Hi
I’ve been learning flute for a few months and am struuggling to find interesting tunes to play - I really enjoy trying to learn riffs from songs (more interesting than Yankee Doodle from the Tune a Day books 
) Can anybody advise any good sites to get the music for such riffs - for example the flute solo in California Dreamin by Mommas and the Poppas, and is that a bit of a flute riff in Get it Started by the Black Eyed Peas?
Cheers
Nayna
My suggestion would be to look for MIDI arrangements of the songs you are interested in. Just type in the name of the song, the group or composer and the word MIDI into any search engine. Most popular songs that are more than five years old have been arranged in MIDI format. Often times the arranger will have a track for flute, and you can isolate that. There are any number of freeware/shareware MIDI programs. Windows Media Player can play MIDI tunes, but doesn’t let you see the sheet music.
I play in a lot if different genra, American folk, trad Irish, Scottish, old American slave music, show tunes like Old Man River, et cetera. I have never gone to google and typed in the name of the song plus midi and not gotten the song in midi format. I bought a software, Finale 2002 for about $150 that takes midi format and puts them into sheet music. If you want to practice, one can play the music with a pointer pointing to the notes of the flute part. Also, I can slow it down to about 1/5 the regular speed at first. Also, it is easy to change it from one key to another. When I want to practice my keys, I just change folk music from A major to Ab, for example. The program is designed for conductors to write and print sheet music. I never have, but one can also write the sheet music with a microphone on the flute and play the notes and they go onto the sheet music. There is a version called Finale Notepad that is low cost. Music majors in college use it for their homework.
It is really nice for a beginner on an instrument to slow the tune to dead-slow to practice. Oh and I forgot, you can choose the instrument you want to play when the pointer pointes to the note.
Nelson
Here are some tunes that go well on the flute, IMO:
Both sides now Endearing young charms Dark Island Hector the Hero Off to CA
Fisher’s Hornpipe Brown Coffin Rodney’s Glory St. Ann’s Reel Soldier’s Joy
New South Waltz, The Osprey, Banish Misfortune Peacock’s Feather
Mikey Mahoney’s Road to Lisdavernin The Fort of the Fairy Queen
Star of the County Down A Week in January Loch Lomond
Favorite Things, I Will, Unknown Reel, Morrison’s Jig
Three Sea Captains The Orphan Yankee Doodle
Shady Grove, When I Am 64, Minuet in G Sheep May Safely Graze
The Troubled Child Coilsfield House Lament of the lost Generation
Genevieve’s Waltz Bachelor’s Farewell Moran’s Return
Desperado Her Long Black Hair Yesterday
Easter Oratorio Israeli Tunes Do You Love An Apple,
When Pretty Polly Someday Soon, O’Carrolyn’s Quarrel
Other O’Carrolyn, Silver Spear Sargent Early’s Dream
The Ashgrove, Simple Gifts, Shaker Tune Oh Susannah
Turkey in the Straw 8th of January Welsh Lullaby
Danny Boy, Come to me, Bend to me, Planxty Irwin
They didn’t believe me, Someone to Watch Over me
Morrison’s Jig Whistle Rag, St. Louie Tickle, Magic Flute
Blackberry Blossom Cherokee Shuffle Silver Spear
Black Orpheus, Long Lonely Summer, Her Long Black Hair
Come all you Young and Tender Girls, Maho Snaps, Irish Washerwoman
Toodle Sac, Whiskey Before Breakfast, How are things in Gloccamora?
Greensleeves, When Christ was of a Virgin Born, Down by the Brazos,
Rosin the Bow, Morris Dance The Magic Flute, Red Haired Boy
Long lonely summer, Black Orpheus, Tennesee Waltz
Swallow tail Jig, The First Time Ever,
Add to those: Oh Burry Me Not On The Lone Prairie, Sweet Betsie From Pike, Summer Time, Go Tell It On The Mountain; and search under barber shop for Sweet Adaline, Sweet Sixteen, Them Weding Bells are Breaking Up that Old Gang of Mine, Tell Me Why(a very good one to practrice on the flute), Help Me Make It Though The Night, Walla Walls (also called The River Is Wide), Some Day, I Fall To Pieces, People Will Say We Are In Love (from Oklahoma), Over There, There Is a Long Long Train A Winding, and most of Steven Foster. I could set here all day and name tunes, but this and the above list ought to keep you occupied for a year or so .
Nelson
Thanks guys for your time and tips
Cheers
Nayna
at 8notes.com you can go to the piano free sheet music and read the melodies if you know how to do that (the top notes of the top staff is usually the melody)
and all the music is free, of course:)
ill keep searching tho and hey, do you play an irish flute or a more-for-school-band silver flute?
Hey - thanks for that. I play a silver flute.