How you put your flute together can have a big effect on the quality of your sound, how you hold your flute and how easily you can move your fingers.
Keep your hands off the keys while assembling the flute!
Keys can bend pretty easily, even on sturdy student flutes. Hold the flute where there are no keys, at the barrel and below the keys on the foot joint.
Bent keys prevent your flute from working properly. It's no fun to try to play a flute that is damaged.
Line up the blow hole with your keys.
Look down your
flute from the headjoint. Is the blow hole on the same line as the keys? This
can have a major effect on your playing. Many younger players have the headjoint
rolled out too far. This makes the flute hard to hold and causes cramped hand positions.
Lining up the foot joint
Look at your little finger on your right hand. Notice that it is shor
ter than the
rest of your fingers (Duh!). Place the foot joint so you can reach the keys with
your pinky without cramping up your other fingers. Everyone's pinky is different so
you will have to figure out where the best place is for you and your pinky.