When the music store sales clerks are offering all kinds of goodies, and your head begins to spin, your bank account begins to dwindle, and your heart begins to race, don’t panic. You really only need to purchase 3 things:
- Flute – obviously, but maybe not
Yes, some schools and other organizations do provide instruments for their participants, but those are BIG instruments with a big price tag, like the bassoon, chimes, or tuba. Because the flute is one of the smallest instruments, and the cost of it is not too prohibitive, flutists are expected to BYOI (bring your own instrument). Which leads us to your next question…which flute do I buy/rent? (Click here for more information on that topic.)
- Method Book—in other words, printed music designed to instruct
This will most often be dictated by your beginner’s teacher. If you do not have an instructor at the moment and want to get started on your own (although I highly encourage you to find a teacher), I would recommend the Rubank Method for Flute. It comes in different levels, so make sure you get the one for beginners. It’s been around forever, and it looks a bit outdated, but you can’t beat it for good, solid, foundational skills. Plus, unlike the glitzier band method books, it delivers its instructional exercises in the order best for the flute, not the band. (Because different instruments are pitched in different keys, band methods logically start with the note that is the most accessible for all of the various instruments to play together as a whole ensemble, which is not necessarily the easiest note for each individual instrument.)
- Music Stand—preferably the metal, folding type, just because it’s cheapest
Can you get by without this? Technically, yes, which is why I have deliberated about adding this to the list, but I believe it is important. You want the beginning flutist to get started without developing any bad habits in posture, which can lead to a lot of discomfort and poor playing later, so while you may have a dresser in your bedroom that is the perfect height on which to prop your printed music, it is highly unlikely. The folding metal variety of stand isn’t terribly expensive, and it will still be useful years down the road if your flutist sticks with the instrument. Decades later, I still have the one my mom and dad bought for me when I was nine years old (no, I won’t tell you how many decades), and I still use it. It’s easy to tuck into a gig bag when I’m playing with ensembles who don’t have their own set of stands.
Do I Need to Provide Anything Else?
Yes, but not too much:
- Spit Rag—everyone does it, and it has to be cleaned out
When I was a beginner, I used one of my dad’s old cotton handkerchiefs, and it worked great. A scrap from an old t-shirt would work just as well. It just has to be clean, absorbent, and fit through the little hole in the end of the tuning rod that should be provided in the case with your flute.
- Polishing Cloth—this cannot be the same as the spit rag!
The polishing cloth can be any soft, absorbent, clean cloth for wiping down the outside of the flute before it is put away. If you have a nickel-plated flute, you can use something as simple as a washcloth. If you have a silver flute, you may want to purchase a chemically-treated polishing cloth especially for silver. It will help retard the tarnish that will build up on the silver flute just like it does on household silverware.
What About All the Other Merchandise?
If your instructor or private teacher has requested something, buy it. Most of them are very mindful about what they ask and careful not to ask for something they will not use. For example, the school band director may know that your flutist will be out marching in a parade before the end of the school year and recommend buying a lyre. As for all of the other “stuff,” it can wait. It may never need to be purchased. Save your money and wait and see.