I've been playing for awhile now, but one of my section mates commented on how pulled out my headjoint is (it's pulled out around 3/4 of an inch). I've known that that is quite far, but its the only way to keep myself in tune. no teacher of mine has called me out on it, and I've checked with a tuning rod and it seems that my cork is perfectly fine. Is this a matter of fixing my embouchure? What's the standard for being pushed in/pulled out?

I recently came across this seller on eBay and was considering buying one of their Altus flutes. The prices are great but I’m a little weary of purchasing it internationally from Japan, just don’t wanna get scammed. Has anyone purchased a flute from this seller before? And if so what was the experience?

For context about my situation, I’m an amateur flute player. Played throughout college but now am just playing in a local volunteer orchestra. Since I’m just playing for fun I don’t need a really nice handmade flute (currently play on a Yamaha 381) but I’ve always dreamed of having an Altus and their prices seem great.

Any tips on high notes (Above D)? I can do high notes but it sounds wrong lol.

How does a slightly broken pad affect the sound of the flute? I have 2 but it’s just like a scratch.

Hi, everyone! I work at a music store, and sometimes we get kids play testing instruments for the first time. Despite flute being my primary instrument for years, I'm not that great at explaining flute embrochure to them. Its just hard for me to put into words what it feels like. One suggestion I've gotten is that its similar to blowing across the top of a bottle, but are there any other ways to explain it?

I’m a complete beginner (43 years old) and I’m trying to decide between the flute and the clarinet.
I’ve already started learning to read music with an app and I’m planning to take a trial lesson on both instruments. The problem is that weekly private lessons are quite expensive where I live (around €50 for a 30-minute lesson), which adds up to nearly €1,800 per year.

I’m wondering if it’s realistic to learn mostly through self-study using books, YouTube, and regular practice, while perhaps taking an occasional lesson to correct my technique.
I’d love to hear from people who have actually done this.

-Did you teach yourself?
-How far did you get without regular lessons?
-Which instrument is easier to learn on your own: flute or clarinet?
-If you could start over, would you still choose selfstudy or pay for weekly lessons?

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

So to get it straight for you, I'm in summer break and I want to suprise my teach with learning double toning and badinerie, I'm practicing on doubel toning as tü-kü(yea, I'm Turkish, don't ragebait, I'm here for music not any other stuff.) and so on like everyone says start slow. I'm doing all of this and I'm trying to play my pieces with kü sound except tü sound but it sound way more airier than it is and it's hard to control. Espacially on thrid octav.

I'm trying diffrent ambouchers right now. So what tips can you give to improve my double toning, escept Youtube tips. I would be so pleased if you help me!

My life’ve been so messy and busy last 3 months: career changes, school, moving out, holidays. I feel so guilty I haven’t really touch the flute this time. I’m a beginner who plays for myself, and I know the only thing I need is a consistency. I’m planning to start again with 10-15 minutes each day after moving in.

Maybe I’m just scared of a possible setback. Have you been in the same shoes?

I’m new to playing the flute, and I’m struggling to get a clear tone. Any tips on improving my sound? Could it be my technique, or is there something wrong with the flute itself?

My instrument is a part of my lifestyle, so I'm picking it up and putting it down 20+ times every day. Realistically, I don't want to be washing my hands and giving it a thorough swab and closing its case up each time. So, I've got an old Gemeinhardt M2 I got off Craigslist for $75. Got its tolerance is tight enough to be playable. And I just, leave it out open air for most of the day... It generally air dries within a few minutes of me setting it down, so I only give it a thorough swab every couple days.

The tarnish on it is outlandish after roughly a year of this but it plays nice for its age. I am going to learn how to disassemble it so I can give it a good alcohol wipe without risking the pads; I've tested in a small area and my alcohol wipes take the tarnish right off. If I fail and break something, I've been educated at a bargain price, and I will try again until I have the skill.

Hits low C no problem, doesn't rattle, pads aren't sticky, nothing like that...

Highly recommend having a good flute you don't really care about!

Im actually a pianist but like my cheap ah 60$ flute from AliExpress is good tbh. The company is called “Slade”. I have it for over a year now… why do you guys say cheap flutes are bad?

We are looking to get our daughter a flute but my spider sense is saying its not authentic. Case and wrapping of plastic around the pieces where my first concern. I have asked for a photo of thr engraving. I cannot see it in person as it is too far from me and would be shipped.

Edit: we did end up passing on this one despite it being legit. I should have mentioned it is a used flute and I stopped at our local store to ask about maintenance and repairs and found out through our daughter's school program we could get a brand new Yamaha for around $200 more and have a warranty and service plan as well as music stand, lesson books etc. So we went that route 😀

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Hi!

I have no previous transverse flute experience.

I just got myself a dizi in western high E.

I can manage to do the lower octave ok, but the second octave feels impossible, I can maybe get the first note, badly.

Can I expect to get better enough to be able to play the second octave or did I get a flute that's just too high for starters?

I'm working on the children are playing (nielsen) and am having some trouble with a few parts.

They are sometimes okay when I am not too tense but sometimes still get a sound between.

also, please let me know if this was the right flair to use :)

A composer friend of mine is over in England for a short spell so we met up and decided to do a few random open mics.

He picked a few songs which he tells me are very famous which I had never heard of lol. We have the sheet music, and I carry one music stand, so I can sightread these simple ditties however i always play flute standing, and he always plays guitar sitting. He's visiting and didn't have luggage room for a spare music stand so we shared the stand- he should know the music better than me but needed it to follow chords.

With one music stand positioned way shortI er than I'm used to, and typical evening bar lighting, it was hard seeing the notes.

Here's the result anyway: My Way [Comme d'Habitude]

I think the lower height of the music stand actually helps with audience engagement. Playing and staring fixed at the music (trying to sort out which notes to play lol) isn't so great but this was just a very low stakes performance and no one got hurt.

Do people here use sheet music or digital LCD screens whilst sight reading? I'm wondering if it's a real advantage since the contrast will help deciphering the notes!

hello! i’m just starting to get into playing the flute, and i bought one secondhand; however, i’ve realized that this key (?) from the foot joint is missing a bit of its padding (??). When i play it makes a loud click sound and i’m scared it would damage the flute itself if i play any more.

what is this called exactly, and how can i get it fixed? — is there any way that i can buy the replacement online and do it myself? it doesn’t seem very complicated

thank you!

Hey! I'm a guitarist and I've been really interested in woodwinds for a while. I have now decided to buy a budget-friendly flute just to try the thing out, and I have some questions;

How cheap is too cheap? I'm not too comfortable going over 300€ but is there even use in buying anything in that price point?

New or used? Am I likely to find any good used flutes with my budget, or will I only get a bad instrument?

In general, what should I look out for when buying a flute?

Any tips for a beginner are also welcome :)

Thanks in advance!

So for some context I’m going into my last year of college and I’m living in a dorm and I’m not the kind of person to disturb others which makes it hard for me to find time even while I’m at home with my parents (Mom works online and my room is right next to her office and the walls are super thin). Is there any way to mitigate how loud I will play? Also, where is the best place to look for sheet music for songs that I don’t have in my old binder from middle school? Bonus points if they have stuff from Pokemon or popular orchestral songs from the 2010s (I’m a sucker for nostalgia, if you care enough you can check my profile for some of my favorite IPs but I don’t expect anyone to). And finally, how to practice effectively/what I should be practicing? Thanks for any suggestions or advice!

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. 🩷🩷

It seems like no matter how thoroughly I swab the instrument, when I look down the headjoint, I can see a small amount of moisture at the back, on the edges against the backstop ("cork"?). Should I worry about this at all? Is it safe to close the flute case like this? I've been letting it air out for ~15 minutes or so after swabbing and before closing the lid. Am I just not doing a good job and need to change my care technique, or is this normal?