Flute

Cleaning Tips for Those Playing the Flute

A dirty instrument speaks of a bad musician. Every aspiring musician or instrumentalist should first learn to care for their instruments. These would also be taught to you during your flute lessons. Maintaining it properly at the right time would take very little effort, time and cost from your side. Once your flute gets a problem, you will need to get it to a professional to be repaired and it is not always that easy!

Take a look at the below tips for an idea on how to maintain the flute and keep it clean.

Longevity

One main reason one should care for their instrument is that if it is maintained with love and care, the instrument would live up to several years. It would last a longer time and save you the time, energy and money of purchasing another.

Moisture is the enemy

When one plays the flute, moisture forms inside the instrument due to the act of blowing air into it. This can cause damage to the flute. Never ever forget to wipe it and give it a quick dust down.

You can use a soft and clean cloth to remove dirt and clean the inside of your flute. It is advisable that when you are done playing, to take your flute apart. It is important to clean every part, nook and corners to make sure there is no dirty residue left inside and the moisture is cleaned up.

Polishing the flute is an easy task keeping in mind that it is quite a small and light-weight instrument. But one needs to be careful of the same fact because it is played with our mouth. It is a good idea to brush your teeth before playing to make sure the particles in saliva do not spoil the flute.

Flute case

If you travel often, the best way to transport the flute is to carry it in a flute case. It is also a good idea to keep it in the case if you are done playing or practicing. This helps in avoiding moisture and extreme heat. It will also protect the instrument from a fall. There are many cheap cases available but they will not do the job. They would most likely let the moisture in. They would not be made of good quality material, thereby risking the flute in case of a fall. Since this is a one-time investment, make sure you take the right decision and buy a good case for your flute.

Professional servicing

At least once in a while get your flute professionally serviced to give it a long and healthy life. Never try to fix the flute on your own if there should be problems with your instrument. Take it to the professionals. You might cause more damage to it if you handle it without having proper knowledge of the same.

Regular maintenance is an absolute must for the flutes as a clean instrument will play amazingly and will never let you down! Be regular in the maintenance of your instrument and they would play faithfully. To know more about flute lessons for beginners, check out: https://www.absolutelyintuned.com.sg/flute-2/

How to Approach Flute Lessons for Adults

As flute teacher, you might have a certain curriculum and a method of teaching. But you will soon find that all students are not the same. Some are more gifted than others and some are more dedicated than others. You will have to approach each student in a slightly different manner, while trying to ensure that your time is also not wasted. The biggest difference is between teaching children and adults. There are advantages and disadvantages to teaching adult flute students, but it can also be quite rewarding and easier in the long run!

Act like a coach

When you are teaching adults, it can be hard to act like a strict teacher and hold their hands for everything because most adults will not react well to it. So you have to accordingly modify your own behavior and give them their own time and space to learn. With an adult student, you need to really work hard on communication and ensure that they are able to tell you exactly how they want to go ahead.

Set mutual goals

There are a few adults who are completely dedicated to learning the flute and want to be a professional player. For these people, you will have to take a very structured approach. But most adults only join flute classes for enjoyment or as a hobby. Many even join for something to do after retirement. You can motivate these students to do better but if they no longer enjoy the effort, then they might just lose interest. So make sure that you allow your students to set their own goals for learning and help them achieve it.

Set up group sessions

Adults generally enjoy going to such classes for the social aspect of it. Learning something new, developing a hobby, and meeting like-minded people are some of the reasons that adult students are eager to take up flute lessons. In such cases, it makes no sense for them to not be able to interact with other students. Even if you are taking private classes, try and put such students in touch with each other and regularly organize group sessions where they can enjoy playing the flute in duets or quartets.

Deal with performance anxiety

With kids, learning new things come naturally. They are still in a developmental stage and pick up stuff very easily. For them, learning is the way forward. But adult students have to make special effort to learn something completely new. They can suffer from lack of confidence when confronted with something they don’t have much knowledge about. So your job also includes motivating such students and helping them deal with their own fears and bring out the best talent in them.

Socialize

When it comes to adult students, one sure fire way to ensure that they continue to remain interested in the flute learning scenario is to organize regular social events with fellow musicians. Keeping in touch with others who are learning the same instrument will not just help motivate your students, it may also open up new avenues for them. You can also encourage students to perform at such gatherings, boosting their confidence.

To learn more about the advantages of learning the flute as an adult, check out: http://flutelessonssingapore.com/the-advantages-of-flute-lessons-as-an-adult/. For more information on flute lessons, please consult http://www.flutelessonssingapore.com/.

YouTube: Flute cover of 7 Years (Luke Graham) by Melissa.Flutes

Wow! She plays the flute to Luke Graham’s “7 Years” beautifully.

Benefits for Children Learning the Flute

Benefits for Children Learning the Flute

 

There are many reasons children or adults want to learn a musical instrument, and many reasons why they might want to learn the flute. The most common reason is that they either know someone who plays it or have developed an interest in flute music, usually introduced through someone who is already into it. However, while the flute is a great instrument for all ages, there are also reasons why it can be beneficial for children to pick up the flute much earlier in life. For more reasons to take flute learning lessons, please check out:http://flutelessonssingapore.com/take-flute-lessons/.

Have fun

No child will stick with something that is simply no fun to them. If flute lessons are made fun, then the children will be learning something useful while at the same time, enjoying themselves. It is a great use of their free time and gives them a direction and purpose in life at a much younger age. For children who are hyperactive, the music can even help them calm down a little, especially once they pass the beginning hurdles. Overall, sending your child off to learn the flute can contribute something joyful and fun to their lives.

Learn to time

For children who take flute lessons early in life, learning how to time their playing can become an invaluable asset. It helps them do better in other fields of life such as studies, sports, and develops their life skills. Children who learn to play the flute find that their emotional and physical health develop and improve over time. The side effect is that this will give them a lifelong appreciation for rhythm, punctuality, and organization.

Improve coordination

Children who start learning the flute show a marked and obvious improvement in body coordination as well as hand and eye coordination. Playing the flute is a multitasking skill since the child has to learn how to play while concentrating on their breathing, while looking at the notes and finger patterns as well. This improves their motor skills, which in turn leads to better coordination, which shows up in all aspects of the child’s life, making them a better all-around in the long run.

Boost  confidence

Playing the flute requires a lot of commitment because it involves a lot of regular practice, and the child needs to know how to take care of their flute properly. This teaches children responsibility and self-discipline. They realize that things are not handed to them on a platter and that they need to work for it. At the same time, the thrill of mastering a tune can lead to an immense sense of achievement for having their hard work rewarded.

Socializing

When a child starts learning the flute, they are only concerned with the fun aspect of it or they might have great dreams of becoming a master player. Both of these are of course achievable, but there are some other advantages as well. One of the inadvertent advantages of sending your children to flute classes is that they develop a social circle with other children who might end up sharing a lifelong passion. This can be a very important aspect for your child’s social growth.

For more information on flute lessons in general, please refer to the site: http://flutelessonssingapore.com/.

 

Why Take Flute Lessons

Why Take Flute Lessons

 

The flute is an instrument which can provide the sweetest sounds ever. The most common choice of instrument for an aspiring musician would be the guitar or the violin. Those who choose the flute are rewarded beyond anything they would have ever imagined. The sweet melody that comes out from the instrument is a joy to listen to. Read on to know a few reasons why it is to your advantage to go for flute lessons.

Easy to carry

The flute is an extremely portable instrument and one which does not require much thought and care such as an instrument like guitar or violin would. It requires no special space or packaging and is very travel-friendly. Most of the time, even extreme temperature does not pose any threat to the flute.

Budget friendly

The cost of the flute is relatively less expensive than the other instruments. The tuition fee for the flute classes is also less when compared to those of other instruments such as a guitar or the drums. It is a very good choice for those who want to learn an instrument, but are constrained by budget issues.

Health benefits

As the flute is a wind instrument, it requires the person to blow more air into the instrument. This enables your lungs to fill up with more oxygen thus helping in giving the lungs exercise. Getting more air into your lungs is also good for your health.

Learning is easier

With a teacher to guide you, it is so much easier to learn the flute or any other instrument for that matter. When you take lessons, your teacher would be at your side at every step helping you out wherever you stumble a bit. Though it might take you a bit longer to get the hang of flute than the other instruments, the flute is very easy to learn to play like an expert.

Instrument handling

Playing an instrument is not all about the music you produce. It is also about the way your handle your flute and how you care for your instrument. The way you care can tell a lot about the passion you have for playing the instrument. A well cared for instrument will have a longer life and will produce better quality of music. If you go for flute classes, your teacher would be able to guide you on all this rather than you trying to guess or going in an uncertain path which would take up a lot of your time.

Group sessions

If you take up flute lessons, there are chances you will find like-minded people in there who love the flute just as much as you do. You can get together with them, practice new songs, perform duets and generally have more fun, which in itself would help you learn more. When you meet more people, you will find new ways of handling the instrument, new songs that you can play and the best part, new partners!

Now that you know some of the best reasons to take up flute lesson for beginners, go ahead and live your dream! These are some of the points which you need to know before you are ready to take up your flute lessons. To know more about how to care for your flute, check out: http://flutelessonssingapore.com/flute-lessons-caring-for-your-flute/. For more on flutes, you can refer to http://flutelessonssingapore.com/.

Quick and Easy Tips for Beginner Student of Flute Lessons

Quick and Easy Tips for Beginner Student of Flute Lessons

 

In any learning endeavor, you may not get it right the first time.  Practice makes perfect, so they say. But what if you practiced the wrong way?  As a beginner in flute lessons, it is important that you learn good playing techniques that would later on develop into habits.  Once they have become effortless or second nature to you, then you are well on your way to becoming a competent flutist.

As a beginner, you might be overwhelmed with the different learnings you are trying to absorb during flute lessons.  Singapore students are closely monitored by their teachers as to what technique they should focus on, based on their individual competencies.  Here are some pointers on what initial set of skills and techniques you need to learn as a beginner:

 

  1. Breathe and Blow. Proper breathing powers up your flute-playing.  Breathing techniques become effective if your shoulders are relaxed, if you hold your head up, and breathe from your stomach or diaphragm.   Breathe deeply.  In your effort to make a sound, blow onto the mouthpiece as if you were blowing into a bottle.  Do this by imagining yourself spitting out a sunflower seed.  Keep your lips firm but not tight.

 

  1. Take it slow. Learning new finger positions may feel awkward and confusing at the start.  Master the first position first before moving on to the next.  Work with your muscle memory.  Listen to your body.  Your instincts will tell you whether you are already comfortable with your finger positions.  Once it feels effortless, it would be much easier for you to transition to the next fingerings.

 

  1. Learn by repetition. You learn by doing –doing things over and over again.  This is the best way for you to build memory, speed, and flexibility.  Repetition builds your body rhythm and reinforces your muscle memory.  In this way, you become more confident every time you play.

 

  1. Play every day. Repetition also entails daily practice sessions.  Interacting with your flute every day is a way of familiarizing yourself with how you could comfortably handle your instruments.  Connect with it regularly so that it feels like it is a part of you.  It is more effective to practice every day at shorter yet productive and focused time intervals.

 

  1. Attitude check. Attitude trumps talent.  You may be a naturally-gifted flutist, but if you do not have the attitude to persevere,  you’ll soon be out of the race.   Talent may take you far, but hard work can take you further ahead.

 

  1. Don’t miss out on the fun.  When playing becomes a pain, it shows and can be heard in your playing during your flute lessons.  It’s a fact that practices could become mechanical and emotionally draining.  But take a step back.  Listen to the beauty of the sound that you make.  Let the melody fill you with joy and let the rhythm bring back the excitement.

 

Expect your flute lessons increase in difficulty level as you progress.  Again, you should be prepared to move ahead.  Here’s what you can do to get ready for the next level:  http://flutelessonssingapore.com/how-to-take-your-flute-lessons-to-the-next-level/  .  But do not worry, competent and patient teachers from http://flutelessonssingapore.com/ will guide you every step of the way.

Flute Lessons: Tips for Flute Teachers

Flute Lessons:  Tips for Flute Teachers

 

As a flute teacher, you might opt to teach different levels of students. Each level of learning requires a different method of teaching, and a completely different approach to handling the students. With advanced students, you can just help them with the techniques and let them work on their music in peace. With students who are appearing for grading exams, you need to be sure that you are covering whatever the course demands in detail. But beginner students are the toughest to teach because you need to be an excellent teacher and have a lot of patience and be aware of different teaching methods. You can also find some more tips for teaching at http://flutelessonssingapore.com/read-this-if-you-are-a-new-flute-teacher/.

Assembling the flute

When you are associating with beginner students, especially young children or teenagers, it is best that you begin the flute lessons by showing them how to put the flute together and how to take the different parts of it apart safely. If you don’t do this, impatient students might try and do it themselves and end up damaging their instruments after their very first lesson. You would then not get very far with your lessons if your students’ flutes are not in good condition! Have them practice for a while and then impress on them the need to be patient and delicate when handling their instrument.

Correct posture

The correct posture for playing the flute is actually not a natural posture. So students often lounge about and take a stance which feels comfortable to them at most times, but is not always conducive for their long term health. It is very important for the posture to be developed at the very beginning before the student slips off into bad habits, which can be quite hard to correct. So make sure that you are concentrating on the posture of the students during the first lessons until it comes naturally to them. Explain the difficulties that can arise with a bad posture, such as muscle pains and chronic joint problems, and encourage them to develop a good posture as early as they can.

Fingering chart

Get a fingering chart and insist that your students use it. Many beginners don’t like using fingering charts, especially if its importance has not been brought to their notice. It is also very difficult to decipher for newbies. The first thing to do is to teach them how to read the chart and how to implement the instructions in their playing. Pictographic fingering charts are the best option for beginners as they can just see what key is where, and when to use which one.

Method book

Method books are essential for the flute teacher in order to prepare their classes in an organized manner. While you obviously know everything that is to be taught, following a method book can bring more structure to your curriculum. It becomes far easier to prepare lessons based on this structure than to randomly teach whatever you want to. This way, you could also be sure that you are not missing out on any specific technique that must be taught. This is especially important in the beginning stages since certain things need to be taught before other things. With a method book, life becomes easier for both teacher and student.

For more information on flute learning and lessons, check out: http://flutelessonssingapore.com/.

Challenges Flute Players Face – Part II

Challenges Flute Players Face – Part II

 

As discussed in the previous article that can be found here, http://flutelessonssingapore.com/challenges-flute-players-face-part-i/, challenges are part and parcel of being a flutist. Knowing how to overcome these challenges so that they don’t bog you down is important, especially if you haven’t had a lot of experience with music, or are young. We have seen what physical problems that flutists might have to face in the last article, but here, we’ll deal with other issues.

Performance anxiety

Whether you are taking flute lessons for taking an exam or even doing your first public performance, you might find yourself feeling choked and scared and not wanting to go ahead with the event. This is performance anxiety and you have to overcome it in order to become a more confident, if not necessarily, better flute player. Part of the solution lies in ensuring that you are playing well. But you might also want to work on deep breathing relaxation techniques. Be well rested and properly hydrated for the event or exam. If your body and mind is relaxed and nourished, your anxiety level automatically goes down. But the best thing you can do is to think of it as having fun. If you aren’t having fun in the first place with your flute learning, you probably shouldn’t be doing it anyway!

Tonal issues

While the importance of learning how to breathe correctly has already been discussed, a connected problem is the production of tone. It is not easy, especially for a beginner, to produce the right depth of tone from the flute. You need to be able to produce a wide range of sounds at the right pitch for the music to flow flawlessly. For this, you need to get the embouchure just right. Learning how to use your face muscles to develop the best tone is the basis of flute playing or that of any wind instrument. However, this is not the only thing you need.Your whole body needs to participate in the playing, not just embouchure. Your body must be relaxed and let the sound float through it, giving it more resonance and richness. This takes time to understand and develop, and is one of the biggest challenges facing flutists.

Reading music

Music, like any other language, has to be learned from the scratch. Basic flute lessons must including reading the notes and the staves and understanding what they translate to when you have to apply them to the playing. This alone is not enough since the tones of a flute are so varying that you have to resort to ledger lines and learn how to decode them as well.While many people prefer to just play by the ear, learning musical theory is important for serious flutists. Apart from this, music has its very own jargon, which you will need to master as many of the words can be in different languages. Considering that many of the rich musical tradition in Western music comes from French, Italian and German traditions, these are the languages for which you might want to learn the basics. You need to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of music. Learning and memorizing all of these might be a challenge, but the biggest one is remembering all this while also remembering to play the flute properly with the right posture, breathing properly, and all the other things that go with it.

For more information on learning the flute, you can refer to http://flutelessonssingapore.com/.

Challenges Flute Players Face – Part I

Challenges Flute Players Face – Part I

 

While watching an expert playing the flute, it might appear effortless and easy on the surface. But while the flute is a gorgeous instrument that lends itself to all kinds of music, it is not always easy to master. In fact, beginners will take quite a while to get the knack of blowing so that actual music is produce, and not just sounds. Apart from the physical challenges, there are also other practical challenges to be faced when learning the flute. For more generic information about flutes, check out http://flutelessonssingapore.com/. In this article, we shall see what kind of challenges flute players face and how to overcome them.

Posture problems

While experts have long been trying to find a decent posture that doesn’t lead to major muscle problems later, flutists have been regularly diagnosed with musculoskeletal problems. The main problems are in the neck, shoulders and upper back, which can be caused when you hold the arms up. Even if you hold your arms lower, your neck can be compromised. Fingers and wrists are also problematic, leading to injuries. If you develop any of these physical problems, you might have trouble continuing to play the flute. These problems can also become chronic if you overlook them and become a major source of physical fatigue and pain over time.

Though there is no singular rule to deal with ergonomic issues arising from flute playing, you can learn how to prevent such things. Always, consult a good and experienced flute teacher or even an older player and ask them for help in developing your posture. Learn to relax your muscles while playing the flute in order to avoid muscle fatigue. This needs a good amount of practice, but it is well worth the results.

Breathing problems

Beginners to the flute face another major challenge in being unable to keep up with the playing because they haven’t mastered the breathing techniques. Learning how to breathe properly to enable you to play the flute is very basic to the very concept of flute playing. If you fail to learn how to breathe, you will be unable to sustain the notes for a long time. In the long run, it can even cause respiratory trouble and dizziness. Flutes and other wind instruments really need the most air, and for this, you need to develop proper breathing techniques. Most flutists encounter problems when they begin to learn flute notes that are longer and play long phrases of music without knowing how to ration their breathing. Sometimes, flutists even get very conscious about their breathing and gulp in air to last them through the phrase, but it doesn’t work well like this.

Developing good breathing habits overall can go a long way in reducing any breathing problems you can develop while playing the flute. Learn some deep breathing techniques and practice them every day until it comes naturally to you. The important thing is to ensure that you are not consistently left short of breath when playing the flute. Moreover, it is significant that you learn to assess accurately how to work on your breathing depending on the length of the piece you are playing. It is only with practice and the help of a good teacher that you will be able to overcome this hurdle.

To get an understanding of other basic lessons you will be learning, refer to: http://flutelessonssingapore.com/basic-flute-lessons-for-beginners/.

Flute Lessons: Caring for Your Flute

Flute Lessons: Caring for Your Flute

No matter how sturdy an instrument you have, it still requires regular cleaning, maintenance and caring. If a flute is your instrument of choice, then you need to make sure that it is well maintained so that it can serve you for a long time. Good flute music lessons must include how to take care of the flute.

Assembling and disassembling the flute

Assembling and disassembling the flute must be done correctly each time so that you don’t destroy the instrument. Always attach the footjoint and the headjoint to the body of the flute with gentle twists. A flute is very delicate and just putting the keys in the wrong alignment can completely destroy the instrument. Be careful whenever you take apart the flute in order to clean it or store it. Always disassemble your flute and clean it thoroughly before putting it away after playing. This article can help you learn about the different types of flutes – http://flutelessonssingapore.com/types-of-flutes-beginners-can-use-for-flute-lessons/.

Cleaning inside the instrument

As with any wind instrument, the flute needs to be cleaned after playing. Any moisture left in the instrument can reduce its lifespan by a large margin. All you need to clean your flute is a rod and a soft cloth. The rod should come along with your flute and you can use any soft cloth for the cleaning. Thread the cloth through the slot in the rod and then wrap it around the rod, so that the rod is fully covered with it. Push the rod inside the different parts of the flute and move it in and out so all sides get cleaned. Store the cleaning cloth separately so that the pads don’t absorb any moisture from it.

Polishing the flute

When playing the flute, it is natural that the outer surface would get smudged with fingerprints. Just take a soft cloth – a different one from the one used to clean the insides – and carefully wipe it clean. Hold the flute by the barrel while cleaning. Over time, it might also lose its sheen. This is normal and the attribute of a well-used flute, so don’t worry about it. Never attempt to use silver polish or other such things on your flute as they are abrasive and spoil the finish of your instrument. In some cases, especially if your flute is silver-plated, it might also get tarnished. If the latter happens, there is nothing much you can do about it yourself. You must take it for repair and get it de-tarnished.

Storage

Don’t leave your flute lying around when you are not playing it. Someone can sit on it or some accident can happen, completely destroying the instrument, bending it out of shape. Even if nothing of the sort occurs, it can absorb moisture from the air, which can then work on harming your flute. Moisture is your flute’s biggest enemy. Don’t even put it away in a closet as it is not airtight and you will still have the same problems. Always keep your flute stored away in a nice storage case that comes especially for the purpose. These cases have specific places for storing the different parts of the flute and are airtight. Make it a habit to put away your flute in its case every time.

With some simple care and maintenance, your flute should work for a long time. It also helps to send the flute for tuning and check-up regularly (perhaps once a year) to an expert, so that any problems that arise can be put to rest as soon as they make an appearance. For more information on flutes, refer to http://flutelessonssingapore.com/.

The Advantages of Flute Lessons As An Adult

The Advantages of Flute Lessons As An Adult

You might have heard of the millennial mindset “30 is the new 20, or 40 is the new 25!”. Definitely, adults today have rekindled passions to learn new skills or re-learn an old hobby like flute lessons, for instance. People have redefined the concept of the adult age. Taking music lessons past school age or after the teenage years is now highly encouraged and supported by peers and family.

 

Learning to play a musical instrument is a challenging endeavor that can possibly take a toll on an adult’s work-life balance, lifestyle and responsibilities. An adult’s physical limitations that usually come with age, may be detrimental to one’s learning progress. However, these drawbacks are not the be-all and end-all of pursuing flute lessons. Singapore adult citizens are positively embracing the benefits of being an adult beginner or a returning flute student.

 

Here the advantages of learning to play the flute as an adult:

 

  1. Purchasing Power. An adult definitely has immediate access to resources that would allow him to pay for all the expenses involved in flute lessons. Some of these costs include the purchase of a good quality flute, and paying for a flute teacher. Adults can also afford supplementary learning tools like books, CDs, equipment and accessories, as well as concert events and performances.

 

  1. Adults can independently manage their schedules to make time for lessons and practices. They are more flexible in allocating time for supplementary activities like concerts, seminars, and workshops. They can decide for themselves and express their thoughts on the flute teacher’s teaching method, lesson difficulties, and other factors that affect their learning progress.

 

  1. Mental Maturity. It’s a given that adults have already attained a certain level of intellectual maturity. This makes it easier for them to understand concepts, reading materials, instructions, and other musical theory. They are more confident in expressing difficulties and asking questions. Adults are usually more investigative and can work with the teacher on exploring alternative ways of doing things. Since they are more exposed to different kinds of music and have established their own musical preferences, they are aware of what genre of music they want and find most enjoyable to play.

 

  1. Social Maturity. Openness and cooperation are important in the learning process. Adults can easily establish a more communicative relationship with the teacher.   He can openly discuss the level of seriousness he is willing to give to this new-found hobby or rekindled endeavor. Adults who usually enrol in music lessons do it for fun and recreation. Many of them just want to play for pleasure, minus the stress and pressure. Thus, they can discuss with their teacher their goals, expectations, pacing, and progress.

 

The reasons for taking up the challenge of learning to play the flute during the adult years may vary. If you are contemplating of trying it out for yourself, these reasons may inspire and motivate you. Check them out at: http://flutelessonssingapore.com/reasons-for-taking-adult-flute-lessons/

 

Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine winner Rosalyn S. Yalow said, “as long as you’re learning, you’re not old’. In www.flutelessonssingapore.com, adult students taking flute lessons are not considered too late in the game. Rather, it is seen as a reason to celebrate an important milestone that would enrich one’s quality of life.

 

 

Flutes from Different Countries

Flutes from Different Countries

The flute really is the oldest musical instrument known to humans, except for drums. In this context, it is also an instrument that is globally used and lends itself to different genres of music from different parts of the world. Here, we’ll see a little about flutes from different countries, which are still in use. If you want to get a better idea of the world of flute or learn how to play the flute, check out www.flutelessonssingapore.com.

Western Concert Flute

The most commonly learnt flute nowadays, the western concert flute has a tradition of more than thousand years. Nowadays, flutes are classified on the range of their keys. The flutes are mostly made of metal with silver plating. Nickel and gold plated flutes are also available. Some flutes are also made in wood, though these are no longer very common. For more information on beginner flutes in this genre of music, refer to http://flutelessonssingapore.com/types-of-flutes-beginners-can-use-for-flute-lessons/.

Indian Flutes

India has a long tradition of flutes and even Hindu epics make mention of the instrument. It developed independently of the Western flute and is generally made of bamboo and don’t have keys. There are two main types of flutes in India. The one used in the north is called bansuri and has eight finger holes and one embouchure. The venu is a flute with eight finger holes, used in south India. The bansuri is typically used in Hindustani music and the venu is used in Carnatic music.

Chinese Flutes

There are many types of Chinese flutes. The most used material for making flutes is the bamboo, but there are also flutes made of wood, jade, and iron. Though a number of flutes are in use in China, the most commonly used ones are the dizi and the xiao. Dizi is a bamboo flute with six holes and tightly wrapped threads to prevent cracks. The xiao is made of bamboo is an end-blown flute with eight finger holes and four vent holes.

Japanese Flutes

The Japanese flute is called the shakuhachi and is made of bamboo, ABS or hard woods. It is a very old flute and has survived up to modern times, though with a few variations. It is used to play classical Japanese music, traditional folk music, and zen music. Another flute from Japan is called hotchiku, which is only used for zen music.

Irish Flutes

The Irish flute is a simple system, transverse flute with six holes without keys. It is excellent for playing traditional Irish music because this genre of music doesn’t have much use for keys. The flute is made of wood and has a more reedy tone when compared to the more common western concert flutes.

North American Flutes

Many of the North American tribes have a rich history of traditional music and flutes were a common instrument. North American music is still very popular. The flutes are usually rim-blown and made of wood. Some tribes also use the duct flute, also made of wood. The tunes played are traditional music, not too complex, so doesn’t require many keys.

You can thus see that if you want to learn the flute, you have a number of options available. Of course, you need to find a good teacher and learn to appreciate the different genres of music, but it’s very rewarding once you get the hang of it.