There are so many kinds of flutes.  Just a visit to fluteworld.com alone may cause you to be lost for hours!  Trying to decide on a flute is a really personal choice.  Your flute is an extension of yourself,  so get out and play as many flutes as you can to discover how they work with you, how they move, how much air they handle, their sound, their response, how they feel … and how much they cost! :)  When you do settle on a brand, model and what you can afford, do try several of the same flutes because even they can vary.  Bring an experienced flutist or an extra pair of good ears with you if need be.

My experience with flute shopping was great.  I went with the advice of my teacher whom I really respected and went with a Yamaha.  My first flute was a Yamaha 385H and back then — around 1995 — I got it for around $950 CAN.  At the very least I needed a silver headjoint and Yamaha is a very good brand of flute.  It responded well, felt of good quality and my teacher was introducing me into the big world of flutes — which I knew nothing about.  I went to our local music store and tried 3 or 4 flutes of that kind and we picked the best one of the lot.

Another way to explore the big world of flutes is to find out what other flutists play.  Getting out and talking or writing to flutists is really a great way to discover flutes.

I owned my first flute for 2-3 years and then upgraded to a Yamaha 881H.  Wow!  I really enjoy it.  Even more so because I bought it from my university flute professor!  It was exciting to see and hear that I had maxed out on my current flute and now really had the ability to do more with a higher end flute.  My teacher was also upgrading too at the time and was getting a gold headjoint for one of her flutes.   I remember at the time how exciting it was to upgrade my flute and especially to play hers!  Her flute (my flute now!) felt so light and refined and could handle a lot of air — which opened up a lot of musical possibilities for sound, and which meant I had even more work to do since practicing was now more intense as I discovered the capabilities of my flute.  I also remember how she described the difference of a gold flute and a silver flute.  A gold flute is like a luxury car and a silver flute is much like a sports car.  She was getting a gold headjoint for her silver flute to combine the best of both worlds and to make her own flute sound.  So exciting!

–

Hey flutists, please do let me know what flute you play and your experience!