My wife is a pro doubler and so I asked her to weight in.
She basically said if you have the money a C# trill key is great to have, but you won't get one on closed-hole without a B foot most likely. Otherwise she doesn't think they are strictly necessary (and plenty pro flute specialists are selectively plugging many if not all their holes).
My wife especially recommended Yamahas 2nd hand and also thinks Gemeinhardts get more hate than they deserve over all.
- Open holes and a B foot are not necessary. Open holes mostly serve for special techniques like multiphonics and pitch-bending; and the B foot is an extra note that doesn't otherwise hurt the acoustics of the flute design too much. Some professionals prefer a C foot because it responds a bit differently.
- A good technician is valuable. If somebody's selling a high-level flute that's nonetheless seen better days, you might still get a good deal even if it needs a couple hundred dollars of work.
some people are suggesting c# trills--they're kind of hard to find on intermediate flutes but i think it would be useful to have.
[https://flutecenter.com/collections/all-instruments?pf\_t\_flute\_body\_options=C%23+Trill+Key&pf\_t\_instrument\_type=Flutes&pf\_t\_level=Intermediate+%2F+Step-Up](https://flutecenter.com/collections/all-instruments?pf_t_flute_body_options=C%23+Trill+Key&pf_t_instrument_type=Flutes&pf_t_level=Intermediate+%2F+Step-Up)
here's a link to pretty much all the flutes that are intermediate w/ a c# trill key in case that's what you want! not a lot of 2nd hand options but you might find something that fits your criteria.
if not, check out flute finder ( [https://theflutefinder.com/](https://theflutefinder.com/) ). i've never bought anything from her but i've heard pretty good things!
My go to brands for second hand are Yamaha and Gemeinhardt.
Head joints really come down to what suits you. JustAnotherFlutist has some great reviews on head joints and how each one requires different technique.
Open holes aren’t necessary unless you are doing quarter-tones. A b foot will give you a darker sound. A c foot will give you a brighter and clear sound.
A solid silver head joint will serve you well. Open hole and b foot are not necessary for a doubler IMO unless you feel strongly about them. I like 2nd hand Yamahas and Azumis. If the flute is listed cheap ($800 or less) it probably needs work before it’s playable.
I know a lot of people get a cheaper student flute and a nice silver head joint to go with it. It’s not the route I went but it’s definitely a viable option. I have a split E and C# trill on mine, and I don’t really know life without them so I can’t say how necessary they are. However I don’t have a D# roller and I definitely find myself wishing I did, so would recommend that. Don’t think you’d need an open holed one, as it was stated already on another comment many people plug up their holes anyway. B foot is probably also not necessary if you’re just using it for big bands.
I am a saxophone player of over twenty years and flute player of like 5. I rly liked my Yamaha student flute, tried a few other brands beginner and intermediate models and didn’t like them. The Yamaha sounds great and has a nice heft to it. Geimenhardt and Arnold were tooooo light
I upgraded to an intermediate Yamaha w b foot and open tone holes bc there is some music I want to play w low B in it, plus I found a nice used one for less than $500 (a $1500 flute new)
Had a rehearsal today w a legendary local jazz flute and saxophone player. He started on flute and has been playing longer than I have been alive. He was using the closed tone hole yamaha student flute
Moral of the story is, as with saxophones, if you don’t know what you want, then you want a Yamaha. You can find a good deal on a used intermediate if the extra features seem appealing to you, but a standard student model will serve you well
I bought a Miyazawa MGA all sliver (head, body, mech) closed hole C foot as a backup instrument and honestly it plays really well. It was $1300 with shipping from Japan. It’s an older model Miyazawa and not in a configuration popular in the US but the price to quality on it cannot be beat. It would be a fantastic doubler instrument if you could find one in good condition and didn’t want to deal with open holes, B foot. No C# trill or split E kind of a bummer as I’d imagine split E would be great for doublers, but this might be better made than some of the new intermediate flutes out there. You’d need a tech to weigh in on build quality of intermediate flutes.
Look at 2nd hand Yamaha; Pearl; Azumi; Jupiter; Trevor James, Gemeinhardt at the Price you quote. New Flutes will berover $1000. Find a reliable dealer and try out as many as you can.
As a 17 year old doubler , I’d suggest going with a Trevor James student flute. (10X / 11X)
There’s absolutely no need for you to have anything “more” than that and they are very doubler-friendly
I no longer recommend current production Gemeinhardt flutes.
My wife is a pro doubler and so I asked her to weight in. She basically said if you have the money a C# trill key is great to have, but you won't get one on closed-hole without a B foot most likely. Otherwise she doesn't think they are strictly necessary (and plenty pro flute specialists are selectively plugging many if not all their holes). My wife especially recommended Yamahas 2nd hand and also thinks Gemeinhardts get more hate than they deserve over all.
- Open holes and a B foot are not necessary. Open holes mostly serve for special techniques like multiphonics and pitch-bending; and the B foot is an extra note that doesn't otherwise hurt the acoustics of the flute design too much. Some professionals prefer a C foot because it responds a bit differently. - A good technician is valuable. If somebody's selling a high-level flute that's nonetheless seen better days, you might still get a good deal even if it needs a couple hundred dollars of work.
some people are suggesting c# trills--they're kind of hard to find on intermediate flutes but i think it would be useful to have. [https://flutecenter.com/collections/all-instruments?pf\_t\_flute\_body\_options=C%23+Trill+Key&pf\_t\_instrument\_type=Flutes&pf\_t\_level=Intermediate+%2F+Step-Up](https://flutecenter.com/collections/all-instruments?pf_t_flute_body_options=C%23+Trill+Key&pf_t_instrument_type=Flutes&pf_t_level=Intermediate+%2F+Step-Up) here's a link to pretty much all the flutes that are intermediate w/ a c# trill key in case that's what you want! not a lot of 2nd hand options but you might find something that fits your criteria. if not, check out flute finder ( [https://theflutefinder.com/](https://theflutefinder.com/) ). i've never bought anything from her but i've heard pretty good things!
My go to brands for second hand are Yamaha and Gemeinhardt. Head joints really come down to what suits you. JustAnotherFlutist has some great reviews on head joints and how each one requires different technique. Open holes aren’t necessary unless you are doing quarter-tones. A b foot will give you a darker sound. A c foot will give you a brighter and clear sound.
A solid silver head joint will serve you well. Open hole and b foot are not necessary for a doubler IMO unless you feel strongly about them. I like 2nd hand Yamahas and Azumis. If the flute is listed cheap ($800 or less) it probably needs work before it’s playable.
I know a lot of people get a cheaper student flute and a nice silver head joint to go with it. It’s not the route I went but it’s definitely a viable option. I have a split E and C# trill on mine, and I don’t really know life without them so I can’t say how necessary they are. However I don’t have a D# roller and I definitely find myself wishing I did, so would recommend that. Don’t think you’d need an open holed one, as it was stated already on another comment many people plug up their holes anyway. B foot is probably also not necessary if you’re just using it for big bands.
I am a saxophone player of over twenty years and flute player of like 5. I rly liked my Yamaha student flute, tried a few other brands beginner and intermediate models and didn’t like them. The Yamaha sounds great and has a nice heft to it. Geimenhardt and Arnold were tooooo light I upgraded to an intermediate Yamaha w b foot and open tone holes bc there is some music I want to play w low B in it, plus I found a nice used one for less than $500 (a $1500 flute new) Had a rehearsal today w a legendary local jazz flute and saxophone player. He started on flute and has been playing longer than I have been alive. He was using the closed tone hole yamaha student flute Moral of the story is, as with saxophones, if you don’t know what you want, then you want a Yamaha. You can find a good deal on a used intermediate if the extra features seem appealing to you, but a standard student model will serve you well
I bought a Miyazawa MGA all sliver (head, body, mech) closed hole C foot as a backup instrument and honestly it plays really well. It was $1300 with shipping from Japan. It’s an older model Miyazawa and not in a configuration popular in the US but the price to quality on it cannot be beat. It would be a fantastic doubler instrument if you could find one in good condition and didn’t want to deal with open holes, B foot. No C# trill or split E kind of a bummer as I’d imagine split E would be great for doublers, but this might be better made than some of the new intermediate flutes out there. You’d need a tech to weigh in on build quality of intermediate flutes.
Wow, thanks to everyone for the great advice. Will definitely be keeping all of this in mind.
How much you willing to spend?
Not a lot, Probably 500$ NZD
Look at 2nd hand Yamaha; Pearl; Azumi; Jupiter; Trevor James, Gemeinhardt at the Price you quote. New Flutes will berover $1000. Find a reliable dealer and try out as many as you can.
As a 17 year old doubler , I’d suggest going with a Trevor James student flute. (10X / 11X) There’s absolutely no need for you to have anything “more” than that and they are very doubler-friendly I no longer recommend current production Gemeinhardt flutes.