Have you ever played an instrument? Do you want to learn, but you don't  know where to start? Here are some things you can do to start out learning the flute. Knowing tips and tricks can be handy when you are an aspiring flutist.

The first thing to start out with is assembling your instrument. Putting together an instrument when you don't know how can be hard. Here's how you do it.  Start by holding the medium length piece; this piece is called the head joint. Then take the longest piece; this piece is called the body. Attach the head joint to the top of the body. Twist it so that the hole in the head joint is aligned with the middle of the keys. Make sure it´s aligned with the side with more keys, not the side with a scarce amount. Next, take the shortest piece, called the foot, and connect it to the already assembled head joint and body. Make sure the rod holding all the keys on the foot is lined up with the middle of the keys on the body. If you´ve done all the steps correctly so far, you should have a constructed flute!

The next step is to learn how to flawlessly hold the flute. First, place your left hand. Starting from the top, skip the first key, putting your index finger on the second key. Then skip another key and put your middle finger on the fourth key. Place the rest of your fingers on the following keys: ring finger on the fifth key, pinky on the sixth key; the sixth key is the key that is jutting out a little. Put your thumb on the back of the flute with it on the fourth key from the top.  You will notice that when you press it, the key underneath it will also go down. Now you've placed your left hand. Next you have to position your right hand. Skip two keys after your left hand, and place your index finger on the third key. This key is also the ninth key from the top. Position the remaining fingers on the following keys: middle finger on tenth key from the top, ring finger on the eleventh key and pinky on the twelfth. The pinky key looks a little different from the other keys. It also is on the foot instead of the body.  Your thumb will go on the backside of the flute, where there are no keys. Now you´ve planted your right hand and are successfully holding the flute. Almost all fingerings are combinations of the keys that you are pressing right now. This is also how you should hold your flute in rest position, or when you are not playing.

The third step is to learn how to blow air into your flute.  Rest the middle of your mouth on the middle of the hole. Then roll the flute back away from yourself, so the hole is parallel to your mouth, and blow. For low notes, blow softly. For high notes, blow hard. Practice making sounds that are loud, soft, high, and low.

The fourth step is to learn about a staff. The staff has four spaces and five lines, where notes go. Notes can also go off the staff. There are a few different parts of a staff you should know about. First is the key signature. The key signature is the part of the staff that tells you what notes should be flat, sharp and natural. It is located to the left area of the staff. To the key signature’s right is the time signature. This tells you how many beats are there per measure. The time signature is a fraction. The final part of the staff is the clef. It is located to the left of the key signature. There are two clefs, the bass clef and treble clef. The flute plays on the treble clef.

The final thing to learn is notes. Notes are put on the staff, on either a space or on a line. Each note has a letter name from A to G, then it starts at A again. Notes also have what are called chromatics. There are three different chromatics: sharps, naturals, and flats. Each one has a little symbol that is written in front of the note. These are the most important things to know while starting.

Knowing the basics is very important when playing the flute,  so keep practicing until you get the hang of the basics. Understanding what to do and where to start is essential. Definitely give playing the flute a shot, and most importantly, enjoy it. Have fun!

-Trivika Komatireddy