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About Herbert Smith
(Top Expert on this page)

Expertise
I can answer questions about almost any flute-related topic. I have trained professionally as a flute repair tech and and music educator, and have a broad range of experiences as a performer. I also have plenty of experience with flutes of every level from a huge variety of manufacturers and built with every imaginable material or specification, and can comment on the quality of various instruments, as well as guide people through the flute-buying process. I'm willing and able to discuss various flute gadgets as well (Valgon rings, Foster extensions, etc.).

I am also glad to offer advice on how to approach difficulties within pieces of music, offer teaching tips to those who give lessons, provide suggestions for repertoire, as well as answer just about any other flute-related query you can throw at me! I'm also quite familiar with piccolo, alto, and other harmony flutes (including those in unusual keys, such as Eb flute, Db piccolo, G treble, etc.), and have experience building professional quality head joints.

Please note, however, that I am not an appraisal service, and will not provide estimates of value. Please do not ask me about the value of your flute.

Experience
I'm a professional repair tech with years of experience, and a veteran high school band director. I've maintained a successful studio for private flute lessons for many years, and have performed professionally in just about any imaginable venue.

Education/Credentials
I have bachelor's degrees in music education and performance from highly regarded universities, and have trained with one of the best flute techs/flute makers in the US.

   

You are here:  Experts > Music/Performing Arts > Musical Instruments > Flute

SubjectDate AskedExpert

Plugging Open holes & HJ10/14/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I play a Powell Silver Conservatory open hole flute. For the first few months I played with the ...
  A: Bruce! The Aurumite head probably would not be a perfect fit for the barrel of your flute right ...
Plugging Open holes & HJ10/13/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I play a Powell Silver Conservatory open hole flute. For the first few months I played with the ...
  A: Having plugs in the keys of an open hole flute will not affect it in any way at all. They have no ...
Marching band flute10/12/2008Holly
  Q: My daughter is 14 years old. She plays flute in her high school band. Her old flute is a Yamaha 221, ...
  A: Hey Margaret, The Emerson your daughter's band teacher recommended looks like a good flute for ...
surface plating10/11/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I have a flute that is thirty years old, it is an Armstrong. My daughter wants to play the flute ...
  A: I don't know what the tech you took that flute to meant by the flute having "too much surface ...
F wont work, but others will!10/8/2008Holly
  Q: I have the weirdest problem ever. Seriously. On my newest flute, all of the notes will play (the ...
  A: Hey Chris, That's such a shame, to get a new flute and then find it's got some problems - ...
Buying intermediate flute10/5/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I am 22 and have been playing flute for close to 5 years now. I own a yamaha 221 (my first and only ...
  A: Mina! The amount of silver (or gold, or platinum, or, or, or...) makes absolutely no impact on the ...
Flute playing and alto sax10/5/2008Holly
  Q: I was wondering is their any differences beteen the alto sax and the flute? I play the clarinet most ...
  A: Hey Moses, I've never played sax myself (or clarinet), so I can't say which is harder, but I do ...
Buying intermediate flute10/4/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I am 22 and have been playing flute for close to 5 years now. I own a yamaha 221 (my first and only ...
  A: First of all, let me say that in my opinion, only your feelings about an instrument matter when ...
Audition piece and flute to picc10/4/2008Christine
  Q: Here is a little background on me: I started playing the flute when I was 10, and played through ...
  A: Bobbie, Good for you for wanting to get back into music! Here are some suggestions I have for grade ...
Armstrong 10410/3/2008Christine
  Q: i'm just try to see when my flute was made. Thanks 8045254 Thanks for your help.
  A: This a very easy thing to do for Armstrong or any Conn-Selmer brand. Go to the Armstrong website and ...
should I buy that flute?10/3/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I got interested about a flute on sale on ebay and I am looking for your opinion: The flute in ...
  A: I honestly would not suggest that you purchase that flute if you're looking for an instrument to ...
Tonguing9/29/2008Christine
  Q: What are some exercises that I can do to become better at tonguing and articulation. ANSWER: Hi ...
  A: Fur Elise as in a transposition of the piano Fur Elise by Beethoven? While that may be fun to play ...
Trying to locate a vlaue or appraiser for Piccolo9/29/2008Christine
  Q: Just wondering if you know of any where in the USA that I can go to get a value or appraisal on my ...
  A: You will probably have a difficult time trying to appraise an instrument online. I suggest you go to ...
Yamaha flute9/28/2008Christine
  Q: I recently bought a Yamaha flute 211 from ebay. How can I tell if it is real or not?
  A: Buying things on eBay can always be tricky. Lucky for you, the Yamaha 211 is an actual model and ...
Haynes Flute and Piccalo9/27/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I have been given a 1931 Haynes flute and a 1934 Haynes piccalo. I would like to know where I can ...
  A: MariJane! If you're looking for an appraisal in order to establish insurance value, I would write ...
Db piccolo conversion?9/27/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: Could you convert a db piccolo to a c piccolo with a new c headjoint used on the db piccolo instead ...
  A: Unfortunately there is no way to make a D flat picc play in the key of C without some MAJOR surgery ...
Best Flute9/26/2008Christine
  Q: Of the major top flute brands, which one is the best for sound, longevity, quality, and overall ...
  A: I think you should know first that this question will usually receive a highly opinionated and ...
beautiful Sterling silver sfl-281S flute9/26/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I have been looking at flutes to upgrade a 211s. I wondered if you could tell me if the Sterling ...
  A: I absolutely agree with your gut feeling, and I would never recommend that anyone buy a Sterling ...
Haynes Flute and Piccalo9/25/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I have been given a 1931 Haynes flute and a 1934 Haynes piccalo. I would like to know where I can ...
  A: MariJane! In my opinion, the best option for cleaning up two such high quality instruments ...
Flute9/25/2008Christine
  Q: Hey there! I waz just hoping you could tell me some things about the flute as I am considering to ...
  A: Wow, what a great list of questions. I do, however have a quick one for you: Do you already play the ...
Tonguing9/24/2008Christine
  Q: What are some exercises that I can do to become better at tonguing and articulation.
  A: Here is an easy exercise for you to try: Without your flute, practice putting the tip of your ...
Technical Books for Flute9/24/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I am at an advanced beginner / intermediate level in flute. I am interested in what you think are ...
  A: It sounds like you've got a very good grasp of the various books that focus on technique. If you ...
Flute auditions9/22/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: My sister would like to become a professional flute player and so she is following her dream and ...
  A: What your sister's instructor is telling her is not, in my experience, true at all. College music ...
First time beginner Flute buyer9/22/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I've just started taking flute lessons. The flute I've rented is an Armstrong 102. I'd like to buy ...
  A: Congratulations on your new flute! I hope it brings you many years of happiness! I can't comment ...
Flute Amati Denak AFL 2149/22/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: My daughter (7 years old) will start this year studying flute. Which flute should choose? I can buy ...
  A: Armando! The flute I referenced in my last message was found at www.justflutes.com, which is the ...
A difficult piece of music9/22/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I'm a freshman flutist at my high school. I somehow got placed into our Wind Ensemble class, which ...
  A: These are some EXCELLENT questions, which surprisingly few people ask. You seem like an ...
Flute Amati Denak AFL 2149/21/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: My daughter (7 years old) will start this year studying flute. Which flute should choose? I can buy ...
  A: I would not suggest buying an Amati-Denak flute. The company does not produce particularly good ...
Gemeinhardt intermediate flutes9/21/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I just bought a Gemeinhardt flute. I've been playing for almost 6 years, on my mother's old ...
  A: Hey there, Morgan! Unfortunately, I can't tell you that you won't need to buy another flute in a ...
flute purchase9/21/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: My daughter is 13 years old and is starting her 4th year playing flute. She plays in the school ...
  A: For the budget you've got, there are some excellent instruments available. At this level you start ...
Yamaha flutes on ebay9/20/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I'm in the process of buying a student Yamaha flute for my daughter and came across some sellers on ...
  A: Unfortunately, there is no definite way to be sure that a flute on eBay is actually what the seller ...
Flute "Playability"9/19/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I have a flute as one was mentioned in a question to you - Artley, about 1975, 18-0, silver plated I ...
  A: Hey there, Bob! I think it's fantastic that your son is going to be getting your old flute, and ...
Flute polishing cloth9/17/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: My godchild started band today with a flute I gave her for Christmas. She has emailed me with a ...
  A: The reason the cloth turned black was that it was picking up tarnish from the surface of the flute. ...
Artley Flute9/16/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: We have an Artley Flute we purchased about 30 years ago. Now our granddaughter wants to learn to ...
  A: Butch! From a purely financial standpoint, it doesn't make much sense to have an Artley in that ...
Jean Baptiste9/14/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: What do you think of the flute brand Jean Baptiste? Thanks! Jay
  A: To be frank, I would never recommend that anyone buy a Jean-Baptiste flute, or any other like it. ...
Polishing My Flute...9/14/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I just got a brand new Gemeinhardt flute and I was wondering if I should use my polishing cloth ...
  A: If by "cleaning" you mean "swabbing" your flute, then yes, you should absolutely do that after every ...
new headjoint9/13/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I am on my way to trying out new headjoints for my Gemeinhardt 3OSHB. Your last answer spoke about ...
  A: Mary! How long have you been trialing the headjoint that plays flat through the second and third ...
flute end falls off9/13/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: Is there a way to make the connection tighter so the end joint doesn't slip off my daughter's ...
  A: Any competent flute tech can fit the tenon (the part that slips into the footjoint) to the correct ...
Getting different sounds from an Amplified Flute9/10/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: Is it possible to electronically get much different sounds on a flute? I know its done on electric ...
  A: Hey there, Salvatore! It's absolutely possible to get some very unique effects when playing an ...
flute9/10/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I wanna go to a good music college next year, and I wanna know what is the best suggestion for ...
  A: Without knowing exactly level you're at as a musician, I'm afraid I'm a bit limited when it comes to ...
flutes9/6/2008Herbert Smith
  Q: I play an Armstrong closed hole flute and am looking to upgrade to an open hole flute but,i do not ...
  A: Unfortunately, I would never recommend that anyone buy a Rossetti flute, or any other like it. ...

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