Hopefully purchasing a new flute soon....Help needed!

[WanderingFlutist]

Hi all!
I have needed a new flute since, well, I started playing. My brother used my flute before me as I "inherited" his flute, and he was not a good caretaker nor did he care much about the instrument, so it has damage to the point where I should just get a new flute. And as that flute wasn't open-holed, I also figure that since I am now more serious and looking to get a career in music someday I should have at LEAST an open-holed. My current flute is a Gemeinhardt, and I'd rather have my new flute be a Gemeinhardt as it is the make I am most comfortable with, but when I go top the music store I'll try a few other makes. I am looking for an open-holed, B foot flute. I have a music store I am planning on purchasing from that has a very good reputation, so I'm not worried about the place I am purchasing from.
I've been playing for about 4 years now, and I receive my music education from public school, I always have. (We can't afford private lessons at the moment). Is there anything else I should be looking out for when purchasing a flute? Also, what is the difference between a conservatory and a professional flute? I'm a very serious musician, so should I opt for a professional flute?
Any help is GREATLY appreciated! Thanks a bunch!

[evrmre]

You'll probably find many will discourage you from Gemeinhardt as an option, but I know where you're coming from. My second flute was a Gemeinhardt (first was a Yamaha), and I recently upgraded to another one similar to what you're looking at. They can require a bit more servicing, I believe (can't talk from experience... mine have been worry free so far), but I fell in love with the tone of them, and haven't found any others I like as much. However, don't get hooked up on Gemeinhardt without at least testing out a few of the other brands currently recommended, especially if you're planning to go professional. I would also note that Gemeinhardt are noted for being good as both student and intermediate level flutes, but aren't rated at the pro level currently.
I'll leave the question regarding professional vs conservatory flutes to the pros among us...

[jim22]

Can we have a little more information? Are you planning to pursue music in colledge? How much can you afford to spend? Do you plan to play other woodwinds? What kind of music do you play/like?

Open hole / B foot are certainly not necessary or even too useful, but may make you feel like an advancing student and may be required for colledge. Personally as an amateur and doubler, I wish I had bo
ught a closed hole model.

A good hand-cut headjoint is very important.

I play and like an Amadeus by Haynes.

[pied_piper]

Have you read the FAQ? It has lots of good, unbiased info about buying a flute.
http://www.fluteland.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5859

Although you're may have had a good experience with Gemeinhardt and may be comfortable playing them, you owe it to yourself to try as many different flutes as possible before you buy. Gemeinhardt flutes are good, they are reliable, but you won't find many professionals playing them.

Regarding open holes and a B foot, I would agree they are not necessary for a beginner or an occasional flutist, but they are expected for a college flute major or professional. I disagree with the previous posting that they are not useful. I am also an amateur and also double on sax, flute, and clarinet. I find that open holes are particularly useful for jazz and rock because it allows me to gliss or slide between notes. Open holes are needed for multiphonics and other special effects which are used in jazz, rock, and serious music as well. Low Bs are not prevalent in written music, but some composers do write them in. I also use it in improvisation. Also, the low B gizmo key makes the 4th octave C speak more easily... I agree with jim22 about a good, handcut headjoint. It will do wonders for your sound and improve the response of the flute. Many step up flutes include a good headjoint. Again, see the FAQ.

Jim22: As a doubler, do you play clarinet? If so, by your reasoning, I assume you play a plateau (closed hole) clarinet?

[WanderingFlutist]

Thank you, I'll check the FAQ out after I write this post out.

Jim, I plan on pursuing music in college most definitely. I'll play literally anything I can get my hands on, as long as it isn't ridiculously beyond my skills.
I don't really have a set budget (my father is paying for my flute), but I don't think he'd want to spend much more than 2,500-3,000.
Pied_piper- your information was very useful by the way, thank you! I'm 99% sure I'm getting an open-holed flute, but the b-foot thing was just a preference, as it would just be nice to have the B "handy."

[jim22]

Sorry, I did not mean to offend. I have not been playing clarinet long, and do not think it would be appropriate to say I am a successful doubler yet. My clarinet is not a plateau model, and those seem a bit rare. Now that we know a bit more, I would say an open-hole b-foot flute would be appropriate. With college in mind, an even more advanced instrument that will not need to be upgraded again might be good, but that exceeds my experience level.

My personal issue with open holes is that I think it takes a significant inevstment in practice time to ensure the holes get sealed reliably when playing. I, or my flute has a rather weak low register, and I think one or two of the RH holes may get uncovered while reaching for the lower pinky touch pieces. Plateau keys would be one less thing to worry about. My music style and background never made use of partially covering the holes.

[pied_piper]

No offense jim22. Just want to be sure that everyone understands the pros and cons of the various flute options. If you have trouble covering some of the holes, you might consider getting a set of hole plugs and then remove them one at a time as you become more proficient with keeping the holes covered with your fingers.

[fluteguy18]

Thank you, I'll check the FAQ out after I write this post out.

Jim, I plan on pursuing music in college most definitely. I'll play literally anything I can get my hands on, as long as it isn't ridiculously beyond my skills.
I don't really have a set budget (my father is paying for my flute), but I don't think he'd want to spend much more than 2,500-3,000.
Pied_piper- your information was very useful by the way, thank you! I'm 99% sure I'm getting an open-holed flute, but the b-foot thing was just a preference, as it would just be nice to have the B "handy."

2500-3000 will get you a pretty decent step-up flute. At that price range the leading competitors are Azumi, Amadeus, Avanti, Trevor James, Lyric, Pearl, Yamaha, Dhi Zhao, and Sonare (but not necessarily in that order). Gemeinhardts probably won't compare favorably. Entry level handmade flutes start at $4000+. These are the lower end of what most serious musicians would consider as 'professional' and many would only consider them 'pre-professional.' Genuine top notch, handmade flutes go for $10K+. If you're looking to seriously pursue music in college (as a music major) I would recommend looking into the 'entry' handmade flutes AT LEAST. They're a lot sturdier, play far better, and will last you much longer than a step-up. These brands (in the $4k bottom price range) include the lower models of Muramatsu, Miyazawa, Altus, etc and some of the mid-grade models of companies like Pearl and Haynes. A lot of college teachers have brand and model preferences (most being all solid silver bodies which start at roughly $6k at least). You'll need at least a handmade headjoint and mechanism to last you through college if you stick with it.

I would do a lot more research if I were you. I would hate to waste a lot of money only to risk being told your flute isn't good enough or to get into college and realize being a music major isn't what you thought it would be. It's a lot of hard work and is in no way like being in your HS band program. While you haven't said whether or not you are wanting to major in music, if you are it seems to me like you have a long way to go before spending a lot of money in applications, auditions, travel expenses for auditions, and the enrollment process. I would make sure my goals were rock solid before investing several thousand dollars on something that right now seems like more of a whim than a burning, unquenchable desire to be in a career field that is monetarily fruitless for all but a select few.

Not trying to be a downer. Just trying to bring reality into the equation before you risk a lot of money and parental fury. I've lived it and have watched countless others live it as well. I'm just trying to be real with you.