Yamaha YRF-21Y Plastic Fife, Key of C

I've been looking for a flute that wasn't going to break the bank, but would still be enough to learn off of. I tried Ebay, but the cost to repad one of those is more then this little thing. It's tone is really good for a novice like me. It's not designed like a Fife, it's designed to be played like a flute, just without the trill keys. There's only 3 notes in 2 1/2 scales that require a partial covering, and those are C#, D# , and D# an octive higher, so you can play everything, and most everything with out the finess of a half cover. Half covers seem to take a knack I've not figured out yet. I've had no problem getting two octives of notes out of this instrument, and I've already reccommended it to a lot of friends. I've learned to play a lot of instruments, so I've learned you buy cheap to start, then spend some decent money on something nice, after you know you're into it. For a flute beginner, with a frugal bank, this is that cheap quality instrument you want. I expect you'll out grow it in a few months, but you'd outgrow that student model flute in a year anyways, so in the end you've just saved yourself about $150 bucks. A prefessional teacher might not let you use one of these, but if you're teaching yourself, this is the way to go. If nothing else, it's a nice portable model. The plastic feels strong, it's well built, and feels like a little love went into making the molds. THIS IS NOT A RECORDER! it's not quite a flute, not quite a fife, but a beautiful hybrid There are a few downsides. It takes a bit of practice to ensure you're properly covering the air holes. Partial covers are akward at best, and I'm unsure of how to do them properly. It doesn't come with a cleaning rod (I had one anyways). If you've never played any sort of flute, fife, piccalo, or unreeded woodwind, you'll need some help learning that. The instrument comes with a fingering chart, but not an instruction booklet. The booklet the reccommend with this instrument is ment for a fife, which has different fingerings, I'd reccommend either getting a first year flute book, or just looking up how to play a note on a flute via the web. Maybe someone will make a booklet for this amazing little instrument, but it's not out there yet, so a bit of insight as to how you convert this to something else might be needed. Not the instruments fault of course, nor the shippers. I'm already planning on ordering about 6 more for friends and family at xmas time. =========================================================================================== 06/14/2013 edit So I was just playing this thing, getting a little ambitious, and I managed to hit a third octave of notes. I'm reeling in pain from the super high frequency, and yet awed by it as well. This little instrument is so brilliantly designed for such a low low price. Like many others, I wish they'd make one an octave lower, maybe even two octaves lower if that's possible, because it's so wonderful. And since so cheap, I've now got 4 of them, all the same high quality. I keep one by the computer, one in my car, one in my guitar case, and one in my post-apocalyptic bug-out-bag. These people who are saying they can't get a tone out of theirs simply do not know how to play a standard flute opening. If this has any flaw, it's that it's not meant for left handed players. Still agree it shouldn't be called a fife, but if you read all of these reviews, you'll know it's a flute, so read them. ================================================================================================ 11/04/2013 edit Many review this instrument poorly because of the fact it doesn't truly qualify as any other instrument that it emulates. If this instrument has one niche to stand on it's own merit for, it is the instrument flute players wouldn't mind taking camping even if they had a gear loss risk. I'm dubbing it the "Traveler's Flute"

People who say this isn't a fife are right. It's a piccolo! I play the flute and also have a standard piccolo, and this is the same, but without keys. This instrument is very well designed and beautifully crafted, or factory made at any rate. It has a winged lipped plate, which means there is a wing shaped riser on top of the lip plate, which is nicely molded in one piece to the headjoint. The wing design is a feature you would find only on a custom flute headjoint costing well over $1000. On flute, the wing design is supposed to help players who produce an excessive amount of extra air noise in their tone. Personally, on flute, I don't like the wing for the type of tone I produce, but it looks nice, and it probably helps some people. Just the overall shape and form of this instrument is beautiful too. It is in C, and like the piccolo, sounds an octave above the flute. Unlike the three octave range of a piccolo, this instrument has only a two octave range with an extra third, so C2 to C3, C3 to C4, and C4 to E4. I haven't played it long enough, but it can probably be pushed higher. I hit a G4 on it already. I recommend using ear plugs, or at least cotton in the ears to protect your hearing if you're going up above G in the second octave anyway. This does not produce a rich sound like the flute, but is very much like the piccolo, an instrument which when played enough, can damage your hearing. Professional piccolo players have sometimes lost part of their hearing, and they know to practice with their ears protected. As a flute teacher posted here, this is the ideal starting instrument for a child of any age who wants to play the flute. Or maybe,an adult, who regrets not trying to learn the flute, should try this first. Why start on a $500+ beginner flute, when for less than $7, if you can learn to blow this after trying for a month or two, and can't put it down, then fine, step up to a flute. If you can't play it, then you've saved yourself hundreds of dollars. Before I started on flute, I bought an inexpensive pipe at a music store and probably drove my parents crazy playing it. There is a lot more linkage between this "fife" and a flute than there is a recorder and flute. Unless you play the flute or piccolo, start slowly on this, otherwise it will make you dizzy. Of course, being a flute/piccolo player, I was able to play this right away, but it is by no means easy to play. I think the flute is probably easier for a brand new beginner. Although for a child of 7, the finger stretch on this is better than flute. My one regret isn't about this instrument specifically, but I wish Yamaha would make something just like this but as big as they can make it, at least to Eb, pushing the finger stretch to that of a tenor recorder or so (which would need a key or two), because this thing would sound beautiful if it were longer. My other suggestion is to experiment with rotating the headjoint as much as you like, and see if that helps your tone, or helps you to produce a tone. Try to produce a tone with minimal tension in your lips. Some people mistakenly think that to produce a sound on the flute or piccolo you have to tighten up your mouth and raise the corners up, when in reality most top players have relatively relaxed lips, with corners of the mouth down a little bit. This is a great little instrument and easily worth $30+. Since the people on YouTube who demo this can't play it at all really, I hope to make some videos which show more of its potential.

This Yamaha "Fife" isn't really a fife, recorder or flute, but it is a musical instrument. PROS: 1. It's made of durable plastic with enough weight to make it manageable to play. 2. The tone quality is adequate for casual performance. But, it's not a recorder tone or fife tone. 3. Its two piece configuration allows for tuning. 4. The ivory color of the fife is pleasant and attractive (opinion). 5. The embouchure plate has protrusions to guide for proper position if needed. 6. The sound volume is adequate. 7. The fife has at least a two octave range (with practice). CONS: 1. The fife is difficult to play unless intense embouchure practice is maintained. 2. The unadjusted head joint for tuning will produce pitches that are too high from the standard A=440 hz. For example: Low C= 522 hz. Octave C= 1105 hz. (I have not spent enough practice time to test the second octave.) 3. I could not play a second octave F# in tune. I don't believe that F# can be played in tune relative to the other pitches. [I figured out that the half-hole fingering will play the F# in tune, but you will need to practice to find it. It's a tricky fingering.] 4. The sound/pitch holes are fixed and not adjustable, which makes finger technique restrictions. 5. The sound/pitch holes are difficult to detect as they have no contour guides- simple cut circles. 6. The embouchure must be developed in order to play the upper registers/octaves, therefore, I would not recommend elementary school students starting on this fife. Students with experience on flute could be introduced to the smaller embouchure before actually investing on a piccolo (opinion). 7. The fingering system is different from traditional flute, recorder, tin whistle and piccolo. FINAL THOUGHTS: 1. I bought this Yamaha Fife at a discounted price, so it didn't hurt my budget for low priced musical instruments. Discovery is important. 2. The beginner would need to invest intense practice time in order to perform adequately on this fife. 3. This fife can be tuned to A=440 hz.[not the actual A440hz. pitch, but the standard A440 hz. tuning system], but the intonation is not immaculate, it's fair. 4. If the idea for learning to play this fife is for transitioning to other flute types, it's redeeming qualities include breath control, embouchure development and finger discipline. WHO IS THIS FIFE FOR? 1. Woodwindists looking for curios little "fifes". 2. Music teachers demonstrating the development of woodwind technology throughout history. 3. Folks wanting a piccolo, but prefer to save money before actually diving into the world of piccolo. Later... Rod

I play a Gemeinhardt Boehm flute and was looking for something cheaper, less fragile, and requiring less maintenance to bring on hiking trips, vacations, etc. The Yamaha "Fife" was exactly what I was looking for. I would describe it as more of a piccolo than a fife, and I have found the sound to be more pleasing and flute-like than any of the recorders or penny whistles that I own. The fingering is the same as a keyed Boehm flute, and so is very logical and intuitive if you have any experience with the flute. The hole spacing is a bit tight, and if you have larger hands it may be an issue, especially with the odd placement of the pinky hole. But I found that after playing for a few days my average-sized hands adjusted without too much effort. If you have never played a transverse flute-type instrument, and are used to playing recorder or penny whistle, it may take some time to develope the proper embouchure and get a sound out of this intsrument. But with some practice and diligence you will get surprising results from such an inexpensive purchase. And since this is so inexpensive, my advice would be, that if you are curious give it a try. You may find yourself really enjoying it.

As several other people have stated in reviews, this is not a fife in the classical sense. It's really an inexpensive plastic piccolo (which is Italian for 'small flute.') However, if you want to play it like a fife using fife fingering, you can simply tape the top two holes and it becomes a C diatonic fife with a slightly offset bottom hole. Overall I'm extremely happy with the sound of this flute and would recommend it to anyone who wants an inexpensive, extremely portable, novel woodwind. Broken down it fits somewhat awkwardly into a back pocket or very easily into any bag, and for the price you don't have to worry about breakage or theft if you bring it around with you.

Fun to play

When my kids started playing the recorder at school I had an itch to join them. This Yamaha fife was perfect. It was very easy to get sound and could play the high register notes (half-covered thumb hole) reliably. Yamaha makes good wind instruments. -- Craig J.

I was interested in this "Fife" and at the price I could not resist. Here are the quick pros and cons: Pros: Beautiful, "pure" sound. Not too breathy. Good esp for the price. Great for transitioning from a recorder/pennywhistle to a transverse woodwind instrument (eg flute, fife, irish flute, piccolo, etc) The plastic feels sturdy Tight two-head construction allows for it to be somewhat tuneable Cons: This is not a true Fife. It is actually a transverse recorder. A "true" fife is a Bb "simple" system flute with only 6 holes and no thumb hole. A bit like a small irish flute. However, it is not a typical transverse recorder either due to unusual fingering. In fact, if it was a true transverse recorder, I would have given this 5/5. The main cons really have to do with the rather awful choice of where to put the holes. In adult hands, the fingering is rather tight and can cause cramping due to the thumb hole being in an unusual spot. The fingering to reach notes is very different from the recorder and different enough from a real fife to make this essentially an entirely different instrument to learn. As I can't think of any other instrument with this fingering (particularly for the 2nd octave/register), I guess I would not recommend this as a first woodwind instrument (unless you plan to only play the Yamaha "Fife" Overall: Well, at the price, it is really hard to fault it too much. The sound more than makes up for the uncomfortable playing experience and as such I am happy with it and I would buy it again. However, Unless you like collecting instruments, which are a little unusual (as I do), you might want to give this a miss. However, at this price, you might also want to give it a go anyway! Suggested Alternatives: For a first woodwind instrument, either a soprano recorder (in C) or a tin whistle (in D). The recorder is by far the most commonly used in schools and probably the most useful to teach basic principles of music making and particularly woodwind music making. Most student recorders are very good. Yamaha make cheap ones that sound nice and so does Shepherd (but harder to find in some places). I recommend avoiding the wooden ones for beginners as they are more expensive and most new players will damage their recorder some way! The tin whistle is by far the cheapest with good fingering and good teaching tool for many music principles. It also has a wonderful sound. I would recommend either a Clarke Sweetone or a Walton Little Black; both have very nice sound and are very forgiving on the learner. I think the Sweetone has a superior sound than the Walton, but that's just my opinion. The Generaton range are readily available but sound is not as nice and can have problems with poor tuning. Clarke make a very cheap whistle called the "Meg" but the quality is a bit variable (I have two: one is only just OK and the other is excellent). For a first transverse instrument, most recorder or tin whistle players don't need a "transitioning" instrument unless they are quite young. If a flute is too big or too expensive, one could try a dixon irish flute (keyless), which can be found for about half the price of the cheapest silver flutes. Alternatively one could start with a proper fife, but some people would argue that these are a little harder to play than a regular flute.

good product, delayed deliovery.

La flauta es buena para que los niños se acostumbren a la embocadura y posición de las manos y brazos. Es corta, en manos de adulto es apretada para los dedos. La calidad del plástico es excelente.

Suonando il lauto traverso, l'ho preso come strumento "da campo", da portare dietro in situazioni in cui non avrei tempo di provvedere alla mautenzione del suo collega in argento o in cui semplicemente non mi sento di portar dietro uno strumento che, pur non essendo in oro, è pur sempre relativamente costoso. Il fattore decisivo è stato il prezzo. Per imparare a sunare il flauto traverso è comunque necessario un "vero" flauto traverso (anche primo prezzo), ma questo può essere utile per insegnare le basi o per testare l'effettivo interesse di un bambino che abbia espresso propensione per questo strumento. In sostanza: funziona bene, e per 8€ è già abbastanza.

I should state from the outset that am not a trained musician. I can hold a tune when singing and I have a reasonable appreciation of pitch. I was introduced to this instrument via a recording of an artist called Wouter Kellerman. I did a bit of research and noted that many people consider the fife to be a challenging instrument. Unlike a tin (penny) whistle or recorder the process of creating a note isn't straightforward, it's more akin to blowing across the top of a bottle. Thankfully the little ridge gives a good indication of where one's bottom lip should rest. On the first day I was glad I got a tin whistle to fall back on because getting anything other than an airy hiss out of the fife seemed impossible. However, after 30 minutes I was intermittently getting a warm, bright tone. The instrument sounds *wonderful* but it does take work. If the past three days are anything to go by I hope to progress quite quickly because frankly, I cannot put this thing down. I've noted a number of people (on Amazon US) stating that this is not a fife, it's a transverse recorder and giving it a a poor review as a result. I'm so glad I ignored those opinions; I don't care what this instrument is called, all I know is how satisfying it is to play and how lovely it sounds. My only criticism is that the instruction sheet, whilst it does demonstrate the scale, does not indicate how one needs to blow. However, a little bit of research demonstrates the technique required. Hey, for a little over £6 the latter is totally forgiveable.

Uns wurde diese Kunststoff-Querflöte von der zukünftigen Flötenlehrerin meiner 6-jährigen Tochter empfohlen, da sie es nicht mehr erwarten konnte, endlich Querflöte zu spielen! Anfangs war es für sie sehr schwer diesem Plastikding einen Ton zu entlocken - doch mit etwas Übung und Ehrgeiz gelingt ihr das jetzt schon recht gut und sie konnte die Zeit bis jetzt bald ihre Musikstunden losgehen gut überbrücken und schon etwas an ihrer Lippentechnik arbeiten ;-) Die Querflöte ist, wie gesagt, etwas schwer zu bespielen und man muss schon recht scharf blasen um ihr einen Ton zu entlocken, der allerdings (für diesen Preis) recht passabel klingt... :-)