I’m Brianna, and I recently decided to start playing the flute again. I played the flute for 3 1/2 years when I was in school, but I gave it up because I had trouble with the notes on the page. I can follow things better if I hear it. I was always a very good flute player, stayed in 1st or 2nd chair the whole time. But when it started getting complicated I got scared, and I was embarrased that I was having trouble, so I quit. I thorougly enjoyed playing but didn’t want to embarass myself by exposing my difficulties with reading the notes. That would be utter failure. I went into choir instead during high school and enjoyed that but it wasn’t the same, I missed playing my flute! So now, years later, I’ve decided to pick it up again, for fun, for exploration of my creativity, for the soothing peace the beautiful soft whispers bring to my soul.
But… it has been so long since I’ve played. I’m afraid I will have forgotten all the notes. I picked up my flute a couple years ago, and found that I remembered a lot of the notes, I was surprised. The way my fingers fell on the flute, it was almost unconscious. But it’s been a couple years since then, and I no longer have my flute (it was old to begin with and the pads really got bad). I’m afraid of starting again, but I’m excited at the same time. I hope I don’t sound like a babbling idiot. I just hope I can find some fellow flute players that can sympathize, and perhaps empathize.
Don’t worry; many of us who frequent this board also pay attention to the flute board. You may wish to move your message over there, though - you’ll probably get more responses.
I think that you’ll find yourself at home on this board. There are many here that can’t read a lick of standard notation and do just fine. Use the fact that you can pick up tunes by ear to your advantage. Feel free to ask questions about it - you’ll get many helpful answers.
Nice to have you here,
Erik
[ This Message was edited by: ErikT on 2001-10-13 02:47 ]
Hi Brianna-- no need to apopogize. There are a lot of flute players here too, although most of us play simpler flutes than your Boehm. If you haven’t already heard her, check out a flutist/whistler named Joanie Madden to see what terrific traditional music can be played on your flute. She has recordings under her own name, or with her band, Cherish The Ladies.
Also, by all means get a D whistle and give it a try. You will find the fingerings remarkably similar to your flute ( which is actually in D, with the lower notes “tacked on”). Trust me, you will love it.
Don’t feel like an idiot at all on this board, Brianna. We all here have at one time or another have played the tunes “DUH” and “Foot in mouth,”
So that said.
Welcome to a great community of people who care a lot about these subjects and its members.
And your question isn’t out of the norm for this board, or the flute board, or the uilliean pipe board. Someone somewhere will answer your question. We and I myself at times feel like idiots when something doesn’t seem obvious to us and then we post our queston, and the fun begins.
We were all newbies at one time or another on this message board.
Thank you very much for the warm, supportive replies! I think I might try a whistler sometime, but for now I think I shall focus on the flute. Because that is what I learned on, but you said the fingering is very similar, so I imagine it wouldn’t be too complicated. Well thank you again, for helping me out, and the supportive replies. Much appreciated. I think I shall visit the flute forum as well and see what is going on there ;o) whoops! wrong forum, but I found some very nice people here, and for that, I thank you!
Whistler.. flute? I guess I am an idiot?
Mike