How to choose your first naughty flute
Closed keys, moved Sun, Do foot and sewer shoes: the most comfortable setting to learn, and when a curved head makes sense.
A good first naughty flute has closed keys, moved Sun, foot at Do and silver body, and especially, shoes that seal well. It's the most comfortable and easy combination to maintain to learn. If the student's a child whose arms aren't up to the keys yet, a curved head resolves the problem during the first few years.
The advanced options (open keys, foot in itself, solid silver head) make sense later. Not because they are bad but because they demand more precision or they do nothing yet. We explain each and what to check before they buy.
To sum up
- To start with: Closed keys, moved Sun, Do foot and silver alpaca body.
- The curved head shortens the flute so that a child touches with his arms relaxed and changes his straight as his or her growing up.
- The open keys have to cover the holes with precision: they are an option for those who advance, not a requirement.
- A flute with slippers that don't seal doesn't sound good at any level. That's the first thing we have to review.
- A head dent affects the sound far more than a rayon in the body.
The best setting to start with
| Characteristic | To start with | For later |
|---|---|---|
| Llaves | Cerradas | Open with a ring |
| Key of the Sun | Replaced, more comfortable for his left hand | online, if you're comfortable |
| Pie | Do | That's right |
| My Mechanism | Useful but not necessary | Common in intermediate flutes |
| Material | Silk apaca | Solid silver head or body |
| Cabeza | Curve for small children, straight for the rest | Recta |
The alpaca, also called German silver, is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc: despite its name, it has no silver. It's the material of most studio flutes, covered with a silver or nickel cape.
Retirement or online
In the moved Sun, the key to the left ring is a little out. For most hands and especially small ones, it's more natural and relays the wrist. The online Sun doesn't sound different: it's a matter of comfort.
Curved head for children
A standard flute is long for a 6, 7 or 8 year old child. To get to the keys of his right hand you have to stretch his arms and twist his torso, and that tension remains. The curved head doubles his tube as a U-shape near his mouth and approaches his keys to his body.
- It's used as long as the arms don't reach a comfortable place with a straight head, often up to 9 or 10.
- Some kits bring both heads, curve and straight, to continue using the same body after.
- The digitation's the same and what's changing is range.
- For very young children there are also shorter and light initiation flutes. Ask your teacher if they are a good entrance door.
How to know if it's necessary? With the flute in place, the child should have his or her elbows relaxed, his or her shoulders down and his or her right pinique supported without stretching. If his or her shoulders are tilted, his or her shoulders are up or his or her neck turns to reach, his or her flute remains long.
Closed or open keys
| Closed keys | Open keys (with a ring) | |
|---|---|---|
| What they are | Complete plates that cover the hole | Five keys have a hole at the centre that his finger should cover up |
| Exigencia | They forgive an unusual finger position | They force them to support the yolk right at the centre |
| Posibilidades | The whole initiation repertoire | Glossands, microphones and some tuning settings |
| To whom | Beginners and children | Students who advance or prepare formal studies |
If you buy an open key flute because you will use it for many years, there are Silicone stoppers that close the rings while you learn them and they withdraw from one to another as your teacher indicates.
Foot at Do or Do and silver or silver
The foot
The foot at Do is shorter and lighter and goes up to the Do grave, and that's good enough for about anything you'll play in the first few years. The foot at Si adds the Si grave and a small lever that helps with the Do more acute but lengthen the flute and makes it something heavier. It makes sense for advanced students.
The material
- Silver: The most common finish in studio flutes. Over time it gets dark, and it's normal.
- Nipple: very strong and appears in some initiation models. If the student has an allergy to nickel, discuss with his choice and prefer a silver finish.
- Solid silver head: It's the typical step as the student advances and changes especially the response and color of sound.
- All of solid silver: advanced or professional level instrument.
In a beginner, the material weighs less than it looks: a well-adjusted alpaca flute sounds better than a silver with leaks.
What to check at the tent or a used flute
- Roof shoes: They have to be flat and complete and without tears. If serious notes do not come out or sound with a lot of air, there may be leaking.
- Mechanism: No key should be attached or set to the sides. The springs should return each key quickly.
- Head: looks for lights, especially close to the mouth, and checks that the plate where the lip supports isn't hit.
- Head cork: put the cleansing rod through his head and his mark should be focused on his mouth hole. If his face is run, his sharp record will be unchecked.
- Linkages: The head and foot have to come in with a soft pressure, with no leapt and no demand for strength.
- Rods: Look at them from their sides and they mustn't be bent.
- Sound Test: He asks someone to play an ideal and scale from the serious Do to the second oct.The serious notes are the most about leaking.
What brings the case and what's missing
- Rigid case and, hopefully, a cover above with strap to carry.
- Cleaner stick and a cotton or microfibre cloth that does not release pellet.
- A separate cloth for the outside and no silver polish fluids.
- Atril and Refiner: you can use our [Refiner online]](/herramientas/afinador) To check the tuning while you play.
- A support to leave them secure between sessions, never lying on the keys.
Cleanup after every practice has its own guide: how to clear a naughty flute.
Frequently asked questions
At how old can you start with the naughty flute?
With a curved head, many children start at about 7 or 8 years old. First, sweet flute is an excellent preparation. More than age, it matters that arms and right hand get comfortable and that the child wants to work the sound.
Is it hard to get some sound from the naughty flute?
At first it costs, because the sound depends on directing the air against the edge of the purple, with no cane or nozzle. Many students start with their heads only before assembling the complete flute. If you doubt between flute and clarinet, read [traverse flute or clarinet]](/blog/flauta-traversa-o-clarinete).
My silver flute became dark. Is it damaged?
No. Silver is oxidized with air and contact with skin and gets dark without affecting sound. Clean it out with a dry microfiber cloth and avoid liquid silver cleaners and chemicals that damage shoes.
Do I need a flute with Mi's mechanism?
That's how I get back to you. It's been a while.