Inexpensive yet good quality?

[grom]

I have looked on Ebay and they sell a variety of Dizi for only 15 dollars. Will these produce good quality tones? Or should I look into buying a more expensive Dizi? I don't know if pricing directly effects quality. This is my first time buying so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Blue]

Pricing affects the probability of getting a good quality flute especially in terms of sound. The reason I say probability is because if you go to a Chinese music store in Asia selling dizis for a very cheap price, maybe most of them are not great, but if you took the time to try the entire pile, you might be able to find a gem.

If this is the first time ever for you to purchase a flute and you never played a flute before, I would purchase something definitely less than US$50, to minimize the risk that you might give up trying to learn the flute.

[Flolei]

I totally agree with Allen's first paragraph, but I don't totally agree with the second one. I think that a beginner needs a quite good flute to beginn in order to : 1) keep his motivation (difficult to be motivated if the sounds you get from the flute is not lovely), 2) to play easier (it's easier to play a well-tuned and naturally loud flute). In fact, I would only correct the price: around 50 USD for a first flute.

[davidmdahl]

It is hard enough to learn to play any musical instrument well. Starting on a marginally adequate instrument makes it that much harder to be successful, which to me means sticking with it over the long term. I think it is a false economy to go cheap merely to avoid wasting money on an instrument that winds up unplayed. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy, when the dizi is abandoned because it is not fun to play.

There are different reasons for getting an instrument. Sometimes it is fun to just play around on something, and for that we don't necessarily need a high quality instrument. There is something to be said for just diving in and getting the dizi that is most affordable. If you wind up liking the dizi, you can get something better in time. Of course, then you will be out the cost of both instruments. <g> However, if you catch the bug, you will wind up with a pile of flutes over time. Sometimes it is handy to have a cheap one that you can take on a trip without worrying about damage or cracking.

Frankly, I have spent a lot more on lessons than on instruments. I have quite a few instruments, and play most of them. If you are serious about music, the time you spend on practicing and the cost of lessons is a much bigger investment than the cost of the instruments you buy.

Best wishes,

David

[Blue]

All I'm saying is that I've seen one person who never played a flute before and bought a USD150 dizi, which ended up being waste because the person was too busy with other stuff in life to learn how to play. Additionally, I've seen a music teacher buying a lot of USD 20-30 dizis because the teacher knows that many students could possibly drop out. Anything between USD30-50 would probably be good for an initial investment in learning how to play the dizi.

[davidmdahl]

Jan 30, 2014 23:45:10 GMT Blue said:

All I'm saying is that I've seen one person who never played a flute before and bought a USD150 dizi, which ended up being waste because the person was too busy with other stuff in life to learn how to play. Additionally, I've seen a music teacher buying a lot of USD 20-30 dizis because the teacher knows that many students could possibly drop out. Anything between USD30-50 would probably be good for an initial investment in learning how to play the dizi.

That's reasonable. I have a few bamboo flutes that I bought off the street in Hanoi and Saigon in 2001 for $1 each. They don't play great above the first two octaves, but I enjoy them anyway. I did try several before making my choice, and most were not very good, so my good fortune was not exactly random. A teacher who can select some inexpensive flutes from a pile can often come up with some good ones. If the teacher orders a batch of flutes and can send back the duds, the vendor will learn it is a waste of time and money to ship poor quality flutes. The novice who orders an inexpensive flute from overseas via Ebay might not get the same quality. There is going to be a lot of temptation for an overseas vendor to dump slow selling flutes to foreign buyers who are unlikely to pay the postage to return an unsuitable flute. A novice flutist may not even be able to tell at first that the problem is in the flute.

You don't always get what you pay for, and sometimes you can get lucky and get better than you paid. When I can't choose from a bunch of flutes, I am dependent on the vendor sending something good. There is a better chance of getting something good if you buy a reasonably good model from a reputable vendor. I think it is helpful to establish a relationship with a vendor, by asking questions and returning for more business.

It is a waste when a good instrument goes unused, but worse when a beginning musician quits because of a frustrating instrument.

Best wishes,

David

[grom]

Thanks everyone. You have been very helpful. I will look into buying one around 50-100 USD to start. What is a good website to buy from so that I can somewhat trust that I will receive a fair quality instrument?

[Blue]

Where are you based? If you live near certain cities in the US, it might be better for you to try the dizi directly in person.

Otherwise,
www.carrotmusic.com/
www.easonmusicstore.com/
www.shoppingchinanow.com/
www.redmusicshop.com/
www.orientalmusic.org/products.html