Flute suggestions for a wee beginner

[joeryan]

All,

My son, who is 10, plays the whistle but is thinking about taking up the flute so he can join a local ceili band. (Apparently they have enough whistlers.)

I am going to hunt around on this site and elsewhere for a used instrument. Any suggestions on what to look for? Wood vs plastic? And are the cheaper ones typically harder to play?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Best,

Joe

[O_Gaiteiro_do_Chicago]

Consider the delrin flute without rings from this page:

http://www.copleyflutes.com/catalog.html

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better flute for the price. It's also perfect in that delrin is very forgiving and will not crack or break if dropped. Excellent sounding flutes for the price!

[Brus]

These too are very good for the price:

http://tippleflutes.com/

[MadmanWithaWhistle]

I would point out that the Tipples, while a very good invention from a great guy, are not really on the same level as the Copley, which is indistinguishable from many more expensive flutes from great makers. A fellow at my session let me play it, and I was very impressed with the tone and ease of play.

[tin tin]

Also, Tipples have bigger finger holes and a wider spread than a conical-bored flute, which could be an issue for a kid.
I've been very happy with my Copley & Boegli for more than a decade now. (However, that doesn't exactly have small holes either, FYI. A small-handed model from Casey Burns might be good.)

[plunk111]

Copley delrin for sure!

Pat

[accordionstu]

If you are looking for a decent wooden flute for little outlay, i reccommend Tony Millyard, based in England Tony's flutes are very professionally made and sound as good if not better than some that cost 3 times the price of his. A Keyless Model is £475 http://www.tonymillyard.com/prices/ here's a link of me playing a Tony Millyard.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X88Ib1Owv-s

[MKE_Chris]

I cut my teeth on an older model M&E Rudall by Michael Cronnolly, it sounds great and it's very easy to play. They're quite reasonably priced as well, and he usually keeps a number of keyless polymers in stock so you wouldn't have to wait long. Worth a look, I'd say.

[dyersituations]

I've owned a Copley and a M&E in delrin, and both were quality and well-priced instruments.

[joshua7b]

I recommend the Hammy Hamilton Practice flute. It may be cheap, but you will be hard pressed to find a flute that plays better for less than $400. It is also pretty much indestructible. I have a couple of other flutes, but this one is the one that stays accessible in my house. My children (2 and 4 yrs old) are remarkably good at breaking things. Any wooden flute left in reach would meet a very swift demise.
http://www.hamiltonflutes.com/Practice_Flutes.html

The next step from the Hamilton Practice Flute would be a Casey Burns Folk Flute. This is also a great deal and a great flute. He also makes a small handed version of the fol flute that might suit your son if he has smaller hands.

[sarton]

I would have a look at Ebay.

See f.i. http://www.ebay.nl/itm/Traditional-Iris ... 3aabe4047c

or

http://www.ebay.nl/itm/NEW-STYLE-PROFES ... 2c99a8b46a

or

http://www.ebay.nl/itm/New-Irish-Profes ... 235609a1a9

Why spend hundreds of dollars if it can be much cheaper.

[LorenzoFlute]

For a 10 year old, probably better to get a plastic flute. In the future you may want to replace a wooden flute with another better one, but a good plastic flute is a useful thing to have always even when you will feel like you want to "upgrade" (to a keyed flute for example).

All suggestions above are good of course, my raccomendation though is to get a plastic (delrin) flute from Vincenzo di Mauro, italian flute maker based in Galway. Unlike some of the other makers mentioned he has a small hole model which would be more comfortable for a kid (or for anyone for that matter).
I think it's 300 euros for the cheapest model:

http://vdmflutes.free.fr/UK/Delrinuk.html

[Steve Bliven]

I would have a look at Ebay.

See f.i. http://www.ebay.nl/itm/Traditional-Iris ... 3aabe4047c

or

http://www.ebay.nl/itm/NEW-STYLE-PROFES ... 2c99a8b46a

or

http://www.ebay.nl/itm/New-Irish-Profes ... 235609a1a9

Why spend hundreds of dollars if it can be much cheaper.

These instruments may call for a certain amount of caution.... Might want to take a skim throught viewtopic.php?f=2&t=34685 before going too far down that road.

Best wishes.

Steve

[plunk111]

Steve is being WAY too diplomatic! Do NOT buy one of those FSOs (flute-shaped objects). The only thing that will do for your 10-year-old is turn him away from the flute... I reiterate my recommendation of Dave Copley's flutes. I have played (or owned) M&E, Copley, Forbes, Dixon, Tipple, (and probably some more) delrin flutes and think that the Copley is your best bet for encouraging a young player. It's the easiest to play and get a decent tone from - hands down. Granted, that's a personal opinion and based on my own experience and embouchure. I should mention that I currently play a Garry Somers delrin Pratten as my back-up/camping flute and it is the best of the whole lot, BUT I don't think it would be suitable for a beginner - large holes and a fairly unforgiving embouchure. Best sound, but a little more work than most of the others.

Best of luck in your search!

Pat

[chas]

For a 10-year-old, I don't know that I'd recommend a D flute. The stretch and the diameters of the largest holes might prove to be a problem. For that reason I'd suggest the M&E over the Copley. I have a strong preference for the Copley myself, but the M&E's holes are smaller and it's a fine flute in its own right.

If the kid's hands are far from adult size, I'd suggest an F or G flute -- Phil Bleazey makes a wonderful G flute, and Ralph Sweet makes a good one that's very reasonably priced.