It was in the root cellar of my grandpa’s old home. I’ve already told some of this story before so I’ll make it brief. So, let me tell you a quick story about my first introduction to flute playing. Some flutes have a design that you can play pretty well, meaning that they feel good, and you can get good, clear tone on, but they will have another problem that stops you from getting real success, like they seem to be really out of tune no matter what you do, or they tend to get leaks really often… like monthly even on some of them.
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If they think a perfectly square tone whole will sound good, then go for it. So, I’m not sure where some of them were going with it, but good luck to them. Some of them are just strange, and I couldn’t get a good sound out to save my life. You know, the one that you blow into on the head joint. Haha, some makers are experimenting with the shape of the tone hole. But, I keep an open mind because you never know when the next best new thing is going to happen. I’m oftentimes surprised at some of the new designs. I attend the National Flute Convention often, and part of what I do while I’m there is spend an entire day on the sales floor checking out the new flutes and meeting the new makers. Now, with technology and sales being global, new instrument brands are popping up constantly.
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Years ago there were a number of core companies that made the flutes and that’s all we used to know about. The second thing we are wanting is a flute that is designed well in the first place so that we sound good on it, right? Since the actual sound of an instrument is the whole point of playing it in the first place, this makes total sense.Įach maker puts his or her own spin on the flute design, and that’s why there are so many different brands.
![artley flute any good artley flute any good](https://media.rainpos.com/7782/artley_wilkins_flute_8.jpg)
It’s just nice to know that a little education will go a long ways, don’t you think? No worries, there are plenty of really great flutes out there for you to make your choice from. Sound dramatic? Haha, It definitely sounds that way as I say it. Parts will fall off, get bent, prematurely brake, and if it is made of cheap material like soft, low-quality silver or nickel, it will not be easy to be put back together. Honestly, it has to be manufactured correctly or the instrument simply will not last. Since the flute is such an intricate instrument. The flutes are stamped out in a factory with machines, boxed up, and send out to stores and customers without being checked. This is a really good thing, and not all companies do it anymore. Or, some companies originally had real master technicians that would check through the instruments before they were sent out to stores to minimize defective instruments from getting through the line. It’s really hard to tell the difference between the old good ones, and the old not-good ones because some companies started out as the reputable brands back in the nineteen sixties, for example, and then changed their manufacturing process or venue (for example, started factories overseas) which resulted in a lower quality grade of metal or less precision in following exact design etc. But, there are a lot of really old flutes floating out there that people find and try to play. Basically, we want what we are paying for. There are two things we are looking for basically, when we are acquiring a new student model flute.įirst, we are hoping the flute will be technically sound and manufactured of materials that will make it last a long time. In the online learning world, we have a lot of do-it-yourselfers, so you’ll just have to take the information I give here and use it to further educate yourself so you can do the best you are able to. No one wants one of those, right? So, I love helping make sure we get the right thing.) Here, for example when someone calls me about taking flute lessons, we discuss if they’ve already acquired a flute (and I am always in hope that they haven’t because it makes me very happy when I get to steer a new student to the highest quality flute they are able to purchase that will help ensure their success… because there is the total opposite – that is – flutes that make it really hard to learn and sound good on.
![artley flute any good artley flute any good](https://bid.auctionbymayo.com/images/lot/4456/4456999_0.jpg)
Now, before we get to answering this exact question, I’d like to help you understand how the flute choosing process works inside a flute studio. And that is of: What Flute Brands Are Good? This is a very good question, and I think it deserves a little education and attention. I’m Rebecca Fuller, and today we’re going to do a little dive into the question I get all the time from you online flute learners. Welcome to the Learn Flute Podcast! Episode number eighty eight. What flute brands are good? Let’s explore the answer today.