---
product_id: 762747
title: "YRF-21Y Plastic Fife, Key of C"
brand: "yamaha"
price: "¥5729"
currency: JPY
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
category: "Yamaha"
url: https://www.desertcart.jp/products/762747-yrf-21y-plastic-fife-key-of-c
store_origin: JP
region: Japan
---

# Key of C tuning precision Compact 2-piece design for easy cleaning & travel Lightweight 1.6 oz ABS plastic body YRF-21Y Plastic Fife, Key of C

**Brand:** yamaha
**Price:** ¥5729
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 🎶 Unlock your inner virtuoso with the Traveler’s Flute — where tradition meets trend.

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** YRF-21Y Plastic Fife, Key of C by yamaha
- **How much does it cost?** ¥5729 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.jp](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/762747-yrf-21y-plastic-fife-key-of-c)

## Best For

- yamaha enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted yamaha brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Inclusive Learning Kit:** Comes with a handy cotton carrying bag and detailed fingering chart to accelerate your musical journey.
- • **Flute-Style Playability:** Experience seamless transition from recorder to flute with open-hole fingerings designed for intuitive mastery.
- • **Portable Two-Piece Design:** Disassembles easily for hygienic cleaning and compact storage—perfect for the on-the-go professional musician.
- • **Ultra-Lightweight & Durable:** Crafted from robust ABS plastic, this featherweight instrument travels effortlessly wherever creativity calls.
- • **Authentic Revolutionary Sound:** Play traditional American fife tunes or explore new melodies with a crisp, bright tone an octave above the flute.

## Overview

The Yamaha YRF-21Y Plastic Fife in Key of C is a lightweight, durable ABS plastic woodwind instrument designed for flute-style play with open-hole fingerings. Its two-piece construction allows for easy cleaning and portability, making it ideal for beginners transitioning from recorder or for musicians seeking a compact, travel-friendly flute alternative. Included accessories like a cotton carrying bag and fingering chart support quick learning, while its bright, octave-above-flute tone captures the spirit of traditional fife music with modern convenience.

## Description

The Yamaha YRF-21Y Fife is played to the side like a flute but with open holes and simple fingerings like a recorder. This makes it a good way to transition recorder players or introduce new musicians to playing the flute. It can also be used to play traditional Fife music, like songs from American revolutionary War. The durable and lightweight ABS plastic body comes apart into two pieces for easy cleaning. Key of C.

Review: A keyless piccolo - People who say this isn't a fife are right. It's a piccolo! I play the flute and also have a standard piccolo, and this is the same, but without keys. This instrument is very well designed and beautifully crafted, or factory made at any rate. It has a winged lipped plate, which means there is a wing shaped riser on top of the lip plate, which is nicely molded in one piece to the headjoint. The wing design is a feature you would find only on a custom flute headjoint costing well over $1000. On flute, the wing design is supposed to help players who produce an excessive amount of extra air noise in their tone. Personally, on flute, I don't like the wing for the type of tone I produce, but it looks nice, and it probably helps some people. Just the overall shape and form of this instrument is beautiful too. It is in C, and like the piccolo, sounds an octave above the flute. Unlike the three octave range of a piccolo, this instrument has only a two octave range with an extra third, so C2 to C3, C3 to C4, and C4 to E4. I haven't played it long enough, but it can probably be pushed higher. I hit a G4 on it already. I recommend using ear plugs, or at least cotton in the ears to protect your hearing if you're going up above G in the second octave anyway. This does not produce a rich sound like the flute, but is very much like the piccolo, an instrument which when played enough, can damage your hearing. Professional piccolo players have sometimes lost part of their hearing, and they know to practice with their ears protected. As a flute teacher posted here, this is the ideal starting instrument for a child of any age who wants to play the flute. Or maybe,an adult, who regrets not trying to learn the flute, should try this first. Why start on a $500+ beginner flute, when for less than $7, if you can learn to blow this after trying for a month or two, and can't put it down, then fine, step up to a flute. If you can't play it, then you've saved yourself hundreds of dollars. Before I started on flute, I bought an inexpensive pipe at a music store and probably drove my parents crazy playing it. There is a lot more linkage between this "fife" and a flute than there is a recorder and flute. Unless you play the flute or piccolo, start slowly on this, otherwise it will make you dizzy. Of course, being a flute/piccolo player, I was able to play this right away, but it is by no means easy to play. I think the flute is probably easier for a brand new beginner. Although for a child of 7, the finger stretch on this is better than flute. My one regret isn't about this instrument specifically, but I wish Yamaha would make something just like this but as big as they can make it, at least to Eb, pushing the finger stretch to that of a tenor recorder or so (which would need a key or two), because this thing would sound beautiful if it were longer. My other suggestion is to experiment with rotating the headjoint as much as you like, and see if that helps your tone, or helps you to produce a tone. Try to produce a tone with minimal tension in your lips. Some people mistakenly think that to produce a sound on the flute or piccolo you have to tighten up your mouth and raise the corners up, when in reality most top players have relatively relaxed lips, with corners of the mouth down a little bit. This is a great little instrument and easily worth $30+. Since the people on YouTube who demo this can't play it at all really, I hope to make some videos which show more of its potential.
Review: Not a fife, not a recorder, not a true flute, this is the Traveler's Flute - I've been looking for a flute that wasn't going to break the bank, but would still be enough to learn off of. I tried Ebay, but the cost to repad one of those is more then this little thing. It's tone is really good for a novice like me. It's not designed like a Fife, it's designed to be played like a flute, just without the trill keys. There's only 3 notes in 2 1/2 scales that require a partial covering, and those are C#, D# , and D# an octive higher, so you can play everything, and most everything with out the finess of a half cover. Half covers seem to take a knack I've not figured out yet. I've had no problem getting two octives of notes out of this instrument, and I've already reccommended it to a lot of friends. I've learned to play a lot of instruments, so I've learned you buy cheap to start, then spend some decent money on something nice, after you know you're into it. For a flute beginner, with a frugal bank, this is that cheap quality instrument you want. I expect you'll out grow it in a few months, but you'd outgrow that student model flute in a year anyways, so in the end you've just saved yourself about $150 bucks. A prefessional teacher might not let you use one of these, but if you're teaching yourself, this is the way to go. If nothing else, it's a nice portable model. The plastic feels strong, it's well built, and feels like a little love went into making the molds. THIS IS NOT A RECORDER! it's not quite a flute, not quite a fife, but a beautiful hybrid There are a few downsides. It takes a bit of practice to ensure you're properly covering the air holes. Partial covers are akward at best, and I'm unsure of how to do them properly. It doesn't come with a cleaning rod (I had one anyways). If you've never played any sort of flute, fife, piccalo, or unreeded woodwind, you'll need some help learning that. The instrument comes with a fingering chart, but not an instruction booklet. The booklet the reccommend with this instrument is ment for a fife, which has different fingerings, I'd reccommend either getting a first year flute book, or just looking up how to play a note on a flute via the web. Maybe someone will make a booklet for this amazing little instrument, but it's not out there yet, so a bit of insight as to how you convert this to something else might be needed. Not the instruments fault of course, nor the shippers. I'm already planning on ordering about 6 more for friends and family at xmas time. =========================================================================================== 06/14/2013 edit So I was just playing this thing, getting a little ambitious, and I managed to hit a third octave of notes. I'm reeling in pain from the super high frequency, and yet awed by it as well. This little instrument is so brilliantly designed for such a low low price. Like many others, I wish they'd make one an octave lower, maybe even two octaves lower if that's possible, because it's so wonderful. And since so cheap, I've now got 4 of them, all the same high quality. I keep one by the computer, one in my car, one in my guitar case, and one in my post-apocalyptic bug-out-bag. These people who are saying they can't get a tone out of theirs simply do not know how to play a standard flute opening. If this has any flaw, it's that it's not meant for left handed players. Still agree it shouldn't be called a fife, but if you read all of these reviews, you'll know it's a flute, so read them. ================================================================================================ 11/04/2013 edit Many review this instrument poorly because of the fact it doesn't truly qualify as any other instrument that it emulates. If this instrument has one niche to stand on it's own merit for, it is the instrument flute players wouldn't mind taking camping even if they had a gear loss risk. I'm dubbing it the "Traveler's Flute"

## Features

- Key of C
- 2 piece ABS plastic body
- Open hole fingerings
- Molded flute-style lip plate
- Includes cotton carrying bag and fingering chart

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN | B0002F5F9O |
| Best Sellers Rank | #5,701 in Musical Instruments ( See Top 100 in Musical Instruments ) #9 in Flutes (Musical Instruments) |
| Body Material | Plastic |
| Color Name | Original Version |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,350) |
| Date First Available | August 7, 2005 |
| Instrument Key | C |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Item Weight | 1.6 ounces |
| Item model number | YRF-21Y |
| Material Type | Plastic |
| Product Dimensions | 13.32 x 0.82 x 0.82 inches |

## Product Details

- **Brand:** Yamaha
- **Color:** Original Version
- **Instrument Key:** C
- **Material:** Plastic
- **Style:** Simple,War

## Images

![YRF-21Y Plastic Fife, Key of C - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71tMyXm2-pL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A keyless piccolo
*by C***E on July 29, 2012*

People who say this isn't a fife are right. It's a piccolo! I play the flute and also have a standard piccolo, and this is the same, but without keys. This instrument is very well designed and beautifully crafted, or factory made at any rate. It has a winged lipped plate, which means there is a wing shaped riser on top of the lip plate, which is nicely molded in one piece to the headjoint. The wing design is a feature you would find only on a custom flute headjoint costing well over $1000. On flute, the wing design is supposed to help players who produce an excessive amount of extra air noise in their tone. Personally, on flute, I don't like the wing for the type of tone I produce, but it looks nice, and it probably helps some people. Just the overall shape and form of this instrument is beautiful too. It is in C, and like the piccolo, sounds an octave above the flute. Unlike the three octave range of a piccolo, this instrument has only a two octave range with an extra third, so C2 to C3, C3 to C4, and C4 to E4. I haven't played it long enough, but it can probably be pushed higher. I hit a G4 on it already. I recommend using ear plugs, or at least cotton in the ears to protect your hearing if you're going up above G in the second octave anyway. This does not produce a rich sound like the flute, but is very much like the piccolo, an instrument which when played enough, can damage your hearing. Professional piccolo players have sometimes lost part of their hearing, and they know to practice with their ears protected. As a flute teacher posted here, this is the ideal starting instrument for a child of any age who wants to play the flute. Or maybe,an adult, who regrets not trying to learn the flute, should try this first. Why start on a $500+ beginner flute, when for less than $7, if you can learn to blow this after trying for a month or two, and can't put it down, then fine, step up to a flute. If you can't play it, then you've saved yourself hundreds of dollars. Before I started on flute, I bought an inexpensive pipe at a music store and probably drove my parents crazy playing it. There is a lot more linkage between this "fife" and a flute than there is a recorder and flute. Unless you play the flute or piccolo, start slowly on this, otherwise it will make you dizzy. Of course, being a flute/piccolo player, I was able to play this right away, but it is by no means easy to play. I think the flute is probably easier for a brand new beginner. Although for a child of 7, the finger stretch on this is better than flute. My one regret isn't about this instrument specifically, but I wish Yamaha would make something just like this but as big as they can make it, at least to Eb, pushing the finger stretch to that of a tenor recorder or so (which would need a key or two), because this thing would sound beautiful if it were longer. My other suggestion is to experiment with rotating the headjoint as much as you like, and see if that helps your tone, or helps you to produce a tone. Try to produce a tone with minimal tension in your lips. Some people mistakenly think that to produce a sound on the flute or piccolo you have to tighten up your mouth and raise the corners up, when in reality most top players have relatively relaxed lips, with corners of the mouth down a little bit. This is a great little instrument and easily worth $30+. Since the people on YouTube who demo this can't play it at all really, I hope to make some videos which show more of its potential.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not a fife, not a recorder, not a true flute, this is the Traveler's Flute
*by M***S on July 24, 2012*

I've been looking for a flute that wasn't going to break the bank, but would still be enough to learn off of. I tried Ebay, but the cost to repad one of those is more then this little thing. It's tone is really good for a novice like me. It's not designed like a Fife, it's designed to be played like a flute, just without the trill keys. There's only 3 notes in 2 1/2 scales that require a partial covering, and those are C#, D# , and D# an octive higher, so you can play everything, and most everything with out the finess of a half cover. Half covers seem to take a knack I've not figured out yet. I've had no problem getting two octives of notes out of this instrument, and I've already reccommended it to a lot of friends. I've learned to play a lot of instruments, so I've learned you buy cheap to start, then spend some decent money on something nice, after you know you're into it. For a flute beginner, with a frugal bank, this is that cheap quality instrument you want. I expect you'll out grow it in a few months, but you'd outgrow that student model flute in a year anyways, so in the end you've just saved yourself about $150 bucks. A prefessional teacher might not let you use one of these, but if you're teaching yourself, this is the way to go. If nothing else, it's a nice portable model. The plastic feels strong, it's well built, and feels like a little love went into making the molds. THIS IS NOT A RECORDER! it's not quite a flute, not quite a fife, but a beautiful hybrid There are a few downsides. It takes a bit of practice to ensure you're properly covering the air holes. Partial covers are akward at best, and I'm unsure of how to do them properly. It doesn't come with a cleaning rod (I had one anyways). If you've never played any sort of flute, fife, piccalo, or unreeded woodwind, you'll need some help learning that. The instrument comes with a fingering chart, but not an instruction booklet. The booklet the reccommend with this instrument is ment for a fife, which has different fingerings, I'd reccommend either getting a first year flute book, or just looking up how to play a note on a flute via the web. Maybe someone will make a booklet for this amazing little instrument, but it's not out there yet, so a bit of insight as to how you convert this to something else might be needed. Not the instruments fault of course, nor the shippers. I'm already planning on ordering about 6 more for friends and family at xmas time. =========================================================================================== 06/14/2013 edit So I was just playing this thing, getting a little ambitious, and I managed to hit a third octave of notes. I'm reeling in pain from the super high frequency, and yet awed by it as well. This little instrument is so brilliantly designed for such a low low price. Like many others, I wish they'd make one an octave lower, maybe even two octaves lower if that's possible, because it's so wonderful. And since so cheap, I've now got 4 of them, all the same high quality. I keep one by the computer, one in my car, one in my guitar case, and one in my post-apocalyptic bug-out-bag. These people who are saying they can't get a tone out of theirs simply do not know how to play a standard flute opening. If this has any flaw, it's that it's not meant for left handed players. Still agree it shouldn't be called a fife, but if you read all of these reviews, you'll know it's a flute, so read them. ================================================================================================ 11/04/2013 edit Many review this instrument poorly because of the fact it doesn't truly qualify as any other instrument that it emulates. If this instrument has one niche to stand on it's own merit for, it is the instrument flute players wouldn't mind taking camping even if they had a gear loss risk. I'm dubbing it the "Traveler's Flute"

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very pleased! Easy enough for a preschooler to make a sound.
*by P***E on January 18, 2014*

Quite pleased. Tone is similar to any other decent quality plastic/resin recorder. Easy enough to make a sound, but you'll need chops for the high tones. Most of the fingerings work fine. The half-holing is not so easy, but I'm not in practice for half-holing. Fair match to standard flute fingerings. Some would be more like flute fingerings with 'shading' (something advanced players would know). And without the left hand pinky key of an actual flute, you need an alternate fingering set. But super easy to acclimate to. And fun!

## Frequently Bought Together

- Yamaha YRF-21Y Plastic Fife, Key of C
- How to Play the Fife: A Beginner’s Guide to Learning the Basics, Reading Music, and Playing Songs with Audio Recordings (Woodwinds for Beginners)
- How to Play the Fife for Beginners: The Ultimate Guide to Learning, Playing, and Becoming Proficient at the Instrument (Instruments for Beginners)

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*Product available on Desertcart Japan*
*Store origin: JP*
*Last updated: 2026-03-15*