Reddit mentions: The best wind & woodwind instruments

5k is a whole lot of money for a flute, especially if she isn't taking private lessons to really be able to know how to use those nice features (like the better tone, possibly open holes, etc etc...)

Honestly, you can get a very nice flute for $800 or so at any close-by Music store. I've taken private lessons since I was 13, and have for 3 years now and my Yamaha 221 is a very good flute for me.

If you're really set on buying her a more advanced, expensive flute, you can go with one priced at around $1300 or so, such as the Yamaha 262.

The difference between the two flutes I have listed is that the 221 is meant for more beginning students, but still not the cheapest one. 221 has offset G, so the key is easier to reach with your fingers, it has closed holes, so you don't have to worry about covering the holes with your fingers, especially if she's got small fingers. The tone in my opinion is just fine.

The 262 has the offset G (if you want an onset G, it's just a more expensive flute. But the tone difference between having onset and offset is barely even noticeable. I feel onset G is unnecessary for her playing.) 262 has open holes, which once mastered, produced a very good sound. It's not a whole lot different from the 221, except for the fact it's slightly higher quality and has closed holes and a few other minor features.

You can check all of the features through each of the links I gave you for each flute.

All of the advise from the other redditors is great too, and I much agree that for your daughter's level, it's a much better investment to buy a less expensive flute and invest in some private lessons for her, they do make a difference!

I hope your daughter continues to enjoy playing the flute!

Take care.

Here are some suggestions:

A simple system flute, often called an Irish flute. They are diatonic but these will allow you to play music in the keys of D, G, A and e-minor. Many good inexpensive ones are available, usually made out of Delrin, a very durable plastic. These are decent and affordable instruments. You can literally put them in a dishwasher and they will play fine afterwards:

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Tipple Irish Flute: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Doug-Tipples-3-piece-Irish-Flute-in-Low-D/133022489025?hash=item1ef8c219c1:g:A0gAAOSwNSxVXrS~

Shannon Irish Flute: https://www.irishflutestore.com/collections/irish-flutes-new/products/shannon-low-d-polymer-irish-flute-by-walt-sweet

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Or, if you want to play a modern chromatic flute (which would allow you to play most any sheet music) there nothing wrong with getting a decent metal student instrument. It will hold up fine to travel with modest care. Just get a little hard case, and swab it out after use:

Yamaha YFL-221 Student Flute: https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YFL-221P-YFL-221-Student-Flute/dp/B0002F7LXC

As to the suceptable to moisture comment, just think how many of these perform just fine with student marching bands in rainy weather.

Someone mentioned the Nuvo plastic flute and that is fine too, though for a little more the Yamaha is a better instrument and will last longer.

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I don't think the suggestion to get a Native American Flute is a very good one, unless you are interested in playing that genre of music. The simple one octave pentatonic (5 note) scale is very limiting.

First thing's first, welcome! :)


My greatest advice is to avoid the <$100 Amazon/eBay specials like the plague. They look like this or this.

If you are to buy used, make sure you get something from a reputable brand. I learned on a Gemeinhardt when I was a little kid and it took a beating and kept playing, so they're close to my heart. Yamaha is a great choice, Armstrong is pretty good too. Generally when you buy a flute, I recommend buying it in person but as you are new, it would be hard to gauge if the instrument is in good condition/working order. If you're buying from the internet, see if you can arrange with the seller to allow for a return policy so you can take it to a technician!

Some other advice-- it's hard to get going and its even harder without the guidance of a private teacher. It'll take a while to be able to get a sound, and it takes practice to make that sound good. As recommended by Band_Derp, it may be worth taking a lesson or two to expedite the process. Don't be frightened when you realize it's difficult to play, this is where a lot of people give up. It just takes perseverance, and once you get the technique it's hard to forget it. It becomes muscle memory and will only improve with practice.

The other point I should wish to add is to have fun with it all. As with all hobbies, make sure you still find the fun in it all even through all the work you put into it!

If I started over, my first whistle would be the Dixon DX001 because it is so sensitive, lovely sounding, easy to play, and smooth even up into the 3rd and 4th octaves. It is noticeably faster and more focused even to a novice.

My 2nd instrument would be the MK Pro Low D whistle. It is truly a lovely instrument and capable of very focused tone but also very chiffy and woodsy tones if preferred. My only negative is that the aluminum causes a lot of condensation build up, even on the mouth piece and even without playing. I am constantly having to dry the airway so I don't have condensation running down my chin.

The Dixon Low D tunable in metal is one I play far more than the MK but it doesn't sound quite as nice. It's got a less focused, softer, tone. However the plastic mouthpiece and fipple don't have any condensation issues and so it's much more comfortable to play, especially when it's cold.

Other whistles I've enjoyed are the Shaw High D with wood fipple. It has a very pleasant, chiffy sound but the construction is a little crude. The Clarke SDBC is almost as good as the Shaw but more refined in construction.

The Generation and Feadog whistles with the plastic fipple over a brass tube are the cheapest, most toy like whistles I own, but even they are very playable. I dislike the hard edges of the tone holes on my fingers though. It makes ornaments with finger slides less enjoyable.

All whistles are going to require VERY little breath. You could almost play it without your lips touching.

I have had my eye on the Chieftain Thunderbirds for awhile but have not had a chance to play one yet. I've heard they are much louder than average, and this can make them very good for busking and playing with others. The one challenge with any whistle is that it's difficult to control dynamics. You can only blow so hard in the low register before it jumps to a higher register, so it can be difficult to play with enough volume.

It really depends, I’m not the op but I was a TA in a band program my senior year of high school for college credits and I helped with ordering new instruments and such. You can get a nice flute for under 500 if you really search eBay and such. But a brand new “beginner” flute that is still super nice and I’ve seen multiple students to all state with them are around 100-300 anything bellow 100 I would be hesitant with. Hope I answered!


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006WAVPEM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&tag=windplays-20&linkId=f3cb111c7bdc507e43559140218691af

That is a super nice option that my old band programs gave to our high school students! And it’s less then 200 bucks!

It's horribly taboo, but if you want a cheap and fun sax check out the Glory saxophones. I haven't looked in awhile, but I remember they were on amazon for 100-200 bucks or something like that. I liked my $300 tenor before I upgraded, and there's a ton of great reviews for it on amazon.

Everyone on saxophone forums will blast them for not being a $1500 Yamaha or a 100 year old family heirloom that was a gift from the 3 prince of the Congo, but from my experiences and other reviews they are a cheap and dirty Chinese sax brand that gets the job done.

Edit: The mouth piece and reeds that come with it are terrible, I'd upgrade those asap. But here is a $200ish one with good reviews https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Saxophone-11reeds-Cushions-DIRECTLY/dp/B00OET2ICG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1495033826&sr=8-2&keywords=glory+alto+saxophone

I would say one thing, don't underestimate yourself, no matter how long you've been away.
I recently got back to flute playing after years away and decided that a random brand standard student flute (c-foot, closed holes - https://www.amazon.com/Roy-Benson-RBFL-402E-Student-Flute/dp/B007ZA3N02) was a safe bet but I am starting to want more. The one I got is cheap and and unknown brand and I think that a better flute would make me more confident about my flute playing and work harder to really be on the level that the flute it intended for. Despite the price I would not say it's a junk flute as it looks just as good as anyone else's in the band I'm in, but I am seeing and experiencing a lot of things that I find disturbing (some long rod is bent although it appears to have no effect - someone checked it said that it makes no difference so it's fine but I am not happy, B natural and Bb keys sticking together etc), and the case is already breaking apart after just 6 months. Long story short, I wish I had aimed higher and made a better choice.
My opinion is that you should first try to improve your posture, get a flute that meets your current needs and future expectations and just keep practising. Go to your local music shop and see if you can try a wave joint flute and if it does work better for you, get it. However, I think that you may get frustrated with it sooner or later when you become better than what your flute can do. I also think that would most likely force your arms into an unnatural position, unless you are a petite person. If you cannot hold it at the right angle you will have a lot of problems with your embouchure and tone and that will make it even harder and soon enough you'll be wanting a new one.
Jen Cluff has a huge collection of helpful articles: https://www.jennifercluff.com/posture.htm

So yes, to play ALL songs you'll need a chunk of harmonicas. However, its very important to get a solid, quality harmonica. I'd recommend spending at least $30 per harmonica and getting a Hohner Special 20 or Lee Oskar (or any other equivalent-or-better quality harmonica) per diatonic you get.

You can spend more, like $60+ per Harmonica if you want... if you want to go cheaper, try to stick to at least the stuff over $30.

So I know that gets expensive, but look at the songs that are available: http://www.reddit.com/r/harmonica/comments/i3w6o/song_keys/

True, there are eight harmonica keys for all the songs. But obscure harmonicas (like "Low C") don't really have very many songs for them. In that song list, C, F, and D cover most of the songs. Although different genres have preferences for different keys.

I mean, you have seven harmonicas in seven different keys. Which ones do you really use? You probably only use one of them a lot, and maybe two others. Just upgrade the few that you actually are using.

In any case, if you're going the Diatonic Route, it will be more important to get a few quality harmonicas (Hohner Special 20, Lee Oskar)... rather than getting leaky, unplayable, unbend-able cheap stuff.

And Harmonicas are lucky: entry-level professional-grade Harmonicas start at $35. Unlike other instruments which are far more expensive (look at those Professional quality Clarinets)

No problem! Usually you can find a decent Yamaha or Armstrong on ebay, craigslist, or even sometimes pawn shops. A really good idea is to have the seller play the instrument for you or bring a friend a long who can test them out first.

Here is an option on amazon that seems pretty great actually.

Hope that helps!

This thing from amazon. I've never played the flute before and this one's pretty good. I didn't want to go all out and buy an expensive one but I was talking to some guys who played the flute after I had it and they said it was pretty good for the price and felt nice

The autos is truly lovely, (Haka wood grain) Sweet, bright sound without being so much of a shril which is so typical of plastic soprano recorders in general.
https://www.amazon.com/Aulos-703W-Soprano-Descant-Recorder/dp/B001VO7ACA

Here is a video of Lenka Molconilova playing one, she used to play the Aulos Haka plastic recorders before getting the handmade expensive recorders she plays today. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hVARLQolFk0

> fs5

https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-FSC-385-Footswitch-Guitar-style-Dual-latching/dp/B000VXKUL0/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1540398033&sr=1-1&keywords=fsc+385
If you have the up to date firmware, this Hosa footswitch, which is much cheaper than any of the boss ones, will expand the K50 to 4 channels so you could have multiple cleans and leads channels.
I have and use this pedal all the time. It is relatively durable but provides all you need to access all the channels the K50 can do at about half the price.
The K50 is different than all the other Katana amps because it is the only one that does not work with the Boss big pedalboard, but this pedal made a huge difference for me with my K50 and I am super happy with it.

Almost forgot, I've been seeing these Mendini piccolos for only $130 on amazon and ebay.

http://www.amazon.com/Mendini-MPO-BK-Lacquer-Piccolo-Cleaning/dp/B005013JXE

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mendini-Silver-Plated-C-Piccolo-w-Hard-Case-Care-Kit-/130555316784?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e65b40a30

I see they have pretty good reviews but I assume there has to be a reason they are so cheap, has anyone played one? Is this a great deal that I should jump on or would it be better to invest in a better quality one (while considering money is an issue.)

I got a 32-key Suzuki for around $25 at music conference (found it for about $35 on Amazon). It's been more than sufficient for me and I actually use in sometimes on gigs. I particularly like using the flexible extension tube as it lets me feel a little more free with the instrument.

I just couldn't justify even $100 bucks for a pure toy, though now that it's gotten some good, paid use I'd be more likely to upgrade in the future, but I figure for someone just looking to grab one for fun mine is more than adequate.

There's no reason to buy a powered switch with the Katana 50. Get something like this instead. Better yet pick one up at your local shop.

With the switches you can not switch the channels on the panel quite like that instead you are switching between your 4 customizable preset channels - which override your panel settings. In order to get back to your panel you'll need to press the switch on the panel itself. But you can set up 4 channels to your liking, save them and use the switch to switch between them to your heart's content.

Hmm. Interesting! Right, "tamil carved flute" and "carved bansuri" show multiple very similar flutes, and some of them have this thing on top, while some of them don't have it! It's as if this thing on top were a plug of sorts that can be taken off?

It doesn't seem to be a real bansuri though (despite what the ebay claims), as bansuri is a transverse flute. And this one has a fipple.

Here we can hear that it can actually play, if it doesn't have this hat on top. Are you sure you cannot take the hat off? By like twisting it or whatever?

That's soprano, alto, tenor, but instead of a bass on the low side it has a sopranino on the high side. A good instrument to have for sure, but having a bass is way more useful if you play with others.

Btw, a bass alone is in the upper 200 dollars:

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YRB302B-Bass-Recorder-Baroque/dp/B0002MS7NI/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1541039579&sr=8-6&keywords=yamaha+recorders+musical+instruments&dpID=31BmIDjJM4L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

so a quartet SATB will be close to 400, not 300 like I originally guessed

I'd LIKE to be able to keep it under $250.
This Mendini seems like it has some kinda sketchy reviews, so I don't know how I feel about it.
I've seen the name Nuvo before though, maybe it is a better investment?

I should also note that we live in a fairly remote location, so I really want to find an option online that I can have shipped up to me.

There’s a great teaching tool called the Pneumo Pro that you could use for this. It’s a plastic headjoint with an array of little fans at different angles. It gives a great visual cue for where your air is going and, to some degree, how fast it’s moving. Perfect for this sort of problem.

Cajon (percussion)

Melodica

Ocarina

Kalimba

Beginner violin

Tin Whistle

Recorder

A lot of these may seem simple to play (or not "real" instruments), but proficiency in even these type of instruments is good. And as someone has already said, buying used opens up more possibilities.

https://www.amazon.com/Hisonic-Signature-2610-Orchestra-Clarinet/dp/B000BOQYCS I believe this is the link to my current clarinet. Cork is coming off and some buttons are pretty sticky. When I play certain notes of a lower register, it just squeaks because a piece is missing/the buttons are misaligned. I've had it since I was in elementary school, currently in college.

Hosa FSC-385 Dual Latching Guitar... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000VXKUL0?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Edit: This thing is awesome and is way cheaper than the Boss pedal.

There must be a good handful of musical instruments available for under $40. A decent recorder is $7.50. When I was a kid I bought my own after playing one in 4th grade music class.

I use the overpriced GAFC for the 100 but usually see the FS6 or 7 recommended for the 50. The FS6 goes for about $70 new and around $40 used. There are cheaper under $30 options available. I believe there some livewire and hosa latching pedals that people pair with the Katana that work fine. I’d watched one or two YouTube videos that show how they are set up and see if that’s what your looking for.

Here’s a video from boss showing the FS6: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqu82m2Pf00

https://www.amazon.com/Pneumo-Pro-Wind-Director-Practice/dp/B0058VGO24

maybe you could use something like this with a highspeed cam? then infer air speed from rotation speed

I have to agree with u/rlvis.

I only added this up because I was bored, but I thought a sub $30 estimate seems low as well.

• $10 - switches (2x$5)
  
• $7 - knockoff 125-B enclosure
  
• $2 - 1/4" TRS stereo jack
  
  That's $19 already and I haven't included wire, shipping costs (typically starts at $6.95) plus my shop cost (solder, tool wear, power, time).
  
  Or I can buy the Hosa for $20 from Amazon (shipped) and have a return policy.
  
  Not even a contest to what the real bargain is.

the switches are both latching. start on patch 1, click once for patch 2, click again for patch 1 same thing for bank. It's this switch

I'm thinking of just using 2 layaround leds and resistors just as an indicator and spending more time playing.

Honestly?

This

OR

THIS

They are on my wonderfully named "No Way in Hell" list

I've given this a gift a few times when I want to torment a friend >:P

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YRS-23Y-Soprano-Recorder-Natural/dp/B0014ZG676/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1537468750&sr=8-2&keywords=plastic+recorder

It's indestructible, no batteries are required, and the horrible noise it makes can be heard through walls. There's practically no way a kid can actually produce a pleasing sound on this device.

https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-FSC-385-Footswitch-Guitar-style-Dual-latching/dp/B000VXKUL0

You need any two-button switch with a TRS connector (tip, ring, sleeve) - Here is a cheap one I found.

lies

Nope. My sister vowed to murder me if I ever got one of these for my niece.

When shopping for one make sure the pedal actuates the proper electrical contact function you need. For all intents and purposes a pedal is a on/ and off switch. Some pedals are always "on", (Electronically Closed) and when you push them they turn off (opening the connection). Some are the opposite.

My first go around I had some trouble when I purchased a Yamaha FC5 Sustain Pedal, its normally on. I was trying to use it with a simple RTS 301 Belt pack but it was doing the opposite of what I needed, Opens the mic when I plug it in, then kills it when I press and hold, Not all that desirable.

I did some more shopping and for a Hosa Dual- Channel foot switch It features 2 latching contacts that you could use between A and B channel Comm systems. The switches were "normally open" and when you press and latch it closes the connection and turns on the mic.

Sorry for the long post explaining Normally Open , Normally Closed foot pedals.