LFP 012 | Important Tips For Selecting the Headjoint That Fits You

It’s time for episode 12 here on the Learn Flute Podcast!

In today’s episode, we’re going to explore the answer to this question: Do flute headjoints come with different size holes?

Well, Hi and welcome everybody listening in today here on the Learn Flute Podcast. I’m Rebecca Fuller the expert at LearnFluteOnline.com where I walk you step by step through how to play the flute beautifully, and because we can do it all online it’s pretty fast. You can take my lessons at any time of day right from the comfort of your own home, on your own schedule.

Today’s question comes from one of my Gold Level Membership online students who writes in asking about sizes of the tone hole on the headjoint of the flute. He wants to know if they come in different sizes.

First let’s clarify that this person is talking about the hole that you actually blow into on the lip plate of the headjoint.

And the answer is – yes actually, they do come in slightly different sizes and shape as well. Student model flutes are usually factory stamped out, so they don’t really differentiate within brands, but different brands and models have their own signature size and shape for sure.

Now, once you start getting into upper level flutes- meaning the advanced and professional line of instruments- I’d say that most of the tone holes will be stamped and then hand shaped, filed, or cut afterwards. This gets into custom work where not all flutes are created equally.

This is one reason more advanced flute students shouldn’t just pick a flute out of a magazine or off of a website and assume it will fit them well. I always tell people that buying an upper level flute is like purchasing a pair of very tight fitting jeans.. you just don’t know which ones will fit right until you try a bunch of them on.

Now, you’ll have to always keep in mind that flutes are made of different materials. Most student model flutes are made of basically nickel and then plated with a super thin coating of lower quality silver. The higher the level of flute, the higher quality the materials will be – meaning they’ll have a lot more silver on them. 

Some flutes only have a solid silver headjoint while others will also include a solid silver body. There’s also a combination of silyer and gold or silver, nickel, and gold. So, pretty much you’ll find a range when looking at different flutes and the brands.

So, let’s go back to talking about the student model flutes where the size and shape of holes is a bit more consistent. I happen to really love the brands that have a little bit of a bigger, rounder hole, and I absolutely hate the ones that seem kind of small and square. Now, I understand that this is a matter of opinion, but since I’ve worked with hundred and hundreds of flute learners, I feel pretty validated in my opinion.

I’m not going to be giving brand name or recommendations here on this podcast because I don’t want to mis-represent any companies, nor do I have any sponsorship. So, this is something if you’re interesting in learning more about, you should head yourself off to a credible musical instrument store and study the shape, sizes, and brand names for yourself.

Now, of course if you are a brand new beginner these hints won’t really apply to you because it doesn’t matter which flute you try, you probably won’t be able to get a different sound at all because you only know what you know, .. But, if you’re a little more seasoned, Keep in mind that you’ll want to test different aspects of the flute as you try it.

Always start with long tones and move into some scales. You can really feel the difference if the flute you’re testing doesn’t pop the lower register or high notes out for you. I personally do not enjoy playing on a flute that resists the lower range. I want so badly to have every single note as clear and round as a bell, but not all flutes respond to my lip shape the same.

So, these are all things you can think about as you consider the different flutes out there. And, remember most of all that any flute can only play as well as you actually know how to play yourself.

Today I thought I’d share another nice testimonial of one of my online students who actually put this comment in the forum comment section of one of the website. This is from a nice guy named Thomas and he says; “I’m so glad I ran across your site and I chose to take up flute. I’m having a BLAST I feel like my beginner band self 10+ years ago rediscovering my love and joy for music. YOU ARE AWESOME!”

Well you’re very welcome, and thank you for your comment Thomas. It’s always fun for me to be able to watch these students come into my system and move through the modules. I especially love reading their comments and watching the videos they post for us so we can see their progression.

Setting goals is one of the most fun part of life, and I’m always happy to be a part of someone’s bucket list. Learning and playing the flute IS fun.
This is Rebecca Fuller signing off today – We’ll see you all next time.