Just a quick hello

[Jane]

After lurking around for awhile, I decided I should probably register and say hello...sooo Hello everyone! I'm still searching post to see if my questions have already been asked.

I've dreamed of playing the flute since I was a young child and still haven't seriously looked into maki g this happen til recently. I did play clarinet in school band for almost 7 years; partially quit playing the clarinet since I never loved it and mostly due to my mother selling my clarinet while I was at work toward the end of my senior year of high school. I didn't start with the flute due to my mother lying about a conversation she had with the director--she claimed when she went to the parents meeting my director told her I physically could NOT play a flute due to my lips ( very slight teardrop). It wasn't until a conversation my junior year I found out my director never said that and it was my mom complaining the flutes were too expensive (first clarinet was an $80 junker). Through my 20s I didn't have the money or time for a good flute or lessons but I'm looking into attempting to learn now that I'ma stay at home mum.

[Zevang]

Hi Jane. Welcome!

Hope you get what you want. You came to the right place

[flutego12]

Yes, echoing Zevang. You have come to the right place.
With musical background in woodwind, picking up the flute will be a breeze for you. Just need to adjust embouchure and develop the right lip muscles.

I have learnt much from this wonderful forum.
YouTube and www.jennifercluff.com are also great sites.

[Jane]

Thanks. I've got the jennifercluff bookmarked and reading through her site. I can't wait til we can make a trip to a woodwind shop. I think I know what I want; I like the dark tone of a heavy walled flute. I mainly can't decide on buying a student flute or spending a little more on a better one. With the clarinet, when I had solos my director loaned out a better one to me than, it was indescribably more pleasent to play on. I've only played around on an open-holed flute and didn't have much trouble sealing the holes I think because of coming from a clarinet.

[flutego12]

Thanks. I've got the jennifercluff bookmarked and reading through her site. I can't wait til we can make a trip to a woodwind shop. I think I know what I want; I like the dark tone of a heavy walled flute. I mainly can't decide on buying a student flute or spending a little more on a better one. With the clarinet, when I had solos my director loaned out a better one to me than, it was indescribably more pleasent to play on. I've only played around on an open-holed flute and didn't have much trouble sealing the holes I think because of coming from a clarinet.

Enjoy the journey.
Finding your flute is part of the fun!
With your clarinet strength practice, you probably can easily tackle a heavy wall. I personally haven't tried one but have always loved the idea of the colours that are latent within to be released.
But because I was new to the woodwind apart from the recorder at school (no resistance at all nor embouchure for that matter), I m leaving that alone for a while.

[JButky]

you probably can easily tackle a heavy wall. I personally haven't tried one but have always loved the idea of the colours that are latent within to be released.

Tone color availability is not dependent on wall thickness. A variety of tone colors is dependent more on the player and headjoint. Color is within the player's ability to control the strength of relative partials in the sound. Don't think that a heavy wall flute will allow you more color. It just doesn't work that way. This may be a topic for a new thread as it is pretty interesting acoustically as to how that all works.. But there are already too many misconceptions out there about various properties of flutes and flute playing and the cause and effect of what flute players experience.

[flutego12]

you probably can easily tackle a heavy wall. I personally haven't tried one but have always loved the idea of the colours that are latent within to be released.

Tone color availability is not dependent on wall thickness. A variety of tone colors is dependent more on the player and headjoint. Color is within the player's ability to control the strength of relative partials in the sound. Don't think that a heavy wall flute will allow you more color. It just doesn't work that way. This may be a topic for a new thread as it is pretty interesting acoustically as to how that all works.. But there are already too many misconceptions out there about various properties of flutes and flute playing and the cause and effect of what flute players experience.

Thanks, Joe. I stand corrected. What is the heavy wall for then? Greater resistance for heavy blowers? I thought the depth & resonance was better if one has enough puff.

[fluteguy18]

Welcome Jane! I warn you, flutes are infectious. They're like Lays potato chips... you can't have just one.

[jseligmann]

Yes, welcome. If you look around here enough, you will see that the consensus is that you can't go wrong with a Yamaha 221 or 225 (they are basically the same mode) that is in good playing condition. They are sweet sounding, very well constructed, easy to play, and will grow with you for some time to come. No... I have no stock in the company but have been playing one, along with a Haynes Commercial for decades.

ps. I don't want to jump into the closed-hole vs open-hole debate, but, for what it's worth, if you happen to wind up with a closed-hole flute (like the Yamaha), that's just fine