Most of the flutists that are purchasing new flutes tell me that they have a sense that their current instrument is holding them back, or that they are not able to grow musically with the instrument they have.

In some cases the head-joint is to blame.  Some of the complaints include lack of a full dynamic range, an overly bright one dimensional sound, difficulty slurring between octaves and sluggish articulation.

In other cases a flutist discovers that their finger technique has improved and their mechanism cannot keep up with their fingers.

Some flutists get tired of struggling with an outdated scale which can make the instrument difficult to play in tune, especially with musicians having flutes with more sophisticated scales.  Additionally, flutes manufactured before 1980 usually have scales tuned to A=440. Since then, thanks mostly to the influence of orchestra conductors who like the brilliance of a string section tuning to a higher A, flutes are manufactured with the new standard of A=442.

Some flutists decide that they are tired of a flute that goes out of adjustment frequently and want the reliability and stability of a handmade mechanism and Straubinger pads.  ( Available on some makes of handmade flutes. )

Some flutists are interested in making the transition to a flute with optional mechanisms like a C# trill key, or a D# roller.

Whatever the problem, or combination of problems is, a new flute can give the developing and seasoned flutist the tools to grow as a flutist and a musician.

The more silver, the better the sound.

The density and hardness of sterling silver ( 92.5% pure silver ) creates the most beautiful, flexible sound for the vast majority of flutists.  As a flutists ability improves, they should have an instrument that has some silver content.

Unfortunately, the more silver, the higher the price, but the difference in performance is clearly better.

Superior head-joint design and hand cut embouchure holes.

As a flutists embouchure develops, they need a flute with a more sophisticated hand cut, embouchure hole design.  This produces a faster response, better tuning, a wider dynamic range, a darker, more refined and beautiful sound and a larger palette of tone colors.

Customizing the embouchure to the right head-joint design.

Some of the better quality flute brands will offer as many as four distinctly different head-joint designs.  ( See this description of some of the head-joints we carry. ) Flutists have many different ways of forming an embouchure, depending on the shape of their lips, teeth and jaws.  The different embouchure hole designs allow the flutist to customize their embouchure to the right kind of head-joint and achieve much better results musically!

A handmade mechanism built with precision.

A precisely made mechanism will allow a quicker response and fewer repairs.  More importantly, a handmade mechanism does not allow any looseness or “side play” in the mechanism and assures that the pad comes down on the tone-hole in exactly the same place every time, insuring a good air seal.  Click here to see my article on handmade vs. machine made flutes.

A flute that plays better in tune (with a well designed “scale”).

All flute companies use their own “scale” and some are definitely better than others.  The “scale” of a flute means how it plays in tune with itself and with other musicians.  The scale is determined by the design of the head-joint and the size and placement of the holes in the flute tubes.  The flute companies making handmade flutes have produced superior scales, which allows the flutist to stay in tune with ease.

Optional mechanisms available.

C# Trill – The C# trill permits better tone and pitch on open C# and makes numerous trills and tremolos much easier, especially in the upper octave.  Click here to see my article on the C# trill.

Heavy Wall Tubing – A small percentage of  students may see improvement in their sound by selecting flute tubing made slightly thicker, which can produce a darker, more powerful sound.

The correct time to purchase a step-up flute for a young flutist can be determined by a few criteria:

How long has the student been playing and how dedicated are they to improving?  If the student is motivated, practicing and is seen to be interested in playing the flute through Jr. High School and beyond, they may be ready for a new flute two or three years after beginning, sometimes sooner.  If they enjoy the flute in a more casual way, perhaps as a social outlet, and practice sporadically they may not need a step-up flute till around the 8th, 9th or 10th grade.

A tangible indication that a student needs a better flute is that they will start to overpower the instrument, frequently over blowing, and cracking notes.  Entry level flutes have head-joints that are made simply and quickly to reduce cost.  The embouchure hole is designed to be “free blowing” and easy to play for all beginners, but can be easily “overblown” as the flutists embouchure develops.  These free blowing headjoints can help a beginning flutist get the notes out easily, but produces a one dimensional hollow sound.

As a flutist develops their finger technique they will need a faster, more responsive mechanism.  Their rate of improvement will stagnate and they will become more and more frustrated with the instrument and its relatively poor response to the effort they are putting in.  Consult the flute teacher about when to upgrade a flute as well.

There is a very wide range in the quality of step up flute brands.  A good one will have a mechanism greatly superior to the beginning flute.

The advantages of a step up flute:

The more silver, the better the sound.

The density and hardness of sterling silver ( 92.5% pure silver ) is responsible for creating the most beautiful, flexible sound for the vast majority of flutists.  As a flutists ability improves, they should have an instrument that has some silver content.  Some step-up instruments will include only a sterling silver lip plate and riser.  (Photo here.)  Some will include a head-joint made entirely from sterling silver and some will include sterling silver content on all three pieces of tubing (not the mechanism).  Unfortunately, the more silver, the higher the price, but the difference in performance is clearly better.

Superior head-joint design and hand cut embouchure holes.

As a flutists embouchure develops, they need a flute with a more sophisticated hand cut, embouchure hole design.  This produces a faster response, better tuning, more dynamic range and a larger palette of tone colors.

Customizing the embouchure to the right head-joint design.

Some of the better quality step-up flute brands will offer as many as four distinctly different head-joint designs.  Flutists have many different ways of forming an embouchure, depending on the shape of their lips, teeth and jaws.  The different embouchure hole designs allow the flutist to customize their embouchure to the right kind of head-joint and achieve much better results musically!

A handmade mechanism built with precision.

A precisely made mechanism will allow a quicker response, better tone and fewer repairs.  More importantly, a handmade mechanism does not allow any looseness or “side play” in the mechanism and assures that the pad comes down on the tone-hole in exactly the same place every time, insuring a good air seal.  Click here to see my article on handmade vs. machine made flutes.

A flute that plays better in tune (with a well designed “scale”).

All flute companies use their own “scale” and some are definitely better than others.  The “scale” of a flute means how it plays in tune with itself and with other musicians.  The scale is determined by the design of the head-joint and the size and placement of the holes in the flute tubes.  The better quality step up brands have produced superior scales, which allows the flutist to stay in tune with ease.

French style keys.

Most step-up flutes are made with french style keys.  These are keys in which holes have been placed in the center of the keys covered by the fingers.  The purpose of these holes is twofold.  To improve pitch and to increase the venting of the toneholes which gives a more open and full sound to the flute.

Optional mechanisms available.

C# Trill – Some students may be ready for the C# trill which permits better tone and pitch on open C# and makes numerous trills and tremolos much easier, especially in the upper octave.  Click here to see my article on the C# trill.

Heavy Wall Tubing – A small percentage of  students may see improvement in their sound by selecting flute tubing made slightly thicker, which can produce a darker, more powerful sound.

A word about how big a step-up to take:

Don’t become nickel and dimed to death by purchasing more than one step-up flute over a period of 2 to 3 years.  This is the biggest mistake I see parents make.

For Adult Flutists

Flutists are fortunate.  There are more manufacturers of flutes than any other wind instrument.  While this gives the flutist a lot of choice, it can be confusing, even for the seasoned flutist.  The good news for the flutist is that because there are so many manufacturers, competition is fierce.

How much should I spend?

This depends a lot on how you will be using your flute, and how advanced of a player you are.

Most of the adults that we work with wind up spending around $4000.00 to $8500.00 for models that have drawn and rolled toneholes, and $9000.00 to $14000.00 for models with soldered toneholes.

What features should I look for?

Construction:  In this price range you should definitely look for a handmade mechanism, even better a handmade Brogger System mechanism.  (Read about the Brogger System at this link.)  (Read about machine made flutes vs. handmade flutes at this link.)

Pads:  We strongly recommend the Straubinger Pad for your new flute.  This is a mostly synthetic pad that is perfectly flat and cannot expand and contract (which causes leaks) the way traditional felt pads do.

The almost perfect seal and firmness of the Straubinger Pad allows the column of air inside the flute tube to start vibrating much sooner than felt pads would permit.  (Which produces a quick response.)  The instrument is much more reliable and pad leveling repair bills are cut in half over the life of the pads.

Composition:  At minimum your new handmade flute should have a sterling silver (92.5% silver) or Britannia silver (95.8% silver) head-joint.  The next major improvement would be to purchase the flute with sterling silver or Britannia Silver, body and foot-joint tubes.  The best sound would be achieved by purchasing a flute with sterling silver keys as well.  Of course the more silver, the more expensive the flute.

Head-joint choice:  Many flutists do not take full advantage of this important part of selecting a new flute.  Most of the top flute manufacturers will offer at least 3, sometimes 4 distinct head-joint designs.  Everyones embouchure is different.  These different designs allow the flutist to customize their embouchure to the right head-joint.

At the New England Flute Shop, we always have a detailed conversation with our customers to find out what kind of flute they currently play on, what type of performing they do, and what their expectations are for their new flute.  This allows us to tailor the head-joints that we present to our customers to their specific requests.

More head-joint choices:  Some remarkable improvements in tone color and texture can be achieved just by including a 14 karat gold riser, or a platinum riser (sometimes called the “chimney”).  It a customer has a goal of needing more color and texture in their sound, we might steer them more in the direction of the gold riser.  If they want more power and projection, a platinum riser may be the right choice for them.  ( Read more about gold and platinum risers at this link. )

How to choose the right head-joint.   A great flute specialist can be invaluable in helping a flutist to choose the right head-joint.  We usually present about 6 or 7 head-joint choices to our customers during the initial testing session.

Jeffrey Schmalz, the owner of the New England Flute Shop has assisted hundreds of flutists as they have selected new head-joints. He carefully listens to each head-joint and works with the customer to eliminate the head-joints that work least well for the customer.  At this point the customer decides if they would like to proceed with a 5 day trial.  They would take the head-joints that work best for them, play them in familiar environments, and for their peers before making a decision on whether or not to purchase the flute.

Even after purchasing a new flute, embouchures and playing styles can change.  To help with these changes, The New England Flute Shop will also exchange a head-joint for up to a year if the customer would like to consider a different head-joint in our inventory of the same or greater value.  (Ex. Upgrade to a gold or platinum riser, 9 karat gold lip plate or a tube made from 958 silver.)

How can a more expensive head-joint, result in a less expensive flute?

If a flutist cannot afford a flute with a sterling silver body joint or key mechanism, a good way to increase the richness and beauty of the tone of that instrument is to add more precious metal to the head-joint.  One way to do this is to purchase a head-joint with tubing made from 958 silver (95.8% solid silver).  Another way is to add a gold riser (or chimney) to the head-joint.  Adding more silver content to a head-joint tends to give a richer, darker, sound to the flute. Adding gold to a head-joint increases the colors and textures available to the flutist.  A platinum riser, a more costly option will help give the flutist a darker, more powerful sound.

Pursuing one of these options can cost substantially less than purchasing a flute with body tubing and keys made from silver, yet will still give a wonderful improvement in tone and response.

Mechanical Options:

Inline G or Offset G keys – See the article at this link.  (No cost difference.)

C# Trill Key – See the article at this link

Heavy wall tubing or standard wall tubing.

Split E mechanism or High E facilitator – See the article at this link.

D# and Low C# rollers:  These rollers make sliding the pinkie finger from the D# key over to the low C# and low C key much easier.

Should I buy a flute from a flute specialty shop, or from a national discounter?

There are a handful of flute specialty shops around the United States which offer very high quality products and have excellent customer service.  The New England Flute Shop is one of these.  The owner of the New England Flute Shop, Jeffrey Schmalz has tested thousands of flutes over the last 35 years and has carefully selected the flute and piccolo lines we carry as having the best combination of craftsmanship, musical response and value.

Every instrument sold at flute specialty shops is carefully set up and tested by a professional flutist before it is sent to a customer.  These shops also provide top flight service technicians who will make repairs in a timely manner.  In the case of our shop, we will almost always take care of repairs in less than a week and emergency repairs can usually be done in one day, many times while you wait.

Another choice that is available for those in the market for a new flute is to purchase an instrument from an internet discounter such as Woodwind-Brasswind or Flute World.  While these internet shops may be able to sell you a flute at rock bottom prices, they do not service the instrument, and rarely is the instrument set up and tested properly.  The difference in the cost between the internet discounter and your local music store, or a flute specialty shop will quickly be made up in trips to the flute repairman!

If you want to enjoy the benefit of having skilled craftsman in your community, we recommend that you patronize their businesses!

For Jr. High and High School flutists

Flutists are lucky.  There are more manufacturers of flutes than any other wind instrument.  While this gives the flutist a lot of choice, it can also be confusing, especially for a younger student and their parents.  The good news is that since there are so many manufacturers, prices are competitive.

How much should I spend?

It would be difficult to make a significant step up without spending around $1500.00  You may be able to get away with spending less if you find a very good deal on a used flute for around $1000.00  We also sell quite a few step-up flutes in the $2000.00 to $6500.00 range.  Of course, many families cannot afford these semi-handmade and handmade step-up flutes, which is why we offer a full range of options to choose from.

What features should I look for?

We would suggest at the very least to purchase a flute that has the entire head-joint made from sterling silver.  The next step up from that would be to purchase a flute with a handmade mechanism.  We would also suggest that the student stay with an offset G key, (standard on virtually all beginner flutes) since it is a stronger and more ergonomic construction.

Most step-up flutes include the French style keys (sometimes called “open hole” flutes) which offer a small improvement in sound, but that feature alone is no reason to buy a new flute.  In other words, it does not make much sense to purchase a step-up flute with French style keys unless it also has at least, a sterling silver head-joint.  It is the addition of sterling silver that will make the biggest improvement in the sound of the flute.

If the student is looking at some of the handmade step-up flutes they may also consider the C# trill key, (See the article about the C# trill here.) a 14 karat gold riser,  (See the article about the gold riser here.) or body and foot-joint tubing made entirely of sterling silver.

Should I buy a flute from my local music store, a flute specialty shop, or a national discounter?

Some local music stores carry good brands.  Before making a purchase, ask to take the flute home on approval for a few days so that the flutist can test it in a familiar environment and take it to a flute lesson so that the teacher can also test the instrument.  If the music store carries more than one brand of step-up flute, ask to take 2 flutes, one of each brand and of comparable quality and cost to test for a few days before making a decision.  If you don’t like either of them, look at some other alternatives.

There are a handful of flute specialty shops around the United States which offer very high quality products and have excellent customer service.  The New England Flute Shop is one of these.  The owner of the New England Flute Shop, Jeffrey Schmalz has tested thousands of flutes over the last 35 years and has carefully selected the flute and piccolo lines we carry as having the best combination of craftsmanship, musical response and value.

Every instrument sold at flute specialty shops is carefully set up and tested by a professional flutist before it is sent to a customer.  These shops also provide top flight service technicians who will make repairs in a timely manner.  In the case of our shop, we will almost always take care of repairs in less than a week and emergency repairs can usually be done in one day, many times while you wait.

The third choice that is available for those in the market for a new flute is to purchase an instrument from an internet discounter such as Woodwind-Brasswind or Flute World.  While these internet shops may be able to sell you a flute at rock bottom prices, they do not service the instrument, and rarely is the instrument set up and tested properly.  The difference in the cost between the internet discounter and your local music store, or a flute specialty shop will quickly be made up in trips to the flute repairman!

If you have a regular flute teacher, they may have an opinion about what kind of flute they would like you to have, and where they would like you to purchase it.  Take advantage of their knowledge and experience.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to write us at:  FluteShop@comcast.net