r/Flute

I have been in band for almost 8 years. I have only had a few band directors, and none were very helpful in learning scales. No matter how much I practice, I can't play scales well at all. I know all the fingerings and I know what notes to play, but my hands just won't cooperate. It is incredibly frustrating and I feel like there is a major disconnect from my brain. I want to play scales and I have practiced a lot in the last two-ish years, but I have no idea what to do. I have done the basics like going slower and stuff, but nothing helps. Has anybody else had this problem and what did you do about it?

Hello, basically the title. A little about me though and what I’m looking for, I’m 28 and I grew up playing the flute. I played all through middle, high school, and even into college for a bit. I was a music performance major but decided to not continue down that route and haven’t really picked up the flute since I was 20. I have lost most of my skills which makes me sad but I really miss it and am wanting to pick it back up. I’m not sure what level of flute I should get but I was thinking somewhere between intermediate and professional? What flutes would be best for relearning and also where might I find used flutes for a cheaper price. Any advice or recommendations would be great as I am so excited to return to playing!

I'm so proud of my son (8th grade) for getting a perfect score on his level 6 NYSSMA evaluation (he performed Chaminade's famous Concertino), but he's been complaining about his Yamaha student flute acting up even though it's been serviced a few months ago...anyway, i thought it's about time to get something better for him, so I bid (and won!) this lovely-looking Ventus for a decent price (i think/hope) from an online auction yesterday, but I'm concerned that it might need some work. Is anyone here familiar with this model? I know i should probably have him test some new ones in person, but $2-4k+ is out of the budget for us right now so I opted to try something 2nd hand (fingers crossed)....we're relatively new to the NYC area so I'm looking for a reputable technician to check it out before I surprise him with it. it looks fairly well-kept, but who knows, maybe it needs new pads?? Thanks for any advice! J

I just did one at the age of 45. I hadn't played in 30 years until I signed up for New Horizons band this semester. Mine is run through my local university and they also provide free lessons and do ensembles along with a whole band concert.

I was a nervous wreck but I did it! I might sign up for another solo in the fall 😬

Keep on fluting!

Hey! My names Star and I recently picked up the flute from clarinet and tenor sax (i had to quit those due to an ongoing medical issue). I have a cupid's bow lip which makes it wonky to play - do you have any suggestions? I'd love any advice or tips on how to improve. A link below is my Instagram and I'd love any advice and support! Thanks so much!

https://www.instagram.com/jazz.tries.flute?igsh=MXFpd3V0ZjN1bnJ6bw==

he was fluting hard to classical pieces where the transcriptions was synced to the music. He never realised this was a thing and exclaimed “where has this been all my life?”.

my question is: is there any other must-know resources you use that wasnt a thing during the 80’s when he learnt how to flute?

I’m absolutely desperate for a bass flute.

I currently play in 2 flute choirs that both require one so I’d be playing it alot.

Does anyone know a low ish cost but decent bass flute available in the uk?

I’ve played a few and found:
-I didn’t love the just flutes ones (found the lower and higher registers really difficult)
-Didn’t love the Di Zaho (don’t like the shape of the keys and I really struggle to play it because of that)
-Loved the pearl one but £4k is a lot for me currently

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on where to look?

Or if anyone has some good feedback on Trevor James or Guo New Voice models?

Or anything feedback or advice?

Thankss :)

My flute was stolen at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport near gate A35. I was dining at the Sora Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar. I’m sure it happened at the restaurant. I tried calling the restaurant, but their phone number listed does not seem to work. My flute was a Miyazawa MX-2 H317 14k gold risier. I can also provide a serial #. Please share this with your community and let me know if you find anything. This is not only a high value but also a sentimental item my parents have worked tirelessly to get me this. Thank you so much.

Casual beginner here coming from other woodwinds. I'm having some trouble tonguing. When I tap my tongue against the root of my front upper teeth as if I'm making a tu or du sound like how you do with clarinet or recorder etc, it doesn't stop or start the sound for me. The reason is quite obvious to me, the wind just flows below and beside my tongue since the flute embouchure is much more open. I must be missing something very obvious here. What am i doing wrong?

I just splashed out and got myself a good open hole flute.

I do however have the world’s sweatiest hands and my last flute has a patina in spite off washing hands and using the right kind of silver cloth when wiping.

Are there problems with using gloves with open holes? Any recommendations?

So here's the situation:

I used to love playing violin. My parents bought me my violin for Christmas a couple years ago bc we were doing rent to own and it was 5 bucks.

They also bought my flute.

I absolutely love playing flute and just bought a second one, a Pearl Elegante 795 as an upgrade from my Haynes Amadeus 700. Basically a professional flute.

I am a pretty serious flutist and I really want to learn alto and bass flute and I play piccolo.

The picc I want is a Pearl PFP-105, an intermediate level composite piccolo with a wave head joint and synthetic pads. It's 1500 dollars, but my parents just bought my Pearl Elegante for about 4k.

I want to sell my violin to buy it but my parents shoot me down every time I bring it up.

Here's why: I am not in orchestra anymore but still take private lessons and my parents don't want me to lose it.

Here's what I want to do: Sell this violin, get the piccolo, and someday down the line after I've fulfilled my immense flute/piccolos wishlist buy a violin that's even better and probably quite expensive. Because right now I'm stuck with a crappy school piccolo and as unachievable as it may sound my dream is to be a hybrid Broadway actress and pit musician with flute and piccolo.

Do you guys think I should try to get my parents on board with that or should I keep trying to find alternate ways to make money?

HANDS*** For context. I am a college music student, I play an altus AZ3 with a bfoot and offset G. I have pretty tiny hands too. When I play it feels like i am fighting the keys, my hands are so sore after practicing. I do have arthritis but I just don't understand why it is so hard to play.

For several years I learned on a Yamaha YFL-222, which was great for the time. It has a C foot joint. I have since upgraded to a Yamaha 674H. It has open holes and a B foot joint.

The 674H has a much better tone and sound, of course. The mid and upper register is amazing to me. Way more effortless. I have been slowly unplugging the holes, still two plugged near the bottom.

The thing that I struggle most with is my low C. It just seems so much more difficult on this flute than my old C foot joint flute. I think it makes sense - the foot is longer and I need to stretch my fingers more to avoid bumping any levers. Need to make sure lower holes are fully covered, and need to not accidentally reach too far and push the B lever.

I’m guessing this is a typical struggle. But it’s been almost a year and it’s still tough.

Any tips for getting better at it?