Flute and Music Academy 2014

What is Flute?
Flute is the highest sounding and the only non-reed woodwind instrument. It is
cylindrical in shape. There are several flutes in the flute family:
Piccolo:
o The smallest flute.
o Sounded one octave higher than the regular flute.
o Usually made of wood.
The concert flute:
o The regular flute.
Alto flute in G:
o Transposing instrument: sounded a Perfect 4
th
lower than an
ordinary flute.
Bass flute:
o Rarely used in orchestra.
o Pitched an octave below the concert flute.
Contrabass Flute.
Subcontrabass Flute
The flute can be divided into three main parts: head joint; body joint and foot
joint.









Figure 2: The main parts of the flute.
Figure 1: The flute family.

Flute and Music Academy 2014
Is it difficult to learn?
I. Flutes
It is important to learn proper breathing techniques and breath support at the
beginning stage of playing so that a proper embouchure (lip formation) can be
developed. Some dizziness is common during the early stages of playing as the
beginners still have not master the proper breath control techniques.
Apart from that, the players need to have arms long enough to reach the holes,
and strong enough to support the instrument out while playing without straining
the neck or hands. It is common for children of seven to nine years old to start
learning the flute. However, there are flutes designed specially for even younger
beginners who have shorter arms. Thus, it is possible for children as young as
four to five years old to start learning the flute now.
Generally, it is easy to produce sound out of a flute if the players kept the
instrument in a horizontal line. By playing in front of the mirror will helps to
ensure the correct position and make the flute learning process at the beginning
stage an easy one.

How to choose?
I. Flutes
There are three categories of instrument in general: student (entry level),
intermediate and professional. The major differences between the various levels
of flutes are the quality of materials used and the quality of craftsmanship put
into the making of the flute. For example, professional flutes are usually
handmade while student flutes are usually machine made.
Materials
As mentioned above, flutes are usually made of metal; the better the metal, the
sweeter the sound. Less expensive flutes, which intended for beginners, will be
either nickel-plated metal or silver-plated metal. The most popular plating for
flutes is silver, as it has a shinier look if compared to nickel-plated flute.
However, it does require regular polishing to maintain its shininess. Nickel is
cheaper than silver, but it will become dull eventually and there is nothing one
can do about it. Besides, it can become slippery too especially if the player has
sweaty hands.
More expensive flutes will have more silver content, starting from the head-joint
and slowly level up to the rest of the parts, as the head-joint is the heart of a
flutes tone production. Professional flutes have silver content up till 99.7%
(Pure Silver), but the more common one is sterling silver (92.5% silver).
Generally solid silver flutes can deliver a very pure, sweet tone.
The best metal would definitely be gold, as the tone it produces is very warm,
dark and rich. However the price of the gold is too expensive to compromise with

Flute and Music Academy 2014
so a solid silver flute will be the next best option to have if one is looking for a
professional flute. Another benefit of having a solid silver flute is that it is more
durable as scratches and dents are much easier to remove.
The following list grades the quality of sound from fine (1) to best (6):
1. Coloured flute made of cupro-nickel.
2. Silver-plated head-joint, body-joint, foot-joint and keys
3. Solid silver head-joint, silver-plated body-joint, foot-joint and keys
4. Solid silver headjoint, body-joint, and foot-joint, Silver-plated keys
5. Solid silver head-joint, body-joint and foot-joint and keys.
6. Gold head-joint, body-joint and foot-joint.









Other parts of the flute:

1. Keys Open-hole/ Closed-hole

Flute is available as closed-hole and open-hole. A
closed-hole flute is easier to play because the
player (especially beginner) does not have to
worry about completely covering the open holes
(The sound produced will be unclear if the holes
are not completely covered).

However, if the player can comfortably reach and
cover all the holes, then the open-hole flute is
recommended, as they can use the flute for a longer
period of time (to achieve more advanced
techniques). Open-hole flute is more difficult to make, which thus makes it a little
more expensive to purchase and service than the close-hole flute.

Additional tips
To know whether the flute is made of solid silver or
nickel-plated metal, you just need to hit the flute slightly
with your finger. Solid silver produces a tudd sound
while nickel-plated metal produces a ting sound.

Figure 3: Open-hole flute and
closed-hole flute.

Flute and Music Academy 2014
2. Split-E Mechanism
The split-E mechanism affects only one note on the flute the third octave E. It
causes the proper opening of the third register E, which makes the production of
that note E easy. However, the extra mechanism adds some weight to the flute
and of course extra cost as well. Usually, the split-E Mechanism will be used for
intermediate grades and above.

Figure 4: The Split-E Mechanism of Flute
There is another alternative that can help produce the high E with ease by using
a donut-shaped ring that is inserted into the lower G tone hole. Different flute
makers have their own name for the ring, some examples are high E facilitator,
E disk and low G insert. It is an economical alternative to the split E and it can
be added to any flute at any time.

Figure 5: A "Donut-shaped ring" inserted in the lower G tone hole.

3. In Line/ Offset G
The G keys of a flute can be made inline or offset but most flutes come with offset
Gs, which allow the players to have less distance to stretch the left hand ring
finger, and will lead to a better hand position over the years of playing. Inline G
and offset G are the same acoustically; it is simply a matter of comfort and
preference.

Figure 6: Inline G vs Offset G.





Flute and Music Academy 2014
4. Foot-joint
There are two main types of foot-joint: B foot-joint and C foot-joint:

Figure 7: B foot-joint vs C foot-joint.
Most beginner flutes have a standard C foot. B foot-joint will have one more key
added to the bottom of the flute, making it slightly longer, heavier and more
expensive. This extra key extends the range of the flute down to B3 and adds to
the overall power and projection of the sound, particularly in the low notes. It is
not a must for beginners, as the repertoire for beginners does not reach so low to
B3 yet.

5. Lip Plate
Lip plate is the part where the players rest their lower lip on when they are
playing the flute. There are two types of lip plate:




Generally, curved lip plate is easier to blow, as it is more comfortable to rest the
lips on top of it if compared to a straight lip-plate.
Figure 8: Curved Lip Plate.
Figure 9: Straight Lip Plate.

Flute and Music Academy 2014
Flute for younger beginner.
For many years, curved head-join flutes
are the choice for children learning the
flute, as their hands are not developed
enough to hold an actual flute correctly.
However, it is also very common that young players find it difficult to balance the
flute properly while playing, as the heavier curved head-joints will bring the
instrument down on one side. The alignment will also be
inaccurate due to the protruding curved head-joint.
With the disadvantageous in mind, Flute and Music
Academy strongly recommends the Waveline flute by
the Jupiter, which is a perfect flute for young kids. The
Wave-Line technology allows for a more stable
instrument, as the curve in the tube brings the weight of
the flute down through the instrument. Most importantly
the Waveline flute aids a seamless transition to a
standard concert flute.






Rent or Buy?
We would always recommend the students to buy their own instruments. The
reason is very simple; the cost of renting can quickly goes beyond the price of
buying a flute.
Whether to buy a brand new flute or a used flute is the next question. There is no
right or wrong answer to this question, for there are so many factors to consider.
A brand new flute usually comes with a warranty from the manufacturer, while
buying a used instrument means there are certain risks that you might need to
bear, although there is a possibility to get good quality instrument with a much
lower price.

Figure 10: Curved head-joint flute.
Figure 11: Waveline C-Loop
Flute by Jupiter.


Flute and Music Academy has a programme
specially designed for 4.5 to 6 years old using
the waveline flute. It is taught by senior and
master teacher to bring out the best from the
kids right from the start.


Flute and Music Academy 2014
Why buy from Flute and Music Academy?
As a woodwind specialist, Flute and Music Academy provides flutes and
accessories of all ranges and top brands at reasonable prices. We do not carry
cheap and unplayable flutes that would be better off as lampshade-stands. We
take our core values integrity, respect, expertise and excellence seriously.
Buying unknown brand of flute from a music shop that has limited support
and/or knowledge of winds will be at your own risk.
We are also affiliated with WindWorks Singapore to ensure that all our
instruments are checked by professional technicians.
How much am I looking for?
These are the flute brands that are available at Flute and Music Academy:
Student Range (from $550 to $1300)
Miyazawa MJ 100 Nickel-silver plated, closed-hole, offset G, without
split-E mechanism.
Jupiter JFL-509S Waveline Technology, silver plated body, keys
and head-joint, without split-E mechanism and
trill keys. Shorter body to a low D to reduce
weight. Suitable for Young Child 4.5 to 7 years
old.
Jupiter JFL-510S Waveline Technology, silver plated body, keys
and head-joint, without split-E mechanism and
trill keys. low C foor-joint. Suitable for Child 7 to
12 years old. Upgrade kit available to a full length
flute.
Jupiter JFL-511 RES Nickel-silver plated, open-hole, offset G, with
split-E mechanism, C foot-joint.
Yamaha YFL-221 Nickel-silver plated, closed-hole, offset G, without
split-E mechanism.
Yamaha YFL-211 Nickel-silver plated, closed-hole, off set G, with
split-E mechanism.
Yamaha YFL-271 Nickel-silver plated, open-hole, offset G, with
split-E mechanism.





Flute and Music Academy 2014
Intermediate Range (from $1500 - $4500)
Yamaha YFL-371 (C Foot)
Yamaha YFL-371H (B Foot)
92.5% pure sterling silver head-joint, nickel
silver body and foot-joint, open-hole, offset
G, with split-E mechanism.
Miyazawa PB-202RE (B or C) 92.5% pure sterling silver head-joint, nickel
silver body and foot-joint, open-hole, offset
G, with split-E mechanism.
Sankyo CF-201 (B or C) 92.5% pure sterling silver head-joint, nickel
silver body and foot-joint, open-hole, offset
G, with split-E mechanism.
Muramatsu EX-RCE (C-Foot)
Muramatsu EX-RHE(B foot)
92.5% pure sterling silver head-joint, nickel
silver body and foot-joint, open-hole, offset
G, with split-E mechanism.

Professional Range (from $6000 and above)
Usually full solid silver and above
Common Japanese brands (Muramatsu, Miyazawa, Sankyo, Yamaha, Altus, Pearl)
Common American brands (Powell, Burkhart, Haynes, Brennen, Nagahara)

Essential Accessories for Flutists
There are a lot of different accessories in the market available for flutist.
However, there are only a few must have accessories for flutist:
1. Cleaning rod.
2. Cleaning gauze or swab.
3. Swab cloth (microfiber).
4. Key Oil.
5. Pad cleaning papers.
6. Metronome & Tuner.
7. Music Stand.
How to care for your flute?
1. Remember the position of how the three pieces of the flute (head-joint,
body-joint and foot-joint) are arranged in the case; as if you put the keyed
pieces into the case incorrectly, you risk bending the keys.
2. After every playing, use the cleaning rod and a soft cloth to dry all of the
condensation out of the bore. Pay extra attention to the head joint.

Flute and Music Academy 2014
3. Occasionally use a soft cloth to carefully wipe away fingerprints and keep
the flute clean.
4. Never press with any force on the keys or the mechanism.
5. Keep the flute in the case when you are not using it to avoid exposure to
moisture.
6. Always lay the flute where the least amount of keys is touching the
surface of the table. Use a flute stand if you have one.
7. Have the flute serviced at least once a year by a trained flute technician.


Additional Tips
Parents may find that starting with an intermediate flute is a good idea if they
are reasonably serious for their children to learn flute well, as money can be
saved by not upgrading the instruments after a year or so. Always have a
discussion with the teacher first before buying an instrument will always be very
helpful.