I purchased this fife to use with Liz Goodwin’ s fife book which is intended as an introductory course to playing the flute. Since I wasn’t sure if I would like playing a fife or flute I opted for the Thomann fife as opposed to the brand name alternative. The fingering of these fifes (It’s different to that of the fifes used by military reenactors) translates well to the keys of a full size flute and it makes an excellent training option for children or even adults. For someone used to playing a recorder the fingering is very similar
Pros: The fife comes in a nice storage bag with a fingering chart. In appearance and build quality it seems to compare very well with the brand name fife.
It is well made and, once you know the correct embouchure, it is easy enough to get a tone.
It’s an indestructible piece of plastic and, unlike a real flute, you could even play it in a swimming pool.
Cons: Nothing of major concern.
A few minor things: People who are not familiar with these type of instruments should know that it is very short and, for adult hands, it may be difficult to use. This is however a result of the instrument design and not something that can be changed.
The colour is very plain and some other choices would be nice, but for the price one can scarcely complain.
In conclusion: This little fife has served me well whilst working through the method book. It turns out I do enjoy playing the flute and I will be buying a student flute from Thomann as soon as they come back into stock.
