How to Play the Flute: Everything You Need to Know to Play the Flute

I learned to play the flute decades ago and then stopped. I got this book to remind me of the basics. I think it would be pretty hard to learn to play the flute just from this book, but it does as good a job of it as any book could. I wish the songs that it included were more well known, so that I could tell if I was playing them correctly or not. Reading music is my weak point, but I can imitate any sound that I hear. In that regard, the fact that the songs are obscure and there is no audio component is a weakness of this book. But for the price and considering it as it is, this is a really useful volume to build (or rebuild) a foundation on which to continue.

First of all, this is a very outdated book that could use an overhaul and be a great resource. Also, the terms are not accurate. They call the embouchure the “blow hole” as if you’re playing a whale or dolphin, not a flute. (It had me cracking up!)But, this book is very well thought out and has a great way of saying things. I’ll be using it as a resource, not assigning it to students for these reasons.

I had always wanted to play the flute since I was forced to play clarinet throughout middle school band. Eventually, I purchased a flute and taught myself to play based on the instruction the flute players got in class. Years later, I decided I wanted to get back into playing music again and needed a refresher course on the flute.I wish I had this book the first time I wanted to teach myself the flute! The book goes far beyond some simple tips, charts for where to put your fingers for each note, and songs to play. There is in depth advice on how to hold the instrument, how to breathe, how to achieve the best tone, when to use alternate fingerings, and much more! I am so impressed by this book. There are plenty of practice songs too and better songs than I've found in most of these kinds of books. I enjoy listening to myself play them! The best thing about the pieces is that most are designed to teach something (such as a new note, a new key signature, a new time, etc.) and since they are actually nice songs it's much more fun to practice and learn.Even though I had previous musical experience and could already read music and knew a little about the flute, I think that I could have taught myself using this book. I used to have difficulty hitting higher notes too and this book had really helped me. The quality of my playing, especially my tone, has improved greatly and even though I can play much more advanced pieces now I still come back to this book to review and practice. This book would be a great resource for a new player in a band or music program or taking lessons as well as someone who is self-taught.All teach yourself to play books should be like this one.

Gave this book to our 13 year old daughter for Christmas along with an inexpensive flute. She had never touched a flute in her life until Christmas morning.By Christmas night, she was playing simple songs and now, 2 months later, she plays as well as the kids in the band/orchestra who have been playing for 2 years! Her band director is astounded. Disclaimer: she did know how to read music and does play the clarinet - but this book 100% helped take her from "never touched a flute" to "I play the flute" in just a few weeks.Gives very basic beginners information about how to hold the flute, how to position your mouth, etc along with reading music basics and then has several beginning to intermediate pieces in it. If you have a very motivated child and want to see how interested they are in the flute before shelling out the 💵 money 💵 for flute rental and lessons, or if you homeschool and want a good beginning flute lesson book, I think you'll be pleased with this.

This is a great book for learning to play the flute. It has complete and detailed instructions for the beginner and really helped me get started. Within a week of getting my book and following the instructions, I was playing a scale! My tone still needs work but thanks to the instructions in this book I know what to do to improve it. I bought several other books at the same time as this one and none of them including the Band Essentials book that is used in most school bands, was even close to the instructional quality in this one. This is the only book I use now. The illustrations are clear, easy to understand and it teaches you the simple fingering first before progressing to the more complex. It adds one finger at a time which was really good for me and made learning the fingering easier than the Band Essentials which starts with the key of Bb with two flats. It also demistified reading the fingering charts and clearly explaines how to play in different octaves. It even has breathing exercises to help you develop your breath control. I already knew how to read music but if I had not known, the instructions for that were in there also. This book is the next best thing to having your own private instructor at your beck and call. A Very comprehensive learning tool for the beginner.

I received this book a few days ago because of the good reviews that it has for beginner flute players. I was teaching myself the flute but had laid off it for awhile and need to get back to it. I really want to be able to play this instrument! My first day using this book was just what I needed, to start from scratch. The beginning of the book discusses the basics in depth and goes into how to properly hold the flute and where to put your fingers. This is no joke! It may sound easy but this is vitally important. The only downside that I have experienced thus far is that the diagrams in the book which reflects how to hold the instrument has a lot to be desired for a beginner. I "googled" a better, clearer diagram. I do like this book and the forthright way that the author discusses learning to play. I'm excited to take this journey.

Brilliant

Very helpful guide although I strongly recommend a teacher. Depending on the method not all exercises will be useful but the plethora of General Information on flute playing and breathing exercises is great for any beginner.