Peter Gelling - Flute Lessons for Beginners: Teach Yourself How to Play Flute (Free Video Available)

Progressive Beginner Flute assumes you have no prior knowledge of music or playing the flute. This book will show you the basics of flute playing and reading music. The book is suitable for anyone who wants to learn to play the flute. No previous musical knowledge or experience is necessary. Each new note and technique is introduced separately and all examples sound great and are fun to play.

The book also features a chart listing all fingerings for the flute. All flute players should know all of the information contained in this book. On completion of the book, you will be ready to begin improvising and playing with other musicians and will already be able to play many tunes and be making great sounds.

The best and fastest way to learn is to use this book in conjunction with:

• Buying sheet music and song books of your favorite recording artists and learning to play their songs. By learning songs, you will begin to build a repertoire and always have something to play for others.
• Practicing and playing with other musicians. You will be surprised how good a basic drums/bass/guitar/flute or drums/bass/keyboard/flute combination can sound even when playing easy music.
• Learning by listening to your favorite recordings. Start building a collection of albums of players you admire or wish to emulate. Try playing along with one of them for a short time each day.

Also in the early stages it is helpful to have the guidance of an experienced teacher. This will also help you keep to a schedule and obtain weekly goals. To help you develop a good sense of time it is recommended that you always practice with a metronome or drum machine.

LESSON ONE

Parts of the Flute

The following photo shows the three sections of the flute - the middle joint (longest), foot joint (shortest) and the head joint which contains the mouth hole

Putting the Parts Together

First attach the headjoint to the middle joint by inserting it and twisting both parts while pushing gently.

Use the same method to attach the foot joint to the middle joint. Line up the middle of the first lever on the foot joint with the end of the shaft on the middle joint.

The exact alignment of parts on the flute is a personal thing. The positions given here are useful as a guide, but you may wish to alter them slightly when you have been playing for a while.

How to Hold the Flute

Hold the flute with the palm of your left hand facing behind you, and the palm of your right hand facing ahead of you. Place your fingers in position for a G note, which is shown in the following diagram.

Memorize this fingering, as this is the first note you will learn to play. Once your fingers are in the correct positions, hold the mouthpiece gently but firmly against your lower lip. The photo here shows the correct method for holding the flute in a playing position. In the beginning, it is best to work on your playing position with a teacher. After a while you will do it automatically.