Modern Flute to Baroque Flute - My Personal Journey

Have you ever wondered what it would be like for a modern flute player to learn an early flute? Me too, which is why I will be learning how to do so.

in August of 2024, I attended the National Flute Association Annual Convention in San Antonio TX, where I began to try out baroque flutes. I had no expectations at all, and signed up for a "beginning on the baroque flute" class. When I walked into the class, I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that we would be playing baroque flutes ourselves, not just listening to a lecture. Here, I learned my first scale and played a short piece with the class. I noticed how different the embouchure was, and how the alignment of the holes was much farther than on the modern flute. As someone with small hands, it took a while to be able to reach every hole, but I soon got accustomed. Throughout the event, I stopped by many of the historical flute booths, as I had always been curious about what it would be like to play an early flute, and I wanted to see the way flutes changed throughout the years in person.

While visiting a particular booth, I introduced myself and began to talk to not only the maker of the flutes but someone who taught Baroque flute in Canada. After some talking, she offered for me to borrow a baroque flute for a year as long as I took lessons for it, and she even added that she would be willing to teach me herself. I was absolutely delighted and while I was nervous, I knew that I would never get an opportunity like this again. So, here is the start of my journey as a classical flutist learning the Baroque flute!