r/Flute

Hi everyone! I'm learning how to play the bamboo flute. I can already make a sound (my embocature isn't perfect yet, but I can at least get a sound out of it). However, when I try to cover the holes to play different notes, the sound doesn't change at all, it just stays the same. How can I fix this? Any tips?

Looking for advice on choosing a technical piece for an audition. I will need just a short section of it. I learn quickly so anything is on the table. I just need something impressive and flashy! Any thoughts?

I've been playing flute for about 7 years and I'm currently around Grade 5 level. I'm in the UK. I play in a youth orchestra, at school, for grade exams, and I practice almost every day. My current flute is a Buffet Crampon Cooper 6000 student flute that I got cheap off eBay as a "temporary" flute but ended up sticking with for about 4-5 years now.

Im starting to feel limited by my flute in terms of tone, projection, response, switching between registers and my flute in general feels sort of "chunky" and loose and less precise with fingering if that makes any sense. Keep in mind I have never had my flute professionally serviced (my flute teacher has fixed a few things here and there though).

My budget is realistically around £500 (I'm still in school and anything above that is quite difficult). I've been looking at Just Flutes but most flutes are very expensive except one pre-owned Trevor James model but it hasn't got a silver headjoint (an aspect I have been told it's important?).

I haven't looked properly on eBay yet but I'm a bit cautious buying from there as apparently a lot of flutes on there are fakes. I've found many Yamahas which look like they should be £1000+ priced at under £300 and it looks a bit sketchy, but I could be wrong.

I would appreciate some recommendations of websites / flutes I should look into. Or should I not get a new flute at all? I understand that trying flutes in store is ideal and I might get the opportunity to as well. Thank you!

Anyone else get to/have to play the piccolo solo this year?

I personally find flutes that generally have more wear like tarnish or a strong lip marks on the instrument feel a lot more personal than always having a super clean, shiny flute. I obviously believe pads and cork need to be replaced, but I’ve always liked the tarnish on the outside of the instrument, it looks a lot more characteristic of how much the flute is used. does anyone stand by me on this? i would also just like to know if it’s okay if I wish to keep the ‘wear’ on the instrument because as far as I’m aware, it’s only cosmetic show.

hello to everyone, How much should I worry about playing outside, such as in a forest or on a beach with no wind? I know our instrument is very sensitive to dirt and moisture, but I would love to play outdoors. I know that bad weather or strong winds can be dangerous, but for normal weather conditions, how worried should I really be?"

I wanted to learn how to play flute and I cant borrow from anyone, which one should I buy? There are these Radhe Flute options on Amazon, can I get those? I just want to get started and when I'm comfortable playing I'd be okay paying more to get a good one.

Hi I'm trying to record for an audition (audio, not video :) ) and when I'm listening I can hear myself breathing like SO LOUD! Will the people judging care? Like will it matter?? Please help the auditions are due today!

For context, I've had at least one type of flute around on my desk for the vast majority of my life, though I was never trained.

I've been comfortable playing the modern C Flute, Soprano, Alto and Tenor recorder, and the Celtic whistle in just about every key from High G all the way down through the Alto range to the stupidly big low/bass G.

I've recently been working on my old abandoned Baroque compositions and am desperate for something to experiment with to come up with ideas on. It has been a few years since I've played a transverse flute but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it again (assuming it is anything like riding a bike).

My question would be, where on Earth do I start? I am aware there are resin models out there for very good prices but are they worth it? For context, I do not see myself ever playing in an ensemble, at most I'd be recording in my home studio for my own compositions so I'm really just after something in tune that doesn't sound cheap. My true main goal for this will be slouched out on a beanbag improvising until a theme or subject comes to mind.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

So, I don't know how or why but recently I've been humming the notes along whenever I play the flute. Which, doesn't exactly help when I play!

What are some tips on controlling this (or possibly even managing to stop doing this?)?

"I am currently playing Grade 1–2 pieces and want to find backing tracks to practice with. Right now, I'm searching for my pieces on YouTube and playing along, but my biggest issue is that I can't find many of the pieces I'm looking for. While I would love any YouTube channel recommendations, I am really looking for something more customizable—ideally with features that let me adjust the tempo smoothly, change keys, or mute specific parts (like silencing the lead flute track so I can take over later in my practice). I recently heard about Tomplay but don't know much about it. How is it, and are there other sites or apps you would recommend for playing along with accompaniments?"

I’m playing a couple of children’s concerts with a chamber group this summer and as part of them we will be introducing our instruments. We’ve been asked to select a snippet of music representative of our instruments, and I’d love some suggestions for both the flute and the piccolo.

I am a reasonably advanced player but not a professional, and am looking for something not overly difficult so I can focus my extremely limited practice time on the actual pieces we’re playing (i.e. no Saint-Saëns Volière or Peter and the Wolf.).

So far my ideas include Vivaldi’s Goldfinch concerto (for the bird vibes) or maybe something out of the Hungarian Pastoral Fantasy. Help me out! What will make a kid go home saying “I really liked that sideways metal tube thing”?

Thanks in advance!

Hello! A long time ago I used to be a half decent flautist... Now I'm a teacher. I have a huge amount of advanced flute repertoire that I'm realistically never going to play again. Can anyone recommend the best platforms to sell it?

I'm a serious hobbyist flutist. I mostly play by ear, often playing along with recordings, and I play mainly for enjoyment and musical expression rather than exams, ensembles, or professional goals.

My current flute is a Yamaha YFL-221.

The low and middle registers are comfortable and reliable. The third octave is less consistent, especially high E and above. I can hear and experiment with tone colors and dynamics, but my control is not always consistent.

I've tried a few friends' flutes. One felt very similar to mine, while another was easier to play but had a less rich tone. The main thing I learned is that I value tone quality and musical satisfaction at least as much as ease of playing. I also genuinely enjoy my current YFL-221.

The price difference between the YFL-372 and YFL-472 in my area is very small, so cost is not really a factor.

Questions:

1. How noticeable is the difference between the YFL-372 and YFL-472 in actual playing? Is the YFL-472 harder to play, especially for someone with my abilities and goals?

2. Is the upgrade from the Yamaha YFL-221 to either model substantial enough to justify the cost?

I'm much more interested in real playing experience than in specifications or marketing claims.

Thanks!