is there a ‘wandering whistler’ of flutes? I’m lookin for a good spot with a variety of reviews on various flutes so I can educate myself a bit more. I’ve been trudging through the archives here but its a bit of a chore.
Long story short, and although it could be a chore, working your way through the archives here likely would give you about as good a view of currently available, ITM flutes as could be found anywhere.
For some, it’s a matter of cost, and here the choices are fairly well known.
Beyond cost as a factor, the world of flutes can become more subjective, the perfomance of a given flute more difficult to define, and even more difficult to interpret. For instance, a beginner could have a justifiably high opinion of a particular flute, a flute which in turn might not satisfy the needs of a more advanced player, but could the beginner then interpret the explanation of the advanced player, as to why? In other words, if you are looking for a good beginner’s flute, then seek the reviews of other beginners, as they have discovered what works best for them. Yesterday’s beginners, however, could be more advanced players today, and their opinion could likewise have changed over time.
Honestly, going through the archives here could give you a much broader outlook than any single thread could otherwise provide.
I’ll just chime in to echo what Cork said. You really don’t want to rely on just one person’s opinions of different flutes, at least not until you know that person’s opinions jibe with your own. When you peruse the archives here, you’ll get a sense for different people’s points of views, prejudices, and tastes.
The chore is your best hope. Please keep in mind that
people are unlikely to say bad things here about
flutes. Occasionally
there are enthusiastic reviews of not very good flutes.
You have to read between the lines.
like anything on the internet I take it with a grain of salt :0
The reason I like reviews is I Like to read a lot of them and then try to take the information for what it’s worth.
For instance, when I read a whistle review and hear the guy complaining about the fact that it takes a lot of push to hit the second octave on a whistle I immediately get happy because that’s a feature I LIKE in a whistle. I like to think I’m fairely good at weeding through opinions to find the information thats pertinent to me.
I’ll keep on pluggin away on the archives, thanks for the respones!
I’ll agree with that, and go a step further. The only opinion of a flute that really counts, is the one that you form by playing one for an extended period of time, bringing your own unique set of variables to the instrument (which change over time as you develop too). It’s the only way to really know how it will work for you, and sound for you.
Of course, if you read a bunch of posts that say avoid this or that flute, then you probably can take it as a good suggestion.
And, if you read this or a similar statement made by many: “I will never let this one go!”, then you can add your grain of salt (or as much as you like), because it seems many of us change over time, and our opinions change with it, as we evlove as players…or just get old and cranky.
Good luck to you!
well, the main reason I’m even reading is because I’m going to pick up one or two “beginner” level flutes. preferably keyless.
My friend loves flute and wants one but cant afford one so I’m going to try to pick him one up for christmas, I’m an amateur whistler and wouldn’t mind playing around as well. I’m mainly looking for something that will be good for a beginner, not detrimental to the learning process (i.e. easier to play and without any major quirks that a more experienced player wouldn’t have trouble with but a newby might struggle with.)
and of course, affordable.
It’s a laundry list that might not be able to be completely filled (particularly the affordable part) so I’m already looking at increasing the budget 
I just want to pick up a whistle my bro can mess with and learn on that will be a good starter instrument and prepare him for a more expensive and higher quality instrument in the long run.
As I was trying to say, the archives here, on the C&f FF, are as rich in opinion as anybody could ever find. Yeah, it’s a lot of effort to work your way through them, but I simply can’t think of a better library of opinion.
The reason why you want to get a flute which is easy for a beginner to play has to do with an efficiency of effort, in that an easy flute to play gets you up and playing, so that you can focus on your music studies, and making music, without wasting your time at trying to get a high performance flute to do what you need it to do, right now.
So, go through the archives, and when you do narrow your choices down to just a few or maybe several flutes, then bring them right back up here, for everybody to look at, and no doubt you will then get an earful of more opinion. But, that is where this forum really shines.
See you then!
You know if you are going through the process of archive digging you are probably taking notes etc. Why not compile these into some kind of table and share? We could then all weigh in to modify if necessary and “presto” a new flute review resource exists.
If it’s a beginner flute you’re after, then I’m sure you’ve already seen threads about the great PVC flutes that Doug Tipple makes. I think they’re great.
They’re cheap, but if money’s really an issue, there’s one of his older style flutes for sale now on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/Irish-flute-in-D-White-PVC-by-Doug-Tipple-Mint_W0QQitemZ130156287800QQihZ003QQcategoryZ10183QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Yeah, I just pulled out mine after a long while.
I was really surprised how good it sounds.
Must be they get better with age.
I didn’t really used to understand this, but wooden flute reviews and comparisons are almost meaningless. (I think metal Boehm-system flutes are still a different story, though.)
The biggest factor in how well a flute plays for you is going to be the unique interaction between your shape and its shape.
Everyone’s lips are different, for instance, and a cut of embouchure that works great for me may not be one you could ever really get the full benefit of (or vice versa).
Everyone’s arms and hands are different, too, and a flute that’s very comfortable for you to balance and hold might be one that I might have to really struggle with.
The real key here I think isn’t so much to find the best flute as to avoid the bad ones, and that’s where a forum like this can really help, particularly if you don’t have a local session.
The inexpensive keyed flutes that come from Pakistan, for instance, look very pretty, but the vast majority of them are horrible and either will only barely play or just won’t play at all.
So we can’t tell you what flute to get, but I think there’s a pretty good concensus of what not to get, which is really very valuable to know.
Best wishes and good luck with your search,
–James
Lance, put your order in right now for a keyless Olwell. Play whatever you want for the next year. Possibly a good flute from Doc Jones in the meantime. You can’t go wrong with a Casey Burns. Get one with a tuning slide so you can play in tune with others. Do this and I promise you’ll be happy.
See that was easy. No need to sift and pour over the archives.
The best thing to do is to get in touch with other players at a workshop or session and play their flutes up close n personal. Lotsa starter flutes to choose from - grab one and play. But the important thing is to spend some time with other flutes that you may eventually want.
I was lucky. At my first real session the available flutes to try were an Olwell and a Murray. I eventually ended up in the Murray camp because I was effectively able to borrow one and knew it would work for me. (The fact that 6 keys from Murray are at least $1000 and 5 years cheaper than an Olwell’s keys certainly did not hurt!)