What flute do you play?

I started on a Buffet. I've heard them described of the Land Rover of flutes, and it certainly was hardwaring (not that I mistreated it at all). I now play and Altus (807), which I've had for 2 and a half years, and I even met Liz in the flute shop when I was buying it - a very memorable occasion. I think it's great and couldn't imagine playing any other flute.

I remember this day really well, Rachel. It was up at all Flutes Plus, wasn't it. The flute shops in London - All Flutes Plus, Top Wind and Just Flutes (that's in Croydon which is near enough to London) - are all worth a visit if you are flute shopping. You'll get a warm welcome,

OOOhh I love this kind of question. I started on a yamaha, then had a Miyazawa, then a Brannen and now an Altus. (My spare is an Azumi made by Altus which is great too).

I started on a serverly dented yamaha when i was in primary school which was AWFUL!!!....then i went on to a third hand trevor james 10x that a friend of the family bought for me and now im on a Brio flute which i have so out grown and im in desperate need of a new one.
I cannot wait to get a new one. I would love a Altus, Miyazawa or Brannen :)

I started on Tooty (Yamaha 211), then Snooty (Muramatsu), and now Lawrence (Brannen) and Louis (L.Lot).

What are the names of all your flutes? (I hope they have names!!!!???????)

I started on a Buffet, silver-plated throughout. Then I got a solid silver headjoint for it. I then played an Emerson for about two months (to get used to Open holes) and then Andy Thomson from Top Wind very kindly gave me a Muramatsu on extended approval which I then took to my first term at Guildhall in 1999.

(deep breath)

THEN in my second term at Guildhall, my very good friend (and Flautist of the Caribbean) Gary Arbuthnot loaned me his beautiful Sheridan Flute #10, and I eventually bought this flute in 2001. I played this flute all the way through Guildhall, my postgraduate study and in my first "playing job" which was Southbank Sinfonia.

At the end of my year long contract with Southbank I was offered the job of Flute Specialist and Artist in Residence at Pearl Flutes, and they gave me a lovely 18K Gold flute to play on, but I finally decided that I would like to have a 14K Gold flute, so I now play on a 9841RBEICP (R=Open Holes, B=B foot, E=Emech, I-Inline G, C=B-C# Trill, P=Complete 14K Gold plating on the keys)

I sold my beloved Sheridan Flute in October last year in order to buy a house, but I still play on a lovely Solid 14K Gold Sheridan headjoint on my Pearl!

And unlike Abbie - I don't have a name for my flute!

I play on a open holed pearl PF505. It's a relly great flute. But in primary when I first started playing it was on a rented, school battered yamaha, which really didn't help!

My first flute was a Hearnels that I bought used for 15 quid. Soon after purchase the barrel fell off. This problem was fixed with superglue, but didn't help with all the leaks:-o Next was a Pearl student flute that made me realise why I had found it so hard to play the flute (the Hearnels). I made good progress on this and a few years later upgraded to a Muramatsu intermediate model. My current flute relaced the Muramatsu over 20 years ago. It is a "handmade" silver Miyazawa that has sported a 14K HJ for the last 15 years or so. The reason I have had this flute so long is because I started working full time as a freelance musician and teacher in this period and can't afford anything else:-D

Hi Liz
I have had a quick scoot round your new website and enjoyed my visit.
My first flute was a county flute of unknown origin. I then saved up money from My first Summer holiday job and with my Dad's help bought a Boosey and Hawkes ?model.After school I played intermittently but then had lessons again as an adult and eventually upgraded to a myazawa open hole which I enjoyed.I now have a Sankyo Silver Sonic open hole which I must admit to having some bungs in still!(the holes are bigger than on the myazawa- my excuse)I enjoy the rich sound but the reason i was able to upgrade was because sadly my Mum had died and left me some money.
Will look out for the piccolo book in the review bit. Hope to have another look soon but must off to do some french!!!!
Christine

My first flute was a Blessing... It wasn't a good flute at all but it got me through my first couple of Grades and I was so short when I began I needed a curved head to reach the keys...
My next flute was a Pearl... with a solid silver headjoint... I still own this flute and have passed ti down to my sister so she can learn on it. I love this flute but the closed holes always feel weird...
The flute I play on now is my beloved Miyazawa PA202-RE which I got just before my G7 when I 14. I fell in love with it the moment I first blew into it and have never looked back... The only thing I may is get a new headjoint... Does anyone have some tips on this?

What an interesting topic. I started on a Boosey & Hawkes Regent (I think, it was along time ago!) followed by a Gemeinhart with a silver headjoint then a rather nice Muramatsu, which I still own.

Today, I do most of my playing on an old Rudall Carte flute made in 1900, with a beautiful headjoint made by Robert Bigio. It takes a bit of work to play in tune compared to more modern flutes, but it's well worth the effort.

I started on a Buffet flute (which looking back was a very unreliable one and kept breaking!)

Then on a day out in London (not even to look at flutes) i persuaded my parents to let me go to the flute shop and have a look around. The man presented me with an Sankyo, Altus and Miyazawa. I played for about 20 mins and quietly my dad went out of the practice room and i didn't think much of it. I continued to play and my heart was set on the Miyazawa as my tone was very pure and felt the best. My dad came back and said do you want the good news or the bad news? So i said good "You're Taking the Miyazawa away with you today" and the bad "Well there isn't except the cost!"

I was so over the moon and as it happens i was due to go to Abbotsholme the week after. It was amazing to go there with a new flute.

So to this day, I'm so pleased with it and have never looked back.

I am not sure... my flute has broken on the B key for the 2nd time

I play an Azumi but used to have a Jupiter with a curved headjoint which was horrible.

I play an Azumi too (3000 with C foot and open holes). I love it so much. My first flute was a very cheap and NASTY one which will remain nameless. It was useful though as I wanted to see if I liked playing the flute and if I could actually get something out of the thing. Well, its yes on both counts and with my new flute hopefully I can start developing as a player.

I asked Mr.dickens (my soon be teacher of Ian clarke music) and he said it was yamaha

i started on a trevor james and he didn't have a name. after my grade 5 someone told my mum i should upgrade to a better flute so now i have a pearl. her name is nicola. my teacher wasn't very happy when i suddenly told her i'd got a new flute, because it had a silver head so it was a lot heavier and i'd just got used to my old flute. we've spent about 5 months trying to get me used to nicola but i think i am ok now. i still get pains in my left thumb and my left pinky after practice but i always get that. my teacher said it was because of the new flute but i think its because i cant hold the flute equally between my right and left hand. what do you think??

I'm 38 and still playing the Japanese Yamaha 211S that my parents bought me when I was 7 years old. It's been through the mill a bit (dropped a couple of times!). I'd love a new one next year, maybe, but I'm not sure what to get. I only play in a local concert band so doesn't have to be anything fantastic. I would like it to make me sound fantastic, though!

My daughter has a TJ Virtuoso II which she gets on well with. She's been learning almost 2 years and doing Grade 4 soon. The VII has the raised embouchure which is ideal for her. She started on an Indonesian 211S which is nothing like mine!

My first flute was a Boosey and Hawkes Regent , rather grandly called Angelina.It had rubber pads which were forever sticking. Then I had a 211S Yamaha which was wonderful. It's number was 0017075. That one was called Nicolette.
In 1978 I bought a Miyazawa from Forsyths in Manchester after going to an introduction demonstration with Mr Miyazawa himself. I have the original brochure somewhere which he signed. This is the flute I still use. It was sounding very sad until I went to the Flute Convention and Ian McLaughlin took it and worked his magic and now it is playing like new (almost!)

My first flute was a boosey and hawkes, not paticularly sure what model, but i do know it was a lot older than me!, after my first two grades, i moved onto a yamaha 211, which i played up intil my grade 7, last year. Since then i have upgraded to my pearl maesta 9701, which i love to bits, and im really happy with it, so im sorted on the flute front for now.
Harry

First I had a number of different old yamahas from my school, then they said we couldn't borrow them any more so I got a buffet. I then upgraded to a yamaha 421 and now about to upgrade to a sankyo with a gerhard Sachs headjoint:D

My first flute was an old Martin Frères, model 'Paris 1740', which I bought back in May 1977. I played that flute for one year, learning all the basic skills on it, until my flute teacher advised me to upgrade. He recommended a 'Boosey & Hawkes Emperor', which I played for about four years.

When I entered the Academy of Music in 1982 I upgraded again, and (by recommendation from my flute professor) purchased a brand new Mateki entry model (M-01). However, I absolutely hated to play that Mateki flute, because I always felt that it was kind of holding my playing technique back. I never got used to that flute! After graduation in 1990, I switched to a solid silver Pearl flute, which regrettably wasn't quite my 'cup of tea'. And for a while I also had a solid silver Gemeinhardt flute, which I didn't enjoy to play much, either.

Then finally (in 1994) I purchased a solid silver Yamaha YFL-421. And that flute stayed with me for the next 14 years, until it gradually started to fall apart. Currently (and as a temporary solution) I play a silver plated 'Arnold & Sons' flute with a B-foot (and a Mark Seidman delrin stopper plug inserted in the headjoint), because I still haven't quite figured out what flute to settle on. Still weighing my options, I guess. ;-)

- Maybe a solid silver Azumi AZ-3000? (At least I was quite impressed by their silver plated entry model).
- Or perhaps the solid silver Armstrong 85 flute that I recently bought on eBay for $250 - now impatiently waiting for the package to arrive. :-)

I play a Jupiter flute, not sure which model. It's my first and only flute. My teacher told me it would last me up to grade 5 but clearly she was wrong as I played it in my grade 8 exam and managed fine! The springs have a habit of chosing bad times to pop out, but I've never had any problems that have required professional help.

I started on a Lindo flute from ebay (Eeek!) because we didn't know where to get a flute from. The Bflat never worked and my friend's flute (a lindo too), melted just above the foot joint after 30 seconds next to a radiator. And then snapped off. I then got a Trevor James (which I loved)but had to upgrade for Grade seven. Somehow I managed to convince my mum to let me get a Powell!!!!!!! I've got a Pearl piccolo too and they both have rather unfortunate names, but, then again, my friend named them, not me! (Flute = Galahad, Piccolo = Lancelot)

I'm learning to play handcrafted Indian Bamboo Flute from the disciple of Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia. This seems to be very different from what most people here are playing, but do check out his videos and music on YouTube.

Although I'm learning to play the Indian Classical music, I intend to use that as a foundation to improvise and move towards Jazz.

I started playing the flute in 1969. It was a silver Gemeinhardt.When I was a senior in high school,1979, my mother bought me a solid silver,open hole with lower B foot by Gemeinhardt.
Unfortunately I had to pawn it back in 1992 when I was pregnant.
I really miss that flute. Wish I had the money to replace it now.Such a sweet sound .

I started with yamaha f100sII. it play quite nice for study begining then after two year i brother bought me selmer omega flute not too good but not to bad ... planning to buy new one with range budget ($2500-$3800). I still confuse whic hbrand i should tried, i wonder gemeinhardt 33ssb is good one or not (give me some info please). I still play my selmer omega it's quite hard to reach high notes. Hope i buy new one soon.

I started on a very basic J Michael when I was seven. I was so small that I really needed a curved headjoint but did not have one. As a result I developed all sorts of bad habits in posture and technique that I still haven't totally got rid of (over 7 years on!). Then, when that broke (surprise surprise) I moved on to an equally basic Trevor James. When I was eleven I got my own flute for the first time - a Trevor James Cantabile, which I am still playing now and love to bits! (not literally, unlike the first one!)