Product Reviews: myfife in C, Rosewood Finish

A couple of weeks ago I ordered both this model and the black fife made by myfife. Both are good instruments which blow well and have decent intonation. The impression I have is that they are very similar to play to the ubiquitous Yamaha model (which I have sadly mislaid!). The finish of the 'rosewood' model is lovely, and the tone is certainly different from that of the black model, and does, indeed, sound a little 'woodier'; it is a little broader in tone in the bottom end and perhaps a tad breathier in the upper octave.

Curiously, though, this means that the black model, to my ear, sounds better in the upper octave - it has a slightly more focussed, more piercing tone which is characteristic of the fife. In the lower octave, the 'rosewood' model certainly has a slight edge, though whether that edge is enough to justify the increase in price I will leave up to you!

So my 8-year-old niece said she wanted to play the flute, but according to the school she's too small, and therefore she was signed up for clarinet instead. This is not how I think things should be! I looked on the internet & found out quickly that an alternative for small children, until their hands grow big enough for the flute, is a fife. For the price of an average restaurant meal, I have bought fifes for my niece, her mother and myself (the latter two for fun and also encouragement of the former!) and they are thoroughly enjoyable things. Mine is this rosewood myfife one, and the other two are Yamaha ones. I find the lower register of the myfife fife easier to play than the lower register of the Yamaha ones, but vice versa for the upper register. Not much to choose between them on tone - but I prefer the rosewood 'looks'.

I heartily recommend one of these to any musical person wanting to try something different for a bit of fun, or to any parent wanting to try their child out on a 'real' (as opposed to toy), simple instrument that will not offend household ears, for next to no money. The only compromise with them seems to be that they can't be 'tuned' as such (although you can tweak tuning with your embouchure), so anyone playing along might have to work around it!

I'm a multi instrumentalist...mainly piano, keyboard, violin & guitar. Some wind instruments, like the flute, I've found intriguing but to become a casual flute player would prove expensive.
Someone suggested that the fife would be an ideal way to train someone in basic flute techniques for a fraction of the price.
After some careful internet research, I'm pleased to say I found justflutes.com & despite the Yamaha fife being the most popular, I chose the ever so slightly more expensive myfife plus The Fife Book books 1 & 2.
I'm very pleased that I chose both the supplier & the products. First of all, the ordering process was very straightforward. Then, my fife & books arrived, extremely well packaged, within a day of order.
The quality & rosewood appearance of the fife are excellent. As are the books, which although arguably aimed at younger folk are more than ideal for adult learners thanks to the clear instructions & exercises delivered by Liz Goodwin.
Having once tried a flute some years ago & failing to produce a note, I made my first breathy steps with some trepidation. However, much to my delight, I started to produce some fairly acceptable notes withing a few minutes.
OK, I'm no Wouter Kellerman yet & no doubt never will be. But my journey has started successfully & this is all thanks to Just Flutes
Whatever your musical needs, you are guaranteed great products, prices & pre/post sales service.
Thanks guys. My piano pupils are enjoying their new accompanist...sort of!

Good sound for the price. Pretty easy to get a sound and intonation seems fine. With the book seems a good beginner level instrument.