Just got my first instrument - a fife

[Awoooo]

It feels light, and sturdy, it's nickel-plated copper, 6-holed. I think it's a standard fife. I'm still working on making noises out of it that don't sound 'asthmatic.' This is my first musical instrument. I went in to buy a penny/tin whistle, but I saw this little guy on sale for 15.00 dollars and couldn't resist.

There's lots of flute players here, anyone play fife? Beginner tips? I'm just messing around with all sorts of different combinations of embouchure, trying to see what makes a sound, or a sharper sound. But mostly I'm just getting air. Or I'll make a note-worthy noise, but am unable to sustain it, or figure out how I did it.

So, flautists, fifers, feel free to drop in. Any tips and advice are more than welcome.

[Sigurthr]

Perhaps you could post a picture or reply with any markings or names on the instrument? I came across a nickel plated 6 holed transverse tubular flute-like-object for about that price once and it was a fake, completely incapable of producing any notes.

Unfortunately the odds are against you that you have an actual playable fife.

[tucson_whistler]

i got a plastic fife for free along with a book i ordered on ebay once; it's a piece of junk, although it is playable.

sweetheart makes a metal fife that i assume would be decent; you can check it out here:
http://www.sweetheartflute.com/milfifes.html

it goes for $45 though, so if you got one for $15 i would be suspicious. did you have anyone at the store play it for you? if not, again, i'd be suspicious.

if you read the thread about "cheap ebay flutes" in this forum there's lots of advice about being careful; there are a lot of disreputable makers out there who prey on unsuspecting beginning musicians; you'll never get a decent sound out of your "fife" and you'll just assume it's because you don't know how to play it (which it might be; how will you know?) and eventually give it up.

if you can take it back to the store, i'd ask someone there to play it for you, and if they can't (or won't) i'd trade your "fife" in for that pennywhistle you went in for originally.

good luck.

cheers,
eric

[tucson_whistler]

ok, otherwise, if you still want to try, the trick is to line up the middle of your bottom lip with the middle of the blow hole, then rotate your fife towards you and away from you as you blow, until you find where it sounds the best.

good luck,
eric

[kenny]

Sure what you have isn't a piccollo ? I associate "fifes" as being in the key of B flat, which is not going to be of much use to you in a session. I don't want to disappoint you, but if - as you say - this is your first musical instrument, my advice would have been to start with a whistle in the key of "D". I've been playing flute for a long time now, and I find "fifes" and piccollos fairly difficult to play. I would never recommend either as a first wind instrument, but that's just my opinion. Best of luck.

[Awoooo]

Isn;t it normal to take a while to produce a sound if you've never played a flute before?

i'm still struggling with it. i don't plan on joining any sessions, and dont know anyone who can play the flute and test mine.

there are no markings of any kind on it. dont piccolo's have keys? these are just open holes.

the music store i bought it from had packaged the instrument itself in a bag. the store is very trustworthy. i would be disappointed if they packaged this with their name on it knowing it might be defective..

i feel kinda disappointed now. i thought it would just take some work to get it going. i guess ill keep trying,

[mutepointe]

People here play everything. Lots of folks play the fife. I suppose if that's the instrument you got, that's the instrument you got. Yes, it'll take awhile to get a decent sound, even if it's a good fife. If you get frustrated if there is a lack of progress, go back and buy a whistle. You'll be able to make a sound with the whistle right away and the fingering is the same so you won't lose any time learning the fife. You could also keep one of the instruments in one place (like where you practice now) and one instrument in another place (like your car) so that you have more opportunities to practice.

Plus, your non-musical friends will have no clue the instruments are so similar, so they'll think you're a genius that you figured out two instruments.

[jim stone]

To sort the thing out, it takes a LOOONG time to get a consistent sound out of a flute, as in months.
The higher the pitch of the instrument, the harder it is to get the tone. So a fife is VERY demanding,
even if it plays. Cause it's high pitched. Not that you shouldn't play it, but think in terms of several months before
you can get a consistent tone. It would be a good idea to find out if the thing really
plays, therefore.

A lower pitched flute is a lot easier, though still a matter of months.
A whistle can be sounded right away.

It's good to play fife, IMO, if you play flute, cause it's great exercise for your
embouchure. If you really want to start to play flute (a GOOD IDEA),
you might consider buying something deeper in pitch, some standard
good beginner's flute.

[Awoooo]

It does make sound! I do believe it is a working instrument:

Most of the notes are very breathey, as though half of the note just faded into a breath on the way out of the fife. But I do hear the pitches. And every once in a while, on one lucky breath, I will hear a real 'round' vibrating flute noise coming out.

Actually, what would help is if I knew a flautist of some kind who could just take a few experienced breaths into the fife. I don't mind practice, it would just be disappointing to practice practice practice on an instrument that couldn't sound better.

About embouchure? Sometimes I feel like blowing a certain way, or positioning my lips a certain way doesn't work as well on different pitches played. Is this true? Is there a sort of subtle changing over embouchure for higher or lower notes on your instrument? Sort of like 'singing'?

[tucson_whistler]

yes, every note will have a slightly different embouchure--which is why it can take months to be able to sound the scale. you'll find you'll be able to play a few notes, but not hit the bottom of the scale, then you'll reach the bottom, and not be able to hit the top (or possibly vice versa).

good luck

eric

[plunk111]

Awoo:

Fifes are like flutes in that there are good 'uns and bad 'uns. As a beginner, you REALLY can't be sure without having someone try it, as people above have said. I would suggest you contact your local high school or middle school music instructor. He/she will probably be able to give you a quick evaluation - part of their training is a requirement to be able to at least play most of the band instruments. If the instructor doesn't have time, he or she will be able to put you in contact with someone. Similarly, any music store that sells band instruments probably has someone on staff that teaches flute.

As to the fife/piccolo argument, as far as I know a fife is almost always in the key of Bb and anything else is a flute, unless it's in high D or C, in which case it is a piccolo. I could very well be wrong about this, however! Walt sweet makes "folk fifes" in keys other than Bb, for instance. I do have one of Jem Hammond's piccolos (in D), by the way, and it is easy to play and on-pitch AND was only 15 pounds, so inexpensive piccolos/fifes are available. I also used to have a Skip Healy fife and it was simply superb - it cost a LOT more, however!

Pat

[an seanduine]

Fifes have a long association with the military. On the East Coast there are numerous 'Fife and Drum Marching Bands'. My GranDad started out in one such band over a century ago. If you google for 'Fife Bands' or the like you will find several sites that have mp3 examples. Often they are associated with Military Re-Enactors. Pat Plunkett's avatar is an example.
I'm not sure where you are, but Civil War Re-enactors are all over the States. You'll find fifers there as well. If you are in Great Britain, or many of the Commonwealths, you will find similar historical groups as well.
They are a grand instrument, although demanding. As a young'un I played piccolo in high school bands and always felt 'exposed'. . .they cut through the rest of the band like a knife. Just keep smiling and stick with it.

Bob

[tucson_whistler]

As a young'un I played piccolo in high school bands and always felt 'exposed'. . .they cut through the rest of the band like a knife. Just keep smiling and stick with it.

whistle players take notice! how to compete in a session!

cheers,
eric

[Kypfer]

It does make sound! I do believe it is a working instrument:

... yippeeee !!

'bin there, done that, just a few weeks ago

I'd made a "plumber's special" flute from about 18" of plastic pipe and couldn't get a noise from it ... rather disappointed

I researched a bit, "converted" it to a "low-G" whistle and it played

Re-fitted the flute head and tried some more and eventually got sounds (as opposed to noises)

My tip, start with just the left-hand three fingers down, "find" the note by twisting the instrument around 'till it "fits your face", then add and subtract fingers one at a time 'till you've got a scale. Getting the second octave reliably is an art I've not achieved yet, but I can just about play a simple tune ... good luck!

[Sigurthr]

"Fife vs. Piccolo"

The distinction I go by and refer others to is this: If it has a conical bore or conical head then it is a Piccolo. If it is completely cylindrical then it is a fife. Fifes are known for their poor intonation across the octaves and often play rather poorly in the first octave in general. Note: the addition of a headjoint wedge would shift a fife to a piccolo, thus a fife is a piccolo that cannot play in tune across all octaves!