Help picking a first flute

[Alexk3954]

Hello everyone,

I'll start off with a little bit about me. I am 25, a graduate student in the medical sciences, and listen to music almost non-stop all day. My favorite genres are jazz, blues, and recently I have started to listen to more classical music. Despite all of my listening, I am ignorant when it comes to the technical details of music. I have recently started reading Music Theory for Dummies in an attempt to teach myself more about music and have been enjoying it very much so far.

I have never played an instrument, have always wanted to, but have always been too intimidated to begin. Recently I have been inspired by some jazz flute performances I have heard (especially James Moody's "Mmm hmm" that can be found on Youtube) and would love to learn how to play the flute. I am doing this with no expectations of ever becoming some virtuoso or playing with a group. Music is just a huge part of my life and during this life I would like to learn how to play an instrument at at least some basic level and see how my skills progress over time.

I plan on learning by using books, online lessons and taking personal lessons. I have been researching student flute options and have narrowed down my choices, but would like some opinions before I settle on one model. I don't want to buy a used flute because I know so little so far and could not determine it's condition and do not know anyone who I could trust to do that for me. Also, because I don't know how to play at all, I can't really test out flutes to see what works best for me. My plan is to start out on a well known student model, hope that it works for me, and learn to play it no matter what.

The three options I am most strongly considering are:

1) Pearl PF-500 ($495 USD)
-silver plated, plateau keys, C foot, offset G, pinless mechanism, pointed key arms

2) Pearl PF-505 ($650)
same as above but with a split E mechanism

3) Yamaha YFL-221 ($621)
-silver plated, plateau keys, C foot, offset G

Does one of the above brands have a better reputation for durability and less frequent need for servicing? How necessary is the split E for a complete beginner? My instinct is to go with the more simple model and invest that extra $150 into lessons instead.

If anyone has experience with these flutes, I would love to hear your opinion. Right now I am leaning towards the Pearl PF-500, but would love to hear what other people have to say before I take the plunge.

Thanks!

[zummerzet_lou]

All of those flutes will take you on your journey into flute playing equally well, and should last if you take care of them.

I still have a Yamaha 211, but I've now teamed it with a wooden headjoint and it's served me well for years.

Split E mechanism is a help for the higher register, and I've always played flutes with this so I don't know how it compares to a non split-E flute.

Do let us know when you decide, and how you are finding it.

[Alexk3954]

I don't really understand the details of the split E, is it an extra key? Does it change the fingering at all for notes on the high register?

I am 99% sure that I will be going with the Pearl-505, and now I am seeing that I can get it with closed or open holes and am not quite sure what I want to do. I don't see myself using techniques possible with open holes any time in the near future. If I ever do, it might be time to be upgrading by that point anyway. I was toying with the idea of getting the open hole version and then plugging them so that I have the option of open holes if I ever want them. The Jennifer Cluff website made it sound as though a plugged, open hole will not have a very different tone from an equivalent closed hole version. I will probably end up going with the plateau keys but just wanted to get some opinions first.

Also, any opinions on buying online from a place like fluteworld.com vs. buying in person from a chain like guitar center? The listed price is the same at both places. Might I be able to haggle with a people at guitar center and possibly get a better deal or at least some extras thrown in? Any opinions on extended warranties/protection plans?

What is the post-approval policy on this website? Do I need a certain amount of posts to be able to post w/o approval. It makes me sad to wait a day to see my post added to the thread!

[amoretto]

The split-E mechanism closes one extra key when you finger the highest E so that it sounds just like all the notes around it. Without split-E the E can be muffled and crack easily, heck I've heard professionals crack high E in concert, it can be quite unforgiving.

One workaround is to have a donut installed (a rubber washer) that will affect the venting of the offending tone hole so that high E will play a bit more easily.

Boehm's ideal flute was an open G# flute where the highest E sounds just like the notes around it, but players preferred flutes to be fingered like traditional flutes "closed G#" and that is the standard we play today and why the highest E is a little crummy.

See here for a little more detail on open G#:
http://www.larrykrantz.com/faqindx2.htm#2167

You might find it to your benefit to contact a flute teacher to see if they would come with you to guitar center to play the flutes you are interested in and make sure they play. You may not get a flute in proper adjustment even if it's new.

That said, I don't think the Pearl 505 has a good stock headjoint, so the Yamaha would probably be the better flute just because it will come with a decent headjoint you can grow with. I would recommend getting an offset/open hole flute and plugging the holes, just for resale value's sake, when you are ready to move on you can resell it for more than if you got closed holes.

Also make sure the Yamaha is stamped made in Japan on the barrel, if there is no made in marking, I would look elsewhere (IE. Yamaha Allegro are not from Japan). You're paying a premium for the flute being made in Japan versus Pearl's which are made in Tawain (which is not necessarily bad, Pearl has some very nice Taiwanese flutes in the $2k price range).