unfaithful to my flute

Irish Flute
21

Yes and no. It depends on the person, they may lack the skill or they may not be playing the right Flute for them. Either way, they could get better on that Flute, but I think (which doesn’t mean much) they would get better faster on a Flute that played the way they liked.

Myself for example. I used to play a Rudall style Flute which I liked, but I always found myself over blowing it. Was it nessacarily the instrument, or my own lack of skill? I may never know, but when I started playing a Pratten style Flute I found myself learning new things and ultimatly becoming a better player. Is this always the case? No, it is just what happened to me. If I had stuck with the Rudall style eventually I would have been able to play it better. Although, the Pratten style helped me grow into a better Flute player. I find that I learn better when I dive right into something, not every body is that way. Some people may do better learning gradually. Which is why I can’t give a straight answer to the question.

My point was that it is very much the person that makes the Flute. Yet, at the same time one will do better on certain Flutes due to their physic and playing style.

22

There are too many variables to say what works for one person will work for another, so I do agree with Avery’s statement.

Some people will spend a long time trying to master some instruments, that they just don’t have the capacity to learn well-they have reached their limits, even with a good teacher (another variable). If they changed instruments, (OK, sticking to flutes), maybe with a different embouchure cut that works better for them, they might make advances in technique they wouldn’t have if they spent more time with their first flute.

For me, my Copley was the easiest flute I’ve played yet, and with little experience too. That might help someone who is struggling to make some headway on another flute.

At what point do you say, alright, I need another flute? Good question! Another variable that is hard to answer! A good teacher might be able to tell you, or you might decide on your own after a while of not getting anywhere.

One other point, that you hear often, is that someone who gets a flute, plays it and is mildly successful with it, plays it for another year or three, and then says, my flute is getting better, opening up-it’s much more responsive than it used to be! Or, they’ve had another flute just sitting around not being played, and finally pick it up and declare that it is a wonderful flute, it sounds very different than they remember. Well, guess what-it’s due mostly to your ability opening up, not the flute! You get to know how it likes to be played, and/or your embouchure develops along the way too. The wooden flute can and does get better sounding, but I don’t believe to the same degree the change in tone most beginners go through while learning.

So, you don’t know always the right thing to do-keep playing your present flute, or try another. The odds are if you have a flute long enough, it will play like a different flute in the end, because you develop new abilities with it, but then again, you never know until you get there, do you?

I would say, if you have a flute and you love the tone (not always easy to find), keep it and see how it plays and sounds in time. It should only get better as you develop. If you don’t like the tone after spending time with it, then why play it?