Anyone know anything about flutes?

IanSavage

Apparently my little 'un's been given the option of learning it, she hasn't got one although my ex seems to think that she'd left one behind at my house (utter cobblers) so it apparently falls to me to sort one out for her for Christmas.

The cheaper the better as there's no guarantee she'll stick with it, although don't want to waste money on total trash; secondhand's an option if it'll get something better in good condition for less money - anyone know anything?

vasselmeyer

Ian, I play the flute occasionally. I would recommend a second hand Boosey & Hawkes, either an Emperor or a Regent.

You can pick them up for around £50 on evilbay which is remarkably good value. Like all instruments, make sure you look at them in person if you possibly can. Make sure the crown (screw-in endpiece) is there, that the axles which hold the keys are straight and none of the screws have fallen out. Check that the keys move freely although a little touch of sewing machine oil can work wonders. Flutes need to be maintained and the pads looked after so make sure all the pads cover the holes and there are no obvious air leaks. Getting it repadded can be pricey.

Fuzzdog

I'd go for the cheapest used Yamaha you can find - they're all decent playable instruments if looked after, and you'll get back exactly what you paid for it if she doesn't keep it up.

A poor flute is a very horrible thing indeed - I learned on some godawful thing which I could barely get a note out of, was quite an eye opener when I bought a cheap Yamaha and could suddenly actually play!

EricTheWeary

@mac1012 and @helz85 were on about flutes.

robinbowes

Buy a s/h Yamaha YFL211S (not N) and get it serviced by a good woodwind specialist. It will be better than any student model and you'll be able to sell it for what you paid for it if she doesn't stick at it.

There appear to be a few on the 'bay at the moment.

R.

vasselmeyer

Yamahas are amazing instruments, but not necessarily for students. For a beginner, surely a B&H in decent condition will be fine for a first instrument and would be much cheaper. Can't argue with Yamaha's pedigree though.

robinbowes

@vasselmeyer - Yamahas are better instruments, and keep their resale value so are cheaper in the long run.

R.

Sassafras

My ex brother in law had one made of solid silver. Obviously I'm not suggesting you buy her one like that but it would show her that you loved and valued her. Anything else and you come across as a cheap, callous and cold hearted son of a bitch.

Failing that, go for a Yamaha as stated above.

Chalky

Yamaha all the way. Only buy her a cheaper one if you want her to fail. Parents who buy their kids the cheapest instrument are tightwads and stupid. Think - have you ever picked up a guitar and felt "this is shite, how could anyone get a good tune out of it?" So buying her a cheap one is like saying "pick up this shite guitar and play it, even though with all my guitar skills I can tell its a shite guitar".

Nomad

As a matter of interest, why Yamaha? Is everybody else that makes similarly priced instruments producing comparative rubbish?

I'd have thought that, with most instrument types, there would be a few makes that are decent quality.

EricTheWeary

I know with clarinets my son was advise against Yamaha or anything expensive. I think the reasoning is they have a heavier bore and whilst it's ultimately better tone they are harder to play for beginners. Not sure there is a good guitar analogy as a £2k PRS is probably easier to play than a £90 Encore. But no idea if a good flute is harder for a beginner than a cheaper one. ~O)

exocet

My daughter had the basic Jupiter Curved Head Flute from the age of 6 until she reached 13. She took Grades 1 to 4 on it. We then upgraded to a Yamaha which was nicer tonally and easier to play. If your daughter is young I.e under 9 years old then I'd recommend that you have the curved head joint (it makes the flute smaller / easier to handle ) the Jupiter comes with both head joints but I'm sure that's the case with other brands. We bought our Jupiter through a school purchase scheme - I think they are around £400 new. We sold it after 6 years for £150 which appears to be the going rate.

UnclePsychosis

Yamaha 211 is an excellent starter flute. 

If lessons work anything like they did at my school then the school will be able to recommend you something. When I started learning flute my parents rented one from a woodwind shop---was £50 for three months, but at the end of the three months they got £50 off a purchase. I bet the school have a similar arrangement somewhere. 

Fuzzdog

EricTheWeary said:

 But no idea if a good flute is harder for a beginner than a cheaper one. ~O)

Totally the opposite - the Yamaha I bought was so much easier to play that it was almost like I'd taken an extra couple of years of flute lessons.  Get the wrong cheap flute and no matter how good your embouchure, even getting a pure note out is huge effort, and certainly enough to put someone off for life.

gubble

This one time at band camp........

Chalky

I recommended Yamaha because
a) they are renowned for specialising in good quality starter woodwind instruments (easy to play and sound good) and
b) they are well made and if you buy a secondhand one you are unlikely to lose any money when you sell it. Cost of ownership tends towards £0.

And yes, I own a few of their instruments that I've learned to play on

IanSavage

Thanks for all the input folks - ended up with a secondhand Trevor James ones for a hundred quid which from a bit of Googling seems to be the 'Squier VM' of flutes  

robinbowes

If it's not already had one, take it to a reputable tech to get a service.

R.

carlos