You listen to the radio more than your classical music playlist. So why not use your favorite pop songs for flute practice?
Consider some of my favorite songs to learn and play on the flute. Then, you can determine what other songs you can learn based on your music taste.
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“A Sweeter Place” by Selena Gomez ft. Kid Cudi
This song is nice and slow, so it’s a great introduction to playing pop songs for flute players. It’s in the key of A major, so it will test your knowledge of sharps.
But the melody is primarily scalar in nature. There aren’t a ton of leaps that you have to worry about. The vocal range is from F#3 to D5. For that reason, I like to play it on alto flute since the ranges match up nicely.
If you prefer to play the C flute, you can transpose everything up an octave. That way, you can cover all of the notes.
“Let Me Get Me” by Selena Gomez
Another one of my favorite Selena Gomez songs to play is “Let Me Get Me.” It’s a great song to test your articulation skills. There’s also a few vocal melismas that are super fun to play on the flute.
The vocal range is A3 to C5, so it’s not too large. Once again, it’s a perfect choice if you want to improve your alto flute playing.
But most of the song is within the C flute range. So you can play it all as written and drop out the lower notes or play them up an octave.
“Good for You” by Selena Gomez
One of the best pop songs for flute to test your low register is “Good for You.” The vocal range is C4 to G4, which is pretty small. But that makes it a great choice for playing on the C flute or alto flute.
It’s in the key of C minor, so there are a few flats. Also, playing it on your C flute means you’ll have to work on sliding your right pinking between the Eb and C keys.
Still, the song is slow, and the melody is pretty scalar in nature. This was one of the first songs I managed to learn by ear, so it’s not too tricky.
“Chasing the Sun” by The Wanted
Another song that I like to play, particularly on my C flute or even my piccolo is by The Wanted. (Yes, I was more of a The Wanted fan than a One Direction fan, no shame.)
This song ranges from a G3 to G4, so you can easily play it up an octave on the C flute. It’s in the key of G minor, so there are a couple of flats to deal with.
But the melody is quite repetitive. Once you get the basics, you can play it over and over, which can help you learn to play by ear.
“All Time Low” by The Wanted
If you want to test your knowledge of flat keys, consider playing “All Time Low”, which is in Ab minor. There are a few more leaps in this song than others, so that can be a little tricky.
The vocal range is Eb3 to G4, and you can play it up an octave. As much as I love playing pop songs on alto flute, this is one I prefer to play on the C flute. The alto adds one more flat, and this song already has enough.
Still, it’s a great song to work on your emotional expression. I started playing it last year after a sad event, and I revisit it whenever I need to let my emotions out.
“I Found You” by The Wanted
A lot of pop songs have small vocal ranges. So you don’t get to explore the entire range of your flute. But this song by The Wanted is an exception, with notes as low as A3 and as high as C6.
As with most other pop songs, you can play this one as written on the alto flute. Of course, you can play everything up an octave (or at least the lower melodies in the verses).
Sometimes, I like to play this song on my piccolo. It’s especially fun near the end when band member Nathan Sykes has his high solo in his falsetto range.
“My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” by Fall Out Boy
If you like Fall Out Boy, they have a few songs that are fun to play on flute. Most of the melody is scalar, so you don’t have to worry about a ton of leaps. The vocal range spans C4 to D5, so just over an octave.
It’s super easy to play up an octave on your C flute. That way, you can take advantage of the projection of the second register.
Like many other pop songs for flute, you can play the melody along with the main track. But I also liked this song so much that I arranged it for flute choir. You can program more pop tunes on your next concert.
“Centuries” by Fall Out Boy
Another great Fall Out Boy song to play on the flute has a triumphant feel to it. I learned this song by ear on my alto flute, and it’s a fun one to revisit when I want to work on my tone.
This song is in E minor, which is a pretty easy key. The vocal range spans E3 to G5, but of course, you can play it up an octave.
You can also work a bit on your beatboxing by making those types of sounds with the background vocals.
“Natural” by Imagine Dragons
Another more rock-type of song you can play on the flute is by Imagine Dragons. This tune has a range of C#4 to C#6, so it’s a good two octaves that you can use to practice.
I like to play this song on both the C flute and alto flute. It’s a good song to practice if you want to work on transitioning between octaves.
Since it’s in D minor, you don’t have to think too hard about the keys. That means you can work on tone and other aspects of your playing. Plus, you can buy my flute choir arrangement if you want an ensemble version.
“Mad Love” by Mabel
Recently as of this writing, a sped of version of “Mad Love” has made the rounds on TikTok and Instagram. But I like to play the original, slower version, particularly on my alto flute.
The vocal range from a Bb3 to Bb4, so it works super well on the alto. If you want to play the song on your C flute, you can transpose the Bbs up an octave or play everything higher.
This song has a nice mood, and it’s not too slow or fast. Like many pop songs for flute, the melody repeats itself. I found it quite easy to learn by ear, but I’d had a lot of practice before I attempted to do so with this tune.
“Love Is the Name” by Sofia Carson
If you like Latin-inspired pop music, consider learning to play “Love Is the Name.” This song makes me wish I was on a beach, and that’s not just because the music video features a beach.
The song has a vocal range of A3 to C5, so it’s just over an octave. I love to play the song on my alto flute, and doing so make it super easy for me to learn the notes by ear.
In the key of C minor, you do have to remember a few flats. Sometimes, I like to play a long with the version featuring J Balvin either to practice beatboxing or to play the trumpet hits during his solo.
“Hold On To Me” by Sofia Carson
Another song by Sofia Carson that’s super fun to play on the flute has a nice, lyrical melody. The song is in D major, and the vocals range from A3 to D5, which isn’t too big of a range.
I find it super fun to play on the alto flute (yes, I love the alto). But it could also work on the C flute. You’ll just have to transpose some of the lowest notes up an octave, particularly if you don’t have a B footjoint.
The chorus is already an octave up, so you can keep it as written. When playing the verses, you may want to play them higher unless you want to work on your low register.
How to Choose Pop Songs for Flute
I love all of the pop songs on this list. But I’m the first to admit that we all have different music tastes. You may prefer songs by Taylor Swift or Adele or Harry Styles.
That’s okay. So if you want to learn pop songs for flute, consider the following tips to help you get started.
Start With Your Favorites
If you’ve never learned pop music, the best thing you can do is learn a song you already know and like. The more you’ve listened to a song, the more the melody will be ingrained in your brain.
Or even if it’s a new song, you’ll enjoy the process of learning more. Don’t force yourself to play a song you don’t like just because I or anyone else thinks it’s a good one.
Listen…a Lot
You can use tools like MuseScore PRO+ or buy the sheet music for songs you want to learn. But I got to a point where I wanted to learn songs that I couldn’t find the sheet music for.
To help you learn pop songs for flute by ear, you need to listen to the song as much as you can. That way, you can start to sing the melody from memory. I find that makes it a lot easier to play the song on my flute by ear.
Choose the Right Flute
You may have noticed that I play a lot of pop songs on the alto flute. While I genuinely like the alto, there are other reasons. Namely most of my favorite pop singers have mezzo-soprano voices.
That means they sing lower than middle C. At least when I’m learning a song by ear, I find it easier to play in the same octave. You can’t do that on the C flute. So if you like a lot of the same singers, you may want to get your hands on an alto.
You can always transpose the notes later once you figure out what they are. But for now, try to play in the same octave to help you learn your next pop song.
Start Slowly
When learning a new pop song, you’re bound to make mistakes. That’s okay, and you shouldn’t let a wrong note keep you from learning a song you really want to learn.
Try to learn one pop song at a time, especially when you first start to play pop music. I’d also recommend playing the same song a few times when you first learn the notes to help reinforce all of the fingerings.
What If I Can’t Learn by Ear?
It will be a lot easier to learn more pop songs for flute if you can learn them by ear. But you can always buy the sheet music or use a sheet music library to get access to some tunes.
Alternatively, you could hire someone to transcribe your favorite song. If you want to learn a lot of songs, though, the costs will add up quickly.
Final Thoughts
If you want to expand past classical music, you should learn a few pop songs for flute. You can learn just about any song out there. All you need is your ear or the sheet music.
To help you learn pop music, I created a free guide with tips and tricks. Download the guide and reference it whenever you need to.