What should I look for in a flute for my 11-year-old?

Harried mama

Tue, Oct 16 2018, 2:28 am

My 11-year-old son has a bit of money saved up and would like to purchase a flute. He wants to teach himself through books or videos. He has never played an instrument before. He would like to spend up to 150 shekels and it's important to him that it's a "real" flute and not just a toy. I looked on eBay and it seems there's a huge variety of flutes with varying numbers of holes, made of various materials, etc. Can anyone who knows a bit about flutes give me some guidance? He wants it to be a pretty standard flute and I have no idea what qualifies.

Thanks!

msssssss

Tue, Oct 16 2018, 6:59 am

My son plays the flute. Great instrument! Extremely challenging in the beginning but so rewarding once the player gets the hang of it.
I would recommend you go into a music store. Even if you tell them you’re not buying.. just browsing and have some questions. They are so knowledgeable they’ll direct you well.

kiryat sefer

Tue, Oct 16 2018, 7:43 am

The one from the 99¢ /shekel store is good. My sister learned the flute like that. That's how they teach it in Public schools as well with 1-7$ flutes and then if you have the talent then you buy a good one.

Culturedpearls

Tue, Oct 16 2018, 8:10 am

Are you referring to a proper flute not the “school type” that a previous poster mentioned?
For an 11 year old pick a flute that comes with a curved neck . Do not buy on eBay.
Get advice in a music store.
Also your son will need some lessons.
It’s not a simple instrument to learn to blow or play.
Note a real flute is an expensive instrument.
He may be better off with a clarinet it’s a bit easier to learn & cheaper but he will still require lessons.

We own flute, clarinet & saxophone and without a doubt clarinet is the nicest tone.

Culturedpearls

Tue, Oct 16 2018, 8:12 am

Also perhaps it’s better to rent an instrument.
That’s what we do initially. Then if the child shows commitment we purchase.

Harried mama

Tue, Oct 16 2018, 5:42 pm

Thanks for the advice. He specifically wants a proper flute, not the kind you can buy in the dollar store. I suggested he try the clarinet instead and he's willing to consider it. We will try to go visit a music store and see if they can help us. I'm not sure there's a place to rent around here, but we'll do our research.

Culturedpearls

Tue, Oct 16 2018, 5:46 pm

Harried mama wrote:

Good luck.
We do rent try buy. Meaning that the rental will come off final buy price.
With a clarinet it’s easier to get away with a cheaper instrument if you have a good mouthpiece.
We had a cheaper one until my son progressed & then we splurged.

Culturedpearls

Tue, Oct 16 2018, 5:48 pm

Also once he learns one woodwind it’s relatively simple to learn flute & sax with minor fingering adjustments & blowing

imasinger

Tue, Oct 16 2018, 7:45 pm

Clarinet to sax is easy, but flute requires a different embouchure (mouth,/blowing position).

Whatever he chooses, it's worth investing in at least a few lessons to get started right.

Miri1

Tue, Oct 16 2018, 8:59 pm

A note to avoid confusion:
If you are in Israel, a flute - "Chalil" often refers to what in English is a recorder.
Israelis will call a flute (orchestral instrument) a "chalil-tzad".

I can imagine learning the recorder from a book, but as someone with a background in a few instruments, I would think he would need a teacher to get the proper sound and mouth position on a silver flute (chalil-tzad), at least initially.

Good luck, and encourage him, it is a great gift to be able to play an instrument!

Last edited by Miri1 on Tue, Oct 16 2018, 9:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

Cookiegirl

Tue, Oct 16 2018, 9:07 pm

Great instrument, but not that easy to learn completely independently. My preference is Gemeinhardt. You may be able to buy a used one for $150-$200 (not sure about what you may find in Israel). If he gets good at it you can buy a solid silver headjoint for beautiful sound.

oliveoil

Tue, Oct 16 2018, 9:26 pm

kiryat sefer wrote:

That is not a flute. It's a recorder. Totally different.