How to Choose your First Flute

You have to make a few choices.
Key, Style, and Wood

We'll try to make this easy.

KEY

Start with one of these keys: mid A, G, or F#. If you have small  or arthritic hands choose the A flute . It has the shortest finger span. Otherwise any of the three keys will be fine.

Style
 Your choices here are: 

Basic flute
 Standard flute
Don't start with a drone or a Middle Eastern flute.
Basics come in Western Red Cedar only. They are undecorated and they have a simple block. Musically they are the same flute as the Standard.
Standards come in a variety of woods, are decorated and have the Stellar bird.

 

Wood Choice

If you've decided on a Basic, then this decision is already made. The Basics only come in cedar.. If you are buying a Standard, read on.

The question we hear the most is, "Does the choice of wood affect the flute's voice?" The answer is yes...in a subtle and hard to describe way. The soft woods like Western Red Cedar have a mellow, hazy sound and the hard woods like Cherry and Walnut have a clean sound.  But, these distinctions are minor .  Maybe the most important reason to buy a flute of a certain wood is because you like the way it looks!         So go have a look.



Lessons
 Placing the block on the fipple

 The two fipple holes in the flute and the groove in the bird.

Place the bird so that it completely covers the back fipple hole
 and comes to the back edge of the first  fipple hole.

.


Drape the leather over the top of the bird, then wrap
it around the bird once more.

Hold the flute between your knees and tie a simple knot.
Pull it snug.

Your bird should be positioned like this.

Traditional 5 note Pentatonic Scale
(played on a Basic G Flute)
 

NOTE: This hole is always covered in the Pentatonic scale

 

Start the scale

1.
 

All holes covered
 G

 

2.

Five holes covered
Bottom hole open
A#

 

3.

Four holes covered
Bottom two open
 C

 

4.

Three holes covered
Bottom three open
D

 

5.

Two holes covered
Bottom 3 and top middle open
F

 

 

6.

One hole covered
five holes open
G
one octave higher
than starting G

If your flute is in the key of A then all holes covered will produce an A
Your pentatonic scale will be A, C, D, E, G, A

If your flute is in the key of F# then all holes covered will produce an F#
Your pentatonic scale will be F#,A,B,C#,E,F#

The fingering chart that comes with the flute will have this information.

To save paper and help the environment click here to view the
instructional book.
 

 


How to Order

Click Here to Shop  Online

or

Call 1 888 427 8850 to place an order

We accept all major credit cards.

Ordering Help or Kit Questions

Email

Tom or Lily Stewart
support@stellarflutes.com

OR Call Tom or Lily

 1 888 427 8850

OR Write Tom

Stellar Flutes
 2030 E Phillips Lake Loop
Shelton, Washington, 98584

Matt Stewart
matthewstewart@comcast.net

OR Call Matt

1 425 744 0199

OR Write Matt

Stellar Flutes
8532 236th SW
Edmonds, Washington
98026


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