I was wondering if you can put a B foot on a C foot flute. I am looking for a new flute for my daughter and wanted to just go up to the intermediate flute since she will need it soon. But then I got to thinking can I just buy a B foot to put on her C foot flute?
Thanks
C foot vs B foot
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pied_piper
- Posts: 1962
- Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:31 pm
- Location: Virginia
Yes, but...
While it's possible to swap footjoints, they are not normally stocked and sold separately at music stores. You might be able to special order one, but I would advise against doing so because you would be paying a lot for little or no benefit to your daughter. Most intermediate and pro flutes come with a B foot, but adding one to a student flute will not make it play any better. All it will do is add one note to the bottom of the flute and the low B is rarely written into flute music. IMO, that would be a waste of your money.
If your daughter is ready for a better flute, then you really should look to upgrade to a better one.
For advice of picking a new flute, read the Flute FAQ here. Especially see Section 3, Intermediate/Professional Flutes.
http://www.fluteland.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=2411
While it's possible to swap footjoints, they are not normally stocked and sold separately at music stores. You might be able to special order one, but I would advise against doing so because you would be paying a lot for little or no benefit to your daughter. Most intermediate and pro flutes come with a B foot, but adding one to a student flute will not make it play any better. All it will do is add one note to the bottom of the flute and the low B is rarely written into flute music. IMO, that would be a waste of your money.
If your daughter is ready for a better flute, then you really should look to upgrade to a better one.
For advice of picking a new flute, read the Flute FAQ here. Especially see Section 3, Intermediate/Professional Flutes.
http://www.fluteland.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=2411
"Never give a flute player a screwdriver."
--anonymous--
--anonymous--
Ok thank you, she is not really ready for a new flute just yet probably next year but I was wondering cause I thought it would be cheaper than buying a whole new flute. I don't want to get her a professional flute but I was thinking an intermediate flute and wanted to get one with the b foot and closed hole with off set G. I thought if I just bought the b foot it would be nicer than buying a whole new flute. I was going to look on ebay for the foot not a music store. Her flute is very old so I wanted to get her a newer one but not a beginner one. I didn't want to spend a lot either. I was thinking about $1000 which to me seems expensive but I play also so I thought it would be a fine amount. What intermediate Yamaha flute would you recommend either with a b foot or a c foot then? Thanks for your response.
Lula-
fluttiegurl
- Posts: 882
- Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 11:05 pm
Since your daughter is still pretty young, I would recommend a C foot. I find that the extra weight can actually hinder good hand position, among other things, with young players. At the moment, all of my students in grades 4-8 (5 total) have intermediate level C foot flutes. When they upgrade again, we will discuss the possibility of a B foot. For all but my 8th grader, that will still be some time off.
I tend to push upgrading from beginner flutes pretty quickly, especially when they start on older flutes. With some students (usually older students), I recommend that they bypass beginner flutes altogether. However, I would caution you to wait until you see her potential as well as her continued interest before investing a small fortune. One way to tell if she is ready is to take her to the music store and let her play some. If there is no real difference in her sound, it is probably too early and it won't make much of a difference. You should also ask the advice of her private teacher (if she has one). That person could best guide you in the right direction.
Also, Yamaha flutes are great instruments, but I would expand that search a little and try some more out. There are equally good flutes out there for less. In the mean time, start putting money back for her first major flute purchase. By college, she will probably want something expensive and having a little savings will help a lot. If she does not need the flute, she can always use it toward college.
I tend to push upgrading from beginner flutes pretty quickly, especially when they start on older flutes. With some students (usually older students), I recommend that they bypass beginner flutes altogether. However, I would caution you to wait until you see her potential as well as her continued interest before investing a small fortune. One way to tell if she is ready is to take her to the music store and let her play some. If there is no real difference in her sound, it is probably too early and it won't make much of a difference. You should also ask the advice of her private teacher (if she has one). That person could best guide you in the right direction.
Also, Yamaha flutes are great instruments, but I would expand that search a little and try some more out. There are equally good flutes out there for less. In the mean time, start putting money back for her first major flute purchase. By college, she will probably want something expensive and having a little savings will help a lot. If she does not need the flute, she can always use it toward college.
That's the thing that I miss most about my old flute: it had a C foot joint on it. I have a B foot joint on my new flute, but I don't find much use for it. I never find many pieces of music where the lowest B is played, sometimes I use it in my chromatic scale.
My parents made me go through my first few years in band before investing in a new flute. I had to prove that I would stick with flute and that I would practice daily. Now on year number five of band, I have my new flute.
I agree with fluttiegurl: You should make sure that she likes flute before investing more money in a new one. If she quits band then you will have a useless flute.
Hope I helped some.
-Lula
My parents made me go through my first few years in band before investing in a new flute. I had to prove that I would stick with flute and that I would practice daily. Now on year number five of band, I have my new flute.
I agree with fluttiegurl: You should make sure that she likes flute before investing more money in a new one. If she quits band then you will have a useless flute.
Hope I helped some.
-Lula
...MUSIC HAS REPLACED HER HEARTBEAT...