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Considerations For Those Looking to Play The Flute
The flute takes a lot of air to play. Believe it or not, it takes just as much air or more than the tuba.
A person who plays the flute must be patient and willing to work hard. It can be challenging to get used to holding the flute, the fingering scheme, and how to place the flute to the lips.
This instrument is not for someone who is used to instant success. Those who have a growth mindset and like challenges will likely have success. Once one knows how to hold the instrument and the basic fingerings, they will be able to get by, but in order to truly be successful at the flute, one must be extremely dedicated to practice and detail.
You must have good finger dexterity to play the flute.
Individuals with a cupid’s bow or tear dropped shaped lip will likely have to offset their aperture (hole in the lips) to create the best sound. This is known as centering.
This instrument is highly competitive. It can be very difficult when it comes to auditions, regardless of age (regional, state, honor band, college acceptance, placement, and professional auditions).
The instrument is very historical and there are many fantastic resources out there for flute players.
If you are hard working and consistent, playing this instrument can be very rewarding and fun.
Ultimately, students who work hard, practice consistently, and are driven to better themselves will likely have the greatest success no matter the instrument.
Considerations When Buying A Flute
There are a lot of bells and whistles when it comes to buying a flute.
Beginner - I would recommend starting with a closed hole, off-set G flute that is Silver/Nickel plated.
Intermediate/Professional - I would recommend Open hole, B-foot, off-set G, and a larger silver content at least consisting of a solid silver head-joint. You likely would not want any nickel plating at this level. Intermediate level instruments will get you through high school. If you major in music in college, it is likely that you will need a professional model flute.
Common options you may see are open hole vs. closed hole, offset G vs. inline G, handmade vs. machine made, B-Foot vs. C-Foot, silver plated vs. solid silver vs. gold vs. platinum, drawn/rolled tone holes vs. soldered tone holes, standard wall vs. heavy wall, standard G# vs. open G#, and silver riser vs. gold riser vs. platinum riser.
Additional Bells and whistles include split E mechanism, D# roller, C# trill key, and pin-less mechanism.
Simply put, as you progress from beginner to intermediate to advanced, the instruments are made of higher quality materials, progress from primarily being machine made to handmade, slightly larger bore size (tubing), better tuning from note to note, and better resonance. Beginning instruments are built more to get a basic sound and stand through durability so that a musician can learn to take care of it. Intermediate and advanced instruments are more focused on the sound of the instrument.
If you do not know what these differences are or know if they would be valuable to you, consult a professional. I am not claiming to be a professional, but you could contact me as well. A simple google search can also inform you of the basics.
The Piccolo
WARNING – The information contained below is flat out honest. Some people may not like what they hear.
The piccolo is a small instrument that is part of the flute family. It uses the same basic fingering scheme and sounds an octave higher than the flute.
There is a common misconception in the music world that the flute and the piccolo are played the exact same way. This is far from the case. The instrument has entirely different tendencies. In addition, the piccolo tends to emphasize the weaknesses that a player has.
Many students wish to play the piccolo because it stands out, sometimes gets solos, and seems to be an attention grabber. However, most lack the fundamental skills.
A piccolo player must be able to manipulate their embouchure, have a good ear, understand good musicianship, and have solid flute fundamentals. They must also have a desire to work daily on piccolo fundamentals and not become discouraged by the difficulty of the instrument.
The piccolo is often made of metal, plastic, composite wood, or solid wood. Metal piccolos tend the be more shrill and harder to blend; they are often used for marching band. Plastic, composite wood, and solid wood tend to be less shrill; as you proceed from plastic to composite wood to solid wood, the instruments tend to have more warmth in their sound. Some companies make metal head joints that are often used on plastic or composite bodies; these tend to be less shrill than a solid metal piccolo, but still have a bright sound.
There is a lack of piccolo instruction in the world, often due to the misconception that the flute and the piccolo are the same instrument. In fact, there are numerous professional flutists and collegiate flute teachers who do not have adequate piccolo instruction. There are different challenges that should be addressed by an experienced private teacher who understands the piccolo. This is why man high school bands struggle to have a solid piccolo player/sections because there is inadequate instruction, and students are given a trial by fire approach. It is proven and I have witnessed that one piccolo player with solid instruction will be louder and sound better than a dozen without proper instruction.
It is imperative to have a quality piccolo when playing. Many school owned piccolos are not in good playing condition and limit the player’s ability level, regardless of whether or not they have had instruction. School owned piccolos need to be sent in for a checkup yearly.
The piccolo often presents problems with dynamics, intonation, and blending within an ensemble. The student must learn control. In addition, many wind band composers do not understand the tendencies of the instrument.
Depending on how the piccolo is played, it can either make or break your ensemble. With proper instruction and dedicated work, the piccolo can be a gorgeous instrument.
For those looking to get better at playing the piccolo, start with ear training and pitch bending.If you can learn to manipulate pitch with your embouchure, you will be able to fix many of the intonation issues on the instrument. In addition, look at alternate fingerings for the instrument; however, be sure that the fingerings do not affect your tone.
The Alto Flute and Bass Flute
The alto flute is a member of the flute family that sounds lower than the traditional flute. It is a transposing instrument that is performed in G, a perfect fourth below written C. It does use the same fingerings as the standard flute. The instrument can come in either strait headjoint or curved headjoint. It is used periodically in band and orchestral music. Recently, there has been more chamber ensemble music and solo literature written for the instrument.
The bass flute is a member of the flute family that sounds one octave lower than the traditional flute. It uses the same fingerings as the traditional flute. It is used sparingly in band and orchestral music. Recently, there has been more chamber ensemble music and solo literature written for the instrument.
Recommended Brands
Yamaha
Gemienhardt - Beginner/Intermediate models
Pearl
Haynes
Di Zhao
Powell
Sankyo
Miyazawa
Muramatzu
Nagahara
Brannen Brothers
Trevor James
Recommended Listening
Emmanuel Pahud
Elise Blatchford
James Galway
Jean-Pierre Rampal
Robert Dick
Julius Baker
Marcel Moyse
Amy Porter
Trevor Wye
Lisa Garner Santa
Laurel Zucker
William Bennett
Paula Robinson
Jasmine Choi
Gary Schocker
Marina Piccinini
Jeanne Baxtresser
Lizzo
Valerie Coleman
Nicola Mazzanti – Piccolo
Some Recommended Method/Technique/Etude/Collection Books
Trevor Wye - Beginner’s Book for Flute Part One and Part Two
Trevor Wye - Practice Book for the Flute - Books 1-6
The Rubank Elementary Method for Flute
The Rubank Intermediate Method for Flute
The Rubank Advanced Method Method for Flute Volume 1 and 2
Cavally - Melodies and Progressive Studies for Flute - All Volumes
Taffanel and Gaubert - 17 Big Daily Finger Exercises
Patricia George’s Flute 101 Series
Davies - 28 Day Warm-up Book
Mazzanti - Method for Piccolo
Reichert - Seven Daily Exercises
M. Moyse - De La Sonorite
M. Moyse - Tone Development Through Interpretation
Dick - Tone Development Through Extended Techniques
L. Moyse - Flute Music by French Composers
24 Flute Concert Studies - Published by Southern Music
Rubank Concert and Contest Collection
Rubank Selected Studies
Cavally - 24 Short Concert Pieces
L. Moyse - Solos for the Flute Player
L. Moyse - Album of Sonatas for Young Flutists
L. Moyse - The Flutist Primer
Kujala - The Flutist’s Vade Mecum
Bennett - Mastering the Flute
Flute Literature/Books
Toff - The Flute Book
Quantz - On Playing the Flute by
Wye - Flute Secrets
Debost - The Simple Flute
Galway - Flute
Rainey - The Flute Manuel
Pearson - Body Mapping for the Flutists
Nyfenger - Beyond the Notes
Nyfenger - Music and the Flute
Gippo - The Complete Piccolo
Harris - The Flute Boot Camp Manuel
Flute Stories
Floyd - The Gilbert Legacy
Some Solo Literature
Mozart - Flute Concertos in G Major and D Major
J.S. Bach - Flute Sonatas
C.P.E. Bach - Flute Sonatas
Chaminade - Concertino for Flute and Piano
Every solo in Flute Music by French Composers
Borne - Carmen Fantasy
Poulenc - Sonata for Flute
Hindemith - Sonota
Debussy - Syrinx
Gaubert - Madrigal
J.S. Bach - Partita in A minor
J.S. Bach Orchestral Suite No.2 in B Minor
Ibert - Concerto
Fauré - Sicilienne
Prokofiev Flute Sonata in D Major
Recommended Stores
Shop Local – Just be sure you get a good brand
Recommended Websites
Recommended Apps
Bandmate Chromatic Tuner
Tonal Energy Tuner
Sight Reading Factory
Smart Music
Intunator
StaffWars
Tunable
Master Ear Training
Theory Lessons
Tenuto
APS Trainer
tuneUp
Must Have Accessories
Case
Cleaning Rod
Cleaning Cloth
Polish Rag
Tuner/Metronome - app or physical device
Pencil
Additional Possible Accessories
Flute Wand/Flag
Breath Builder
Beaumont Cleaning Cloth
Hercules Stand
TumbPort
FingerPort
Korg-TM 60 with clip on attachment
YouTube Channels to Follow
Instagram Accounts to Follow
Robert Dick - @fluterobertdick
Nicola Mazzanti - @nicola.mazzanti
Valerie Coleman - @vcolemanp
Amy Porter - @porterflute
Barry Griffiths - @grizzlyflute
Emmanuel Pahud - @epahud
Alyssa Schwartz - @alyssa.may.schwartz
Sir James Galway - @sirjamesgalway
Stephen Clark - @stephenclarkflute
Jolene Harju Madewell - @joleneflute
Acacia Weber - @flutistacacia
Katie Althen - @katieflute
Maxim Rubtsov - @maxim_rubtsov
Viviana Guzmán - @viviana_flutequeen
Gina Luciani - @ginalucianiflute
Flutistry Boston - @flutistryboston
Carolyn Nussbaum - @flute4u
Miyazawa Flutes - @miyazawaflutes
Muramatzu Flutes - @muramatzuflutes
Adam Sadberry - @adamhappyberry
Sankyo Flutes - @sankyoflutes
Burkhart Flutes - @burkhartflutes
Powell Flutes - @powellflutes
National Flute Association - @nfaflute
Tobias Mancke - @mancketobias
Flute Bros - @flutebros
Fluterscooter - @fluterscooter
Flute World - @fluteworldco
Flute Specialists - @flutespecialists
Flute Center of New York - @flutecenterofny
Trevor James Flute - @tjflutes
Galway Flute Academy - @galwayfluteacademy
Haynes - @haynesflutes
Carol Wincenc – @carolwincenc_official