2nd I cant play it, when I do manage to get a note out of it, pressing the "button like valves" doesnt change the pitch. Is it possible to learn without a teacher :s
Full Version: Learning The Flute.
Hi, I bought a flute a few months ago, apart from one end needing rubber gloves to get the head off and the bottom end really loose. I cant play it. Its made by a company called Lindo and recommended for students. ~ Cost me £80 , thinking I have a bad flute!
2nd I cant play it, when I do manage to get a note out of it, pressing the "button like valves" doesnt change the pitch. Is it possible to learn without a teacher :s
2nd I cant play it, when I do manage to get a note out of it, pressing the "button like valves" doesnt change the pitch. Is it possible to learn without a teacher :s
Hi Martin,
I'm not a flute teacher, and only have Grade 5 to my name, but just a few suggestions. When I upgraded my flute, one of the joints was really stiff, and my (very experienced) flute teacher used a touch of vaseline on it. When I took it for servicing after a year or so, the service man did something to it to slightly reduce the binding (not sure what) which worked quite well.
I haven't heard of the make you specify, but for the amount you paid for it, I'm wondering if you bought it second-hand? My flute teacher recommended a Trevor James student flute when my son started playing, and at that time the going rate for these was just over £300. He added that if we went for anything cheaper, we would always have problems with it. It seems unlikely that you could buy a good student flute for £80, and the fact that it is advertised as recommended for students doesn't mean it is a good student flute!
If you are having problems with getting a note out of it, it would seem a prudent idea to at least have a few lessons with a teacher to set you off in the right direction. And an experienced teacher could have a look at the instrument and give you a proper judgement on what you have got for your money.
I'm not a flute teacher, and only have Grade 5 to my name, but just a few suggestions. When I upgraded my flute, one of the joints was really stiff, and my (very experienced) flute teacher used a touch of vaseline on it. When I took it for servicing after a year or so, the service man did something to it to slightly reduce the binding (not sure what) which worked quite well.
I haven't heard of the make you specify, but for the amount you paid for it, I'm wondering if you bought it second-hand? My flute teacher recommended a Trevor James student flute when my son started playing, and at that time the going rate for these was just over £300. He added that if we went for anything cheaper, we would always have problems with it. It seems unlikely that you could buy a good student flute for £80, and the fact that it is advertised as recommended for students doesn't mean it is a good student flute!
If you are having problems with getting a note out of it, it would seem a prudent idea to at least have a few lessons with a teacher to set you off in the right direction. And an experienced teacher could have a look at the instrument and give you a proper judgement on what you have got for your money.
Pressing the keys won't change the pitch if you leave the one at the back open. Maybe that's the problem?
Yes - it's possible to learn without a tutor. But it would be better to have a few lesson to get you started. Do you have a tutor book? I recommend Abracadabra Flute.
I like my beginners to start on a decent flute which won't hinder their progress - such as a 2nd hand Yamaha 211 - about 200pounds and easily sold on for the same price.
Yes - it's possible to learn without a tutor. But it would be better to have a few lesson to get you started. Do you have a tutor book? I recommend Abracadabra Flute.
I like my beginners to start on a decent flute which won't hinder their progress - such as a 2nd hand Yamaha 211 - about 200pounds and easily sold on for the same price.
I teach myself the flute and love it. I use the Trevor Wye books and find them easy to understand and to progress through. There are lots of tunes to practise each new note on and many of them are really nice.
Also I did spent a bit on my flute as Alicia suggests. I have a Pearl PF505 and it definitely makes life easier. I have tried to play on other peoples' instruments which felt a bit lighter (more like tin) and found it really hard. If you're saving money by not having a teacher maybe it's worth spending on the instrument? I certainly have no regrets at all about mine and in fact just love looking at it!!!
Hope it works out for you, it's a gorgeous instrument!
Also I did spent a bit on my flute as Alicia suggests. I have a Pearl PF505 and it definitely makes life easier. I have tried to play on other peoples' instruments which felt a bit lighter (more like tin) and found it really hard. If you're saving money by not having a teacher maybe it's worth spending on the instrument? I certainly have no regrets at all about mine and in fact just love looking at it!!!
Hope it works out for you, it's a gorgeous instrument!
QUOTE(Misterioso @ Jun 15 2010, 03:40 PM) 
I haven't heard of the make you specify, but for the amount you paid for it, I'm wondering if you bought it second-hand? My flute teacher recommended a Trevor James student flute when my son started playing, and at that time the going rate for these was just over £300. He added that if we went for anything cheaper, we would always have problems with it. It seems unlikely that you could buy a good student flute for £80, and the fact that it is advertised as recommended for students doesn't mean it is a good student flute!
Lindo flutes are exceedingly cheap : so that £80 is probably a new price. However (and sorry to put a downer on things), the reliability issues I've seen with Lindo are many and varied, and mainly centre around the fact that the metal used in Lindo flutes is in places almost as bendy as Plasticene (well, that may be an exaggeration, but you catch my drift).
If you're not getting any sound, there may be a strong case here of it being the flute and not you : if you can take it to a flute technician to see if that's the case, I feel that'd be a good move.
Why do you want to learn without a teacher? A teacher would have the experience to save you a lot of frustrating hours - for instance he/she would check the flute mechanism for you, advise you on the use of your fingers, correct holding position, the easiest way to acquire a good tone AND show you how to un-jam the joints with a bit of damp cloth (vaseline not needed normally as there is no cork) - I suggest that for the price of a bottle of gin you could get a lot of value!!
QUOTE(rosflute @ Jun 18 2010, 02:34 PM)
Why do you want to learn without a teacher? A teacher would have the experience to save you a lot of frustrating hours - for instance he/she would check the flute mechanism for you, advise you on the use of your fingers, correct holding position, the easiest way to acquire a good tone AND show you how to un-jam the joints with a bit of damp cloth (vaseline not needed normally as there is no cork) - I suggest that for the price of a bottle of gin you could get a lot of value!!
Well, I all ready pay for piano lessons, ~ and have a tight budget. ~ I also know that the teacher will help me too much and i`ll get addicted
QUOTE(Martin.Walters @ Jun 21 2010, 09:23 PM)
Well, I all ready pay for piano lessons, ~ and have a tight budget. ~ I also know that the teacher will help me too much and i`ll get addicted
But it's a flute! Ergo, addiction is good!
QUOTE(rosflute @ Jun 18 2010, 02:34 PM)
Why do you want to learn without a teacher? A teacher would have the experience to save you a lot of frustrating hours - for instance he/she would check the flute mechanism for you, advise you on the use of your fingers, correct holding position, the easiest way to acquire a good tone AND show you how to un-jam the joints with a bit of damp cloth (vaseline not needed normally as there is no cork) - I suggest that for the price of a bottle of gin you could get a lot of value!!
I learn without a teacher because I know that realistically I don't have time to practise another instrument regularly. Because of my work schedule I can end up going weeks and weeks without picking up the flute. I have to prioritise the piano as that is the instrument I teach. Also I like the lack of pressure! I know lots of flautists and flute teachers so ask them for tips. But as I am learning the flute purely for my own entertainment I am perfectly happy to toddle along with no teacher. I'm also happy enough with my sound but as a trained singer I probably had a head start on the breathing and my mouth seems to suit the instrument somehow. I don't really mind if I am not an amazing flute player, I'm playing for me not to teach it or perform on it.
In years to come I might decide differently, but with a baby and a mortgage on the way, I think the pennies will have to be saved for piano lessons.
Long time since I posted this thread, but its still relevant 
Still with my old stiff flute, ive managed to blow a few notes out of it. ~ Maybe my new recorder helped me with that with breathing.
The deeper the notes, the harder to play ? ~ I probably still dont have the right technique.. but must be getting closer to it. ~ Anyone find the same issue ?
Still with my old stiff flute, ive managed to blow a few notes out of it. ~ Maybe my new recorder helped me with that with breathing.
The deeper the notes, the harder to play ? ~ I probably still dont have the right technique.. but must be getting closer to it. ~ Anyone find the same issue ?
QUOTE(Martin.Walters @ Aug 9 2010, 02:34 AM)
The deeper the notes, the harder to play ? ~ I probably still dont have the right technique.. but must be getting closer to it. ~ Anyone find the same issue ?
I heard different things about that. One thing I heard was "First octave on the flute is like playing open strings!" the other one is "The pitch of a tone correspond with the air column inside you, so a high tone has a brief air colmn, a deep tone a stretched one."
Personaly I realised, it is harder for me to play the bottom notes of the flute. From the bottom F on it starts to become easier. But still it depends a bit on the flute you are playing.
Having watched a few people mangle their way around a flute in the early stages I'll put a few theories in here; based on the tentative assumption that it isn't bendy keywork making the bottom end difficult. I'm not a teacher, nor do I have any particular expertise.
Most beginner flute players I've seen start off getting notes by blasting ridiculous amounts of air in the general vicinity of the headpiece. Occasionally they'll split the airstream and get some kind of hollow-sounding whooty note. Gradually, they start learning to focus the airstream, and hit notes more often. For a long time though, particularly without guidance, they'll continue blowing really inefficiently. By this I mean lots of air leaking out around where it actually needs to be targeted.
Clues to watch out for are sounding loud, having to blow hard, and being able to hear any blowing noises.
Getting the lower notes of the flute needs a well supported airstream, and a soft blow. The air needs to be moving slowly. This is pretty difficult when still at the phase of using much more air than is strictly necessary, and makes the bottom notes tough, even when playing on a good flute.
Most beginner flute players I've seen start off getting notes by blasting ridiculous amounts of air in the general vicinity of the headpiece. Occasionally they'll split the airstream and get some kind of hollow-sounding whooty note. Gradually, they start learning to focus the airstream, and hit notes more often. For a long time though, particularly without guidance, they'll continue blowing really inefficiently. By this I mean lots of air leaking out around where it actually needs to be targeted.
Clues to watch out for are sounding loud, having to blow hard, and being able to hear any blowing noises.
Getting the lower notes of the flute needs a well supported airstream, and a soft blow. The air needs to be moving slowly. This is pretty difficult when still at the phase of using much more air than is strictly necessary, and makes the bottom notes tough, even when playing on a good flute.
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