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THE WOODWIND FAMILY
HISTORY
Flutes have been around for hundreds of years. The earliest transverse flute (a
flute which is held sideways to play) on record is the ch'ie from China, played about
900BC. Early flutes were made in one piece out of wood, bone or metal. By the
late-17th century, they were constructed in three pieces with adjustable joints that made
it easier to fine tune the instrument's pitch.
Flutes were played by covering holes with one's fingers. However, during the
1830s, Theobald Boehm (1794-1881) developed a system of keys and springs to replace many
of the open holes. The Boehm invention required a complete fingering change for the flute
(flutists had to re-learn everything!), so it was slow in gaining popularity. Today,
nearly 150 years later, the Boehm flute is used almost exclusively in contemporary western
orchestras. At the top of this page is a flute made by the Gemeinhardt company. It
is interesting to note that Arthur Gemeinhardt learned to build flutes from Emil
Rittershausen, who learned from Theobald Boehm.
PROBLEM SOLVING
I recommend that you get started with a teacher so that you learn to hold your flute
correctly, and make your first sounds correctly. However, if you have problems, here
are some suggestions:
No sound? Some possible solutions:
Blow more into the hole, |
place more lip over the hole, |
change your mouth to more of a "whee" shape. |
Are you getting some sound, but more air
than sound? Try lowering your chin and blowing down. It's
also possible you have too large an opening between your lips, so make more of an
"oo" shape with your lips.
Sometimes young flutists get a high-pitched whistle
sound, or "overtone". Some suggestions:
Try blowing less hard, |
turn the head joint out, away from your mouth, |
cover less hole with your lips. |
Also, make sure that with each note you play, your
tongue makes the word "too".
STICK WITH IT!! Flute is difficult for many beginners, but
the reward is well worth it.
BUYING A
FLUTE
There are basically three different types of flutes:
Beginner, Intermediate, and Professional. Obviously, the prices and
qualities are different depending on the brand and model. Here's what
you'll typically see:
BEGINNERS:
The arms, holding the keys on, are "Y" arms. This
means they are sturdy but don't seat quite as the French pointed arms on
professional models. The body, headjoint, and embouchure
plate are silver- or nickel-plated, not solid. There
are no extra keys. The footjoint allows the flutist to play
down to a low C and has only three keys. The mechanism (meaning
the keys, rods, springs, etc.) is sturdy but relatively slow. The G
key is sometimes "inline" or sometimes "offset." This key is used
by the student's third finger, and is sometimes easier for small hands to
play if it is offset. This level of flute is available in open hole
or closed hole but 99% or more of beginners should start on a
closed hole flute. Open hole flutes have a brighter, clearer sound but
are more difficult to play, since the student's fingers must press the key,
while covering the hole.
INTERMEDIATE:
Typically, this model will have "Y" arms, a solid silver
headjoint, a silver-plated body. The mechanism will
work better and there will be more options. The G key can still
be inline or offset, the student might want open holes if his or her
hands are big enough, and perhaps a B foot. The B foot allows
the student to go down one more note.
PROFESSIONAL:
The professional model often has "French pointed" arms,
which attach to the center top of each key, allowing them to seat better on
the hole. Most often these flutes have an inline G key, a B
foot, and are open hole. The headjoint and body
are usually solid silver, which is not as durable but sounds better.
There are also other options available, like a gold body, a "gizmo" key, and
a "split E" key, all of which improve the sound and playability.
There are many different makers of flutes, but I found some
info at Gemeinhardt's Website about "stepping up"
http://www.gemeinhardt.com/how/upgrade.html . They also have a
brochure, for which you need to have Adobe Acrobat:
http://www.gemeinhardt.com/pdf/FlutesBrochure.pdf - you can see some of
the different models here. Keep in mind that buying a flute, for
anyone who has been playing flute, should involve going to a store and
actually trying out some flutes.
LINKS
Flute : The One & Only
Resource You Need
Larry Krantz Flute Homepage
Flute and Piccolo Place
Steph's Music Links
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