I was practicing my etudes yesterday and i was SO close to throwing my flute into my fan...There Flutes are Soooo Airy its unbelievable I don't even know how i got stuck with this thing...yes its good for beginners and intermediate players but when it comes down to someone more advanced playing it (like me) all you hear is airrrrrr... I've been playing the flute for a long time and i know i don't have embouchure problems because I've played on other flutes and i didn't have this problem...there is nothing wrong with my flute because i got it checked...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh im so mad
The *body* is fine. The headjoints are nearly unchanged from 20 or 30 years ago, and as such are like comparing a VW Bug made in Mexico in 2000 to a 2000 Civic. One stood still in time while the others moved forward.
Try swapping in a Yamaha or similar headjoint - I bet it will solve your immediate problems for a lot less money than an entire new flute.
Thats soley based on opinion and how you play, I am first chair in my Highschool, played in the flute ensemble for many years, and I also play piccolo, and alto flute, and I play a gemeinhardt, and mines not airy, at all, and it sounds fantastic, you can't go blaming your flute, when so many of times, its the player, you said you played other flutes, Ok...its still does not mean its not you, all flutes are different, and have different features because you have played another type of flute and it sounds different for you doesnt mean that its automatically the flute..
Now, I have played on Yamaha, Pearl, Armstrong, and Emerson, and I do not have a problem with difference in sound, I mean the pearl and gemeinhardt for me sound the best but are closely the same.
Now some flute no matter what company can have their problems, but a perticular brands products arent all the same, and some can come with problems(except high-end to custom they should be of best quality)
The overwhelming opinion of this forum is that "Gemmies" are not the flute of choice.
It appears that Yamaha "outshines" Gemmies.
It could be that your instrument is in need of repair --- but I've never found IMO that a Gemmie is as good as other comparable flutes (price-wise).
I would suggest a Yamaha 200 and above series flute.
Their mechanism is great, sturdy and holds-up. The only thing "suspect" about Yamahas is their head-joint. This is easy to solve. Get a Yamaha, then "progress" to a better-cut head joint.
Also, remember that any Yamaha flutes made after 2008 are "made in China". Their standards of production are not the same as Yamahas made in Japan or the U.S.
This is info I got from a Yamaha rep.
If I were you, the "hand-made" Emersons are a better choice IMO than Gemmies, as well as Yamahas.
"Also, remember that any Yamaha flutes made after 2008 are "made in China". Their standards of production are not the same as Yamahas made in Japan or the U.S."
That depends entirely on the quality control that Yamaha Japan has set up in China. (Some products from China are actually world-class.)
So the truth of your statement has yet to be determined, IMO. The standard of manufacture of a flute, espedcially a student flute, is measured, in part, in how it stands up over quite a few years.
BTW, your statement implies that all Yamaha flutes will be made in China. I very much dout the truth of that.
"This is info I got from a Yamaha rep."
Most people with a bit of experience of the world believe rather little of what sales reps say.
Again, you are painting at least partly eroneous pictures as if they were fact.
Okay people not on this fourm!!! Stop the bitching!
Being first chair has nothing to do with anything ...im first chair in my HS and have been ever since....but still they suck.
While emotions often drive opinions, blanket statements are not helpful in a largely anonymous forum such as this. Just realize that choosing a brand of flute is much like choosing a brand of shoes. What works for some may not work for others. Whether its Adidas having an airy sound or Gemeinhadts pinching your big toe ---or something like that---eveyone has to find the equipment that works for them.
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