Fluteland.com Flute Message Board

Pathfinder is certainly not a known brand and yes, a lot of flutes that are made in China are not very durable. The Chinese quality has improved for some makers, but that is not universal and there are inconsistencies between makers. Many times they will play OK for while but then go out of adjustme...

Well, you might consider asking her if you could send her a recording (either audio or video) for her to evaluate and comment. - Or - Perhaps you could arrange an online lesson via webcam...

Either way, your chances would improve if you offered to pay her a lesson fee.

It may work, but it doesn't stick to plastic as well as contact cement. There are different types of "plastic". For some it might work OK but others, maybe not. There's also a chance that if you get the shellac too hot, excess heat can damage or distort a plastic tenon.

Well, for online lessons to work, your PC must be equiped with at least a microphone and speakers so that you can communicate via the web. I don't know the specfics of the online lesson provider, but there are several different web collaboration tools that enable two-way communication. Some of those...

Well, the old/traditional way to apply new cork to a tenon is to use a shellac-type glue stick. The shellac is heated and melted to adhere the cork to a wood or metal tenon. However, this may not be a good option for plastic tenons. Here's a link where you can download a description of the process: ...

Your welcome. Good luck on your search for a teacher!

You can try this: http://www.larrykrantz.com/fluteweb/profindx.htm However, a listing like this really doesn't provide any insights into their experience, teaching style, or any other factors that should be considered. As Nasxxx said, a referral from someone who has actually taken lessons with a spe...

Don't get discouraged! It takes time to develop a really good sound on the flute and five weeks is not long enough to start being concerned about your sound. Just keep practicing - it WILL get better!

Hmm. That's interesting. I also play a Muramatsu and the high-E facilitator that I added is a donut shape. I love it and don't have any problem with the higher notes cracking. Then again, some players don't like the split-E either. That just goes to show that everyone is different and what works wel...

Unfortunately, pinless mechanisms seem to only be available on more costly models. For a mid-range flute like the Muramatsu GX, a good compromise alternative is to have a high-E facilitator (sometimes called a donut) added to the flute. While the split-E is a bit more effective, the high-E facilitat...

A little clarification is needed to be sure we are talking about the same thing. The crown is the part that is on the end of the flute headjoint and the cork (or stopper) is inside the headjoint tube and is usually attached to the crown by a threaded rod. It sounds like you are saying that the cork ...

Check to see if you might be resting your left pinky finger on the G# key. If you are, you may inadvertently be putting enough pressure on the key to allow it to open ever-so-slightly. That would affect the notes that you mentioned.

Nina Perlove teaches flute at Northern Kentucky University and the school offers two years of Japanese languages courses, but I'm not sure if it's available as a minor...

Cibali is not a well respected brand. I've heard several repair tech say that they work OK at first, but then begin to develop problems. Many flute techs won't even work on them because they are made from softer metal. This means that it is difficult to keep the keys in proper alignment. Also, if a ...

Yep. The heated flux provides a wicking action that draws the solder into all the nooks and crannies... BTW - If you search TouTube, there are a number of videos posted there about soldering. The ones about silver were doing silver soldering (hard soldering) which is very different, so ignore those....