When should a student switch from a closed hole Flute to an open holed Flute?

Question:I have been playing just over four years. I practice about 45 minutes a day and am in concert band at school. I currently own a Gemeinhardt 22 SP flute closed hole, and I feal I am ready for open holed. I have good tone control, and a good vibrato. What do you think? I also play the piccolo... if that means any thing to you...

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I have been playing just over four years. I practice about 45 minutes a day and am in concert band at school. I currently own a Gemeinhardt 22 SP flute closed hole, and I feal I am ready for open holed. I have good tone control, and a good vibrato. What do you think? I also play the piccolo... if that means any thing to you...

I hate to burst your bubble, but switching to an open-hole flute doesn't mean that you're really upgrading. Having open-holes is just an option, not necessarily a requirement, unless you're planning on performing a lot of music in which open holes would be required for extended techniques. However, the neat thing about open holes is that they do offer more fingering options for intonation issues and alternate fingerings. I also like the vibrations that I feel under my fingers, but that's just a personal thing.

If you and your private teacher (or at least, your band director) feel that you are ready to upgrade, then I would start looking at more advanced models. If you're super serious about your playing, then I would go away with the Gemmy (keep it as a back up) and go with something like a lower end Altus (such as their Azumi flute...REALLY nice) or Miyazawa. These would be the type of instruments that will last you until college, or possibly beyond. Your teacher can help you with this.

If you decide to get an open-holed flute, you can use plugs for them. However, I would recommend ditching the plugs as soon as possible. When I switched to an open-holed flute, I removed the plugs to the fingers that I didn't have any trouble with right away. The ones I struggled with stayed in a bit longer, but I practiced without the plugs for at least part of my practice session each day. Part of my struggle was that I was switching from a flute with an off-set to in-line G key. My stupid finger kept slipping off the center of the key ever so slightly. However, within about 2-3 weeks, I was playing my open-holed flute without any type of plugs and haven't put them back in since.

GO for it!

i'd say switch.
i play the flute too.
you can always put plugs in the flute.

I think it should be fine for you to do it now. I switched when I practiced waay less and hadn't been playing as long, and it worked fine for me.

I suggest you get those little plugs for the holes, so you can take them out one by one as you get more used to playing with the open holes. It can be harder than it looks to get your whole finger covering the hole all the time.

You don't have to switch, but if you want to-4 years sounds good!

there is no such time as a right or a wrong time. i didn't get involved with one until i was in 8th grade, and was playing for 6 years. but if you think you are ready, and your parents are willing to spend the money because you will be sticking with it for awhile, i say go for it.

i play the flute too!! i have a closed hole flute (Yamaha advantage) there isnt really an age but some people say that open hole makes your sound better but i dont think there is much of a difference in the sound. but you sound like you would be ready for one if you did want to get one

Sounds like you're ready, assuming your finger pads are large enough to easily cover the holes and effectively use the functionality of the tonal ports.
See if you can rent one for a few weeks from a shop with the understanding that you want to buy one if you like it...they'll usually say "yes" - might even loan it to you!

There isn't a specific line you cross where you are ready to play an open-holed flute. I'd recommend it, though! It helps modify any hand position problems (because you have to make sure the pads of your fingers are actually covering the holes properly), improves tone, and you can do some really cool, modern things with the open holes. I recently started experimenting with sliding my fingers off the open hole on certain notes and it bends the note! I love how that sounds. I have a few pieces of music that require you to do this: Malagigi the Sorcerer by Efrain Amaya and Orange Dawn by Ian Clarke. They each have recordings of these songs on their websites if you'd like to listen. I'd highly recommend it!

Removing the plugs one by one isn't the only way to transition from a closed to an open-holed flute, though it is effective. I bought the squishy, clear, almost gel-like plugs that only plug the inside of the holes, and don't cover the tops of the keys at all. I felt that the hard plastic ones that covered the tops of the keys made it harder for me to plug the holes when I took them out. So my solution was simple! I took the squishy ones (hopefully you know which ones I'm talking about) and I pushed them into the holes where it felt like there was a hole, but it was still plugged. Then I could focus on covering the entire key without the tone problems (such as when a hole isn't covered completely). Either way, though, you should be able to transition to an open-holed pretty easily! Whatever way works best for you.

Best of luck in your decision!

It's time to switch to the open hole. Your hand is big enough/fingers long enough and you have enough experience to handle an open hole flute. The tone quality is better on an open hole. Since you already own a Gemeinhardt you might want to see if they will let you upgrade to an open hole solid silver flute and take the closed hole one as a trade in.... thus reducing the cost... I would not go for just the S/P.... the solid silver produces are beautiful sound once the entire instrument is warmed up... I own all types of flutes from a Gemeinhardt s/s to a Chinese jadeite flute....and more.... such fun! Enjoy.