What is the difference between a five hole and a six hole flute? Is a five hole flute easier to play?
A five hole Native American style flute plays only one pentatonic Mode or Scale. Some people may imagine that this will make it easier to learn on a five hole flute than a six hole flute. After all there are less holes, right. Wrong - it's just as easy to learn on the six hole Love flute because when you're playing a scale one of the holes is always closed (just like it didn't exist). You've got to put that finger somewhere, either over a blank spot on the barrel of the flute or over a hole. What's the difference' But having that extra hole on the flute really expands the possibilities of the flute. With a six hole flute you have a whole different scale available when you're ready to use it (and you soon will be). Also playing on a flute with the extra tone hole allows easy access to some extra cross fingered notes so you can play your flute in major as well as minor scales.