How did you get into flute playing?

mmhenry11 · Post by **mmhenry11** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 12:50 pm

Unlike most of the comments
regarding when and how people began playing the flute, mine seems a little
different. I have been playing about four years now and began when I was 53. A
lady friend from church (who is 6 yrs older than I) told me she wanted to learn
to play the flute (she already plays the piano) and invited me to join her in
this exciting challenge. Never having played before, I accepted the dare and
bought a student Geminhardt and found a teacher.(I supposed that challenging the
gray matter is always a good thing, especially at my age!) It wasn't long
before I discovered that I had fallen in love!! Continued on w/ the lessons,
found a community band and upgraded to an 1107 Atltus. Just remember, one is
NEVER too old to learn something new!!

mmhenry11 · Post by **mmhenry11** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 12:53 pm

Unlike most of the comments
regarding when and how people began playing the flute, mine seems a little
different. I have been playing about four years now and began when I was 53. A
lady friend from church (who is 6 yrs older than I) told me she wanted to learn
to play the flute (she already plays the piano) and invited me to join her in
this exciting challenge. Never having played before, I accepted the dare and
bought a student Geminhardt and found a teacher.(I supposed that challenging the
gray matter is always a good thing, especially at my age!) It wasn't long
before I discovered that I had fallen in love!! Continued on w/ the lessons,
found a community band and upgraded to an 1107 Altus. Just remember, one is
NEVER too old to learn something new!!

tarzaflute · Post by **tarzaflute** » Wed Jun 04, 2003 2:45 am

I started playing flute when I was
in grade 4 (9 years old), and now I'm 15 and I'm more into my flute playing
than ever. My primary school teacher didn't have any spare flutes at school and
wanted me to play clarinet, but I was determined to play flute and he got one
from one of the other schools he taught at for me. It was dreadful, it smelt bad
and the pads were sticky, it was hard to get high notes out of and it managed to
need something fixed once a week, lol. That Christmas I got a yamaha student
model, im sure u can just image a 9 year old unexperienced flute player playing
her new flute at 3:00 in the morning! In grade 7 I decided I wanted to be a
music teacher and at the end of grade 8 I started private lessons. I'm in grade
10 now and I'm doing grade 6 AMEB. In 1 and a half years I've done grade 4 and
I'm a few weeks into grade 6, and believe it or not, I'm coping with grade 6
better than I did grade 4! Now my goals are to get into a QYO orchestra, a
griffith uni youth band that auditions are going to be held for later this year,
and learning some extended techniques, vibrato, multiphonics and
fluttertonguing, bye[8)]

Bettie · Post by **Bettie** » Sun Jun 15, 2003 4:22 pm

Hi, I started taking piano lessons
at age 8 and I took lessons until I graduated from high school. When I was in
the 9th grade, I heard someone play a flute solo , and I decided that I wanted
to play the flute. That summer I took lessons and the band director let me sit
in with the band and play as much as I could. When I went to college I played in
the Symphonic Wind Ensemble. I am now 64 and still playing. I play with the
church choir sometimes and special music for the early church service. I also
play in small groups and this summer we will be playing for a wedding. I have
really enjoyed my music since I retired from teaching first grade.

kdwflute · Post by **kdwflute** » Tue Jul 08, 2003 1:36 pm

wonderful! Thanks for the
encouragement - I was worried about learning at age 37! Kathy

flute friend · Post by **flute friend** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 3:03 pm

I'm going into the 7th grade and I
got into it last year in september because I was homeschooled and did't play
then I started going to a privite school were you had to play so I decided to
play the flute because my mom knew how to play so she could help me out onj how
to finger and play just right!! Know I LOVE the flute and I'm hooked on it for
ever!! [:)] [:)] [:)] -Flute Friend

Penny · Post by **Penny** » Thu Jul 10, 2003 7:52 pm

I started playing the flute because
the cello tickled my thighs. [:devil:] [;)] [:devil:]

FluTEGirl5128 · Post by **FluTEGirl5128** » Sat Aug 02, 2003 4:48 pm

Hey! actually i started playing
flute in 4th grade with my music teacher... when ever i was in 3rd grade
watching the older kids play I always though flute was the most interesting!!! i
have been playing for 4 years now and I love IT! my friends always wanted me to
play sax with them and i thought it would be better and i would be better if i
played a instrument i liked instead of something they liked... now im getting
good and im teaching my mom how to play!! ~MeG~

sarah_and_flute · Post by **sarah_and_flute** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 8:10 am

I have no idea what made me want to
play the flute- I think it was just because I thought it was a really pretty
instrument. My musical journey started when I was seven and started learning the
piano- I don't know why, neither of my parents play anything- but I loved my
precious so much (yes, I call my instruments preciouses. I'm odd [:)]) and
still do. So I started learning the flute when I was eight, I think, so I guess
that means I've been learning for eight years. I took a break from having
lessons throughout the last two years, having done all the exams (except my
performance diploma which I'll hopefully do next year!) and having to have
orthodontic treatment. But then an amazing thing happened; I'd always known
about a Saturday music school run near me, but I'd never really considered
auditioning for it, especially seeing as I didn't have a teacher to help me
study the pieces I chose. But last April my friends' mum encouraged me to go
for it, so I got a form, dug out an old piece of music I hadn't played for two
years (Hindemith 1936 sonata!) and tidied it up a bit. I learned a Bach Adagio
by heart too, and a piano piece, and just went for it. I must admit I was really
nervous because I hadn't had a teacher for so long, but the audition panel
couldn't believe it when I told them that I had played the Hindemith without
having lessons for one-and-a-half years, and I got through! I started at the
music school in September and although I was a bit shaky in my flute lessons,
and still am, I'm making progress slowly but surely- and I've started the
viola too, which doesn't sound so pleasant at the moment, as you can imagine
[;)] That rambled. My apologies ^_^