Yamaha flutes

Yamaha flutes rank highly amongst the most recommended brand of flute, and are renowned both for their affordability and quality.

Yamaha has been in the business of making flutes since 1887, and Yamaha flutes have a well earnt reputation for being high quality, long-lasting and reliable instruments.

The Yamaha Corp. in Japan (formerly called Nippon Gakki Co.) was founded by Torakusu Yamaha. Yamaha first began manufacturing reed organs in 1887 and have since expanded into manufacturing other instruments. The Yamaha Corp. of America was founded in 1960.

Yamaha flutes can be more expensive than other flute brands on the market due to the use of silver for plating or as the core metal of the flute. The high quality materials used result in a flute of high quality that will last for many years to come.

Yamaha consults with flute players when creating new flutes, allowing Yamaha to create the right flute for different types of players. Yamaha flutes range from student, introductory level flutes through to top of the range flutes preferred by professionals.

Yamaha have a long history of developing flutes, so have been able to incorporate all lessons learnt into their flutes. Yamaha’s unique selling point is that they provide flutes that allow flute players to create their own unique sound.

Yamaha flutes used to be constructed in Japan, however production has recently moved to Indonesia to save costs.

Yamaha flute range

Yamaha flutes – student flutes

Yamaha’s student flutes are one of the most popular brands in the world and often recommended by flute teachers.

Yamaha flutes – component parts

As with all flutes, Yamaha flutes are made up of three joints:

The first joint of the Yamaha flute is the head joint. This is the only joint of the flute that has no keys. This is the joint of the flute that will be blown into, as it holds the blow or mouth hole and the lip plate. You can change the pitch contour of the flute by adjusting the tuning cork that is also found upon the head joint.

The second joint of Yamaha flutes is called the body joint. As the name suggests, this is the amplest of the three joints of the flute. This joint also holds most of the keys of the flute. The body joint is where the flute can be tuned, using the slide and tenons.

The foot joint is the last joint of Yamaha Flutes. Of the three, the foot joint is the smallest joint of the flute and will contain only a few keys. However, it is still a vital joint of the flute as the rod enclosed in the joint needs to be allied with the heart of the keys in the body joint of the flute.

Putting Yamaha flutes together

1. Always pick up Yamaha flutes by the body, never by the Yamaha flutes keys.
2. Whilst assembling Yamaha flutes, your right hand will be the hand moving, whilst your left hand must not move. To start assembling Yamaha flutes, pick up the body joint in your left hand and hold with the bottom facing the floor and the top facing upwards.
3. Next, using your right hand, insert the bottom of the head joint into the top of the body joint. Leave a small portion of about a quarter of an inch, which will be used to tune the Yamaha flutes. Then rotate the head joint so that the lip-plate with the Yamaha flute keys.
4. With your right hand, pick up the foot joint by the edges. Let the foot joint slide down your palm via the effects of gravity, so that the two large keys can be clamped on the edge of your palm. Your thumb must not be around the bottom of the piece which will avoid bending the keys when you twist on the foot joint. Yamaha flutes can be ruined by not following this step.
5. To finish assembling Yamaha flutes, insert the foot joint into the bottom of the body joint of the Yamaha flute. Then, align the rod with the tone holes of the body joint by turning the foot joint. Your Yamaha flute is now ready to play!

 How to clean Yamaha Flutes

1. First, you will require a flute cleaning kit, which you can get from Yamaha shops or from most shops that sell Yamaha Flutes. The kit includes a special cloth and a cleaning rod.
2. Thread the cloth through the hole in the cleaning rod and wrap the cloth around the rod, making sure to cover as much of the rod as possible to avoid damaging any Yamaha flutes.
3. Making sure not to push any keys of the Yamaha flute, carefully hold the foot joint and push the rod inside, from the bottom of the flute to the other end of the body joint, pulling it out of the Yamaha flute. This will clean most Yamaha flutes inside their body and foot joints.
4. Cleaning the head joints of Yamaha flutes is a little more complex. Push the cleaning rod into the head joint and twist at least twice. This should remove any leftover moisture. Then remove.
5. Reposition the cloth so that there is a fresh piece of cloth wrapped around the cleaning rod. Insert the cleaning rod into the bottom of the Yamaha flutes head joint, twist the rod round and then remove from the top of the joint.
6. After cleaning, always carefully put away your Yamaha flutes. With careful cleaning and care, Yamaha flutes will last a very long time.

All about flutes

The flute is known as one of the smallest of the band instruments and is very popular. Whilst a flute is made of metal,  flutes are part of the ten instruments of the woodwind family. There are several types of flute. The most common type of flute is the Western Concert Flute, which are often included in many bands and orchestras, whilst playing the flute on its own is still very powerful. Those that play the flute are known as a flautist/ flutist or flute player. To become a flute player, one must first be able to blow correctly into the flute. This sounds simple, however it can take several minutes to play a note on a flute for the first time.

The flute is easy to set up whilst putting away a flute is a little more complex. This is because a flute player must ensure that their flute is cleaned to ensure the flute continues to produce a perfect sound. Because the flute is such a small instrument, it is easy to carry  around, allowing a flute player to practise and play the flute wherever needed.

To play a flute, the flute player will position the flute to their right hand side, with the flute running parallel to the floor. A flute player requires arms that are able to reach the various keys on the flute. The flute player must then blow into the mouthpiece at the right angle to create a note from the flute. This will split the air and create a sound, just as blowing over a bottle will.

It is very important to store a flute correctly when it is not in use. This will prevent your Yamaha flute from becoming damaged.

Flute carry cases

Famous Yamaha flute players

Jean-Pierre Louis Rampal

András Adorján

Flautist v flutist

There is currently a debate amongst flute players regarding whether the term flautist or flutist should be used. Many famous flute players, such as Nancy Toff and James Galway have criticised the word flautist, preferring the term flutist.