My Flute

This morning, I am listening to various flute recordings that I have from throughout college. It is interesting and rewarding to see the growth in my playing. I was surprised to listen to recordings from late 2011 - these recordings were taken less than 2 years ago, but I know there is a mile of difference between my playing now and my playing then. This recognition re-boosted my confidence in my flute track and where I'm going with my playing. I give myself credit that I have come a long way in my flute playing, and while I am nowhere near where I would like to be, I have the potential to continue to make big leaps in my level of playing.

I just turned on a recording from my senior recital last October, and the difference from this and my 2011 recordings, one year prior, is like night and day. I sound more confident and have a direction to my music.

As I listen to these recordings, I would like to reflect on the main tool that aided me in making my leaps forward - my flute!

The story of how I got my current flute goes back to the year 2000. I was 10 years old at the time, fresh out of 4th grade, and ready to start band in the fall! My family rented my first flute from Lou Kraus Music in Ogallala, NE. We found me a beautiful beginner model Yamaha, which I loved and served me well for almost 7 years. For a beginner model, this instrument truly was high quality. I wish I still remembered the model it was, for I would recommend it to any young flutist! This flute was simple enough that I was able to play it at a young age, yet high-quality enough that I made it into the Nebraska All-State band with it. I eventually traded it in to help offset the cost of upgrading to an intermediate model. Surprisingly, like the pet stories you hear every now and then, it "returned" to me. A young girl moved to Wallace and wanted to play flute in the band. The flute she rented out? MY OLD FLUTE! :)

Toward the end of my junior year in high school, I knew I needed a flute upgrade. Going to all-state band and being the ONLY flutist without an open-holed flute was a humbling experience. I upgraded to a Yamaha 381 model (pictured below). I remember being attracted to the gold-colored lip plate. Later, I found out that the gold plating there probably didn't make any sort of difference in my sound. Oh well, it was pretty!

The Yamaha 381 was "amazing" to me for a couple years only. Then, I realized that it really was sort of a junky flute compared to what is out there! I had no idea of this, as I remember the Yamaha was the nicest instrument in the store in North Platte, NE.

However, the Yamaha was nice enough that I managed to get accepted to play at the 2010 National Flute Association's Collegiate Flute Choir. This was my chance!!!! There were going to be flutes GALORE there, and I knew it was time to FINALLY invest in a professional model.

I had no idea how much these flutes really costed until the convention. I remember setting a budget for myself of around $6,500 (the amount of money in my entire summer job life savings...) to get a new flute.

I walked up to the Brannen Brothers table at convention and told them my budget range. They kindly told me that their prices STARTED at $11,000 and gave me a water bottle. I took my souvenir and walked away.

I tried a few more flutes. I did find a Muramatsu heavy-wall flute for around my $6,500 budget that I liked. Yet, there was something not quite right about it. I had a feeling there might be something better out there for me.

I admitted to myself that there was no way I was going to be able to afford a flute that cost me over 10 grand. My solution? I went out to the used flutes board to see what I could find for a cheaper price "behind-the-scenes." I looked the board over and spotted an advertisement for one of those fancy Brannen flutes that I had seen for such high prices in the display room. The list price for one of the flutes out here on the board was $9,000 - still over my budgetary range, but I wanted to at least check it out.

I called the number of the owner and set up a testing. Now, my flute teacher from here in Nebraska was originally from Germany and a student of world-renowned flutist Michael Faust. Mr. Faust happened to be at the convention and was willing to check out this used flute I was about to purchase to make sure the price was fair.

This was one of those moments I will never forget. I was meeting in a hotel room with the owner of the flute, my teacher, and Michael Faust. I remember feeling chills and thoughts of, "Is this actually happening???" What a special day!

Mr. Faust determined that $9,000 was over-charging for the flute. He found out the owner had originally bought the flute back in 2000 for $7,500, and since flutes don't appreciate in value, that $9,000 was far too much to ask. Now, it was possible that I might be able to get this flute! I gave it a day or two to think before blowing my life savings.

Finally, on the last day of the convention, I decided I wanted to talk to the owner about potentially purchasing her Brannen. I met her in the lobby of the convention hotel and attempted to bargain down the price. "$8,500," she said. I told her I couldn't pay any more than $8,000. I was going to pay my $6,500 in savings, and my parents were going to spot me the rest. She looked unsure, but then agreed.

The feeling I had in that moment is one I will never forget. I remember my stomach feeling as if it had fallen down straight to the floor, and reality pausing for a moment in time. I really had just spent EVERYTHING...on this flute. We paid the owner the money, and I sat down with my brand new (to me!), shiny, solid sterling silver flute. I looked at it and let the reality wash over me. I had never imagined I would own an instrument this nice before. Below is a photo of my Brannen Millennium flute.

Are there better flutes in the world than the one I purchased? Of course. But I feel so blessed to have my flute. Three years later, I can reflect back and acknowledge that without this flute, I wouldn't have made it this far. I definitely wouldn't have the opportunity to be moving to Oklahoma if I hadn't purchased it. And while it can be a pain (I normally have to take it in for repairs every 6 months), I love my flute.

Speaking of my flute, I had better dig out some music and practice! If you have read this far, thanks for following my blog!