regularly you should not be experiencing sever embouchure exhaustion. Perhaps you are using to much pressure with your embouchure. Have you ever tried to double lip? Try rolling both your top and bottom lip over your teeth... that will let you know that you are biting and help get you to stop.

Expanding on set-up time:
1. You can keep a reed in your mouth before you start to assemble.
2. After time the corks on your clarinet should be well lubricated that you will only need to apply cork grease weekly to monthly or even longer. So you should be able to assemble like a flute in a short time once they've worn in.
3. Reed to mouthpiece ligature. Shouldn't take long.

Another alternative is to just keep your clarinet assembled and find a case to hold it in its fully assembled state. Works well for clarinets vs flutes as flute tenons can get quite nasty if not taken apart and cleaned.

Now taking up the flute because you love the sound and are interesting in playing is a good reason to switch, but if it's mainly assembly time and ease of play... you may find the clarinet is actually easier to play and quicker to assemble/put away.

The flute is regarded as the second hardest woodwind to play well (the oboe being the hardest).

I'm in my third day of flute playing and I'm enjoying it very much. I have a fingering chart and I'm making a pretty good sound from low D to the d above. Right now I'm focusing on the basic fingerings. Once I know enough fingerings I'll get a teacher!

But it's really a strange feeling to pick up an instrument and NOT be able to make music.

Just one quick question: How do I get the moisture out of the end of the head joint. The cloth doesn't reach into the corners.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Take the tip of the cloth and put a bit in the end of the headjoints and then gently push it up to the top with your cleaing rod. I found that that works the best.

Yes, that is exactly what I was trying to say in the above post that I do too.
Great minds, think a like!

I simply put 2-3" of cloth through the rod loop and flip the large part over enveloping the rod to dry the whole flute from foot to body to head.

Once done with that I unflip the cloth and insert the 2-3" of cloth in the head which will scrunch and collect all extra moisture in the head.

You'd use alot more air in flute too.
like ALL your air goes into the clarinet
but only HALF of your air goes into the flute.
gotta think about that!

JasPIE
[<3] LovEz It.

I'm a clarinetist and I learned flute over the summer of 7th grade. It was fun while I had it. I had trouble with air support since I was rushing through learning it so I could play music outside the beginner books. Other than that, I found it to be easy for me. Of course, that's a clarinet player talking, who knows if I was totally out of tune the whole time? I loved how it was easier for me to play sixteenth notes on the flute. Anyway, I really do still like the flute, BUT I'm a clarinet player at heart. I haven't played it intensely since then.. which was two years ago.. and whenever my friend lets me play her really pretty French flute. :D

I have played clarinet a bit but find it alot easier on the air but much harder on the embouchure. With flute, when you first start playing many people try and use too much muscle and it starts to hurt, but a with a little practice you learn how to make your embouchure work properly and it never hurts. I mouth used to feel very sore after a while of playing but I can play for hours and not feel a thing anymore. The only problem I find now if I play for hours is i'm so winded lol.