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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:

    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:

  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