LFP 037 | Can I Buy a Flute at the Grocery Store?

Hey everybody- it’s episode thirty seven!

Well hello again. It’s a new day here at learn flute online, I’m Rebecca Fuller and this episode should be fabulous! Today we are going to the answer the question from one of you online flute Learners. He sent me an email just before the new year began.

This question reads: “Hello, I am fresh starter, never learned to play any musical instrument.. wanted to learn flute always.. i want to know what device i should buy… i was planning to buy a flute from costco.. It’s a flute bundle. Will this be a good start or is it too pricy for what i get? again.. i want to start learning as a new year resolution..”

This is a great question – should we answer it?

Well first of all let me start by saying thank you for sending this question in because I don’t think I would have thought to even answer this.

And I guess I should also say that my mind goes on a little journey in and out of different ways to answer this question because in some ways this seems really obvious to me. But I guess it is not that obvious at all, and that’s why this nice guy emailed me before he went ahead and purchased. Which is smart!

The first thing I’m going to do is rephrase this question the way I hear it as my initial reaction as a teacher. Here’s my take on this. Hi Rebecca, I don’t know anything about playing a musical instrument and I don’t even know where to purchase a flute. I was shopping in the grocery store the other day and saw something called a flute bundle. It was tied up nicely in a beautiful package next to the carrots. Is this the perfect place to get my flute? 

Will it be a quality instrument that will last me and play beautifully for years?    I can’t wait to get started so I threw it in my shopping cart along with the ground beef loaf of bread.  I threw a few pennies at the cash register on my way out. A perfect solution and so convenient!

Haha I guess I did embellish a little bit, didn’t I? Well, like I said- this is one of my first reactions to the question about where to purchase a flute. And, now that I stop to think about it I guess I totally understand why this person thought it completely valid.

Let me take this from another point of view for a moment: last year I visited New York City on the East Coast of the United States. I had a really great trip, and one of the things I did while I was there was I took a couple of hours and walked through Chinatown. 

It was actually a lot of fun. Some of my favorite things were eating in the little shops, and sippin on a freshly opened thai coconut that was my favorite. But there was also a part of Chinatown was quite interesting to witness. There were rows and rows of vendors that had displays and racks of knock-off products. If you were looking for a look alike gucci handbag or oakley sunglasses then this was the place to be for sure!

Now what if I had found a product in Chinatown that actually had a functioning feature like for example an apple watch. Unlike a handbag that just has a clasp and a handle,  an Apple Watch actually has a technical function that need to be in perfect condition and design in order to do what they’re supposed to.  

My guess is that if I had found an apple watch in those rows and rows of knock-off products, that it would be made of probably plastic instead of the .. well, whatever those apple products are made of. And, I think I would be safe to bet that even if it did function at first, that it wouldn’t have all the proper bells and whistles – not to mention that it would probably be broken within days if not hours of purchasing or minutes..

The reason I use this example is because if you happen to be browsing through the grocery store for crackers and cabbage you are not going to expect to find a quality instrument like a good flute. I think you have probably seen or had your instrument long enough to notice that there are a lot of little technical aspects of to the flute. Those keys have delicate pads under them that must lay perfectly flat. 100% flat or air leaks are inevitable and good tone is impossible. 

There are springs and tines as well as little rods – well, and who knows what else technical goes into making this instrument work superbly. But, one thing I do know is that you will not find a quality flute in the grocery store or even in a store that does not specialize in this.

So I guess what I’m getting at is that you can purchase flute from Walmart or Costco if you want to. But, like the Apple watch I might find in Chinatown in New York City it definitely shouldn’t be expected to perform like the real thing. 

Sure, if you want to get started learning how to put your fingers on and gamble with the idea of a low-quality instrument for a while that is totally fine it’s up to you.  Just remember that your instrument can only play as well as you do if it is in mint condition and has the capability to.

So if you are in the market for a new instrument let’s take this moment to direct you to the proper place to find one and purchase it. There are a number of online musical instrument stores as well as numerous music stores in virtually every city well big city anyway of the world. Not all of these stores have the education to know exactly which flutes really will be quality and best, but I think you would have a better chance than stopping through the candy aisle to find one in a supermarket.

One thing I also need to mention right here is that I have learned through my walk around the world and from you good online students that not every brand is available in every country. So it’s really hard for me to just throw out a specific brand name for you to purchase as a student model beginner flute. There are just so many now days! And let me say that the Chinese are getting better at it.

It’s kind of been commonplace for people to associate the Japanese with quality musical instruments. In my experience this has always proved true. Especially when you move from the student model levels into the intermediate and advanced and professional level flutes. 

There is definitely a difference. I’m sure there are some exceptions, but for what I know from the past 27 years of teaching, performing, and directing people towards instruments- I’ve learned you just can’t beat a quality instrument. It is always always  worth paying extra to get the real thing.

So as you look for an instrument on the student level, which is the lowest level, do your homework. You can always ask me if you want to. I’m here for you students and I definitely want you to succeed. Part of succeeding is having the tools you need to get there.

So, the answer to the original question of this episode of “Can I buy a flute at the grocery store?” The answer is ‘yes’ – but why would you want to? It will only suck your energy as you fuss with broken pieces and bad tone which will definitely hurt your motivation and ability to learn.

So save your pennies and find yourself an instrument that can last until you are ready to move into a higher level.

Well, That wraps it up for today. I’d like to just take a question or comment from one of you that is thought provoking and add to it in an audible manner so that while you are on your walk, or commute, or drive to work you can learn something a little that will help you in your endeavor to learn how to play the flute really well. 

I always add that ‘really well’ part because I really think that  we want to play the flute and have it be enjoyable. Haha don’t you?

As usual I am happy you are here today and hope you have a really beautiful week. Feel free to leave a comment on this page or a question. I read every single one and I know the other students enjoy reading and learning in this manner as well.

If you haven’t had time to leave a rating yet on iTunes for this show now would be a great time. You can find that link at LearnFluteOnline.com forward slash iTunes.

We’ll see you next time!