Hold the flute properly by supporting the top portion of the flute with your left hand. Place the first three fingers of your left hand on the first main keys on the top of the flute. The pinky will play the extension keys.
Place your right hand with the thumb underneath the flute and press down the next three keys with your index, middle and ring finger. Rest your pinky finger on the extension keys at the bottom of the flute.
Align your lips with the center of the mouthpiece to produce the best tone.
Breathe in from the diaphragm and blow over the top of the flute. Do not blow into the hole. Blow in the same manner as you would blow over a bottle to produce pitch.
Use a flute fingering chart to learn how to play pitches. The more keys you press from left to right on the flute, the lower the pitch. The exception are the extension keys which change the pitch by an octave.