Side by Side Comparison of: Yamaha vs Amazon vs American Plating vs Clarke

Nice value. Getting it to sound may take a more experienced flute player. Fingerings are somewhat similar to a regular concert flute. Flats and sharps are rather airy and some hard to do. More consistently in tune than homemade six-hole flute. Overall excellent for this price. Excellent sound for C Major scale stuff. Excellent gift for my flute lover.

This is a really nice instrument!Although it doesn't seem to be a traditional fife, it is still a lot of fun to play!This "fife" is very similar to a piccolo, and as a flute and piccolo player I find it a very cheap piccolo-like instrument.There are "wings" on the headjoint, which is a feature usually found on some professional flutes.

I can't say enough good about this little instrument. It's excellent quality, attractive to see and handle. I am a flute player, wanted a flute I could take camping and in my backpack. It gives me 2+ octaves. I couldn't be more pleased! It takes time to get the most out of it, but it's time well spent. Tone can be piercing to soft and full of chiff if you have the skill. It's very inexpensive, but an excellent choice.

Plays the same scale as the Yamaha soprano recorder but doesn't squeal as much.The lip plate and tone hole is very similar to a "real metal flute". I practiced my embouchure on this instrument for a few months before I could get a clear sound. When I later played a "real metal flute", it only took me a few minutes to adjust to the metal flute.When all the holes are closed, it plays the root note C. This differs from a chinese dizi flute where the root note is sounded when 3 holes nearest the tone hole are covered.I enjoy playing this flute/fife.

For this price ($5) you can not go wrong. I bought it just to fool around with and it is a very simple pleasant instrument to learn. It produces a nice tone and is easy to pick up and play. It is a fife, not a flute. It does have its own fingering, so use the included chart and you will get much enjoyment out of this.I can see this being a good beginner instrument to teach kids armature and basics on.For $5, try it. If you like it, it will be worth much more than that to you. If you don't, you have not lost more than the cost of a burger.

After having difficulty finding an affordable wooden fife in the key of C, I finally went with the plastic Yamaha YRF-21 model (even though it's not the six-hole variety) after watching a Wouter Kellerman video on YouTube. I had just wanted some sort of confirmation from someone that it would get close enough to the sound I needed, and the recording I watched was absolutely wonderful! Even though this is one of the least expensive musical items Yamaha makes, it still is a quality product, and I have been very pleased with it since it arrived. It is definitely capable of reaching those piercing high notes and is a good choice for anyone not ready/willing to shell out for reenactment-serious models or who (as I am) is borrowing her current piccolo for said patriotic program. The upside of having an 8-hole fife is that the fingerings are nearly identical to standard flute fingerings, so learning the fingering chart is super-easy if you already play the flute.

Exactly what I needed

Just the book I need to teach my daughter the fife along with learn it myself too.

I am a complete novice playing musical instruments and this book is easy to understand. The music is for a different flute in a different key than the one I got but it was easy to make an adjustment to get it to work. I closed off the first and last holes and viola it works!

I can read music and I can play brass and reeded instruments. Wanting to get into a bit of 'simple' instrument playing, I picked this and a fife out of Amazon's vast catalog of stuff. The book was easy to understand, though I suspect the song list won't generate much enthusiasm in the younger generation. I'd like to comment on the enjoyment actually playing the songs brought me, but alas, I'm apparently inept when it comes to this kind of instrument.Rather than approach the songs in a tabulature type format consisting of diagrams of open and closed holes, it introduces the scale, provides fingerings and gives you a breakdown of musical notation. With a bit of effort you can learn to read music in general from this, rather than learning only how to play the fife.

I purchased a fife a while ago and needed to learn to play it. This book really shows you how. It shows proper blowing techniques and fine fingering. It goes from simple to more complex tunes as you learn each fingering. I now play my fife with ease. Great for penny whistles and other 6 hole instruments too.

This is a good book for the beginner through intermediate. It teaches fingerings and blowing technique as well as the music aspect of reading notes and rythms. It is written for a Bb fife; my son has a G fife, but since he is playing alone, it doesn't matter. Some of the early tunes in the book include playing sharps, which might be a little difficult for the beginner, but it also might produce a better player learning that so early. The tunes carry you through whole notes to sixteenth note; 4/4 time through 9/8. Looks to be an overall very good book to learn with.

My wife loves this little fife (transverse flute?.) She played flute (and piccolo, and alto flute) for over 10 years, but hadn't played much in almost another 10 and wanted to get something to play here and there. This plays mostly like a flute/piccolo, though the flats and such that require covering a keyhole half-way are still a bit tricky. Unlike some of the other reviews on here, she hasn't had any trouble with embouchure or with getting a clean sound on the rest of the notes. It does include a useful chart for fingerings (they're slightly different than flute), but a few simple tunes to accompany it would be helpful. All in all, a good buy at a great price.

The price was great, and I really enjoy playing this. My seven year old son enjoys it to, and is able to grasp how to play it better than the flute. (That might be because my flute is cheap and old, so it probably is harder than a decent flute. It's too bad there were no Amazon reviews in those days.) I also am enjoying it more than the flute. The fingering is similar and in some ways different than both the flute and recorder, but it is not so hard to adapt. It comes with a clear and easy to use fingering chart and a canvas like pouch. It produces a pleasant sound and by blowing a different way, you can play a second octave. I agree with those reviews that say that it is hard to half cover the last hole and produce a flat d or sharp c, so I have just been playing songs that don't have that note. All in all, I'm satisfied and definitely recommend this to someone who wants to learn flute, without investing a lot of money as the first step.

This is a great instrument to learn on. I personally don't care for the tonal qualities of this fife. it is tuned the same as a piccolo. I like the extra C note. Fifes/flutes in D are very popular and this is similar because if you most of the notes sound the same as a D fife except the F is F# on a D fife (but an octave higher). fifes named based on what note sounds with all the fingers down and they play the standard Do Re Mi scale from bottom to top and they don't generally have a pinky key hole. this instrument is tuned like a recorder instead with a pinky note and a thumb hole. getting a sound out of this may be easier for a beginner than a wooden fife.

The only problem I have with this instrument is that I don't know how to play it. It is made with the same quality and materials as the Yamaha recorder. Anything less than this would not be adequate for a student and anything costing more would be out of the range of someone like me, a sheer neophyte who may just lose interest after a while anyway.

Quite pleased. Tone is similar to any other decent quality plastic/resin recorder. Easy enough to make a sound, but you'll need chops for the high tones. Most of the fingerings work fine. The half-holing is not so easy, but I'm not in practice for half-holing. Fair match to standard flute fingerings. Some would be more like flute fingerings with 'shading' (something advanced players would know). And without the left hand pinky key of an actual flute, you need an alternate fingering set. But super easy to acclimate to. And fun!

got it for 5 yr old, she wanted a "real" flute for her birthday (not a recorder, one that you hold to the side) she's never played it, it was too hard to get a sound out. I did though, it's very well made, good flute for a great price

There is no "fun" with fife. This should be a mandated outside instrument for my daughter. What have I done...

Has some good stuff. Obviously written for someone who know a little about music though. That person is not me. I learned a lot though.

ok

Just what it says! Music for a fife. It is beginner music for a fife player.

My 12 yr old grandson is enjoying this book as he is learning too play his fife, he said it is easy to follow.

Quaint book of quaint songs. Yes, it takes work to play the fife and although a fife is only $8-14, it is a real musical instrument that takes practice. This book gives good fundamentals and has a nice repertoire of historical tunes from early America days.

Works fine, no complaints, but comes without a cleaning stick. Seems a basic oversight.

Not what I thought

This is a, flute. My 3 year old has a hard time making it work. I tried it and it's difficult to get your lips exactly right to make it whistle. Is nicely made.

Bought this for my 10 y.o. niece. Doesn't come with any instructions, so you have to be able to figure it out on your own.

Compared to my Flute and piccallo it seems the fife is harder to get to stay on the right note when I blow ionto it. It's how should I stay easily strayed from correct tone.But I think with practise there is great opportunity.It certanly looks more durable than my flute and piccallo and looks just the thing to take on a walk or try my hand at busking.Summing up . It seems hard but i'll persevere.Thanks big . Yamaha

I am not a Flute Player, or any other Wind Instrument Player for that matter, but did have a Recorder when young and found it relaxing just to play whatever came out of my imagination for a while from time to time. I bought this Fife with the same intent. However, thanks to my ignorance as regards wind instruments, I did not realize how much more difficult it would be to get any kind of reasonable and pleasant sound out of a Fife than a Recorder.Thus, if you do not have a great set of lungs and already have some training on a Flute or other Wind Instrument, or have an actual teacher present to teach you how to play this thing and have a real interest in playing it, I would not recomend a Fife. It is similar to a Flute in how it must be held to play it correctly and its sound is very much like a thin whistle.The Yamaha YRF-21 "C" Fife is a good quality instrument overall made of synthetic resin material, but once again this is not an instrument for the casual person just looking to get some effortless relaxing smooth sounds out of a wind instrument. GET A RECORDER INSTEAD!

An introductory book on Fife instructions. It is reasonably good for the beginners. I couldn't find other books though..

Okay.

I purchased this book along with a fife (just like the one on pictured on covered). It is very easy to read/use just as other Mel Bay books I have used in the past. However, the notes to the fingering charts in the book do not correspond with the notes/fingering chart that were included with the fife. For example, the lowest note-in the book is taught is a D, in the instructions that accompanied the fife is a C. Same fingering, and the note is actually a C, in accordance with the instructions that came with the fife. So, maybe this book is for a fife in another key, and not mentioned in the description? Just a warning for beginners-this may confuse!

Can't play it.

Very limited sound.

I had to go to Wiki How to learn how to make a proper embouchure. They have helpful tips, also. So now, since March 2nd, I can get some sounds resembling musical notes out of it. I have played a few scales, and slide adjusted the tuning. It actually works better with the bottom of a Yamaha baroque recorder used instead of the supplied body. Yamaha, I salute you for making both Baroque fingered and German fingered recorders, but *eight* holes on a fife (and the thumb hole being oddly placed) makes it difficult to play. Maybe supplying hole plugs for the extra two holes would make it easier for us "beginners". (Beginner!? Ha!) I am a successful piano player as well as recorder, harmonica, shofar and trumpet player. I dabble in the drums. Always wanted to play the transverse flute. Be careful what you wish for!

Try as I can,so far,I can not get a damn single note out of it,and I am a clarinet player.I admit flutes work bit different in blow hole than a sax or clarinet and I also have a new flute I do not know yet how to play,,,,but.....I can get notes out of a metal flute and plastic recorder,but...not this fife.Is it me or fife or both?Do not know.Asumming it is me,I gave it 2 stars,instead of 1 star.

This is not actually a fife. My best guess is that it is a fife / sopranino recorder hybrid. It's not terrible for what it is, and it was inexpensive enough that I didn't want to bother to send it back, but it is not a fife.

Don't buy this if you want your kids to learn how to play flute later. Hard to produce sound. A real flute with curved head joint is better than this for kids. I know it's cheap, but it is not helpful at all if your kids will eventually start flute study.Amazon's return policy is great! Thank you very much.

do not think you will become much more than just a reference,,, does not provide much for a beginner, not recommended

This is my first woodwind instrument and i got a note once out of 15 tries consistently so I'm concerned that this instrument is defective.

didnt even worked,there was no sound from this!

Doesn't come with instructions on how to play it. Waste of money!

Completely defective.

I bought this for my granddaughter and I can't even get a clear not out of it. No way is a child going to be able to feel any sense of accomplishment with this. Cheap, does not deserve the reviews that it has gotten.

Not working , my son was very disappointed as he was waiting for the flute to come by mail but after trying the flute he could not even make any sound using it.

I got this book for my beginning flute student (who was starting with fife) and I couldn't use it because it is for fife in D. All of the keys and fingerings are for fife in D. It's useless if your fife is in C. My fifes have been in C or B-flat. If the book had been in C, you could use it for any instrument and just understand that it will sound in whatever key. My student also did not like one of the pictures inside the book, she was seriously creeped out by it to the point that I had to remove the page from the book.