Learn to Play the Flute

Have you ever heard the beautiful music of Jean Pierre-Rampal? He was a famous French flautist and a lot of people thought him to be the best flute player of the 20^th century. He was so good in fact, famous composers wrote music specifically for Rampal to play. You can learn to play the flute and make beautiful music too.

There are five steps listed and they are Purchasing a Flute, Basic Technique, The Notes, Learning to Play Music, and Caring for your Flute. Following these steps will help you get started.

Step 1: Purchasing a Flute

Here are a few tips for purchasing your first flute. Since you are just learning, there is no need for anything fancy. You should start with a student flute (these can be purchased new or used) because they are designed for beginners and are inexpensive. They range anywhere from $250 to $400 dollars and a couple good brands that fall in this price range are Geimenhardt and Pearl. Student flutes can be purchased at most local music stores that sell instruments, online, or in the classified ads. If you decide to purchase a used student flute, make sure it's in good condition. There can be problems that aren't obvious, such as the keys needing to be re-padded. This can cost over $100 dollars to fix. The best way to have a used instrument checked out is at a music store. The downside of purchasing a used flute online or from the classified ads is that it's not easy to have the instrument inspected. So, you may want to stick with a music store so you can have everything done in one place. But, if you trust a third party, you may be able to get an even better deal this way. You can use your best judgment when making this decision.

Step 2: Basic Technique

• Getting the flute to make good sound can be tricky at first. After placing your lips on the mouth piece, slightly press your lips together and tighten the corners of your mouth. It can be a little difficult at first and discouraging if you are not able to make sound come out of the instrument but be persistent and it will happen.
• When you're first learning to play the flute, it's important to take breaks because you may experience dizziness and shortness of breath. In fact, this is common occurrence for most people. If you continue to play while you're short of breath, you will not produce the most quality sound.

Step 3: The Notes

Here is a list of the most common notes played on a flute. The diagram below shows how to place your fingers on the keys for each note. The underlined 0 indicates the keys that will be pressed down. The O that is by itself is called the banana key and can be found on the side of the flute. The first key closest to the letter represents the key closest to the mouth piece.

B o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

0

C o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

O

D o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

0

E o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

O

F o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

O

G o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

O

A o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

O

Step 4: Learning to Play Music

• Start out with music that is simple such as Mary Had a Little Lamb and Hot Cross Buns. These songs may seem silly to start with but it's important to master the easy pieces and then work your way up.
• There are also books of music you can purchase that include a CD with background music that you can play along with. This is fun and it makes you feel like you're playing with an entire band.
• Playing scales is also a great way to practice. The repetition of the scales will help you with the technique of the notes.

Step 5: Caring For Your Flute

Taking good care of the flute is important because this will determine the sound quality of the instrument.

• When you're finished playing, you should always clean the inside of the top piece with a cleaning rod because it collects a lot of saliva each time you play. You can purchase one of these at most music stores or various places online such as www.fluteworld.com.
• You should also use a small brush to remove dirt and dust that get in between the keys.
• Polishing the flute with a soft cloth will keep it shiny.
• And always store your flute in a flute case. This keeps your flute protected.

Cleaning your flute regularly will keep it in good shape and with good care it will last for a very long time.

Music can do great things for your life. It can cheer you up when you're down. It can help you unwind after a stressful day and you can bring joy to other peoples' lives by sharing your new talent with them. And remember to have fun with it because that's what it's all about.