I'm playing alto flute for a performance and the curved headjoint keeps sliding up or down when I play. any tips on how to keep it steady?

I am making my own flute, and I want to know which tuning would be better for a simple flute that plays in a single key (with 6 finger holes and 1 blow hole).

I am considering Just Intonation, Pythagorean tuning, and Equal Temperament. I know Just Intonation is trying to preserve integer ratio, and Equal Temperament is trying to create equal interval between successive notes while only preserving integer ratio of an octave.

I don't know much about other tuning systems. I can't find anything for which tuning is preferable in flutes. Here is the sample of how my flute could look like.

A sample flute

Hello Reddit,

I've been playing for about 3 years with a gift Armstrong student flute and just passed my RCM level 5 exam. Sadly, I found out there was leak today (tbh it wasn't well maintained to start with). Since I have been considering getting my own flute, I figure maybe it's a sign for upgrade and I am wondering if intermediate flutes like a Yamaha 472 (that's the one my teach recommended if I do want to upgrade) are worth getting or should I just get another cheap student flute and wait until I am better? I have a maximum budget of around 3-4k Canadian dollars. Thanks for any advice or model recommendations!

I have been playing the flute for 2 years and I feel like I should be so much better. I had an assessment for marching band where I had to record myself playing and after the 100th try I was already going insane and had to go with the “best” recording. When I heard myself play I was so disgusted because my intonation when I play high E natural is terrible and just the high notes in general. I also was constantly puffing because my air support isn’t the best. Especially feel disappointed in myself because I am the section leader and I sound like this. I recently realized that the flute is my passion and I want to study to become a concert flutist. I want to be the best flute player I can possibly be because it is my form of self expression and me all together. Eventually I want to compose my own flute solos and enter flute competitions. I have so much to learn and I am barely at the tip of the iceberg. Are there any good recommended practice books/exercises/ resources that I can use to improve as a flutist in specific areas and in general? (Intonation, breathing, sight reading, speed, etc). I am willing to dedicate myself to the flute.

Could someone please help with two works from contrasting periods? Also, three orchestral excerpts. I have no idea what to even pick. Just like a list of suggestions please.

I graduated with my bachelors in music education a few years ago. But my primary instrument was piano, secondary flute. I want to go back to school for my masters performance degree, but this time hopefully on flute. I already have the concerto in D major. Just need suggestions for audition pieces please.

So, I've unfortunately or fortunately, been swept away by the Open G# group. To the point that I've been imagining and engraining the new fingering system as I think about the flute. As a result, the new "Open G#" fingerings feel more natural than the Closed G# fingerings that I played at the start of my flute journey before I went on a hiatus.

I know that there is a Trevor James Student Model with an Open G# that I can buy from shops in Europe and just have them ship it to me in the States (if they do it), but I have yet to find an Open G# piccolo. I've only seen forum posts about Open G# piccolos.

Therefore, I think the easier route for me would be to get a closed G# flute and Piccolo, probably both in the student range, but then send it to a skilled repair tech for conversion. I do know that's possible. I've contacted Dave Kessler and Flute Center of New York, and all have told me "We are not going to do that".

I know someone told me there are techs in Europe who can convert, but I'm in the United States, and won't be able to go to Europe, so I'll have to look locally.

Anyone know of anybody? If it matters, I am from Greater Houston Texas.

So i just recently decided to play flute in my middle school band, I don't have a flute yet, what do y'all suggest I get that's cheap but good?

Alright, so I'm about to join my high school band and I still don't have my flute yet, where do y'all suggest I buy one because I want to play flute.

I’m new to the flute world and looking to get my first instrument. I’d really appreciate any advice you all might have. Here’s what I’m hoping to find in a flute: 1. Budget-Friendly but Future-Proof: I’d love something affordable as I’m just starting out, ideally in the $400-$500 range. I’d prefer not to buy something I’ll quickly outgrow—something that can take me from beginner to intermediate would be ideal. 2. Inline G Key: I know that most beginners go with offset G, but I’m interested in trying an inline G key. I like the more traditional look, and I’d like to see if it’s a fit for me.

Could anyone recommend specific flute models or brands that might meet these needs? I’ve heard good things about Yamaha and Gemeinhardt but would love to hear other recommendations or any pros/cons of choosing inline G.

Thanks so much in advance for your help!

Hello! This subreddit helped me tremendously in suggesting flutes to try in about the $3-5k range. I had a blast trying many out at FCNY, and I am wrapping up a trial of three flutes: Altus 907, Haynes Q2, and Haynes Q2. I have eliminated the Q1 from consideration.

I am stuck here: I love how easy it is to play the Altus. It’s so easy to get the notes right, both with fingers and lip. It’s consistent. Dynamic range is great. However, when I listen to recording of myself, the tone sounds a bit “thin.” Kind of piccolo like?

I also like the Q2. The mechanism is nice, although there are a few keys that click and might need adjusting. When the sound is good, it’s got a rich, complex sound. However, if I am even a tiny bit missing the sweet spot, it has a much airier sound. I am also wondering if the mechanism is going to be less reliable.

So, I’ve been trying the Q2 headjoint on the Altus. The HJ has a gold lip plate. It’s a bit richer for tone, but I am not sure that this is quite there for me.

1. Are there any headjoints you think would pair nicely with the Altus? The one I am trialing is the Z cut with 14k riser. I tried other Altus cuts at the store, and liked this one the best.

2. Is the richness more likely due to the Q2 having a solid silver body, while the Altus 907 has a silver plated body? (I know there’s lots of debate about whether material makes a difference.)

I got a Jupiter Concert Flute SFL 511E-II for a relatively low price and i know nothing about flutes.

I’m planning on learning how to sight read but i will need help on how to learn technique since i will be planning on taking a ABRSM test for it.

Are there any resources, tips or tricks anyone can provide? Also what is the range of this flute? As i can’t find information on its range anywhere (it’s second hand).

I’m currently a senior in high school, and I really really would love to go to college for music education / some level of flute performance. Everyone in my life (including myself to an extent) tells me that Computer Science is 100% what I should go into; now don’t get me wrong I am passionate about both but recently my passion for music has grown way more , but everyone is saying I should do computer science because I can make so much more money. Is there any way I can plausibly make 6 figures a year with music education or flute performance? I really want to be able to make a proper living with music education but I really don’t know how realistic that is, maybe a college professor ? Please help

Hello everyone!

I am a high school senior who recently auditioned for All-Northwest. Auditioning for all-NW simultaneously counts as an audition for All-State. All-NW years and All-NW/All-State years swap every year, so this was my only chance to get into All-NW.

That being said, I got placed into the All-State Orchestra. I am extremely disappointed. I really thought I did well, and my band director did too! I thought I really had a shot at the All-NW Band. All I keep thinking is what if this section was cleaner, what if I used more drastic dynamics, if only I auditioned on piccolo too, etc…

My question is: how do I deal with this rejection? This has made me feel super bad about my abilities, and makes me wonder if all my other planned music competitions are even worth trying.

I’m currently learning The Great Train Race by Ian Clarke for grad school auditions. It’s going fine, except I cannot for the life of me get the beginning to sound right. I’ve tried changing the syllable, but I just can’t get the harmonics and fast tonguing and accents to all coordinate together at the same time. It feels like my syllable is in one part of my mouth and the harmonics are in another part of my mouth, if that makes sense… anybody who’s played this before (or a similar piece) have any tips for how to get this beginning down?

Hello! Before I start off I would like to mention that I don't play flute, and don't know anyone who plays it, so I've come here for my request.

Basically, I've been going INSANE trying to find the clean soundtrack of a Phantom of the Opera song, if the actual song exists anywhere.

Here is the tune I'm talking about: https://youtu.be/8f3Hr422BPk?si=3WRnfILkTB3WDZok&t=2195

The timestamp is 36:35 if you do not already get started at that time stamp. I have been unable to find this song or a clean version of it, and have posted on a couple different reddit's but have not been able to find this tune. I would love for someone here to try and recreate this tune; it would be nice to hear this being played out with no background sounds or muffling since it is a lovely song.

If I had the sheet music for it, I would post it here for you, but I have been unable to track that down too, so it would need to be blindly recreated (Unsure if blindly recreated is the correct term for this, I apologize if I'm not explaining this correctly.)

If you are willing to give it a try, I would really appreciate that! Thank you so so soooo much <3

So I’m currently struggling with the fact that I have a smiley embouchure. It’s the only way that feels natural and comforfable.

I really am trying to get rid of this habit but the issue is that a frown embouchure is really uncomfortable.

I think I have good control over the corners of my mouth, as I can frown just fine, the issue is that I can’t apply that to my embouchure. If I want to purse my lips together (idk if that’s the right way to describe it) while keeping the corners of my mouth down, I have to push my lower jaw forward. Like really forward into an underbite position where my upper teeth are behind my lower teeth. It’s super uncomforfable.

I do have a recessed lower jaw so maybe that also has something to do with it. Does anyone have any tips? I really want to correct it but I don’t think it’s supposed to be this painful.

I have the opportunity to buy a old(15+years easy) geimenhart I don't know of the model or condition just yet but how much would this roughly cost and is it worth it

Hey everyone! My Yamaha piccolo has had a leak for about 5 months now. I’ve been getting by using an alternate fingering for Bb since that’s the most affected note, but I finally decided it’s time to fix it. Anyone know any fixes for leaks without having to send it to a professional?

The picture might not be helpful, however the circled area is the leak.

Someone mentioned the elusive left-handed flute. Behold! And the image isn't reversed, the violins are being played properly and she's just holding it wrong.

Please help me. I’m really nervous and since I’m a beginner my mouth vibrates and makes this shaky sound. Please help!!!

Edit: It did not go well. Even though I followed your tips I still played it totally wrong. My notes were shaky and worst of all by the end of the Pierce I started missing notes. Worst of all I started making mistakes I have never done before.😭😭😭😭 And I played it perfectly fine before in the class like 5 minutes before

Can anyone recommend a good book on music theory that skips the basics? I’m looking for something that dives deeper into intermediate to advanced concepts, with less focus on the fundamentals like notes, basic scales, and basic chords (I’m already comfortable with these). Ideally, I’d like a resource that not only covers the ‘how’ but also really answers the ‘why’ behind the theory. Any suggestions?

There is this hulusi flute at my work. I tried to play and it sounded good but, I can only play the first 5 notes. Also the lowest drone note doesn't make any sound, just the higher one. It's probably the way I'm breathing, but I'm afraid the flute is broken too, given it was locked for 10 years. Also, the room I was at is very poorly lit, it's not my fault the photo was dark.

So christmas is coming and I want to get a beginner flute that’s (relatively) cheap and also good. Honestly any suggestions will be fine!

The note circled is too high to consistently play, how should i move around the octaves to make the entire phrase work properly? I’ve been experimenting but nothing seems to sound normal it seems obvious im dropping octaves where it shouldnt etc

So I like to window shop for flutes as a past time, particularly vintage flutes, and a pattern I noticed was the consistently higher resale prices for Powell flutes when compared to Haynes flutes from that same era. Roughly speaking, the Powells I’ve seen usually sit at around 2x the price of similar Haynes from a the same time (approximately $8000 vs $4000 respectively).

Does anyone know why vintage Powells tend to hold their value way more than vintage Haynes? I’ve handled both and both make great instruments, but I tend to find my voice more with Haynes, yet I noticed they were way more affordable compared to a Powell of similar specs.

If anyone knows why vintage Powells sell for more than vintage Haynes, I’d be glad to learn why.

I've been playing piccolo for just a little bit and one day during a practice my G, A, and my B flat would not come out. I was assuming that it was a leak so I sent it in to get it fixed. I rented another one for a big competition but this new one also has the same problem. I was in the middle of practice one day and my G, A, and B flat just stopped working. Do you know if it's me or if I'm just unlucky.

Hello, I want to start learning flute as hobby but thing I dont really understand is the breathing part. I mean so you just release the air into the flute to make sound or you have to also control how much air you take in ? Because it seems to me very complicated. I understand breathing part is important so I would be grateful for any tips!