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Original poster

has anyone spent a serious amount of money on a flute?

34 replies

brimfull · 14/11/2006 22:52

DD is working towards grade 7 and her teacher has suggested that she needs to upgrade her yamaha flute.She's been trying out a couple of heads (an altus and a pearl).
Basically this upgrade will cost about £500 .I am not musical and the difference on the tone from her old one is marginal.Apparently the next best would cost about £1000.So what I'd like to know is is there a dramatic differenc in the sound and tone of a £1000 flute to our upgraded head for £450.
We will need to trek up to London to try out others so I'd like to know if it's worth it.

Thanks

OP posts:
Judy1234 · 14/11/2006 23:07

Not sure. I'm sure she could play and pass grade 7 and 8 on what she has now. May be the decision is whether she's likely to keep playing all her life, be in a university orchestra, it be her adult hobby etc or whether in 2 years time when she passed grade 8 it will be a box forever in which case not much point in buying the more expensive one now. Also you might be able to get one second hand which we did with a few instruments and got some quite good deals.

Gillian76 · 14/11/2006 23:11

I know at least 2 people who passed grade 8 on run-of-the-mill Yamahas. The tone, however will be noticeably better on a flute that costs £1000 .

I think Xenia's right about how long she's likely to keep it up. My own playing almost ceased on leaving school and I have 2 cousins who were very skilled on the violin, played from 4 years old, and have done next to nothing since leaving school.

Original poster
brimfull · 14/11/2006 23:14

thanks xenia,she's not planning on a career in music .The £450 heads are in effect second hand as they are cast offs from people who have had heads handmade for themselves.

OP posts:
Original poster
brimfull · 14/11/2006 23:16

yes Gillian ,I suspect that may happen with dd.She enjoys the challenge but for how long.We were told we may get £200 for her yamaha so that makes it a bit easier.

OP posts:
amicissima · 15/11/2006 22:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
brimfull · 15/11/2006 23:13

yes it's top wind amic.How much did you end up spending if you don't mind me asking?

They've sent us two heads and dd likes one,not the other.I can't hear the difference either.

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MrsJohnCusack · 15/11/2006 23:31

hello
it's not just how it sounds, it's how it feels to her, how it speaks, how easily she can get it to what she wants and all sorts of other things....
IME, it's horses for courses, but the headjoint is very important and a fab headjoint on a decent but not neccesarily expensive body (and a Yamaha is a good body) can work out more economically than buying a whole new flute, and work better too. I know stacks of people who have concentrated their spending on the headjoint rather than the rest.
Topwind will help and the teacher should too. Believe it or not, the sums you are talking are not outrageous in musical instrument terms - horrifyingly enough. There might turn out to be a huge difference for her between spending 450 and 100o smackers, but it's not an exact science and there may not be....also different examples of the same make and cost can vary quite a lot too so don't just try one of each type if possible.

threebob is a flute teacher if she's around and she knows much more than me - I'm better on clarinets (I could bore you all to death several times over on buying clarinets and mouthpieces)

Original poster
brimfull · 15/11/2006 23:39

thanks mrsjohncusack,
Ok so I now think we should make the effort to go to topwind and let dd try some out.I realise that £1000 is really at the lower end of the scale ..scary!
It's an expensive thing for her to be taking to school ,I'm presuming I can get it covered on the house insurance.
Was your dd's flute covered amic?

OP posts:
MrsJohnCusack · 15/11/2006 23:45

you can get it covered on the house insurance BUT in my opinion it's better to get something that expensive covered by a musical instrument insurer. these are the best allianz , reason being that they also cover for being left in a car, damage, repairs, all sorts of stuff that house insurance may not cover you for. I used to work in a musical instrument shop and they were very easy to deal with when people made claims. It's not hideously expensive and so worth it

Original poster
brimfull · 15/11/2006 23:50

does the fact that it's being cared for by a child affect the insurance.

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MarsLady · 15/11/2006 23:52

I play the flute and it's incredible the difference in sound. You can hear it as you play and the flute does seem to play better. My dream has always been to have a gold flute. I tried one once... almost passed out in joy!

However, I agree, the Yamaha has a fabulous "body" and if you can get just the head then that would be fine. As has been said, people pass 7 & 8 etc on "bog-standard" flutes.

£1000 whilst a scarily high figure really isn't much for a musical instrument at all (gulp!)

(Should anyone have a spare gold flute around... I know a certain Mars that would love to have it....... sigh.............)

Original poster
brimfull · 15/11/2006 23:52

just read the faq on the website,answer ..yes .
Thanks

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Original poster
brimfull · 15/11/2006 23:53

oh yes mars dd has dreams of a gold or platinum flute!!!

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tortoiseshell · 15/11/2006 23:54

Agree, just go for a head. I got an Oxley head which I used on a Yamaha body, and it did make a huge difference. Got my flute out the other day, and I'm so pants at it now - felt a bit sad that I used to be able to play it!

MarsLady · 15/11/2006 23:54

Oh please don't get me started on Platinum! I merely looked at one in a case. After the gold I didn't dare go near it.

Original poster
brimfull · 15/11/2006 23:56

life really isn't fair is it?!

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MarsLady · 15/11/2006 23:57
fortyplus · 16/11/2006 00:06

Just be grateful that yours play the flute... mine learns French Horn - they start at £1000 for one with 4 valves. He's got a school instrument at the moment and I'm hoping to get away with it a bit longer by buying him his own mouthpiece to put in his Christmas stocking. Sigh...

MarsLady · 16/11/2006 00:08

Oh Lord! DD1 wants to learn to play the Oboe. Can you imagine the sounds that she'll make? And the reeds I will have to buy! Still.... rather that than a French Horn (sort of instrument that DD2 would take up!)

fortyplus · 16/11/2006 00:13

one of my sils is professional viola player. Asked her what she thought of ds1 learning FH. She said 'Put it this way, they sit at the back, read their newspaper until the conductor arrives then fold it noisily, tip their spit out all over the floor and they're usually quite stocky, down to earth types. In fact most of the other members of the orchestra tend to think of them as rather uncouth!'
THAT'S MY BOY!

fortyplus · 16/11/2006 00:16

In fact ds1 is currently learning several pieces inc Harry Potter theme for the Junior wind band Christmas performance. He found it highly amusing that the 3 flautists are going to have to have microphones as they can't be heard over all the 'trumpeting' from the others. Horrid child! ds2 is far more refined - he learns the violin.

MarsLady · 16/11/2006 00:24

PMSL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will hold that image in my head all night now! Thanks! lol

fortyplus · 16/11/2006 00:30

oops - sorry about that! Hope it hasn't made you gag!

fortyplus · 16/11/2006 00:33

ps When he practises he tips his spit out in the kitchen sink - how gross is that?!!!!
At least the worst you'll have to cope with is a soggy reed!

MarsLady · 16/11/2006 00:34

I am so not going to look at this thread again.

Which is actually an I feel sick emoticon not envy this time.

Bleuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!