Chiff and Fipple Forums

I was wondering if a beginner could start with a Boehm flute teacher? They are more accessible.
Any thoughts on this? I am having trouble finding an Irish flute teacher in Ottawa, Canada.
If anyone knows of one please let me know.
In that case would it be better to use online methods and/or books and CDs?

What you need initially is info about holding the flute and posture. You can get that from a Boehm flute teacher. As mentioned above, a lesson or two at the beginning can save you lots of trouble. But most of us don't sign up for continuing lessons. Just get set up right and start playing. You may find it helpful to roll the headjoint in (toward you) slightly (I don't think they do that on Boehm).

Absolutely. Embouchure and tone are things that a boehm flute teacher would be very qualified to teach.

Also, those topics are more important than finger dexterity, which will come in its own sweet time. In fact, you may have mouth or lip issues that you wouldn't discover on your own.

Not a good idea if the teacher knows nothing of ITM. They will be horrified at rolling the embouchure hole in for a start. And likely to have little or no understanding of the dark reedy tone, or how notes are articulated in ITM. And forget about ornaments, which do not appear in Boehm flute playing/music.

Why not try the Online Academy of Irish Music? It's the real thing, and available globally.

It's perhaps good to read some (concert) flute texts on principles of embouchure. And buy a mirror!

But learning Boehm flute anyway is a good idea. Get a nice student flute. The transition to wooden simple system flute is not difficult, and you can bring the essential concepts over, just you need to modify embouchure etc. Avoid the cheap $100 ebay concert flutes. The cut of the embouchure for a start will wreck your playing if you adapt to that - hard to undo all that muscle memory. Besides, they fall to bits quickly.

Get a copy of Grey Larsen's The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle. Somewhat academic, but it has everything. Indispensable I think.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I'd recommend an all of the above approach. A Boehm flute teacher will help you with posture, positioning and breath control and start helping you gain the correct embouchure. Then with the help of some online lessons either with a skype teacher or the online academy of Irish Music you can transfer what you learned and tweak it to play in the specifically Irish style. You will find a Boehm flute has a few different fingerings for notes such as F# and the Cs. But take a fingering chart along to a lesson if you find a Boehm flute teacher who is game for beginning lessons.

Many of us who play started on the Boehm flute as kids. The basics are similar, while they do veer from each other as you advance.