The flute is one of the oldest instruments in the world in its various forms, especially in oriental music. It is also one of the most widespread, liked for its simplicity in play and minimal maintenance.
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Despite its simplicity, the flute is a powerful and versatile instrument capable of being deployed in folk, jazz, gospel, and world music. You will also find good players improvising funky tunes in street performances.
The flute is an ideal instrument to learn as an adult because its relatively simpler than say, the saxophone or French horn.
Playing the flute comes with several advantages among them better moods, higher core strength, better breathing, and improved finger dexterity. Taking your flute play to higher levels can also open career opportunities as a performer. The good news is that it is easier to access good flute lessons than before.
You have the option of enlisting with your local school or college orchestra, or signing up for online lessons. There are several excellent teachers online offering flute lessons for beginners to advanced levels.
You have a choice of picking a world-class flute player to share what it takes to become a true pro in the flute. Here are some flute lessons you can try;
9 Best Flute Lessons for Intermediate Online Reviews
1) Flute Lessons with Jeffrey Khaner
Jeffrey Khaner is an accomplished flutist and performer of more than 20 years. He has been with the Philadelphia Orchestra as the principal flutist. He was also Principal Flutist of the World Orchestra for Peace event in 1995.
He also has taught at Lynn School of Music as well as Curtis Institute of Music. Jeffery has taught the flute online for more than 12 years. In this course, Jeffery teaches foundational to the intermediate flute in the classical style.
You will learn flute etudes and techniques, as well as learn to play orchestral excerpts and solo repertoires.
You will also go through orchestral etudes such as;
· Beethoven’s Leonore #3 Opening to 36, Leonore #3 Bar 328, Symphony #6 2nd Movement, Symphony #7 1st Movement
· Bizet’s Carmen Entr'acte
· Brahms’ Symphony #1 and #4 4th Movement
· Debussy’s Afternoon of a Faun: Line 1, Afternoon of a Faun: Rehearsal 2 to 3,
· Dvorak’s Symphony #8 1st Movement, Symphony #8 4th Movement
· Gluck’s Menuet and Dance of the Blessed Spirits
· Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis 2nd Movement and 3rd Movement
· Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night's Dream Scherzo, Symphony #4 4th Movement
· Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf Opening, Peter and the Wolf March
You can find these lessons on ArtistWorks;
2) Udemy - Master Flute Playing: Intermediate Instruction Made Simple with Lisa Garner Santa
Do you want to add more complex rhythms, scales as well as tone exercises to your repertoire? This course is designed for intermediate flute players who have a rudimentary familiarity with music notation and theory. The subjects covered include;
· Flute Vibrato
· Playing 16th Notes
· Major Scale Milestone
· Accidentals n the flute
· Syncopation
· Playing Dynamics
· Compound Meter
· Extended Technique for the flute
This course comes with learning resources for building your flute skills;
· 100 HD video lessons
· Downloadable sheet music
· Recommendations for buying the flute
· Fingering charts
· Flutter tonguing guide
· Exercises for warming up and technique building
· Scales exercises
· A guide to music theory
At the end of the course, you will competently play the natural full range of the flute, read complex rhythms and meters, and play for longer without fatigue. This course is taught by Lisa Garner Santa who is a career music teacher, chamber musician, and soloist.
She is the Professor of Flute at Texas Tech University. Garner has made appearances at the Carnegie Hall, Wind Ensemble and Mike Mowers Concerto for Flute. You can find these lessons on Udemy;
3) Udemy - Learn Flute FAST! With Ann Dunnington
Are you a self-taught flutist or have been away from the flute but want to start playing again albeit at a higher level? This course is ideal for fresh beginners as well as people with some rudimentary experience with the flute.
It will improve your skills in recognizing, reading and understand music such that you can competently play in different styles including your favorite tunes.
· Introduction to the flute – parts, assembly, and maintenance
· Playing the First Flute Notes – G, A, B and exercises
· Learning C
· Rests and Rhythms – Ties, dots, and dotted notes
· Scales and Dynamics – Bb and the F scale
· Eb and Sixteenth Note Rhythms- Eb and 16th note
· Ab, Dotted Rhythms- Ab, quarter and eighth notes
· Db, Triplets, and Compound Time- Db, Triplets, 3/8, 6/8. 9/8
Gb, Enharmonic, and Chromatic Scales-
· New Key Signatures; playing sharps
· Playing familiar songs – Trills, Vibrato, tounging
This course is taught by flute teacher and performer, Anna Dunnington. Find it on Udemy;
4) Udemy - Flute Masterclass: 7 Methods to Improve Your Technique
Do you think that your flute progress is a bit slow or stagnated? This course is designed to improve 7 areas which will have a direct impact on the way you play, and improve your technique with constant practice. You will learn how to improve your techniques by working on;
· Proper hand positions
· Correct finger touch
· Scales in 3rds, scale Taffanel and Gaubert No.4
· Improve your technique with Arpeggios
· Improve your technique The Glitch
· Etudes to practice
· Learning how to vary Tempo
You will learn what to do in each of these 7 areas during your practice sessions so that your technique can improve faster, and learn more complex rhythms and scales faster. You will also see an improvement in tone.
This course consists of 14 lectures lasting a total of approximately one and a half hours. You get downloadable sheet music with each lesson. The course is taught by Angela MacBrearty, who is a Professor of flute at Houghton College. You can find the course on Udemy;
5) Flute Lessons with Sir James Galway
Sir James Galway received his knighthood for his contribution to music. He is also known as ‘the man with the golden flute.’ Sir James’ long interaction with the flute has seen him perform with some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC.
This vast experience is what he offers in this flute course. It will appeal to you as an intermediate player for refreshing foundational concepts. There are 15 lessons in the course, covering all you need to become a competent flute player. You will learn;
1. Introduction to the Flute and Basic Flute Sound
2. Hand Position and Breathing Basics
3. Posture and Practice Advice
4. Scales and Articulation
5. Time Signatures and Finger Technique
6. Seated Posture and Scales Revision
7. Arpeggios, Improvisation, and Memorization
8. Advanced Scales and Articulation
9. Finger Technique and Tone
10. Low Notes and Expression
11. Music Theory and Interpretation
12. Rhythm and Tuning
13. Chromatic Scales and High Notes
14. Dynamics and Rhythmic Practice
15. Finishing up and Revision
You get a full year’s access to these video lessons when you subscribe. Find more at;
6) Trumpet Lessons with Rebecca Fuller
Rebecca Fuller has been a flute teacher and performer for 31 years and counting. She has also taught students who have performed excellently in flute events such as Concerto Night with the Symphony, and National Flute Competition.
Rebecca was nominated Music Educator of the Year award and has also featured on EHow as well as numerous radio programs, and podcasts. She teaches the flute online for beginners and more advanced players. Beginner lessons are free, while intermediate and more advanced players pay for the lessons.
The lessons are genre-based to make the learner adapt fast and begin playing familiar and popular tunes in a short time. You will find techniques for jazz, Irish, and hymns. You will also cover reading music, tone, and vibrato for
Paying for a Gold membership gets you to access learning materials 24/7 in your portal. The lessons are organized in modules that are sequential and easy to follow. You will access lessons for intermediate levels onwards with premium content.
Rebecca offers live group classes where you can also engage her in Q&A on problematic concepts. Members also join private support groups where they can interact and exchange ideas. Find these lessons on her website;
7) Learn the Flute with Flutecoach
The Flute Coach offers online lessons for intermediate flutists. It is the home of amazing lessons for students who feel inadequate and uncomfortable playing the flute. Its lessons should get you out of the confusion, uncertainty, and impatience that block you from being a good flutist.
Through it, you will learn to tune your flute until it produces its own unique voice. What is more, the platform’s lessons are available for students paying in either USD (US Dollar) or AUD (Australian Dollar). Therefore, feel free to apply despite your current geographical location.
Christie, the founder of The Flute Coach, developed a curriculum for this intermediate course. The curriculum keeps the lessons easier to follow and understand. As you follow it, your skills in the following should improve substantially:
a) How to interpret complex rhythms and time signatures
b) How to play high notes
c) Different ways of using vibrato
d) Mastering both the major and chromatic scales
e) Dynamic control
f) Increase your endurance to play the flute
g) How to play while expressing yourself fully
h) How to develop the right tone
8) Learn the Flute with Fluteland
As the name suggests, Fluteland specializes in online flute lessons. It is a one-stop learning center too. The lesson plans, fingering charts, and forums you can access through this platform will take your skills to the next level.
Various features and factors make the platform all the more special. One of this is the live teaching. For students, the fact that you receive real-time responses from a teacher makes the platform even more appealing while giving you answers to any complex topic.
Fluteland offers the lessons in two packages. These are:
a) Student Membership
b) Professional Membership
The fee for Student Membership is $39.95 per year. On the other hand, intermediate flutists who prefer the Professional Membership package should be ready to pay an annual fee of $9.95. Full membership will give you access to all:
a) Lesson plans
b) Video lessons
c) Articles
d) Resources
Apart from all those, free flute lessons are also available. Interestingly, you can learn more from the platform’s forum too. The forums provide a platform for conducting numerous discussions by flutists of various skill-levels.
9) Learn the Flute with Jolene Harju
Self-awareness is a key component of learning to play the flute at the intermediate level. Jolene Harju offers online classes that teach you this. Through her, you should learn how to overcome any struggle you might have with limitations and discomfort.
Secondly, individuality is a critical component of any artistic endeavor. Again, Jolene provides a platform through which you can develop your individuality as an intermediate flutist. She also gives you access to tons of materials that make learning more enjoyable. These include:
a) Books
b) Exercises
c) Videos
d) Audio recordings
e) Podcasts
Jolene Harju has developed a curriculum to guide students. It ensures the customization of the lessons based on the needs of each student. The curriculum is quite in depth in the quality of instructions contained therein. Examples of lessons you glean from the curriculum include:
- The importance of developing a flexible tone as the basis for playing flute
- How to polish your ability to memorize scales and patterns
- Clean and resonant articulation
- How to fill your vibrato, interpretation, phrasing, and musicality with more sophistication
- Improving rhythm as you grasp basic music theory
Choosing the Best Flute Lessons for Intermediate Online
It is possible to learn the flute and advance your skills with the right mindset, teacher and learning material. Fortunately, you have all the three at your disposal if you are determined to learn up to whatever level you want, even a professional performer. You can take these lessons taught by world-class tutors, from anywhere in the world.
The learning is self-paced, meaning less pressure and fewer disruptions to your office or family hours. The flute is a good entry instrument to open the door to learning other wind instruments such as the trumpet or the saxophone. This fun instrument is portable enough to carry, and whip out when the occasion demands a popular tune.