I recently bought a yamaha flute (open hole 481H)
and an amadeus (not open hole, a beginner flute that im going to use for marching)
when i play the yamaha my sound is VERY airy and screechy. it sounds like my prevoius flute, which is like 30 years old.
when i play the amadeus, my sound is not airy at all! it sounds really nice for a beginner flute.
keep note that i do have the hole plugs in the yamaha. it sounds worse without them.
i dont understand why a begginer flute sounds so much better then this intermediate flute.
help?
My flute sounds airy?
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pied_piper
- Posts: 1962
- Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:31 pm
- Location: Virginia
Re: My flute sounds airy?
You've posted essentially the same message under two different threads. You'll get better responses if you only use one message for your questions.
Playing an open hole flute requires you to completely cover the open holes. With plugs you should not have that problem, but it's possible that one or more of the plugs is not sealing. I have seen some plugs that leak due to imperfections.
The other possibility is that the Yamaha has a leaky pad. That's not unheard of even on a new flute. Sometimes in shipping, the flute can get bumped around and cause a leak.
Do you know another flutist that can play test the Yamaha?
Playing an open hole flute requires you to completely cover the open holes. With plugs you should not have that problem, but it's possible that one or more of the plugs is not sealing. I have seen some plugs that leak due to imperfections.
The other possibility is that the Yamaha has a leaky pad. That's not unheard of even on a new flute. Sometimes in shipping, the flute can get bumped around and cause a leak.
Do you know another flutist that can play test the Yamaha?
"Never give a flute player a screwdriver."
--anonymous--
--anonymous--
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flutistfantasy
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Thu Jun 27, 2013 6:46 am
Re: My flute sounds airy?
Hi,
I own Yamaha flute 281 and before that, I owned a Cosmos (it's a brand) flute. The Yamaha's list price is around $1000 these days and I purchased the Cosmos for around $300. So the Cosmos is a beginner model, Yamaha is an advanced student/beginner model.
At first, I had the same problem as you. I found that I could produce a much nicer tone on the beginner flute than my Yamaha flute (with plugs). It was easier to blow basically. But as I made progress on the flute, I found that the Yamaha model had a much better sound. So I guess the beginner flute can allure you into thinking that it has a nicer sound, but as you get used to your open-hole flute, you will find that it has the potential to produce a much nicer sound than your beginner flute.
If this still does not work, then there's probably technical issues with your open-hole flute and you can get it checked at your local flute technician.
Good Luck!
-Flutistfantasy
I own Yamaha flute 281 and before that, I owned a Cosmos (it's a brand) flute. The Yamaha's list price is around $1000 these days and I purchased the Cosmos for around $300. So the Cosmos is a beginner model, Yamaha is an advanced student/beginner model.
At first, I had the same problem as you. I found that I could produce a much nicer tone on the beginner flute than my Yamaha flute (with plugs). It was easier to blow basically. But as I made progress on the flute, I found that the Yamaha model had a much better sound. So I guess the beginner flute can allure you into thinking that it has a nicer sound, but as you get used to your open-hole flute, you will find that it has the potential to produce a much nicer sound than your beginner flute.
If this still does not work, then there's probably technical issues with your open-hole flute and you can get it checked at your local flute technician.
Good Luck!
-Flutistfantasy
Re: My flute sounds airy?
I too had problems going from closed hole to open hole, and it is pretty common. But get another flutist who plays an open hole to test play it first, since problems are possible.
After that? Long tones, concentrating on closures. A few weeks practice, and you'll hate using the other one...
Just a thought... embouchure might be ever so slightly different as well. Not enough to require radical adjustments, but do check where your 'sweet spot' is on the Yamaha, just in case.
After that? Long tones, concentrating on closures. A few weeks practice, and you'll hate using the other one...
Just a thought... embouchure might be ever so slightly different as well. Not enough to require radical adjustments, but do check where your 'sweet spot' is on the Yamaha, just in case.