Las Muchas Flautas

Flute Testing 101

The National Flute Association’s Annual Flute Convention is an all-ages event, so this young player was certainly not without his peers!

This sound file offers a candid ‘insider’s glimpse’ of the unbelievable sound and energy of the Exhibitor’s Hall where I successfully tried out headjoints on the last day. Admittedly, the sound of 40-50 players at any given time trying out a vast assortment of flutes non-stop throughout the 4 days of the event was at times a little overwhelming (mind you, this was only one of approximately 25 spaces in use throughout each day), however with a little patience, focus and experience, the art of testing flutes can be explored even under these conditions!

I was actually more tempted to play my flute and perhaps record in the darkened, cavernous and empty ‘twin’ exhibition hall just across the foyer that no one else seemed to have discovered; however it ended up serving simply as a quiet place to wander into a couple of times, a sanctuary of sorts, my own personal place to retreat to amidst all the hustle and bustle of the convention.

My chance to record in a quasi-empty hall would come unexpectedly in the final moments of Viva la Flute, as vendors were packing up in the same space pictured here!