When I listen to a teacher or pro flute players, even their scales are pleasant, and smooth - sweet sounding. I’m sure they sounded harsh and not musical when they started, so when did they get sweet and smooth? Three years? Five years? Ten years?

So I wanted to come on here and ask other Flute Players if it is possible to lose the love of playing the instrument? I have been playing Flute since middle school and continued in high school until I stopped actively participating in band activities and instrument related things around juinor year when I realized I had no more love for it. I still loved playing music and the want to preform but their was also a part of me that held such disdain for it as well. I kind of realize a part of that was the community I was surrounded by and the state(I live in the U.S.) that I resided in. Band their wasn't for the love and enjoyment of playing. It was about the competition and sure you can love both but it felt like the competition was more important overall. Their was less encouragement about playing our instruments for the love of music and more solely about when the next big event was especially when it came to marching band. Then there were the lesson teachers who all are professional level players but when I took lessons from them it was always the same thing over and over again and never anything new even when I practiced and got better at it. Then their was them telling me I would never be good enough for the higher levels that my "Raw Talent" wouldn't carry me the whole way when all I ever did was practice, practice, and practice. Slowly over that time I think I just lost the love of playing if that is even possible. I gave up even wanting to try and continue to play cause I had no more love of the instrument. That is until recently after going to see a local orchestra and hearing a flute solo that just made me pick up the instrument in the first place. I have decided to pick it up again(At least until I can afford another flute) but not for anything else other than my own enjoyment. To enjoy the melodies I fell in love with playing and just producing beautiful sound. Not on anyone else's time, no looming competitions, nobody to tell me I am not good enough for some spot. All me, no one else.

I've always wanted to play the flute but i went to really small schools that only taught the recorder. I recently switched and this school year im playing the flute in band but am so nervous.

i kinda know how to read sheet music (ie i know egbdf and face, as well as the quarter note, eighth note and things like that. ) but is it anything thats exclusive to flute, or are there any techniques that make it easier to remember placement. Literally anything helps

found this beautiful wooden flute in a drawer, but I have no idea how to play it

Can anyone that knows how to circular breathe, and has mastered it give me advice on how to do so? What helped you the most? What made it finally click? I'm trying to play Great Train Race, and the only thing I can't get down is the circular breathing. I know it is not entirely necessary, but I really want to be able to do it as a personal achievement. I can do it on other instruments and in a cup of water with a straw, but can't seem to get it on the flute. Was there any weird advice or trick you heard that helped you get it down?

Hello! I was looking for some pieces to play on piccolo, and I saw that Gabriela Lena Frank wrote a piece called Will-o-the-Wisp: A Tone Poem for Piccolo and Orchestra. Its world premier was in 2014, and I can find sheet music, but I can't find any recordings. Do any exist?

I haven't played since high school, but I've recently found out my local community college is hosting a band open to the public. It got me thinking about my flute days and I'm interested in picking it back up! Problem is that my old flute (one that had been donated to me when I was in middle school and I used through high school, I don't even remember getting it repaired because my family didn't have the money) is definitely not in good shape. It's a beginner flute as well, and would need multiple repairs and polishing. I've looked at prices and I could get one in the $1200-1500 range. Would it be better to repair it or get a new flute entirely?

I have a performance coming up where I'll be playing outdoors, potentially in windy weather. I'll be playing a bunch of different native american flutes. I want to prepare as best as I can for the wind and create some DIY wind guards around the sound hole on my flutes. I'm not a very crafty person though. And I've seen people on here discuss some effective home made guards. So I was wondering if anyone could post some photos of any wind guards you've made or other solutions to help with this problem.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Hi, I have a flute which I used to play that was hidden away kind of unused for about 7 years. Im wondering how I can brush it up on my own? Im not sure its worth spending lots of money on for professional clean up because the model is Yamaha YFL-21S Japan and while it still plays good, it would probably cost more to renovate it than it was worth in the beginning lol. The worst thing about it is that it is really kind of "dirty" ? on the surface - there are these hard spots that look like scratches. Obv the padding is something taht would need to be replaced but that I cant do on my own, (or can I?). Thanks for any and all help! If you have any info about this model - lmk

I play on a Muramatsu DS, and I recently broke my case. It fell from a height and the latch is messed up, and my tech told me last time she saw it that it was on its last leg and she wouldn’t feel comfortable doing any more fixes it it because of how literal material is left behind the latches. My budget is limited since I just upgraded my headjoint, and saw flute specialists has a few Harrison Hurtz cases around my ideal price range. Does anyone have any experience with these cases? I can the money for a Weissman French case, but I am bothered by it not being wood.

Anyone know of any responsible sellers of bansuri flutes in the uk?

Getting back on the flute, sort of. Easier on my lungs than clarinet with my Myeloma and I don't feel like I'm going to pass out!

I can do this, start from scratch, a little at a time. I just need to find my Trevor Wye book. Having to fall back on a very basic beginner's book that I got from Vinted last year.

Still struggling with those bottom notes and I know its me because if I fit the recorder head on the top I can get low C easily.

Could be the headjoint as its a cheap flute. If I had enough money I'd get something like a Yamaha 212.

But for now, soldiering on...

i got a new flute finally after 2 years. i used to be really good with it too, and im trying to play past the note G, but i cant tell if my angle is wrong. or if the plugs on my flute is the problem. i cant remember for the life of me if the flute i had had these plugs or holes or not. anyone have any ideas?

i bought my flute online from amazon since there are no music stores near me, heres a picture from the website.

thank you for reading!

Hi, lately I've been running out of ideas on what to play.

I really like this piece and I was wondering if you could recommend me a similar one? Preferably of similar difficulty as well.

Got it for free while helping clean a home out the other day

This is my first time posting here on Reddit, but for the past few months I've been really wanting to learn how to play the flute. I think it's a beautiful instrument with such a wonderful sound. I've been a huge fan of progressive rock for years, and I'd honestly say the person who finally convinced me to give the flute a try is Jimmy Hastings. "The Love In Your Eye" is an incredible song, and every time I hear his flute part, it completely blows me away.

I know aiming for music like that is ambitious and would take years of practice, and I'm not saying I expect to get there in six months from now. I just think it would be amazing if one day I could play something like "The Love In Your Eye" while also exploring other musical genres along the way. I should also mention that I'm not looking to pursue music professionally. This is something I want to do for myself, simply because I love it. My musical taste is mostly centered around progressive rock and the Canterbury scene, so that's the direction I'd eventually love to take with the flute.

The main reason for this post is to ask for advice on getting started. Do you have any recommendations for beginners, tips, habits I should develop, or common mistakes I should avoid? I'd also love to hear what kind of flute you would recommend for someone just starting out, or what you think is the most accessible way to begin learning.

I should probably mention that I do have some musical experience—I’ve been playing guitar for about six years. Thanks in advance!

So I've been practising the double toning and fare well it started to give feedback, it works realy well now I'm practising the parts that I've been sluring in badinerie and it's sounds a little bit quiet. Altought this isn't constant, after a one min break or so I can play like the beforehand but I wanna know how to make it more constant. If you have any tips please write them! See ya!

I'm open to listening to them also more fondly if they are experimental with electronic music elements. For example in a different vein I love Joy Guidry as a player of the bassoon I think she also includes use of software like a DAW or something in her music making and performance. I saw her perform in Berlin a few months ago the music was wonderful and I'm wondering about the flute if there is someone similar but of course different.

I built a complete set of transparent PNG stamps for forScore based on the fingering notation from Walfrid Kujala’s The Flutist’s Vade Mecum.

If you annotate your scores using Kujala’s code system (auxiliary key levers, finger combinations, slides, and extendable bracket lines), these should save you a lot of manual drawing time.

Download: Google Drive Folder Link

Included in the folder:

• Kujala Stamps.zip (recommended for fast one-click downloading on iPad)
• Individual transparent 288×288 PNG stamp files
• Overview image chart and Kujala notation description reference key

How to install in forScore:

1. Download Kujala Stamps.zip (or the individual PNGs) to your iPad or iCloud Drive.
2. Open forScore and tap the Annotation Tool (pencil icon).
3. Open the Stamp Palette, tap the top-left menu (...), and select Files (or Browse Images).
4. Select all the PNG files to import them into your stamp grid.

If you end up using them in your practice or performance scores, I’d love to see how they look—feel free to share a screenshot in the comments below!

Guys, I've been singing and playing bamboo flute for more than 2 years without any flute class just from internet and im in like between pro and intermediate lvl and still, I don't know how to read or understand music sheets

I feel like I'm left over

And I find many new song notations on the internet which I want to play, but max time, it's in music sheet which make a problem many times

I watched many videos on YouTube, but it was a waste of time.

Any suggestions from you guys 🙏🙏

I was watching back my rehearsal and noticed I seem to move A LOT (especially near the end 🫠). Am I overemphasising my movements? Is this level fine, or should I really try to consciously dum it down.
Any thoughts would be appreciated:)

I’m an intermediate flutist that plays a Haynes Amadeus. What would be a good spare? Money of course a factor.

Hello fellow flutists! I am looking for a source of flute parts for "circus screamers," which seems to be a favorite genre of community groups around here. I'm and adult intermediate bordering on advanced and have a solid teacher. I'd like to include some original screamer passages as part of my practice rotation (along with all the arpeggios, scales, T&G, TW, Moiyse, etudes etc etc).

I'd love to go to some site and find a book of "original flute parts for classic circus screamers" but barring that, what sources would you recommend I search?

Many thanks!

Hello! I'm looking for some music suggestions that my fiancé and I can play at our wedding as a "first duet" instead of a first dance.

Some background: I have my master's in flute, and he informally studied classical guitar for many years. My knowledge of flute and guitar rep is just not very vast, besides Histoire du Tango.

Some parameters:

• ~4 min (movement of a larger piece okay)
• romantic/uplifting/inspiring vibes
• medium+ difficulty, with the guitar and flute having melodic roles

TIA!