I am a saxophonist who has been contemplating the idea of doubling on another wind instrument for a long time. My teacher recommends doubling on flute (closed tone holes), but professional-level instruments are rather expensive, and I do not feel comfortable with making such an investment right now.
Some things I am looking for:
- Price. I am looking for something inexpensive. I realise that this attribute is very subjective. I am listing it, because when I was picking up saxophone, I knew what I wanted, and it was not a problem for me to make an investment. I love saxophone with a passion I have for no other instrument, and I knew how to look after one before making my purchase. With a 2nd instrument, I am not so sure. What I am trying to say is that it's not a matter of being broke, it's a matter of having to invest time, money and effort into maintaining an instrument that requires care. I won't be able to slack off on an instrument that costs $10k (meaning, I will be forced to practise, clean it and have it checked regularly), and that is not the kind of investment I can make at this point in my life.
- Maintainability. Something that can be made out of plastic is preferable, as wood tends to dry out over time, particularly if not in use. Probably something without a reed as well or with a plastic reed.
- Dimensions. Something that's not bulky and can be tucked into my saxophone (tenor) case. Carrying 2 heavy cases to gigs or on planes does not align with my idea of comfort.
- Range. All of the options I could find myself (mostly folk instruments and practice instruments like the bagpipe chanter seem to be limited to a particular set of notes from within an octave and don't allow for others, except through "cheating", like half-covering the tone holes).
I would appreciate to see a list of instruments I could pick from. Naturally, it doesn't have to be comprehensive, I simply want to know what my options are, given the limitations.
There seems to have been a slight confusion as to this question's purpose. I am not asking for shopping help (for example, "where can I buy a cheap ..."). I am looking for instrument options I could not find or failed to take into consideration (for instance, I did not research plastic closed tone-hole flutes, because I did not know they existed to begin with).