Hire a flute from me and receive your first lesson free! New studio in Rugby opening New Year 2008. Book early to avoid disapointment. info@flutetuition.org.uk
These are the some examples of the flutes that are available for rental.
Pearl PF505 EUS Curved Head Flutes - £64.95 per 3 months rental, £369 retail price.
If you chose to buy a flute after renting one, 50% of one rental charge will be discounted from the total retail price. PLEASE EMAIL INFO@FLUTETUITION.CO.UK FOR FURTHER DETAILS.
Thinking of buying a flute?
Confused about the best Flute to buy?
I have various flutes for sale and hire. Please email me for information. If you hire or buy a flute from me you receive your first lesson FREE.
There are many different makes and models of Flute on the market today. Some are good makes and some you should steer clear of. Set out below are flutes that I would recommend, and flutes that I would'nt touch. This is purely my own opinion which happens to be shared by many flautists coupled with my experience.
(You will expect to pay upwards of £290.00 min for a brand new flute on some of the above makes).
Listen to what Sir James Galway has to say about flutes.
(Please note there are many makes from the USA not listed here which are classed as decent reasonably priced student flutes. Before buying a flute for instance on ebay claiming to be american made, please make sure that it is actually manufactured in the USA and not in China as many of them turn out to be)
The above Flutes will last a player for many years. They are at the lower end of the price range and are suitable up to about approx Grade 5 standard depending on the demands of the player.
POOR QUALITY FLUTES
These flutes might look similar to those made by prominent companies, but they sometimes have flaws in their design, materials or manufacture that parents not familiar with musical instruments wouldn't recognize.
They cost about £80-£110, compared to £350.00 and up for instruments from well-known companies sold at local music stores.
If the price looks too good to be true, it probably is! Repairmen are reluctant to work on the faulty lower-priced imports, (its not worth it anyway, its likely that the repair will cost more than the flute is worth!) or they can't find replacement parts.
On the other hand, name-brand instruments usually last a student through high school and will retain some value if they're sold later.
Low-grade metal This is the main reason that these instruments can be made so cheaply. Low-grade metal (whether it's nickel or brass) is very soft, meaning that the keywork bends easily - not just if you have an accident, but through normal playing. Of course, a repairer can bend it back into shape, but it's only going to bend back again and again and again... As a side issue, the grade of metal also has a big influence on sound quality.
Bad design Another reason that these instruments are cheaper than leading brands is that little or no investment goes into design. Instead of being ergonomically designed like well-established brands, keys are placed in awkward positions, making the instrument hard to play and hold. This can lead to bad posture and, ultimately, RSI, tendinitis or even back problems.
Poor build quality Companies which pay peanuts to their instrument makers will of course end up employing monkeys. We see so many instruments with bad lacquer or plating, solder joints coming apart, pads not sealing, corks and felts falling off, poorly fitting joints... Any one of these things will make an instrument unplayable.
If I can't play them in tune, a beginner quite frankly doesn't have a chance. The result? It sounds bad and the student (and parents!) are put off.
LIST OF POOR QUALITY FLUTES
Would'nt every little girl want to own a Bright Pink Flute?
Beware of some brand new flutes claiming to be professional, silver or gold or pink, blue, Black, purple, infact every colour of the rainbow! These are low quality flutes which only look good cosmetically. They are imported from China and they are very relatively low in price but can be attractive to the untrained eye.
The laquer/plating on these flutes peels off after a few months to expose an ugly dark metal underneath.They pass no quality control measures as do all other well known brands.You can usually find these makes and a range of other brand new flutes on ebay in particular.
In the USA they have taken legal action against some companies who are importing these and other makes of flutes into America from, primarily, China.
In UK these imports are still allowed in to be sold in various well known catalogue stores so watch out!
Spend a little more and stick to well known brands.
