im so confused.

[flutist98]

i have a yamamha 481H (open hole) brand new never played before

and a 5 month old amadeus(a beginner flute, closed hole)

the yamaha sounds old and airy.

the amadeus sounds gorgeous!!!!

i dont understand....

[pied_piper]

Are you sure that you are completely covering the open holes on the Yamaha?

[evrmre]

shifting from a closed hole to an open hole actually takes a bit of effort, as you suddenly have to be sure of your finger placements. I shifted about 6mths ago, and found I needed quite a bit of practice to play the new one confidently, without that airy sound you noted.

Of course, it might be worth a quick visit to someone who already plays an open holed flute to be sure it isn't the flute. Even new flutes can have problems that get missed when made...

Otherwise, keep practicing. Once you get it sounding like it should, you'll never want to go back...

[Bo]

I think you just need some practice, like others have said. Then you will love it.

[fluteguy18]

i have a yamamha 481H (open hole) brand new never played before

and a 5 month old amadeus(a beginner flute, closed hole)

the yamaha sounds old and airy.

the amadeus sounds gorgeous!!!!

i dont understand....

The open holes could be the problem or it could be something else entirely. If it hasn't ever been played before (new, in plastic, right out of the box) the flute hasn't been set up by a technician. New flutes in this price range (before being properly adjusted) are often full of leaks and problems. Most music stores will take them out and adjust them beforehand. So that could be one thing. Secondly you're comparing two completely different instruments. Both have machine made, commercial-level body and footjoints. The Yamaha has a machine made, commercial head as well (and is very similar to their 200 and 300 series models). The Amadeus has a hand cut, handmade headjoint (made by a subdivision of Chinese owned Haynes Company). So it could also be the difference between a much better headjoint and a regular consumer level headjoint. So when it comes to prices, they're very similar, but on the inside... they're quite different.