Hey, my flute teacher suggested for me to upgrade from my beginner student Armstrong 103 to an intermediate flute. I have looked around for different potential models but I haven't bought one yet, because I'm saving it for the next school year this fall (actually during the summer, so pretty soon). I just wanted to know if you guys have any tips when buying flutes, myths (like 'open hole flutes improves the tone'), or little cautions to consider, so I'll make the most wise and best decision. Thanks!
(for more info: I'm looking into flutes with prices ranging from $1000-2000, but nothing more than at least $2500. I'm lookinginto flutes with AT LEAST a sterling silver headjoint)
Thanks. And like what are some good tips/mini 'exercises' to play when trying out the flutes? Or what type of features actually help the tone and those that are just little 'myths'. or what type of features an be benenficial to certain people. Which sites to avoid and which sites that are very helpful. etc etc.
open hole flutes are harder to play but shows you know how to play i dont know how it sound yet because im a begginer and have pluges for it but ill get back to you when i play it like that
remnant, when you try a new flute, play really low and high notes and see how they speak, also, try parts of pieces that seemed difficult on your old flute and see how they work on the one you are trying...
Drainfamily, French (open hole) flutes are not harder to play, they just require that you seal the holes with your fingertips. They also don't show that you know how to play. Plenty of professionals have the holes in their flutes plugged or have Plateau keyed flutes.
As for what will help tone, that's all in the design and craftsmanship. No spec (French keys, pointed arms, low B, etc.) will offer you a better sound, so don't worry about what options the flute has....Worry about how it sounds/feels for you. Patrick's given some good suggestions for how to try out a flute (optimally you want to do the same thing on each flute to get a valid comparison). To get a little more complex, test the dynamic possibilities (can you play pp in the 3rd octave and ff in the bottom of the range and vice versa?), check the intonation with a tuner, play with the tonal possibilities to be sure it offers you a range of colors instead of just one default tone, etc.
Try blind test if you cant chouse your flute right away.
Also Try a few diffrent flutes befor buying to make shure you like the one thet will feet you best.
Remnantpark, even your stipulated sterling silver is actually hardly relevant to what the flute sounds like. The DESIGN of the head is what is important. Some sterling silver heads (and even gold heads) play dreadfully.
If you are not in a position to carry out the evaluations that flutist06 suggests, them you are probably not ready for a new flute. Perhaps get your current one serviced. Sometimes, but certainly not always, teachers are misguided in what they say about upgrades. I have my doubts about a the recommendations of a teacher who does not have the ability and inclination to personally help steer you through the quagmire of flute upgrade.
Open hole flutes really does improve your tone drastically. Because I went from a Artley to a Gemeinhardt, and my tone became clear and more....professional, if you can say that. But the best I think to get is a Yamaha. And for exercises, long tones. Long tones is where you hold out an F for either four counts, or eight, and you continue down chromatically until you get to C. And as yo udo that, you listen to the tone. Is it sharp or flat? Do I need to roll out or in? And it is a good warm up before you tune. That is what my section leader told me and it has work to the point I almost made it to All-State as a freshman. So, I hope this comment helps. x3
lonelyflutist, French keys are not the reason for that change in tone. The design and craftsmanship (and likely repair) of the instruments was different, and this resulted in a different sound. French keys (and maybe a B foot) were the only visible change, so you mistakenly attributed the change to the holes, but they have nothing to do with tone, as we've discussed many times before. As for long tones, they only do something as long as you're paying attention. Simply holding a note for 4 counts, 8 counts, or as long as you possibly can will yield absolutely no benefit if your brain is elsewhere. And if you're going to do longtones, they shouild cover the full range of the instrument going both upwards and downwards in thirds, fourths, fifths and any other permutation you can think of. Sticking to F1 down to C1 will not do much. Try turning them into a dynamic exercise by decrescendoing as you go upwards and crescendoing as you go downwards, or add some other layer of complexity. As for rolling in and out, this should be done only as a last resort when altering pitch with the airstream will not give you quite enough. This is because rolling, while it can impact pitch, will also negatively affect tone. If you need to change pitch, raise the air slightly to bring pitch up, and lower it slightly to flatten pitch.
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Also, it's impossible to peg one brand as the best flute to get. Everyone is different and needs different things from their instruments. If Yamaha really was the best, no other makers would exist. Yammies are certainly good quality flutes and work with some people, but there's no way to characterize it as the best flute to get. I played one for years (most recently as a back up flute) and just recently sold it in favor of a Muramatsu. Just as with any other brand, Yamahas won't suit everyone well.
I would suggest that you try any good quality flute that you can, from a Yamaha 300 series (likely not what you'll end up with, but great for comparison's sake and easy to find) to your teacher's pro flute. You will hopefully learn what different headjoint/embouchure cuts can do for articulation, tone, and dynamics. Some will be really great in the low range, others might make the high end really easy, one might make a lovely tone easy for you. By the time you get to seriously looking at flutes to buy, you will have an idea of what different flutes can sound like, and maybe already have something in mind.
If at all possible, have a try-out flute for a whole practice session, and maybe a lesson, too, if you like it. It takes time to find the 'sweet spot' on any instrument. If you just pick it up and play it briefly, you may find that you favor an instrument that is really similar to the one you already have.
The most common advice is to try out several flutes, sometimes 'blind' , or without knowing which is which. Doing this will help you choose the available flute with the best headjoint and finish/padding work. Hand-carved headjoints can, and do, differ from one to another- I adore my principal flutist's piccolo HJ and it is the same embouchure cut, handmade, as mine but hers is much easier for me (and her, too!) to get the high notes on. Flutes also tend to come, brand new, with less-than-perfect adjustment and some possible padding issues or leaks. You will either have to have them fixed before you buy, or chose a flute that plays better in the first place.
Thanks for all the advice. That was very helpful. And yes Micron, I figured sterling silver doesn't exactly drastically affect your tone but I just threw that info in there just to see if it was really true about the whole 'myth' thing. And yes, I think I really do need a new flute because I have shown some of the symptoms of the necessity of upgrading. I have also played one of my friends' intermediate flute and the sound and feel was so better than on my current one.
Okay another thing to ask:
I've heard that Gemeinhardt intermediate flutes aren't the greatest choices, is it true? Should I avoid them? Because I've actually played on a Gemeinhardt intermediate flute (belongs to the girl next to me in band, 2nd chair) which was a Giardinelli GFL512 (<--I think???), and the feel was wonderful, also, the sound was very easy to get out without any effort, especially the 3rd register including dynamics. But I really didn't pay attention to the articulation and etc at that time...darn...
One other thing to straighten out:
Gold lip plating barely has any impact on the sound, right? So then why is there gold plating on flutes?
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