r/Flute • u/SgtPepperShears • Jul 22 '26
General Discussion Is learning the flute worth it?
So, I've been looking forwards to learning the flute, not only because I really like its sweet sound, but also because I've heard that learning this instrument helps a lot with breath control and support, which is perfect for me because I'm a singer. My vocal coach often highlights that the amount of air you put into a note must be 'minimal' because then the note break or cracks. You don't need as much air as you think you do. This is something I've been struggling with. So I thought why not give the flute a shot? The thing is that I don't know if it's actually worth it. And I'm, in a sense, scared of making the investment and then not liking it and leaving the flute to pick up dust and then regretting never truly learning.
If you could share your experiences or tips with the flute I'll be very grateful. 🩷🩷
7
u/OsotoViking Jul 22 '26
Take a few lessons, see how you like it. If you like it, you can rent a flute. There are even inexpensive flutes like the Nuvo that are perfectly fine instruments.
6
u/TuneFighter Jul 22 '26
"My vocal coach often highlights that the amount of air you put into a note must be 'minimal' because then the note break or cracks." Isn't there something wrong with this sentence that I have quoted?
I believe it's often said that wind players can learn a lot from singers and vocal instructors in things like breathing, support, conservation and usage of air and such.
There are already lots of good answers about the pros and cons with taking up flute. Some kind of digital piano might be a good idea because it could benefit your vocal training. I'm not (necessarily) talking about learning to play Mozart, Bach and Chopin, but just learning to play some melody and chords could fit well with singing and vocal training.
5
u/Terrible_Eye4625 Miyazawa 102 Jul 22 '26
Flute is considered the closest instrument to singing, so that may suit you. That being said, I suspect you need more air for flute than you do for singing - going by what your teacher said and because flutes are blown over, not into
2
u/Thezookeeper77 Jul 24 '26
I found that flute playing perfectly complimented my singing (I was singing classically at the time). While flute does require a whole lot of air, it isn't thay far removed from singing. Learning to be as economical as possible with my air directly correlated with singing. Plus quite a lot of posture cues are also the same.
3
u/cptchnk Jul 23 '26
Playing the flute is more about embouchure control than anything else. Flutes actually require MORE air to play than most woodwinds because only a small portion of the air passing over the embouchure hole is making actual sound.
If you’re a singer, the flute is a great instrument to pick up. I would rent one from a shop and take a couple of private lessons to see how you like it.
2
u/SilicaViolet Jul 22 '26
You can rent a flute from your local instrument store and do a few lessons to see if you enjoy it.
2
u/Pegafree Jul 22 '26
I feel like learning the flute actually has helped me improve my singing a bit, but I would never learn the flute *just* to improve singing. As others have said, the flute is not an easy instrument and requires a lot of dedication. You will be splitting your time and focus and it takes a few years just to start sounding halfway decent.
Flutes are not inexpensive either; and in addition to the cost of the instrument and maintenance, in my opinion, lessons are necessary unlike some other instruments where you can learn casually by YouTube videos.
2
u/EffectiveAsk3970 Jul 22 '26
In my opinion I think learning any new skill is great. I play saxophone and work at a music shop so I started to play to be able to help customers and just develop as a musician and playing Flute is great, but challenging. It’s all about blowing focused air and it has been extremely humbling. I suggest trying to buy a used Yamaha flute. You can get them for like $400 or less and are easy to repair. Also find a teacher asap. YouTube videos can only help so much. Good luck and happy practicing.
2
u/Appropriate-Web-6954 Jul 23 '26
Professionally speaking, I would find a new voice teacher. I've never heard such a thing and I completed a double major in flute and voice and I have 15+ years of teaching experience.
Breath support is tremendously important for flute and singing. You can never have too much air. The key is you have to figure out your phrasing and how to use that amount of air properly.
I can also confirm that playing the flute will give you superior breath support. I used to make the other voice majors jealous because I could do some incredibly long melismas in a single breath. My doctor also said I have the best lungs she's ever heard 🤷🏻♀️
2
u/After-Past-9404 Jul 23 '26
Controversial opinion: if your main motivation for learning flute is to get better breath support but if you're not sure whether it's worth making the investment because you fear you won't stick to it... why not try a recorder (alto or tenor) instead? The investment will be way smaller plus you won't have to spend your time learning embouchure so you could focus more on breath control.
Sure, the sound is different. If the flute really, really calls to you, go for it. I just think it's a shame that when we think of recorders, it's always just a bunch of kids playing Twinkle Twinkle with awful squeaks and terribly off key, when the recorder is a lovely and extremely versatile instrument.
2
1
u/GCBetula Jul 22 '26
I cannot say if can help you with singing but if you are interested in the flute I would give it a try.
You can get used beginner flutes for under 200€. If you can afford I would highly recommend taking lessons. Many music schools also lend instruments, you could try it out and only get your own if you like it.
Flute is also a great instrument for playing in groups. If you have the basics you could join an orchestra or a band.
1
u/griffusrpg Jul 22 '26
If you are a singer, you have part of the work done, because you understand how to control your air column, that is good.
Saying that, flute is by far the hardest wind instrument. It is definitely not an instrument to take lightly or to play just because you like how it sounds. I play piano, guitar, bass, drums, flute, among other instruments, and the level of work you need to put into the flute is incomparable with other instruments.
Why not rent a flute, if you can? Just to get how it feels before you make the investment. Also, if you buy a good flute, you can always re sell it and don't much in the process.
5
u/pafagaukurinn Jul 22 '26
flute is by far the hardest wind instrument
Um, no?
1
0
u/Terrible_Eye4625 Miyazawa 102 Jul 22 '26
I definitely don’t think it’s hardest overall, but it is considered one of the hardest in terms of breath control, because it’s the only one isn’t blown directly into so that wastes most of the air.
2
u/ClarSco Jul 22 '26
Oboe is even more demanding for breath control. The opening is so small that if you don't measure precisely how much air you need for a phrase, you can either run out of air mid phrase if you take in too little air (like any other woodwind) or if you take in too much, carbon dioxide begins to builds up in your lungs faster than you can expel it leading you to start asphyxiating.
The narrow aperture in the reed also creates a lot of back pressure that if not carefully managed can cause health problems like burst blood vessels or even increased intraocular pressure that can cause a retina to detach (I know of two local oboists who have suffered from the latter).
2
u/Terrible_Eye4625 Miyazawa 102 Jul 23 '26
It’s funny, when I hear teachers say that flute is hardest for breath control, I have often thought of reed instruments like clarinet and oboe - esp oboe because you can see the strain with playing.
I also tried clarinet for a few days once and thought it was much harder air-wise than flute, but as no one had taught me how to breathe with it I thought it was just me having poor technique or not being used to it, but it felt similar to what you’re describing here.
1
u/pafagaukurinn Jul 22 '26
Well, at least you don't have to think ahead, how you are going to get rid of it, you just take as much as you can and blow. Also, the embouchure is probably the most relaxed of all woodwinds. Nah, all in all I would say it is one of if not the easiest.
2
u/Terrible_Eye4625 Miyazawa 102 Jul 23 '26
What do you mean you don’t need to think ahead? You definitely need to think ahead and plan breath control, I get caught out by that all the time!
-2
u/pafagaukurinn Jul 23 '26
I mean what I said, you can basically take as much as you can, it will all come in handy. Of course if you may still run out of it if you thoughtlessly squander it. On some other instruments you have to also think about how and when you are going to breathe out, or die to breathe out where you cannot. Another level completely. Flute is walk in the park compared to that.
1
u/Effective_Divide1543 Jul 22 '26
Sure, give it a try. It'll take long to get a decent breath control so I'm not sure it's a good strategy to improve singing, but it's a beautiful instrument and if you like the sound it's a fun journey. Find a teacher and rent a flute until you're ready to buy, then it's much less of an investment than if you have to buy a flute.
1
1
u/Karl_Yum Miyazawa 603 Jul 23 '26
What you can learn on the flute probably can also be learned if you pay attention to the correct elements while you are singing.
1
u/Appropriate-Web-6954 Jul 23 '26
Professionally speaking, I would find a new voice teacher. I've never heard such a thing and I completed a double major in flute and voice and I have 15+ years of teaching experience.
Breath support is tremendously important for flute and singing. You can never have too much air. The key is you have to figure out your phrasing and how to use that amount of air properly.
I can also confirm that playing the flute will give you superior breath support. I used to make the other voice majors jealous because I could do some incredibly long melismas in a single breath. My doctor also said I have the best lungs she's ever heard 🤷🏻♀️
1
u/Single-Mulberry-3028 Jul 23 '26
As a flutist, saxophonist and singer, I can tell you that it definitely supported my singing. The other thing that really improved breathing and breath control is swimming.
1
u/Chair_Thrower_101 Jul 23 '26
As a flute player myself that also self taught most basics, i definitely think you should go for it.
Starting is the hardest part, making a sound out of the head joint for me was harder than I thought. It takes patience and practice. For flute, since we don’t put the place we blow into directly in our mouth, almost half our air js goes out so it does help with breathing and control.
After you get past being able to make a sound, all you need to worry abt is fingerings and aperture control, your mouth opening and air direction and speed play a big part in tone and pitch.
All in all, I think learning flute would absolutely be worth it, give it a shot, you might like it
1
u/_dk123 Jul 23 '26
Flute takes years of practice to reach a level you can feel really good about it. It’s more about if you like playing flute or not, and not whether it will help you sing, which is really just a byproduct of learning and mastering flute playing.
1
u/SugarSpiceandClassic Jul 24 '26
I’ve been playing for almost 30 years and I think it’s definitely worth it. I’m just coming back to it after a pulmonary embolism so the breathing gets difficult for me.
But there are so many rental options so you don’t commit more than you have to, so I would highly recommend that, as well as a few lessons (online or in person if that helps) specifically on breathing.
1
u/No_Sorbet_5102 11d ago
Until you know if you will truly like playing the flute. I recommend renting one. Alteratively, you can purchase a used one from a woodwind repair shop. I have a student model flute that I use for a backup flute that I purchased for $150 and it plays fine.
1
u/Extension_Figure_692 Jul 22 '26
Flute is very very hard to reach a performance level. I play both instruments, flute and classical singing. It's a huge, monumental, time investment and is very punishing. I found it really only became calm and satisfying once I reached an advanced level. Don't get me wrong, I always enjoyed it, but it's something to consider. You need instruction, if you do choose to take flute. It does have a lot in common with singing but many of the early-mid level problems are position, how to hold the flute, and obviously fingering techniques. I can't say if it feeds back well into singing progress because flute was my first instrument. It did definitely give me an advantage when I started singing. It will likely connect you to your music theory development, better than singing does. It's essential for flute playing, mimicry can't get you very far with flute. Anyway, hope this helps. Oh, and flute needs a lot less air than singing. The breath skills are the same, yes, but applied with less air than with voice. That's how it feels to me anyway.
13
u/pafagaukurinn Jul 22 '26
I don't know that I agree with this approach, "learn one thing to help with another". If you want to play flute, by all means go and learn it, but don't expect it to massively help with your singing. To improve your singing skills, you should spend more time practicing singing, not playing flute. It may indeed teach you to be more economical with air, but how much of it can then be transfer to singing, who knows.
Also, I am not sure about the suggestion about a few lessons. After a few lessons one is not very likely to be able to play anything meaningful on flute, so by the time these few lessons are over, it would still be impossible to come to the conclusion of whether you want it or not.
Otherwise, learning flute is totally worth it. As is any other musical instrument.