Newbie to flute; not to music

[Jeffzx9]

Hey folks, I've been playing music (drums, percussion, bass guitar, harmonica, etc) for about 40 years, and have thought about playing flute a long time, too. Yesterday, I picked up a "Louisville AFL 827S" (student) flute for a decent price, and decided it's time to teach an old dog some new tricks.
I am absolutely new to the instrument. However, all through grade school, high school, college, and beyond, I've been in marching, concert, ensemble, jazz, country, rock, and played some theater gigs, which I HOPE will lend itself well to my learning.
Just a few questions (sorry to ask on my first post.)
1. Is the flute I purchased, a decent beginning instrument? It's not exactly a name brand with which I'm familiar, but the price was right. It IS in great shape. Was maintained by a music shop, so it's not a "project" purchase.
2. I realize there is a high degree of discipline required to teach oneself a new instrument. I plan to incorporate practice into daily practice on my other instruments. Any advice from the seasoned veterans (all of you) would be welcomed and appreciated; particularly addressing scale-building, etc. I have printed some fingering charts to begin my "rudiments."
I look forward to learning, sharing (what little I know), and being a contributor to the forum. I'm a moderator on a web forum, and an admin on a FB page, so I understand how to get along in the sandbox. Thanks for having me, folks.

[Phineas]

1. Is the flute I purchased, a decent beginning instrument? It's not exactly a name brand with which I'm familiar, but the price was right. It IS in great shape. Was maintained by a music shop, so it's not a "project" purchase.

As long as it is in good playable condition, it is a good instrument. Just make sure you keep it maintained.

2. I realize there is a high degree of discipline required to teach oneself a new instrument. I plan to incorporate practice into daily practice on my other instruments. Any advice from the seasoned veterans (all of you) would be welcomed and appreciated; particularly addressing scale-building, etc. I have printed some fingering charts to begin my "rudiments."
I look forward to learning, sharing (what little I know), and being a contributor to the forum. I'm a moderator on a web forum, and an admin on a FB page, so I understand how to get along in the sandbox. Thanks for having me, folks.

Here are a few suggestions. Not absolutely necessary, but will help you move along quickly.

1. Take a couple of lessons. This will help you bypass pitfalls from self teaching like learning proper breathing, how to hold the flute, how to care for it, how to setup you instrument, etc...

2. Practice your scales from memory. If you already read music, you do not need to see what a scale looks like. It is more important to memorize the fingerings. Only read music when you are learning a piece. If possible, memorize the piece. There is no secret to scales, you just have to learn them, and play them. Learn and practice ALL you major scales then move on from there.

3. Record yourself as much as possible, then listen to yourself play. This will help you to mold the sound you want.

Other than that, have fun!!! Does not take any more effort to play a flute than any other instrument. But it always takes practice to be good at it.

Welcome to the forum!!!

Phineas