Yesterday there wasnt a flute in the house I couldnt play. Today I got through half a tune and that was it. Nothing but squeeks and squaks. What does a body do? I believe my sanity is at risk hear. I will not give in to my impulse to turn these things into bird feeders but man o man all I could do was just laugh. What have I gotten myself into!?!?!? 
Tom
We are that which we seek
Tom,
I know this won’t help any, but I still have days like that. 
The one good thing though is that they are much less frequent and I’m not nearly as bad on those days as I used to be! These days, a bad day is more like I don’t like my tone (not very uncommon) or my fingers are just a step off. In comparison, 3 months ago a bad day was only only squeeks and squawks.
Keep on practicing and try to practice through those bad times! And, don’t forget those times when the music just flows and your playing flat out rocks! 
Eric
Thanks Eric, I was on cloud 9 yesterday. I just couldnt believe how good it felt. I have this F bamboo flute I got from Eric the flute maker with huge tone holes and Im not kidding it was just vibrating in my hands. Unbelievabley loud and I wasnt even running out of breath. I just picked up my Almount and was able to get through a tune so maybe Ill just do a late night practice session. God I love these things. I just have to get use to the highs and lows of teaching myself how to play. What I did today was pick up my Rayburn low G whistle and played the hell out of it. Finest whistle ever made. Truely a honker. Anyway thanks for the encouraging words my friend. I new I could count on you.
Tom
Tom, this may -or not!- be of some consolation to you, but it’s said that even the greats have their moments. If you have access to the liner notes of the CD of session recordings at Matt Molloy’s pub (it’s in my car, don’t remember the title, but I’ll get it if you need it), there’s an entertaining commentary on the woes of fluting. There was something also said to the effect that there must be something inherent in flute players that draws them to risk. 
No doubt.
BTW, that’s a great CD for well-played flute in live settings. Tracks 9, 10, 11, and 12 get played over and over again when I’m driving. I’ve only just had my fill of that (for the umpteenth time), but I’ll be back. Great stuff.
Best,
N
Thanks Nano I new I was in trouble with this thing from the moment I first blew into it. That CD sounds like something I should have. My flute CD collection is very limited. I have one Matt Molloy with Donal Lunny tape and one Joanie Madden tape, and thats about it except for some unknown Irish music tapes. I also listen to the Gezzers mp3 over and over again. Now those boys I love. And that is how I hope to play before I die. If you remember, I would like to know the name to the CD you are talking about and any others you think are worthy of a listen. Thanks
Tom
Tom, look at the great day you had and reflect on that rather than the bad day. When, after playing for some time, I had a day on the whistle when I actually made rolls that popped instead of slurred, I knew I had it in me to do rolls well. You’ve had one stellar day playing the flute, and that proves that you’ve got it in you. The day that you might have once a month now, will become once a week, and then routine. The best part is, even then you’ll have good days that you can only dream about now, and those will eventually become routine.
Charlie is totally correct. Especially when the ol’ concentration is up and running, you’re going to have some really satsfying times, and with practice, more and more of them. Just remember: practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect, but practice does make permanent.
Best,
N
Oh ya, much better day today. 
I think I will just stick to the wooden Dixon though instead of jumping all over the place.
Hey Charlie, I didn`t know old Ben was such a wise man.
Tom
Tom,
I think sticking to one flute is a good idea, especially for those of us fairly new to the wooden flute. I used to jump between different flutes, and since I’ve stuck with the Dixon I’ve seen the biggest improvement.
As for Ben’s wisdom, the second half of that quote is “and wants us to be happy.” I have the whole quote on my favorite t-shirt which my wife gave me a few years back from Christmas. Nothing I’ve ever worn has led to more intense reactions than that shirt - from hearty laughs, sly smiles, to religious outrage. One thing unnerving about wearing it is that I forget which shirt I have on and start getting paranoid when everywhere I go people stare intensely at my chest… 
Eric
Tom, the CD I mentioned is “Music at Matt Molloy’s” on the Realworld label. I haven’t done any checking to see if it’s available online, but send me a PM if not, and I’ll glady send one to you.
Best,
N
I’ve updated it, Eric, Thanks. I also saw it on a T-shirt of my brother’s. I presume it’s from the AHA (American Hombrewer’s Association), as he tends to wear a lot of their T-shirts. He gave me the one with the fermentation cycle. I’ve had a few people comment on that one, evidencve that I know too many geeks.
I have quite a few interesting T-shirts, but, curiously, the one (a sweatshirt, actually) that garners way more comments than the rest is from the National Zoo, and is just an interesting silkscreen depiction of a bunch of animals. Got two comments on it today in the grocery store.