Buy a Flute

When you buy a flute, just let your wallet be your guide. Fine flutes are expensive, but you can still get a good instrument for less money. Yes, it's much more fun to learn how to play the flute on a 14 carat gold Muramatsu, but an inexpensive Armstrong will get you started quite nicely.

Do some research first on the wide variety of features available on the flute. Just like buying a car, refrigerator, or a computer, the more features, the more money you will pay.

Do you want a B-foot? Engraved lip plate? Plated silver? Solid silver?

Some reading on line will help you develop your budget when you decide to buy a flute.

There are so many flute makers these days. There are the well-known makers who have been around for decades, with many new start-ups joining the party.

• Altus
• Armstrong
• Avanti
• Brannen
• Briolette
• Bundy
• Burkhart
• Cooper Brannen
• Gemeinhardt
• Haynes
• Jupiter
• Lunn
• Muramatsu
• Pearl
• Trevor Wye
• Vento
• Yamaha

The Armstrong flute and the Yamaha flute are great starting points. They are solid flutes for beginners and their lines progress into high-end flutes for college music majors.

Find a flutist and ask them to play any flute you are considering purchasing. If they like it and it plays easily for them, that's a good sign.

If the instrument store doesn't have an expert flutist on staff, call a local music college and see if one of their flute majors will try it for you. For just 10 or 20 dollars, you can get a good opinion.

If you must play an old family relic, at least have it overhauled by a competent repairman first. Read more advice for purchasing a used flute.

If you live near the Detroit, Michigan area, or will be traveling there, be sure to visit Flute World. What a great store for the flutist to spend time in and buy a great flute!

You will need a proper case for your flute. If the case your flute comes in is not adequate, there are many cases and case covers to choose from.

Of course, any flute you purchase is going to require proper care and maintenance to stay in tip-top playing condition.

You may decide to purchase other members of the flute family as well. These include...

• Piccolo



• Soprano flute in E-flat - Rarely seen or played. Sometimes found in a flute choir.
• Alto flute - Very popular in flute choirs and prized for its deep, rich sound. It is built in G, a fourth lower than the C flute.



• Bass flute - Again, popular for rounding out the flute choir instrumentation, but very large and cumbersome. It features a curved head joint--otherwise you would need six-feet long arms to play it. Like the alto flute, it features a deep sound and it pitched and octave lower than the C flute.



• Contrabass flute - Flute choirs would like to have one, but few due because of the huge price tag, currently close to $20,000! Contrabass flutes are most likely found in a well-founded big university flute choir. It plays two octaves lower than the C flute.

  

There's a lot to think about when you buy a flute, so consider carefully!

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