Reddit mentions: The best books about flutes

justanotherflutist is amazing, I would recommend watching this video of hers first, it teaches how to put the flute together. The only thing is that at one point she said to put your finger into the liphole, I would not recommend doing that. I'm probably being overly scared but that's the part of the flute that produces the sound so I wouldn't want to risk damaging it. Just pick the headjoint up like a normal person would, honestly. She also has this one which teaches how to make a sound and this one which mentions a few music related items you may need. Some items in this video are more important/necessary than others.

Here is a good fngering chart I found online.

Here is a compilation of major scales and arpeggios from flutetunes. Their website is amazing and has some great free sheet music.

Nina Perlov also has some good instructional videos to watch, but not as beginner oriented.

This video from the flute section of the US Army band is interesting if you have time but not as useful/informative to a beginner, though definitely cool for learning about the flute (or maybe I'm just a total nerd).

It is really beneficial to listen to good flute players in order to hear and then be able to develop a good flute sound. Some of these include Emmanuel Pahud, Jasmine Choi, and Gudrun Hinze, although there are probably many I don't know or am forgetting. Good luck on your flute endeavors!

Edit: I don't why I didn't think of this sooner, but if you're willing to purchase a book this Pares Scales for Flute is good for scales and arpeggios.

Hi there!
The dizi is awesome! Welcome to the club! First off, I'm going to assume the green liquid is something to help the membrane stick. When I bought my kit ages ago, I got a small little glue rock thing that works. But anyway, in order for it to make the desired sound, you need to cover the hole after the tone hole with a piece of bamboo membrane. Cover the hole with the membrane stretched tight across, it should look almost like you've scotch taped over the hole. After that you can play away!

Things to keep in mind - the dizi is actually reversible, you can play it on the right OR left side! Which is kind of neat, but if you started on the Western flute (like me), that doesn't matter much since you'll always hold it to the right. Fingering charts for the dizi is complicated because the chinese music notation system is completely different. If you want to ease into it, I found that the book was a really nice way to ease into the music first without worrying about learning a new notation system yet. I don't know about this edition, but I own the previous one and it has a lot of great information on the history and culture of the dizi, which is really nice!

A Native American flute would probably be a great place for you to start. Good ones are easy to play, and well-suited to experimenting and improvising, even if you don't know much about music. Totally appropriate for the porch, under a tree, etc.

The ones by Butch Hall are quite affordable--even some of his professional-quality "concert flutes" are within your price range. I'm a professional musician, and these are my Native American flutes of choice. They are also used by a number of recording artists. They aren't as visually ornate as some by other makers, but they have a beautiful sound, a sleek appearance, and a lovely cedar fragrance.

The "C, E, F-sharp," etc. refer to the "key" of the flute. Some keys are higher, and some are lower. A higher flute is smaller (and usually a little cheaper), and a lower one is larger. F-sharp seems to be a favorite among serious Native American flutists, but you can start with whichever appeals to you.

These flutes don't play as many notes as, say, a silver concert flute. That's not necessarily a bad thing, unless there are certain songs you want to play that need those other notes.

If you decide to go this route, you may also be interested in the R. Carlos Nakai book, which gives some background on the instrument and how to play it. Check out his recordings, too.

I agree with /u/nandemo who suggested harmonics. Harmonics will help to develop your embouchure to be able to play the F# with the correct fingering more easily.

IMHO using alternate fingerings without being able to play the standard fingering is kinda cheating. It's the standard fingering for a reason!

Trevor Wye has a good section on this note & E natural in his "Tone" book - he called those two notes "gremlins." My flute teacher also says everyone has trouble with these notes. (You may not have as much trouble with the E if you have a flute with a split E - I do!)

Wye says to practice the G scale. Make sure your air speed is sufficient (you should have no trouble with the G above it). If your air speed is sufficient and your G is fine, then you should practice the notes leading up to the F# (G, A, B, C, D). He says:

> If the air speed is not enough to give security to E natural and F sharp then the air speed is probably insufficient to play the preceding notes with proper intensity of sound.

He also has 2 pages of exercises specifically designed to help with this issue. I highly recommend the book; it's helped me a ton!!

I'd recommend the Trevor Wye books. Lots of great advice in there! For hitting the high register notes, start on the highest note you can play comfortably, and work your way up from there. Use a focused and fast airstream while being as relaxed as possible. Don't try to force it using tons of tension in your embouchure. Quality over quantity-- playing one beautiful note is better than squeaking out lots of bad ones, because then you're just practicing how to sound bad. Eventually your lips will become stronger, and the 3rd octave will become easier and easier.

Point him towards pop music compilations for Flute- these are usually simple-ish, and satisfy the urge to play something that someone wants to hear. When I was a kid, I had Disney Music compilations as well as some devoted to recent pop music - it helped with the monotony of scales and hot cross buns :) These were important to keep me motivated in playing, especially during summer when I wasn't taking lessons.

Heres one for [Pirates of the Caribbean] (https://www.amazon.com/Pirates-Caribbean-Leonard-Instrumental-Play-Along/dp/1423421957/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1499091080&sr=1-12&keywords=flute)

Heres a [pop/rock one] (https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Pop-Rock-Instrumental-Solos/dp/0739094882/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0739094882&pd_rd_r=P9CPWB201NRPJFQYNH5C&pd_rd_w=34pT9&pd_rd_wg=3IFk7&psc=1&refRID=P9CPWB201NRPJFQYNH5C)

I've been learning flute for the past year, and here's what I've found useful:

• cyberflute.com
  
  
• Nina Perlove on YouTube
  
  
• etudes by Anderson (24 Progressive Studies) and Gariboldi (here's the collection I have)
  
  
• The Wye Practice Books for the Flute in one volume - This is absolutely wonderful for learning how to play well. He talks about tone, intonation, technique, vibrato, double tonguing, etc. Definitely worth the price.
  
  My practice is oriented in two directions: Celtic-style songs and techniques, and general classical style. I'm currently working on the Am Partita by Bach. The hardest thing for me about learning flute (I'm also a clarinet/sax player!) is the subtleties of embouchure, and playing in tune (which are related, I suppose).

Great suggestions. 24 Short Concert Pieces is probably one of the most versatile solo books out there. Here is another of my favorites. These duets are short and interesting, and you can grow so much as a musician playing with other people.

Hmmm. yeah names of classical pieces can be so ambiguous too. I wonder if you were to look into finding that book or one similar, (if you haven't already) you could then have a source of songs to look through as a starting point. Here's a book I just found- https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Sheet-Music-Flute-Piano-ebook/dp/B00RY5JSFW

-- if you look inside, and scroll down to the table contents it has a list of songs. Not as helpful (or fun) as knowing what it is, but might help you find it! :)

assuming you paid around 25$, yes it's very good.

I also recommend Essential Elements Flute for learning. Just print off a fingering chart and you'll be reading music and playing and reading at a highschool level in no time.

https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Solos-Flute-Dona-Gilliam/dp/0786687509

https://www.amazon.com/Mel-Sacred-Solos-Flute-Book/dp/0786665335

Great Baroque pieces, my favorite being Bach's "Sleeper's Wake"

I had a dixon flute. I found it had more stretch on the left hand ring finger than any of the others i had tried. Got myself a Casey Burns folk flute which i prefer. For info on fingering and playing, i'd recommend finding a copy of Grey Larsons essential guide. https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Irish-Flute-Whistle/dp/0786686839/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549494930&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Grey+larsen&dpPl=1&dpID=51admGBI54L&ref=plSrch

Robert Dick has a series on YouTube on how to create multiphonics! He's my go-to guy for this!

Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB6_iPUaTWs

He's also got an excellent book out, Tone Development Through Extended Techniques, which is a really neat source:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0939407000

Edit: it's early and I can't word right

Congrats on your first win Paladins of the bumblebee but do you go to band camp? https://www.amazon.com/W22FL-Standard-Excellence-Comprehensive-Method/dp/084975951X 8 and 9?

~ /r/PictureGame

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https://www.amazon.com/Young-Flutists-Recital-Book-Collection/dp/079355103X/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502217309&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=Pieces+for+young+flutist

I really liked this book.

Also:

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Pieces-Progressive-Order-Collection/dp/0793525527/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0793525527&pd_rd_r=JHT28M4FH26YC1CBT2VZ&pd_rd_w=U2Pa5&pd_rd_wg=2rPLG&psc=1&refRID=JHT28M4FH26YC1CBT2VZ

Though the last song in this book appears in the other one.

Simple Flutes: A Guide to Flute Making and Playing, or How to Make and Play Simple Homemade Musical Instruments from Bamboo, Wood, Clay, Metal, PVC Plastic, or Anything Else https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620355302/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_w3ESDbGZDFG99

Check out this book, maybe?

Please don't fix it yourself! A clean/oil/adjust is one thing (Not very hard if you know what you're doing) but padding is a beast. There's a lot of tiny adjustments and frustration.

If you're looking into starting to fix flutes on your own, I recommend buying this book. I think it may be currently out of print, but it's seriously my bible when it comes to repair and understanding the intricate workings of the flute. Work on junk flutes first, definitely.

Maybe it could be cheaper to ship it overseas?

> are there any flute books aimed at a player who is excellent at the theory (so sight reading is a non issue) but wants to build finger dexterity? or is it just scales, scales, scales ?

See Trevor Wye's Practice Books For The Flute.

https://www.amazon.com/W22FL-Standard-Excellence-Comprehensive-Method/dp/084975951X

8 and 9?

I think that's an Orchestra geek, if the book is any indication.