Solid Silver vs. Silver-Plated Flutes: Which Is Better?

[@Malawax62]

Your explanation and demonstration between the differences in metal is the clearest and most cogent presentation I have ever heard! As always, thank you so much!

[@LanceSuzuki]

❤️ Thanks so much! It means a lot to hear that!

[@nancyjfs]

On Saturday I bought a new Miyazawa 102 silver plated flute at Flute World based on zero objective information. I am a (very) long-time intermediate player who has mostly played with friends. I was struggling for decades to hit low notes on a beginner level Gemeinhardt, thinking I was the problem. A teacher said no, it's the flute! I tested the silver-plated Miyazawa as well as solid silver flutes in @ the same price range. First impression: I loved the bright sound. Second: I could play low notes much more easily. Perfect for me!

[@LanceSuzuki]

Congratulations! Miyazawa flutes are fantastic for their crystal clear tone and response. I hope you get many years of enjoyment and great music out of this flute! ❤️

[@bassethound1]

The most luscious vibrato I’ve ever heard ❤

[@LanceSuzuki]

Lol. Thanks! I’m always self-conscious about my vibrato so I appreciate it!

[@aspenx1304]

The 601 had a beefier solid tone. The other was more hollow sounding. The 601 had much more color. This was a great comparison and explanation of the differences. Thank you Lance. I hope to buy a TJ Virtuoso flute someday.

[@LanceSuzuki]

Thanks, Isa! I hope so too!

[@carlosprediger1922]

Great demonstration but honestly you could play on a plastic flute and sound great !! Your vibrato and sound is amazing !! Thanks.

[@ltldxy71]

This is super interesting science. It makes sense now why as a kid I struggled after being moved to a Gemeinhardt 3SB after only playing in band for 1 year. Going to a solid silver open hole flute with a B foot when I was maybe 85 lbs soaking wet was a real struggle. 😂 But I did it! I came out on the other side a success.

[@LanceSuzuki]

Excellent! Thanks for sharing! ❤️

[@kellyguisinger2951]

The nickel was slightly more “tinny” sounding compared to the solid silver. Beautiful!!

[@LanceSuzuki]

I agree! Thanks for watching!

[@draghl]

Wow I didn't expect the difference to be that noticeable. I was quite sure about the difference in tone between silver and gold flute, but I just didn't expect the difference between solid silver and silver plated to be so apparent. I do prefer that solid silver sound.

[@LanceSuzuki]

Me as well! Thanks for watching!

[@kharmaviv]

You play so beautifully that I could not hear a definite difference. Higher notes on both flutes were so sweet sounding. Lower notes might have a very slight difference between them, but I cannot be sure. I think for me, it may have to be about how it feels rather than the difference in sound. They both sounded very sweet, very beautiful. Thank you for yhe in-depth comparison and the science behind it. 🙂❤🎶

[@LanceSuzuki]

Thanks so much! The differences are very subtle indeed!

[@rudolphmcneill515]

AWESOME!! I went to a NFC in the 80's, my freshman year in college and got to try so many different brands and makes. It was amazing. Not to mention less expensive flutes to those in the 100k plus bracket. Here I really liked the brighter sound of the silver plated flute. Brighter sound has been my favorite. I had a platinum/Silver Muramatsu which allowed for a somewhat dark sound with a bit of shimmery brightness. Got stolen though. 😢 So I then went with a solid silver and loved it. Thank you for your posts. I'm now a new subscriber.

[@robertpayne5233]

This is a good demonstration of differences in material. People have argued over this topic for years. I could hear a clear difference in tone, very convincing. After playing the flute for many years I was finally able to buy a Powell Signature flute, and after recording myself I heard a big difference in sound. I concluded that the extra cost was well worth it. Thank you.

[@LanceSuzuki]

Powell Signatures are excellent flutes. Glad you are pleased with it! Thanks!

[@parkervarin]

This is such a well made explanation. Thx.

[@LanceSuzuki]

Thanks a lot!

[@mikawatanabemusic5703]

Thank you very much for the demo and also breaking down details of the differences. My daughter is going through the exact process, of trying to choose the next flute. This is very helpful. Thank you.

[@LanceSuzuki]

Wonderful! Best of luck with your flute search and let me know if you have any questions.

[@mlchaellayne]

Thanks!

[@LanceSuzuki]

Thank you!

[@aaronspector8512]

Nice demonstration-thank you!

[@JM-oi9pk]

did;t notice a difference however have noticed that you are very skilled flute artist, did;'t expect to enjoy a flute sound

[@trainkeenpilates5227]

Your explanation was great. I agree that the solid silver sounded darker where the silver plated had a high ring to it. Thank you.

[@LanceSuzuki]

Great! Thanks for watching!

[@eastmarvista3267]

Another great explanation! Very informative.

[@LanceSuzuki]

Thanks so much!

[@JaredLim]

The silver plated one sounds a little brighter, airier, loftier, happier, the silver body one has rounder tone but sounds darker, heavier and melancholic. I like the cheaper one :)

[@theafterpartylive]

I agree- 601 had a better sound. I’m wondering when you’re looking online how you can tell whether a flute just has a solid silver mouthpiece, or whether the whole body is solid silver, because the rest of the body is often marked.

[@suzanneprior3251]

That was interesting! I would like to know more about gold too … lip plate, riser, body, etc.

[@LanceSuzuki]

Thanks, Suzanne! I think it all makes a difference…some of the differences are very subtle but that’s the fun part of trying flutes!

[@valkyrie_592]

I personally could hear quite a big difference between the 2. The full silver bidy definitely give you a darker richer tone that fills the space more

[@LanceSuzuki]

I agree. Thanks!

[@hamdinger7145]

This guy is smart

[@clanebuson]

wow... i cant really hear the different. bcoz ur sound so good. so again for me it's depend on the flutist skill. 🙂

[@aspenx1304]

Hey Lance, have you ever tried the Trevor James virtuoso flute? I have the Cantabile and ive always been curious about the Virtuoso.

[@LanceSuzuki]

I’m a little bit confused with the TJ names. However, I did try all the Trevor James flutes at the NFA convention. They all played well. 👍

[@aspenx1304]

@@LanceSuzuki in your opinion what's your favorite intermediate flute?

[@aspenx1304]

@@LanceSuzuki I kinda wanna try a Haynes Amadeus too.

[@LanceSuzuki]

@@aspenx1304 Right now, I am loving Di Zhao 801.

[@rezareynaldi1632]

Mr. Lance, may I ask, which type of Yamaha brand is good for professional level players?

[@margmclevain3432]

I have an old silver flute and want to sell it. Any suggestions?

[@Ninodiol]

Thank you for this very interesting video, which explains the difference at every level. I'm a very scientific person. It was very interesting to have the physical properties. I hope it will be possible for you to make a video on the difference between a gold plate flute and a solid gold flute. And also with aurumite Powell. ❤️

[@LanceSuzuki]

I will definitely keep those ideas in mind. Thanks!

[@Jenifer.flute20]

The 601 was ever so *slightly* richer in tone, but the tone is sooooooo closely similar. I really like Britannia silver myself.

[@joseph-288]

también creo que el material de las flautas plateadas son menos resistentes en climas tropicales, por el grado de humedad y por tanto se deslustran, pero de acuerdo a la marca ofrecen un buen rendimiento y resistencia en la sonoridad.

[@michaellee2731]

What is your intro piece?

[@LanceSuzuki]

It’s the Godard Allegretto arranged for flute ensemble.

[@poppypalais3108]

The solid silver flute is simply made to a higher (or at least different) standard. The actual type of metal doesn't affect the sound. The sound the metal makes when struck by an object is irrelevant as the air moving through a flute doesn't cause the metal to make a sound.

[@LanceSuzuki]

Sorry to disagree, but the quality of the make is not significantly different between these flutes. Having played them both, I can attest to this firsthand. If we were comparing Sonaré 505 to a handmade Powell, that might be the case...but not between two Sonarés. I think it's safe to assume that both flutes were made in the same factory (probably in China). Both have drawn tone holes and plated mechanism. The factory is not going to make 10 different levels of mechanism for the different lines of flutes. In this level of flute, they are all well-constructed and similarly constructed. It's true that the vibration of the air column within the flute creates the sound. However, shouldn't the vibration of the surrounding metal tube affect the vibration of the air column within? It seems unfathomable to me that these could be totally disconnected. Thanks for your comment!

[@poppypalais3108]

@@LanceSuzuki Hi, thanks for taking the time to reply. Be a quick discussion if you agreed😊. It's a pretty interesting subject, at least to me. It would seem to be true to say that no two flutes sound precisely the same, even when made of exactly the same metal and to the same pattern; and played by the same person. But this appears to be caused by minor differences created by the manufacturing process. As far as I can gather, while the bodies of the flutes are production line items, the headjoints are at least semi-hand finished. And I would suspect, and hope, that slightly more effort is put into the more expensive item. Just to complicate things, I've read that the automated production line may be "tweaked" quite often, resulting in one batch of the same model being slightly different from another batch. Blind testing under academic standards indicates that it's impossible for even the most experienced person to distinguish between different materials, including wood, metal and even concrete. James Galway states that when listening to his old recordings he has no idea of what the flute he was playing was made of, gold, platinum or silver. You can certainly feel the flute vibrating when playing, but apparently this simply isn't a strong enough phenomenon to be audible. Differences in sound appear to be down to the skill of the maker and the skill of the player. There is likely a bit of psychology involved as well, after all, if you know that one flute cost 300 dollars and one cost 30,000 you're probably going to want to hear that extra 29,700. Especially if you paid for it. By the way, you play beautifully! Oh, and the solid silver flute sounded a little bit smoother and a little bit fuller, which to me is definitely worth the extra cost. Thanks.

[@Emkyinshanworldofenthusiasm]

I am considering to upgrade my student flute, Yamaha 472 silver head joint and body cheaper than muramatsu ex which is only silver head joints. Would like to ask is handmade matters or flute material?

[@evelynaguilar3946]

Thanks ❤

[@LanceSuzuki]

Thanks for watching!

[@vintagehaynesflute]

to me the solid silver flute had more of an expressive “ring” to it. The silver plated model sounded subdued or restrictive

[@ralyn43]

I can hear no difference. I play an older Muramatsu flute serial number n-131 which I think has a silver body and plated keys. I was also a military musician for 20 years and had to adapt to the flutes that the military provided for us, mostly Haynes. I feel that the difference between the two compositions is that the solid silver takes more work, but produces a bigger sound. Even then, a thinner wall construction will make light work and balance everything out which is exactly what my Muramatsu does.

[@kennethvenezia4400]

I could hear a difference on my speaker phone. SILVER BODY far superior, imho😊

[@fish99241]

鍍銀的長笛少了純銀的長笛那種更寬廣的音場！

[@drewkingson]

Wow! the silver plated sounded better to me - but only by a hair. Not worth the upgrade

[@lois2911]

Teacher, thanks, but that looked painful.🤏