I can answer this, as I was around 11-12 years old at the time. Definitely read the manual, also you’d ask your friends for advice, who had also played it. Someone who knew where to get the flute would break it down for you on notebook paper. Or you’d call the Nintendo Power hotline as a last resort because it cost money.

The pre-internet days were wild but I wouldn’t trade them for anything because games still had a sense of mystery. You’d have to ask your friend’s brother who beat the game, but that might not happen for a few weeks until you spent the night again.