Product Reviews: Yamaha YRF-21 Fife

The Yamaha fife is an excellent instrument for young children who want to learn flute. Coupled with the Liz Goodwin book it provides an inexpensive, and unbreakable, instrument which fits into young children's school reading bags. I use the fife in small group, school lessons in Years 3 and 4. Transition to flute is normally after 2- 3 terms of playing when the Fife Book has been completed and Bb and F# are required for further progress. The change over to flute usually takes a couple of weeks to establish pitch 1 8ve lower than on fife.

This is great as a beginners learning tool (whether adult or child) for those who wish to play the flute but are unsure of the commitment, cost, or if the flute is the right instrument for them! Cost-effective, you can learn/teach basic flute principles on the Yamaha fife, without the worry of it breaking or damage - it is a very sturdy plastic. The lightweight material makes it easy to transport, and helps establish good posture and positioning with the student - because they're not trying to balance a full-sized flute.