On this page you will find required materials for lessons on flute here at Promethean Studios and various other resources for the flute as well. The resources on this page are specifically for the flute, more generic resources (music stores, recording studios, etc) are listed here. At the time this information was entered, all links worked and products listed were available. For information purposes only; we won't post resources when we know there might be any sort of problem with a product, business, or person listed but please check out the reliability, appropriateness, and reputation of any resource you plan to use.
Please have These for Your Lessons
A flute in fair condition (suggestions and details below) - I can advise you on the suitability of specific instruments.
3 ring binder with loose-leaf paper and pockets for holding handouts. Yes, really.
Pencil - Erasable, colored pencils are best.
Manuscript paper (music paper, staff paper) - Click here and select 5 sheets of ‘medium music paper, treble clef only’, bring them to your lesson. Feel free to download any of the other types of music paper you want and your friends can, too. For assignments and written exercises.
5 GB flash drive or larger - Suggestions and details below.
Download Audacity (optional) – details below. Leave it home.
Metronome or Drum machine (suggestions and details below) - Leave your metronome at home.
Sheet music for 5 pieces - See below for guidelines on choosing music.
6th grade band book (regardless of the student’s age, if a beginner) - This will be used to learn note reading for beginning students. Any publisher will do, as they all teach the same basic things.
Reeds - Flute beginners should buy extra heavy flute reeds.
Tuning Fork a 440 (or a piano or keyboard) - Suggestions and details below.
More Details and Resources
An flute in fair condition. I can advise you on the suitability of specific instruments. Always get the best instrument you can reasonably afford. Note: a curved head joint is OK for beginning, particularly young flautists. It’s hard to hold that big ole’ heavy flute at first. After the first year, you can switch to a straight neck. Some flutes are sold with 2 necks.
Beginning flute $200 - $350. Offset G.
Intermediate flute $450 – 1400. This intermediate flute needs a B foot, open holes, offset G, and a solid silver head if possible. A flute needs as much silver or gold in it as possible, the more of these heavy metals, the richer the sound. So choose silver-plate over nickel, sterling silver over silver plate, gold over silver, platinum over gold - oh yeah, you can buy a solid gold or platinum flute. But you don't have to start with a flute that cost as much as your car. Open holes are preferable to closed. Offset G is better than in-line G (traditionally the in-line G was preferable, but that goes back about 100 years to a flute with weaker construction). B foot over C foot.
Top flutes - Altus, Burkhart, Haynes, Pearl, Powell, and Yamaha are long-term favorites with flautists and a top flute will cost $4000-$15,000.
Pencil - Musicians write with pencils because they make changes to their music and make frequent notations on the pages. Erasable, colored pencils are best.
5 GB flash drive (or larger) - To record your lesson. Bring this to your lesson. When you begin each lesson, give your flash drive to your instructor and they'll record your lessons. Be sure and take the drive with you when you leave and listen to it in your computer the day of or the day after your lesson. This will give you a way to review the lesson and give me a way to send demonstrations of technique or songs home with you. If you'll review your lesson each week, you'll progress about 5 to 10% faster.
Audacity - Also, if you'd like to get a even more out of some of your own practices, download Audacity, a free computer-based recording program. It does many great things to help you practice; people even make professional albums with it. You can change the pitch of your song, record yourself, record yourself playing with your song, or isolate sections of songs for practice. Many good things.
Metronome - Leave your metronome at home, but you need it to practice. Apps for iPhone – Tempo Advance is the best - $4. For Android, Tempo - $2. Standalone metronomes: Planet Waves PW-MT-02 ($15), Korg MA-1 ($20-25). Use the metronome whenever possible. It will develop your sense of rhythm and counting; equally important, it will show you where you should be practicing. If you follow the beat from the metronome in songs and exercises, the areas where you don't do well will be revealed, and you'll know where to spend extra practice time. The metronome is your drummer.
When you’re having trouble getting into the metronome, use a drum machine. For iphone, use Garage Band, for Android use Drummer Friend - $3. Standalone drum machine: Boss DB-60. And a little home keyboard with rhythms and metronomic markings works well, too. Students who practice with metronomes or rhythm machines will also progress about 5 to 10 percent faster.
Sheet music for 5 pieces - Most flute students at Promethean Studios are working on two types of pieces at once: a classical piece and a ‘fun’ piece – and maybe they’re learning to improvise too. Note pieces are usually the traditional classical piece where to succeed in the piece you must read and play the notes correctly. Many styles of music can be written as a challenging "note piece", but classical pieces are the normal choice. Fun pieces- a "top hits" book with a CD that has songs you like is a great choice. Don't worry about the difficulty.
Be careful not to get instructional material by accident. You will work through 1-2 songs per month, and will need to keep a steady supply of cool songs available, as we learn the old ones. As the student progresses past the beginner stage, I will recommend note pieces and music to be purchased.
Tuning fork (preferably A or use a piano or keyboard) - This is to learn to tune your flute. Develop your ear and become a great musician. We discourage the use of electric tuners (unless you're playing on stage and can't hear your flute), because it prevents musicians from developing their ear. But here are 2 cheap tuners: Boss TU-01 Chromatic Tuner - $18-20 OR Korg TM-50 Combo Tuner/Metronome $20 – 25.
Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music - Recommended, but not required. Definitions for many useful musical terms are found here.
More flute resources
Instruments and Accessories for Sale
www.flute4u.com Carolyn Nussbaum Music Compan y, (972) 985-2662, specializing in flute products for the Dallas area.
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