Flute Purchasing Tips

The things to keep in mind when you are purchasing a flute differ depending on your reasons for buying. A first ever flute purchase is an entirely different experience than that of an experienced musician searching for a higher-end professional, or even custom and handmade model flute. Depending on your situation, here we’ve listed some important points to consider. The first portion of this article is for beginner or intermediate players who are looking to purchase their first flute or upgrade their existing one from a beginner to intermediate model. The second portion is for more advanced players and deals with buying "the" flute; an expensive professional model.

The first ever flute purchase

Awesome! You want to buy a flute! But before you get too excited, remember this:

1. Have you played the flute before?

If not, consider renting a flute from your local music store. Yamaha is generally a safe, quality bet for student model flutes (see #3, below). Renting allows you to try out models and decide what you like before the commitment of a purchase. As well, by renting a student model until you become more experienced and proficient, you have a better idea of what you really want, and can be more confident when you do eventually buy a flute. Which brings us to our next point…..

2. What do you really want?

If you do already play, how long have you been playing? Where do you want go with flute playing? Is it something you want to take seriously or keep as an enjoyable hobby?

My recommendation is this: if you want a flute that will last you through high school, or if you just want a nice, quality flute to play at local festivals, purchase an intermediate model. Basic model: open-holed, C-foot, with a silver headjoint. Even better (more $): open-holed, B-foot, all silver. This last model is more for someone that wants to have a versatile, nice-sounding instrument. Both our recommendations include open-hole, but that’s because open-holed flutes, at least to us and the other average flute-player, just sound better and offer a lot more tone. The same goes for the silver material. It’s more money, but it sounds better. If you have really teeny hands, though, try out an open-hole to see if you can play with your fingers covering the holes and still feel comfortable.

3. What brand should you buy?

This subject is a bit touchy, even a little between Justin and I. Brand is really a matter of personal taste, so I highly recommend you go to several different music stores to sample the flute brands they carry. I played a simple (open-holed, C-foot, silver headjoint) intermediate Yamaha throughout junior and senior high and I still won auditions and competed well at festivals. Justin plays on a Gemeinhardt open-holed, all-silver B-foot flute. It’s all a matter of preference. Play a flute that you like, that sounds and works well, and feels comfortable to hold.

4. What should you look for?

If you aren’t experienced at playing beyond 3 or 4 years, seriously consider bringing your private lesson teacher or at least someone more experienced with you (even your band teacher, especially if they play flute) to a music store for a second opinion.

Check out the flute’s mechanisms. Do all the keys move smoothly? Look at the front of the keys horizontally, so you can see them seal. Do any leak? Try a few scales and check. Play a “D.” Does the pitch project well? Is it free from whistle-like noises? Bringing someone along for a second opinion is always valuable for checking the sound of the instrument. Also, check the headjoint and body for warping; the tube of the instrument should be straight and smooth. Make sure the headjoint and its lip-plate aren’t dented. Do you like the feel of the flute? Is it comfortable? Try both in-line and off-set G flutes. What feels better in your hands?

5. Consider purchasing a used instrument.

Used instruments, particularly for a first purchase, can be a great bargain. Go to high school music programs, and find out if any of its graduating flute players will be selling their instruments. Call the music store and see if they have used instruments, and what brands. Check your newspaper. Go to www.fluteworld.com and peruse their stock. Just like a new instrument, check out all the same points as mentioned above. Keep in mind that a used flute will probably have signs of wear, including some scratches or even small dents. Try out the flute and make sure damage doesn’t interfere with the sound, and that it is still worth its price.

Good luck! Don’t hesitate to email if you want to know more!

Buying “THE” flute

Congratulations! So now that you’ve become a serious flute performer and find your high-school flute is lacking as you tackle the heavy-duty repertoire, you have decided to invest money into a major flute purchase.

1. How much you want to spend?

Even though they are all considered “professional” standard models, the price range of higher end flute models exist within a very broad price range. The first level of professional flutes are generally around $4000 (CDN), the second at about $6-7000, another at about $10 000, and finally, the most incredibly expensive models can be anywhere between $15 000 to $30 000 and beyond!

Yikes. With costs like that, you have to be very careful to choose an instrument that’s the one you’ve always dreamed of, but still within your price range. For an in-progress or even graduating BMus student, I’d say what you want is something in the $6-7000 range. You’ll get a gorgeous, satisfying instrument that will last you at least until you have the money to upgrade it.

2. What features do you want or need?

Split-E, donut, d-# roller, c-# trill, clutch-E mechanism, in-line, off-set, … All the fancy features available on professional can be daunting at first. Talk with your professor or teacher and see what features they have on their flute. Ask their opinion. Try out flutes which have these options on them - often your music store will find a model with these features and order it in for you, and even loan it out to you to try. Remember: it’s your flute and your money; only choose features that you feel are comfortable and worthwhile.

Split-E, donut and clutch-E mechanisms are meant to facilitate a clearer, better high E. You don’t have to have them, but it’s a nice feature for your high register. D-# rollers make it easier for your right-hand pinky to slide from the d-# (you may call it the Eb key) to low C and B. The c-# trill is actually very handy, and allows easier and more in tune trills not only from C to C# but a variety of other handy notes. You can also purchase a flute with a heavy wall, meant to produce a darker, heavier sound. Try any or all of these options out for yourself and decide if you find them useful.

3.What brands do you have to choose from?

If you want a fabulous (and fabulously expensive) flute, buy a Brannen-Cooper. They’re beautiful, and they sound beautiful. If you don’t have the extra $20 000 +, however, there are several brands to check out. Try the Powell 2100 series, or their very nice (but more expensive) gold-silver combination Powell Aurumites. Muramatsu makes some really nice models too, and the Yamaha 700 or higher series are worth trying out. There’s also Miyazawa, Prima Sankyo, and Pearl. Remember that the price ranges within each of these companies varies not only by model, but by store. Shop around, especially on the internet. Flute World is great for finding flutes, sometimes you can even find a used Brannen-Cooper there! (But even used, it’s still more expensive than most new flutes) Check out our links page for more information.

4. Is it really worth the big bucks?

The great expense entailed is shocking to someone first pricing out their dream flute. It may be worth it to save your money and work with what you have, for the moment. Remember that even an intermediate model can serve your need quite well until you have the money! Make sure that you are purchasing for the right reasons; just because you have a shiny new instrument doesn’t mean you’re instantly a better flute player.

5. What are my other options?

So if the prices are daunting but you really, really want to upgrade your instrument, consider a new headjoint. More than anything, the head-piece of your instrument affects your sound, and besides the relatively low cost compared to a flute, a headjoint allows you to test out the sound of a new instrument without the complete purchase of one. Every brand usually offers an entire line of headjoints, most of which can be purchase separately, rather than with an entire flute. Besides the different materials, which include silver, varying karats of gold, and the Aurumite gold-silver combination, the embouchure hole of the headjoint is available in different “cuts.” Meant to produce different qualities of sound production, most flute-makers will provide you a list of the headjoint cuts (usually something alphabetical, like Yamaha’s EC cut, or Powell’s Q) and their specific purpose. Check with music stores to see if they will order in one or all of a brands headjoints to try.

And never forget, used flutes are still an option, though you have to dig deeper for the professional model deals. Check out Flute World, but also check with your flute professor or teacher, who will normally keep track of what flutes their colleagues have on the market. Keep an open eye for what you want.

We hope this helps you find the perfect flute!