I’m probably going against the flow here, but have you considered a whistle ? I am suggesting this as the fingering is slightly different between recorder and flute/whistle and it may be better to get her used to not only the differences in the fingering but also the idea that the top octave on the whistle being just a case of blowing harder/differently. It also maintains a positive feeling in her as the whistle is probably an easier intermediate step than a flute/fife. Maybe try the whistle for say six months and then look at getting a good D practise flute. I wouldn’t go the fife route if the intention is to move to flute anyway as the embouchure is (in my opinion) a lot different and I actually find it harder to get the upper octave on a fife as opposed to a flute. Also, a whistle is much cheaper to write-off should her interest wane over the coming months and then Christmas is about six months away so it would be an incentive for her to practise the whistle. Sounds all very calculated here but that’s what I would suggest!
She’s got a burning desire to play flute. Her experience with recorder was very positive, and in the next month or two she’ll have one of my whistles down with no problem. I don’t know how long it will take to get a flute, but the whistle is the next immediate step for certain, there is some deprogramming of recorder fingerings that needs to happen now
Hi,
sounds like she’s going to be ready for the flute for sure then. I would love to be able to direct you towards a particular maker for the best starter flute but I’ve played a good few of them and they are all very good these days - tuning, tone and volume. Maybe you could let her try a few if there are any locals with different types of flutes and see which one suits her best ? Apologies if I was stating the obvious and not giving your daughter sufficient musical credit ! I wish her luck in her new learnings.
No apologies necessary! I don’t expect mind readers here, and it’s hard for anyone to guess my daughter’s musical abilities without hearing her, I appreciate your input!
I met a very good Irish flute player last March, and based on your input, I plan to get hold of him to see if I can bribe (with a pint or 2 of guinness) him into letting my daughter try a few instruments.
metal G flute with lip plate
*hammy makes one for 70 euros
*Gflutes are a complement to Dflutes in the NW European traditions
*next to nil maintenance - pick and play whenever
*lip plate makes small flute embouchure easier and
*lip plate is coming more into vogue for keyless flutes, even for bamboo ones, so she may as well get used to them
a larger D bamboo flute from one of the long standing traditions
(India/China) - a prequel to future concert Irish flutes
*the advantage of a light body flute allowing
*more focus for finger span issues and
*embouchure (without lip plate) issues
*very little maintenance - just one light oiling yearly.
The Hammy practice (D) flute I have at home on loan from another Chiffer has another advantage. It has a very short head, ending just an inch above the embouchure hole. That is a good thing (in this case) because she will avoid developing bad habits like resting the flute on the shoulder while playing. This was a thing I started doing in the beginning because it’s easyer than learning a proper grip. For some people, this position actually works well, but it’s not recomended.
Oh, and the Hammy is by far the best practice flute I’ve ever come across. The embouchure is very similar to the real thing. It has an easy finger strech, quite low weight and it’s capable of surprisingly good and strong sound for an instrument of this price.
First a hearty “THANK YOU” for all the input from forum members!
I called Casey last Friday, and though he’s not normally in his shop on the weekends, he said he had some extra work to do in preparation for an upcoming vacation, so we agreed to meet on Saturday.
We drove up to Kingston last - about an hour and a half drive for us.
Casey was a real pleasure to meet, he took us into his shop and gave us a mini-lecture about how he makes his flutes, picks his wood etc. What a delight. He had a ergonomic, small-handed model of one of his folk-flutes waiting, handed it to my daughter and her fingers laid on the holes very comfortably. She was grinning from ear to ear, especially when Casey asked to play a note and she got it on the first shot! (I’d been handing her my PVC flute once a day for several weeks having her determine the general way to blow the airstream). It was a match made in heaven.
We walked out of his shop with a folk flute, and Grey Larsen’s Whistle-Flute book.
Leo McNamara in Seattle says he can give my daughter lessons – it’s a long drive (because of traffic), but I know Leo from the Friday Harbor Irish Music camp and he’s just a terrific person and flute player.
I couldn’t be more pleased with how this has worked out.
I have a 10 year old daughter who is well ahead of the pack and unbelievably versatile for her age on both flute and whistle. Here’s the chronology of events that have her playing full size Bohem and simple system flutes and a low F Overton whistle proficiently with small girl size hands. Santa Claus brought her a Clarke D whistle at age five. Kindergarten talent show and Church solos followed along with hours of listening to Irish trad playing from me and with CD’s on the home stereo system Mon-Fri and weekends. Age 6, Santa came through again and brought her a larger hole Overton Bb whistle. Nice stuff for a little runt, eh? At age 7 she began playing my camping flute - a Dixon 3 piece rosewood. Its an easy blower with small holes. That year she played in two local talent shows, Rakes of Mallow and Yankee Doodle. Sounded pretty good. At age 8 Santa brought Dad a Byrne flute, an Overton Low F and the kid a Gemeinhardt student Bohem flute and weekly lessons with a paid instructor. At age nine the kid was playing endelessly John Williams’ Harry Potter tunes on the Bohem flute and Seamus Egan’s flute tutorial stuff on the Bryne, which is a large holed contemporary Rudall make. No problems. I never mentioned to her small hands might be a limitation. She wouldn’t hear it anyway. She’s got the bug, or burning desire as you mentioned with yours. We also watch zero TV in our house and do a lot of music, crafts and art, so she sees it as cool thing to do.
Get her a real flute! A Dixon or Casey Burns would do well. I haven’t palyed Casey’s folk flute, but have heard rave reviews.. Play with her, take her to festivals and the occasional weekend session with you. She’ll get the bug, especially if it involves her special time with Dad!
Thanks for the nice post. We’re off to a good start here. It is soooo rewarding playing music with my daughter. You’re right, I need to get her to some kid-friendly session/gatherings!
Oh man, I am trying to get off to a good start here and blew it. I just read the first few posts and dove right in with my 2 cents! Sorry for the breach of etiquette. Great news on your purchase. The fact that’s she’s pumped up is wonderful. Several times a week my daugther and I play for an hour or so “name the tune”. We take turns playing pieces from sheet music books her instructor gave her while the other guesses the tune and time signature. It makes it fun and less like work or practice.
Not to worry! I just discovered I could edit my leading post (didn’t try until I realized what you had done). I like your ideas for keeping it fun and will try some of them out on my daughter. Thanks for the tips!
