New Flute Player Help

strings=love · Post by **strings=love** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 5:46 pm

Hi! I just decided to take up flute and am a little worried. I play viola in my school orchestra and in the SWFLYO and keyboard in jazz band. I have also played alto sax in a jazz band. My school's marching band has been invited to preform in the New Year's day parade. My band director begged me to join marching band. Since I am very fond of music, to say the least, I accepted instantly. Only then did I realize I did not have an instrument to play.I recently sold my alto sax to pay for my viola. Our school has no saxes so I decided to pick another instrument. I was told trumpet was virtually impossible to learn in 6 mo. My friend and I recently preformed a viola and flute duet, and I fell in love with the flute! I have about a month to learn the flute basics, Is this possible? If anyone can give me some advice I would apreciate it.

Thanks
Nicole

Iolaus · Post by **Iolaus** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 8:01 pm

If you were good enough to be in a jazz band on the sax, then you might be able to pick up enough to swing the marching band. It'll be a lot of work, but you already have the basic fingerings - only a few differences in the lower registers - you'll have to work on the upper register though because marching band flute music tends to be on the high side (gotta play over those damn brass players

) and it's mostly melody, not harmony.

sherbert789 · Post by **sherbert789** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 8:44 pm

You'll probably be just fine, as long as you can learn how to make a sound relatively quickly and you study your scales/fingerings. Since you already know how to read music, this simplifies the process a whole lot. Try to get another flutist in the band (or if you can get a private teacher, that would be even better) to help you learn the first couple notes and how to make a sound first to make sure you are doing it correctly!

Good luck!!!