How to Buy a New Flute

As a professionally trained flutist, I know the importance of having a good instrument. Whether you are a professional, amateur, or student, finding the right instrument for you is very important. Often times, we purchase a flute based on what our teacher tells us to buy (even if it is not the best fit for us), or we buy whatever the local music store has in stock. Having worked in the flute manufacturing industry for several years, I had the pleasure of working with hundreds of flutists and helping them find the right flute. My goal in this article is to educate you about the different types of flutes so you can make the best decision possible when you are ready to buy a new flute.

The Student Flute: this type of flute is for the beginning flutist. There are many different brands available at this level and the quality of flutes have improved greatly over the decades due to improvements in technology and manufacturing. New flutes can range anywhere from $450-$700. If you find a new flute for less than this, you should probably be concerned about the quality of the flute. I would personally recommend going with a new flute at this level because of the modern advances in headjoint cutting techniques which make the flute easier to play. The older flutes have a more traditional headjoint style which can be more difficult for new students to play. Student flutes are typically silver plated, with a C footjoint, closed holes, and an offset G key.

The Step-Up or Intermediate Level Flute: this level encompasses a vast range of flutes. These flutes are for students who are ready to move up to the next level from their student level flute. Your teacher should be able to tell you when it is time to move to the next level. A good indication that you are ready to upgrade is when your flute can no longer do the things you want or need it to do, or you are struggling to do things that were once easy to do. When you are feeling like your flute is holding you back, it is probably a good idea to start looking for a new flute. Manufacturers will start upgrading flutes by adding a silver riser (the part that connects the lip plate to the headjoint tube), or a silver riser and lip plate. The next upgrade would be a silver headjoint. By just making this one major change to the flute, you can drastically change the sound of the flute for the better. The flute is instantly more responsive. At this level you also start having options available to you on the flute. Some options include: offset G versus inline G; C footjoint versus B footjoint; open holes versus closed holes; C# trill key; D# roller; split E mechanism; 14k gold riser; heavy wall tubing; high E facilitator. I will not go into depth on the various options as that is an article in and of itself! Silver headjoint flutes can cost anywhere from $1500 to $4000 depending on the manufacturer.

The Pre-Professional Flutes: these flutes are geared for the more advanced students, amateurs, or college students. The flutes at this level can either have silver bodies with silver plated mechanism (the keys) or they can be all silver (silver bodies and silver mechanism). They primarily have drawn (or extruded) tone holes, although there are some flutes at this level which are now being made with soldered tone holes. Having soldered tone holes was once the mark of a professional handmade flute, but due to companies being able to make high quality flutes overseas today, they are now able to offer soldered tone hole flutes for less. At this level, you can pretty much get any option available on the flute (see list of options from above). Many flutes at this level are handmade. A good rule of thumb...the higher the price, the more handmade it is. Flutes at this level can cost anywhere from $2500 to $8500.

The Professional Handmade Flutes: these flutes are for the professional flutist, the discriminating amateur, the college student, and the flute collector. These flutes are the best of the best. At this level, every flute is made by hand. While most flutes have soldered tone holes, most companies are now offering a drawn tone hole option as a less expensive option. You can also choose from a variety of metals: silver (and a variety of silvers at that - depending on the manufacturer), gold (a variety of karats - 5k, 9k, 10k, 14k, 18k, 19.5k, 20k, 24k!; and a variety of colors - white, rose, yellow), platinum, and a host of newly created metals and fusions through the various companies. Wood is also an option at this level. Once you start playing with gold, platinum or wood, you get to choose between a silver or gold mechanism. So many options at this level (including all the ones listed above)! Each metal has a very different sound so it is important to try the different materials out to see which one works the best for you. Silver has a more brilliant sound. Gold has a darker, richer sound. Platinum is at the darkest end of the sound spectrum. Gold and platinum are more resistant metals and therefore take more air to make the tubes vibrate. Not only does each metal have a unique sound, but each manufacturer has its own sound and feel. What works best for one person may not work for another. The price range at this level can be anywhere from $9000 to $40,000+.

If you are on the fence about whether you should buy a pre-professional or a professional handmade flute, go with the professional handmade flute...that is if money is not an issue. Professional handmade flutes will have a higher re-sale value should you decide to sell it later on.

So how do you go about picking the best flute for you? If you are a student, ask your teacher for his or her recommendations on the best place to go to try flutes. Most likely he or she has a relationship with a specialty flute shop already and can either have flutes shipped out for you to try (if the shop is not local) or can go with you to the shop (if they are local). I can personally recommend two great flute specialty shops that carry a wide variety of flutes (wide variety of manufacturers and levels of flutes) and have excellent customer service and are experts in this field. They are Weissman Music Company in New York: www.jbwflutes.com and Flutacious! in Glendale, California: www.flutacious.com. I would recommend using a flute specialty shop over a regular music store as a flute specialty shop specializes in flutes and only flutes. They are experts in flutes and will be able to guide you in your flute buying process from start to finish and will make sure you are buying the best flute for you. If you buy from a local music store, you are limited by what the store carries (which is often not very much) and their staff is hardly ever trained on all of the instruments they sell (in other words, they are not experts). Also, when buying from a flute specialist, they will also be specialists in repairing your instrument should it ever need work. This is very important.

If you are a more advanced student or a professional, visiting the manufacturers is also another option for trying and buying flutes. This can be fun because you get to see where the flutes are being made and you are working with experts and the makers of your potential new flute. The only downside to this is that you are only trying one brand of flutes at a time and have to go from company to company to try flutes. This may even involve travel on your part if you are not from Massachusetts (where almost all of the American flute manufacturers are). A more economical option may be going to your local or regional flute fair. Often times they will have exhibitors at the flute fair and flute manufacturers and flute specialty shops will display their flutes for you to try and purchase at the show. Another fun show to attend is the National Flute Association Convention (NFA) which happens every August (the city rotates every year). This year that convention is taking place is Charlotte, NC.

How do you go about testing flutes? I am sure there will be many different ideas on how to go about doing this, but I will tell you how I test a flute. I have used this technique with everyone I have ever worked with and with my current students now and it has worked very successfully. I would play a two octave F major scale in half notes (tongued up, slurred down), playing as loudly as you can. By doing this on every flute, you are 1) really listening for the sound of the flute and 2) really pushing the flute as far as it can go soundwise. You will discover very quickly which flutes you like and which ones you do not like. Set aside any flutes you do not like right away so you do not keep them in the mix. Once you have gone through all of the flutes and narrowed them down, do the same exercise comparing 2 flutes so that you can eliminate 1 flute. Keep doing this until you are only left with 2 flutes to choose from. Once you have only 2 flutes remaining, you may play something with articulation on each flute. Keep it short - 4 measures maximum if reading music. Make sure to play the exact same thing on each flute. Then play something more lyrical on each flute (again 4 measures maximum). Test the dynamic ranges of both instruments. Make sure you play each exercise you do in every register so you really feel like you have fully explored the flute. Once you have done this on each flute you should feel confident that you like one flute better than the other. If both flutes are so similar and you like them equally then you could pick either one and be happy. If the flutes are very different and you like them for different reasons then ask if you could take the flutes home on trial for a few days. Most companies offer a trial program. It is really important that you like the sound of the flute as it is your voice, so make sure you really pick a flute that represents the sound you want to have or envision for yourself. Secondary to sound is how the flute feels. You want to make sure the flute feels good under your fingers. Everything else will come as you get to know the flute you end up picking. It always takes a little time to break a flute in and really get to know it. So have patience! Some people think they need to spend hours on end playing each and every flute to really test it. That is nonsense. All that will end up doing is confuse you and make all the flutes sound the same. I can tell if I like a flute by playing a few notes. Use my method and you will be able to do that too.

The most important things to remember when buying a new flute are to do your research, take your time, do not buy something just because someone else tells you to (pressure from teacher or a sales person), and make sure this is a fun and pleasurable experience.

Once you have made your purchase, make sure to get your new flute insured. You can either have the flute added to your home owners insurance policy, or you can get musical instrument insurance (I personally recommend Clarion Insurance). Make sure to ask for an updated insurance letter (or appraisal) from the shop you bought your flute from each year so you can update your insurance yearly (the price will appreciate each year). Purchasing a new flute is a great investment, especially if you are purchasing a handmade flute. How many things do we purchase that actually appreciate in value?

Regular care and maintenance of your flute is critical to keeping it working well and lasting a long time. Make sure you brush your teeth and wash your hands prior to practicing the flute. When you are done practicing, make sure you clean out the inside of your flute and wipe down the outside of the flute with the polishing cloth that came with the flute. Do not leave your flute out for excess periods of time or tarnish could develop sooner rather than later. It is recommended that you get a Clean, Oil and Adjust (COA) every 1-2 years (depending on how much you use your flute). If you take good care of your flute and get regular COA's, you should not need an overhaul for 5-10 years (again, depends on use). It is very important that you take your flute to a skilled technician. This is especially important with pre-professional and professional handmade flutes. At these levels, only certain technicians know how to work on these flutes. If you are unsure of who to take your flute to, call the manufacturer of your flute and ask for recommendations. Any of their dealers is a qualified technician. This is why it is really important to work with flute specialty shops since they are flute experts and technicians. Please be extremely mindful of the warranty that comes with your instrument when you purchase it. Every manufacturer offers a limited warranty, but each shop will also offer its own warranty. Make sure to pay attention to both warranties so you do not do anything that will void either one of them.

So there you have it. Everything you could possibly want to know about how to buy a new flute. I hope you have found this educational and helpful! © Sarah Kelly 2011