Oil your flute if it is made of wood, spreading a small amount of oil over the surface and rubbing it into the wood.
Thread the lightly oiled rag through the needle-like hole at the end of your cleaning rod and gently rub the inside of the flute. Thread a second rag that has not been oiled through the cleaning rod and use it to remove excess oil from the inside of the flute. Repeat this process every few months or as needed if your flute begins to go out of tune.
Break in your open-ended flute, playing for about 30 minutes each day for the first two weeks you own it. Your fingers and mouth will begin to wear the wood into more comfortable forms, giving you better control of the instrument. After several weeks of practice and oiling, your flute will be easier to play and should sound better.
Hold the flute up to your mouth. Point it toward the ground at about a 50-degree angle, and place the blowhole at your lips.
Blow across the hole at the top of the flute as if you were blowing across the top of a soda bottle. Do not blow directly into the flute. The tension of the air rushing over the hole should produce a full sound. Keep trying if you don't get it right away. Adjust the angle at which you hold the flute until you find something that works for you.
Align your fingers with the holes along the top of your open-ended flute. Practice lifting and replacing each finger until you can do so comfortably and quickly. Make sure to cover each whole completely. If air is able to escape, the notes you play will be out of tune.
Blow into the flute while moving your fingers on and off the holes. Try different patterns to discover different sounds. Use your music book to find fingerings for different notes, and practice songs. The more you practice, the better your tone and fingering will become.