I have been playing the flute for about a year and it was my 4th and final instrument.

I love playing and theres no way i would ever give it up, but sometimes all i wanna do is break it up into small pieces!! lol

Anyway i just wondered if any1 else felt this way, and also do any lads out there play? IM SICK OF EVERYONE SAYIN THAT ONLY GIRLS PLAY THE FLUTE! i know this shouldnt affect me cos i am a girl but it really annoys me!!

Charl

Hi!
Yeah I have good and bad days with the flute! You just have to have patience and maybe come back after a little break and carry on playing!
I know several guys who the flute by the way, so don't worry!!!

I have 'bad' practice days too, when I think I'm no good. I bet most people do. Sometimes I have a great playing session, and then that gives me the motivation to keep going!

i know only 1 lad who played the flute, he gave up after about 2 weeks!! you have to admit though that it is a bit of a girly instrument!! just seems that way to me-coz of the way you hold it and......anyway!! sorry if ive offended any flute players that are lads!!!!

Nat

I know a few male flautists actually, and they're all really good, though it is seen as a 'girly' instrument! I've noticed recently that there are very few female horn players about. I've never really thought of the horn as a masculine instrument. What do you all think? (I should really set up a poll on this- gender preferences for instruments- could be interesting!)

Interesting the comments about the flute being "girly". When I was at school the majority of flute players were girls. When you look at professional orchestras though most of the flute players are male. Why is this I wonder? Possibly something to do with equal opportunities in the music industry?

I've been playing the flute for 6 years now, and I still have off days when I just can't get it to sound good! It's really irritating, whether it's just having dry lips, or my flute being cold or it's just me I don't know!

The only instrument I have ever known to be more temporamental is my wooden recorder, but then seeing as I only play flute and recorder I'm not really qualified to say, anyone know if this is specifically a problem with flutes?

As for it being girly, I don't think any instrument can be catoragised like that, it's almost as bad as saying that the recorder isn't a proper instrument, which I've had from some people!

Traditionally and stereotypically the flute was a gentleman amateur's instrument. I have always thought this was because wind instruments would be a nightmare to play in tight corsets! 'Young ladies' were all expected to sing so maybe that isn't the reason.

When I see professional orchestras play, the flute players seem to be mostly men

Tamsin - apols for being a Wicked Teacher hi-jacking the student forum here, but as a teacher of flute AND recorder I had to jump in on your comment from people saying the recorder isn't a proper instrument! GRRRRRRRRR. I did advanced study on both instruments and I LOVE THE RECORDER. So bah humbug to the ignorant! A few years back I was on a sad course for sad music teachers (all hairy ankles and beards - and that was just the women) and there was this VERY snooty singer - dahling - there who looked down her snout at me and my beautiful handmade recorders and sniffed "well, the recorder just isn't a PROPER instrument" to which I smiled sweetly and said "ah, but singers aren't real musicians". It shut her up for about 2 minutes and was DEEPLY gratifying! (And I'm not having a go at singers - I admire ANYONE who loves their music). On the subject of boy flautists - OK, the girlies do outnumber the guys but I've had a couple of cracking chaps in recent years - both tall, blonde and gorgeous players. Maybe girlies just prefer shiny things?! Good luck to all you young players out there!

QUOTE (tamsin @ Apr 16 2004, 04:05 PM)

I've been playing the flute for 6 years now, and I still have off days when I just can't get it to sound good! It's really irritating, whether it's just having dry lips, or my flute being cold or it's just me I don't know!

I find with the flute it can take quite a time to warm up sometimes I don't feel I am playing well until after about 30 minutes of practice. Mind you I think having off days is quite normal. I often have off days whether I am playing the flute or the piano. Other days I play really well. It is very annoying when an off day coincides with a lesson.

I agree its weird.
But in the youth orchestras they seem to be mainly girls.

Anna

QUOTE

I've noticed recently that there are very few female horn players about. I've never really thought of the horn as a masculine instrument

well, i do agree, i play trunoet and there aren't many females in the brass sections unfortunately, however for the girls that i know that play brass instruments they know what they are doing. my teacher is female and she is amazining.

(most of the female horn players are good at drinking aswell!!! thought you'd like to know !)

jaime

QUOTE (carys @ Apr 16 2004, 04:49 PM)

When I see professional orchestras play, the flute players seem to be mostly men

That doesn't really say much though because in professional orchestras the musicians in general are mostly men, nomatter what instrument! It's getting better now, but in the past it was really sexist. The Vienna Philharmonic only let women join the orchestra in the late 90s, and even now there are only a few women in it. It's not very fair!

Hello evrybody,
Im a boy and i like the flute so i wanna take it in band but my friends say its girly and i shouldn't play it, but i wanna real bad. Should i take it

Tell that to James Galway!

Out of date, but I just saw this... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA


oooh I say, now wouldn't that make flute choir much more exciting?

For the record, the flute is NOT girly. Anyone who tells you that, tell them to go look up Emmanuel Pahud, James Galway, Gallois, Rampal, and any other number of fantastic MALE flautists!

yes do

look at Emmanuel Pahud, William Bennett, James Galway, Jean Pierre Rampal...theyre all fantastic flautists! all male!

[quote=woodwind,Jul 31 2005, 10:36 PM]
[quote=saxlover,Apr 16 2004, 03:08 PM]i know only 1 lad who played the flute, he gave up after about 2 weeks!! you have to admit though that it is a bit of a girly instrument!! just seems that way to me-coz of the way you hold it and......anyway!! sorry if ive offended any flute players that are lads!!!!

Nat

[/quote]
HAH!!! student girls may have the monopoly on the violin flute and recorder, but if you actually look at concert virtuosos, vast majority are male!

Violin - Nigel Kennedy, Itzhak Perlman (sp?) Zubin Mehta? (or was he a double bassist?)

Flute - mentioned above

Recorder - Frans Bruggen, Phillip Pickett

etc!

ok i will take flute, but my cusin says that the flute is a real hard to play, is that true?

And also i hate when people say somethings girly, and i no a girl who plays grand theft auto san andreas and nobody say's to her that thats boyish or something

embouchure is probably the most trickiest thing on the flute and maintaining a pure tone, especially with middle E

also basic fingerings must be developed early on so as not to continue further in a flute career with incorrect fingerings (i had this problem with low and middle F# but soon corrected it with practise)

Ok now i cant wait to play the flute

i always got told off but a few people in school that only girls play flute and well i don't understand why is it a girly instrument. but soon i realized they are just jealous that i can do something that they cannot do.
by the way, i like James Galway!

I live in the US, and even though flute is pretty female dominated, I don't think it's as bad here. In my school, there are three males who play flute, and three girls. The first two chairs are male, and one of them plays the piccollo. Also, the all district and all state pic players are male. I'm a guy, and I personally like the flute a lot. I think it's a great instrument and is really fun to play.

i couldnt agree more

heh, im in the same position. my band now only has 3 flutes now 2 Grade 8 students left. and im the only one who can play the piccolo or even has 1...its scary now, its me (16) on Grade 6/7, another guy (17) on Grade 7/8 and a young dude (12?) on about Grade 4 all playing the same part. i feel sorry for the little dude, he does struggle at times bless him

I'm sorry, but can someone explain this grade thing to me? Living in the US, this idea is sort of foreign to me. I have been able to figure out that it's based on the level one plays at, and they get scored, but what is it really for? And also, if one where to pick up a new instrument, would they have to start on grade one? Or could they skip to any level they felt they could manage?

the ideal way is starting from Grade 1, and doing each numbered grade upto 8, but, you dont HAVE to start from Grade 1,

take me for instance, i went straight in at Grade 4 on Recorder, and Grade 6 on Piano. DID do Grades 1, 3 and 4 clarinet but quit as i wasn't happy with it.

i have good days and bad days like everyone else! i love playing the flute, but i find it really tiring and some days i just really can't be bothered to breathe properly..and, depending on which room i'm in, the acoustics also make me hate practising. if a room has really bad acoustics and you sound rubbish however well you're playing then i don't like it and give up pretty quickly
and why does there seem to be less female cellists in orchestras, but more solos? ok, so i don't have much experience, but the orchestra cellists seem to be mainly male, but i think i've seen more female solo cellists than males... hmm..

maybe its because cellos are seen to be very graceful, and as we know, women tend to be more graceful

maybe...

I've notice a good many female cellists; the leader of the BBC symphony orchestra, for example. Still haven't seen a female trumpet player though.

I hate the predujice of the flute being a girly instrument, the worst I ever saw was when a guy was in orchestra last year, and we were in sectionals and the sectional leader kept making digs at him about being gay because he played the flute

I know very few male flautists, and all of them appear to be good - probably because they're the only ones that stuck out the ridiculous teaching. I have one male student at the moment on flute, and he only plays it because his parents picked it out - hes 13 and told me that he wants to play a more boyish instrument like the trumpet

Regarding female trumpet players ... I know a ton, perhaps not at professional standard, but in NYSOI two of the four trumpeters are female

Girls seem to have the monopoly of flutes harps celestas violins recorders and cellos/oboes to an extent

Boys seem to have the monopoly of brass, percussion, double basses and clarinets/bassoons

violas and pianos...???

Pianos is very much a mixed group - every second person plays the piano, even if its only chopsticks

Viola's ... Seems to be dominated by males.

I remember reading about a survey on gender/instrument allocation which suggested violin, flute, clarinet, piano and harp were female, and brass and drums were male, and cello and sax are neutral. As a male flute and clarinet player I can only rubbish attitudes of any gender differences in what instruments are suitable. Look no further than James Galway, Michael Cox, Pahud, Bennet, and countless others.

Also, if a girl plays a male dominated instrument, they're regarded as 'breaking the barrier.' But if a guy plays female dominated instruments, they're automatically gay. It's really annoying, because I play flute as my main instrument.

Stupid, isn't it? I play the flute and I'm neither female nor gay. It's the same kind of prejudice that greeted singers like Alfred Deller when the counter-tenor voice was revived forty or fifty years ago. Perhaps it's because high instruments like the flute and the violin sound more feminine while deep instruments like the bassoon and the horn don't. But having said that, what about the trumpet?

Yes. Same applies to a lot of things, like clothing, other hobbies, the list is endless.

i couldnt agree more!!

definitely! just ignore them - it's not a girly instrument - well ok there are more girls playing it, but when you look at professional orchestras there are actually more blokes!

In our school, we have lads playing the violin and some people have said that is for girls too - but the lads who play it don't care. we have two lads playing the violin at the minute (sorry to talk about violin when you are talking about flute but its the same principal)

My advise is to just take it - it will help you improve your technique - if they know you play it anywayz then surely it won't matter if you take it

if you really wanna take it then go for it!

hi yep i feel like that too if you play for a long time on the flute it seems to sound all tinny and when you blow you can always hear it which bugs me! lol but i still wouldnt give it up!!

Down in my corner of the world (Perth, Australia), this seems to be the gender/instrument distribution:

Flute = almost entirely female (but the WASO flute section is almost entirely male)
Oboe = roughly even
Clarinet = slightly more female dominated
Saxophone = roughly even
Bassoon = very much female dominated (although probably a higher percentage of males than in the flute world)

Horn = female dominated (although the WASO horn section is entirely male)
Trumpet = roughly even
Trombone = male dominated (but not by tooooo much)
Tuba = male dominated

Violin = roughly even
Viola = female dominated
Cello = roughly even
Double Bass = ever-so-slightly male dominated

I'm honestly not sure about the recorder. I don't know any serious recorder players!

One of my bassoon students was a male flautist first. He was quite a good flautist, too!

It's a pity the woodwinds seem to be the territory of only females. Not much variety!

Amongst the 2 youth orchestras (not counting the string orchestras or wind orchestras), I think there's only 4 guys and we have 3 of everything... not looking good!

Almost all the bassoonists are female. We had a Bassoon Day last year and there were only a handful of men there.

Hello!! What about the piano by the way? Most violin players i know are female (whose ages range from 7-16) but you see more male adults playing the violin so I don't get it! I think that guys playing the flute/sing operay stuff have the same prejudice as guys who like pink! Well, kind of... even though it doesn't really matter lol.

Well, if you look, there are a lot of male professional flautists. Also, one of the best flute players I know is male. It is true, girls outnumber boys, but maybe, the flute is presented as being "girly" by the people taking/promoting the lessons, so boys don't try it.

[quote=woodwind,Aug 4 2005, 08:58 AM]
[quote=LaFluteDePan,Aug 4 2005, 03:24 AM]Also, if a girl plays a male dominated instrument, they're regarded as 'breaking the barrier.' But if a guy plays female dominated instruments, they're automatically gay. It's really annoying, because I play flute as my main instrument.

[/quote]

Ya, my friends now call me gay because i play the flute?
And i do aggre that because the flute trainers are girls less boys take the flute
I hope sooner or later people will stop thinking flutes are girly
And one more thing, it seems to me that boys are really good flute players too

ok something happened to my last post?

Anyone no what happend to my last post?

so-called friends, by the sounds of it.

and by the way, I think the problem is you need an extra (/quote) between the end of your quotes and where you started typing, but change the ()s to square brackets []

i agree

I really dont no why people think its girly?

Now everyone calls me gay because i wanna play the flute, they say i should play trumpet(which i hate)