Toy Flute?

[Blu]

Anyone seen one?
DS has put on his short b'day list a 'sideways flute'. Not a penny whistle or recorder style - one that you play sideways like a proper flute.

You can get a plastic flute called a fyfe or fife, not sure on the spelling!! I played one until I could afford a real flute for my 10th birthday. HTH!!

Thanks Wisp!
there's one on e bay, too! And as they are made by Yamaha, i expect they are available in music shops.

Do you have to have a tricky flute embrochure (sp?) to play one?

Get him to practice blowing across a bottle

You could try piccolos on eBay. Not cheap usually, though.

And they are harder to play than a flute IME

I'd suggest a plastic Yamaha fife - they're about a fiver and are as a valid an instrument as a recorder (ie not really a 'toy') and make more or less the same noise whn you've got the hang of it - try Chappells in Bond St if you're in London.

\link{http://www.chamberlainmusic.com/ProductDetail.asp?ProductID=YRF21\Here you go}. Yes, much better idea!

ELC used to do a 'flute' that was sideways but had a recorder-type mouthpiece so was dead easy to play - haven't seen it for years though. Will have a look...

Just beat me to it

\link{http://www.starland.co.uk/prodsum.asp?head=Woodwind+Instruments&sub=Flute+Family&pt=Fifes\here}

Just beat me to it

\link{http://www.starland.co.uk/prodsum.asp?head=Woodwind+Instruments&sub=Flute+Family&pt=Fifes\here}

Nah, you win, yours is cheaper :)

mb - did you mean a piccolo is harder to play than a flute - or a fife?

practising on a bottle is a v good idea.

Picollo is harder to blow. Fife would be harder to get the fingering....more like a recorders fingering, which I personaly have always found harder than the fingering of the flute (which has bit that cover the holes IYSWIM)

I'm not a music teacher but I would get a fife for a 5 year old. That way he can practice the blowing, and if he enjoys it, and gets reasobaly good, get a flute later....you can get swan necked ones for smaller kids arms IYSWIM

The fife will be perfect. Especially at that price.
Thank you all!