Beginning Fingers

Carefully take out the body of the flute. Notice the rods--these will easily bend if too much pressure is applied to them.

Use a slow twisting motion to insert the head joint into the body. See the picture above for the correct orientation.

Take out the foot joint. Use a slow twisting motion to insert the flute into the foot joint. Remember, be careful with the rods.

It's crucial that each piece is oriented like the picture above. Look down the length of your flute to confirm the rod of the tail joint, the main row of keys of the body, and the tone hole in the head joint are all lined up.

20200715_183309.mp4

This video will help walk you through the process of assembling your instrument.

Now that your flute is assembled, we'll learn how to hold the flute. Place the foot end of the flute on your leg. With your left palm facing you, match your fingers with the picture above.

Note the "basket" created at the base of your pointer finger--this is a crucial balance point!

While maintaining your left hand position, place your thumb underneath the second and third keys as shown above.

Now place your four fingers on the appropriate keys above.

Hand Position Check

Confirm that your hand position looks like the picture on the left.

Left hand basket
Left hand finger positions
Left hand little finger on top of the "golf club" key
Left thumb on the left key underneath your pointer finger.
Right hand finger positions

Common "whoopsie" #1

Avoid straight or crunched fingers and hands. Your hands should be in a relaxed, curved "C" shape. Use your hand position check to find the right shape.

Common "whoopsie" #2

Avoid your right thumb collapsing as shown above. Use your hand position check to find the right placement.

Common "whoopsie" #3

Avoid covering the keys with your knuckles. Each key should be covered with the pad or "squishy bits" of your fingers. Use your hand position check to find the right placement.

Chair Set Up and Playing Position

Flute players have a unique playing position compared to the rest of the band. A few steps can be taken to find the best position for comfortable playing.

Tilt your head slightly left, and your flute slightly right. Find a comfortable balance of both.

Make sure your flute isn't too low, but it does not need to be parallel with the ground. You'll see a wide range of flute angles in professionals, find what works best for you.

Turn your chair clockwise and sit with the corner of the chair between your legs. Position your music stand wherever you head naturally goes to. When in a rehearsal with a conductor, you'll need to position the stand between you and the conductor.

Reading a Fingering Chart

See the picture to the left on how your fingers line up with the fingering chart in your Essential Elements Book.

Your first note is an "F" and it sounds like the audio clip below.

Try it!

F pitch demo.wav

Your next note is an "E-flat" (also written as "Eb") and it sounds like the audio clip below.

Try it!

Eb pitch demo.wav

Your next note is a "D" and it sounds like the audio clip below.

Try it!

D pitch demo.wav

Your next note is a "C" and it sounds like the audio clip below.

Try it!

C pitch demo.wav

Your next note is a "B-flat" (also written as "Bb" and it sounds like the audio clip below.

Try it!

BB pitch demo.wav

Heads up

There are three ways to play B-flat. Different teachers and books suggest different fingerings, but in our band we will learn the fingering on the left. It is called "thumb B-flat." This is the easiest version, and the only one you'll need for a couple years in band. You will learn the other two later on. Click here to learn more about the three B-flat fingerings.

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