Alright, I am betting this topic gets touched on frequently and all of you are sighing now but I was wondering if I could get some advice.
I have been playing Boehm system flute for 9 years and have been wanting to purchase an Irish flute for a couple of years now. The chance has finally risen that I am able to get a flute, and I was wondering on where to turn and look.
The research I have been doing has been going very slow, and I know that there are many of you experienced players that could aid in the search.
to use a fake word, I am confuddled… There are so many places to look, and flutes to see that I really just am not sure what to look into.
I know that i need to make sure that finger spacing isn’t a problem, cause I sort of had small hands, but other than that I am not sure. Is it best to start with a non-keyed flute when first starting, to get the feel?
Well if anyone could help me on my way, or set me in the right direction it would be a great help.
It matters somewhat how much money you have
to spend, also what you want to play,
also how serious you are about playing
this sort of flute. There are some pretty
good inexpensive flutes (300), better
middle range flutes, and, at about 850
and up to mid-1000, some rather
wonderful flutes.
Also you might want to consider whether
you want keys–you can play most ITM
without them, but they’re nice to have,
though not essential.
Also many makers have a waiting list,
sometimes well over a year, and so you
might want to take this into account.
Some makers I know are Casey Burns,
Dave Copley, Patrick Olwell, Skip Healey,
Chris Wilkes, and many more (others
will chime in). Quite a few of these
people have websites and you can
see what they make.
Woodenflute has lists of makers.
If you give us more info, we can
give you more help. Welcome aboard.
I am probably looking at an under 500 range… This is to be my joint 18th birthday/christmas present. The site that I listen has a keyed flute for 380… but online looking doesn’t give much right to quality. I think the maker is Ganley.
The keys thing was one of my questions.
is it better to learn with no keys and then get a keyed flute?
and how much does sound and playing change?
It is unlikely that you will get a keyed flute worth having
without paying much more. Good ones cost bucks.
You might, therefore, go keyless, which is
probably the best way to start, anyhow.
For Irish music you can play most of the
tunes without keys. Anyhow if you want a
good keyed flute you are looking at
a couple of thousand dollars.
A good maker in your price range is Casey
Burns–just check his site (google search
Casey Burns). He has a
mopane flute at 450, a beginners flute
at 250, I think, and a blackwood flute
at 625.
Given that you are already a flutist, you might
want to go for something good. Maybe you can
get the folks to fork over more money?
I’ve not heard much about Ganley’s flutes, but they’ve been around for years (which might just be saying something about his quality if a long term maker remains unspoken of).
Under $500 brings to mind Michael Cronnelly of M&E flutes & Desi Seery (both polymer but machined like a wooden flute and upgradable to keys later), Casey Burns (wooden, without slide or folk flute both under $500), Sweetheart flutes, and Rose flutes.
Of those, only the M&E, Seery and Burns (non-folk flute without slide) would be upgradable to a keyed flute, but most of the above would retain their value if you sell them later to get a better flute (not that you need one, as you probably know, the player is the biggest variable in how a flute sounds).
The Casey Burns all-wood mopane flute that I have is surely one of my favorite flutes.
It is well-known that he will work with you to make a flute that is comfortable for you to play.
Have a look at his site.
I’d heartily recommend a Seery or an M&E polymer flute. If you’re 18, you might be taking the flute off to college, and these things will withstand having beer or bongwater spilled on them, not to mention having someone (preferably less than 200 pounds) sit on them. If it weren’t for all that, I’d also list Olwell bamboo and Burns folk flutes. The polymer flutes aren’t bulletproof, but they’re much closer than wooden flutes are.
I so remember Taz saying that in one of the toons of long ago ~ it was a line that really stuck with me, b/c I thought it was just so hilarious! The look on his/er…it’s face! heehee
M
Sorry for the hijack, everyone back to what they were doing…
Amber, there is a used M&E on Ebay now, for a good price.
If you get a flute by Casey he can add a slide later if you like the flute.
I think there are good flutes for under $500,
Jon here on C&F makes some nice flutes, I have no idea how his pricing is, but definitely one to consider.
good luck, and welcome.
eilam.
Thanks so much, I didn’t think I would get such a fast reply…
I hinted to my dad a little bit more, and I think fireworks went off in his brain.
Its okay though, I should be getting a job soon so that will offset the cost for them a bit.
Also someone mentioned college. I am going into college come next year, hopefully for music education, I’ve already gotten accepted, and auditions for the music department are in the Febuary-March area. ::crosses fingers::
I am going to check out the list link, also more in depth into the Casey Burns, since many of you recommened him.
I really have my heart set on wooden, but I will take into consideration, at least for my parents sake, the polymer. Also eliam mentioned ebay, heh my mom is obsessed with selling and buying there. Will have to check that out too.
Thanks so much for the help so far, You are all great ::does a happy dance::
I have a Casey Burns Folk Flute and I love it. It’s very well priced (250) and it’s a good flute. Grey Larsen speaks well of it on Casey’s site, and a flute-playing friend of mine also played mine and liked it. The only disadvantage is that you can’t upgrade it. Definitely worth thinking about though. http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/ff.php
I would avoid most of the flutes on the Harp and Dragon site. The only thing I’ve heard about Ganley flutes is to avoid them. The 3-piece Dixon polymer is the best flute out of that bunch.
If your held to $500 M&E, Seery,Sweetheart or Burns are the best flutes. Olwell’s bamboo flutes are fantastic (and great economy) but unless you can find a used one, I believe he has taken a sabbatical from bamboo until the spring.
Which players are you listening to? The Wooden Flute Obsession CDs are good places to start. You can hear a lot of styles and go from there.
Where are you going to Uni? You’ll definitely want to track down a teacher.
I recomend M&E flutes. They are normally polymer but Michael Cronnolly (of M&E) has a few rods of wonderful Cocobolo wood for not much more money (I’m getting a headjoint in that material for my M&E R&R). These flutes are just great and the good thing about them compared to the all-wood Casey Burns flutes is that you will also get the look and feel of a real Irish style flute. You get the tuning slide and you can also order the metal rings which looks great but are purely cosmetical on a polymerflute. You will not have to oil it, play it in, store it in a humidor or even take it appart and dry it out after every playing if you go with polymer, there is no risk for cracking. And the sound and feel is not very different from wood. These flutes are real honkers. I recommend them if you want a pure “Irish style” flute. I’m sure Casey Burns flutes are great players aswell, it just depends what you’re after.
If you want the Sweet rosewood flute I bought as new with my 1832 boxwood and ivory Rudall on Saturday you can have it at a reasonable price.I don’t need both.
It plays well, much to my surprise. I am quite enjoying it !
Jim can set a price as an honest broker if he is so good as to bother himself.
It is well in tune !!!
I have just checked on the splendid In-tune programme ( Aspire $15 Great )
I vote for wood. The Casey burns mopane at 450
is, IMO, a good way to begin, as has been
mentioned above. Andrew’s Sweetheart
Rosewood flute is another option, too.
Don’t be afraid of Andrew, Amber, he
too is a sweetheart!
You mentioned having “smallish” hands. In that case I would certainly recommend the Casey Burns. His flutes have ergonomic fingering and are fantastic. I have a Burns Rudall in Boxwood which is truly awesome.
I think you will find a wooden flute to be lighter than any of the polymers, another plus if hand strain is going to be an issue. I’ve had all three of the polymer flutes mentioned above and agree that they are great instruments but they are going to be heavier.
If you have small hands an Olwell bamboo will be tough to mangae reach-wise. They have a cylindrical bore instead of a conical bore so the holes are farther apart.
Go with the Burns. Get a keyless flute without a tuning slide to start. If you want to add a lined headjoint, tuning slide, rings or keys later Casey can do it. My Rudall is currently at his shop getting some keys. The tenon joint on Casey’s flutes is long enough for tuning needs in my experience.
I confess, Doc, that I wish I had a boxwood CB flute
like yours. I have one in the key of C which is
very, very nice.
Yours is the first unlined flute with keys I’ve ever
heard of, by the by, but that’s probably just me.
Amber, mopane is usually cheaper than
blackwood, which tends to be standard
for Irish flutes and sounds very nice.
The blackwood flutes cost more, 625
for CBs. Also Casey makes boxwood
flutes, which are very nice too,
at 625.
IMO, mopane sounds quite nice and blackwood/
boxwood nicer.
More expensive flutes are often made
with a metal lined head, brass or silver,
and a metal tuning slide. This creates
a different sound–less woody but very
nice. There is a lot of discussion about
whether the all wood flutes (the CBs flutes
we are discussing now are all wood)
are better–or not.
The tuning slide can be helpful if one
is playing with other instruments, because
one can easily shift tuning sharp or flat.
On an all wood flute one uses the ‘tenon’,
which is cork or thread wrapped, to
adust the tuning.
Casey makes lined flutes too, and they
cost several hundred dollars more.
By the way, he’s a nice fellow to talk
to on the phone.
I agree with everyone about Casey Burns’ flutes being a good choice for small hands. I have a keyless Rudall in boxwood with a slide. It’s a good instrument. I tried the mopane folk flute while I was waiting for my Rudall and was very pleased with it too. The mopane seemed louder than the boxwood. The boxwood has a sweeter sound. I haven’t tried Casey’s blackwood flute.
You also might want to check out Phil Bleazey’s flutes. His Rudalls are very good for small hands, and you can get one with a slide for about 450 (they used to be a lot less before the dollar crashed). I think Phil’s Rudalls are the best-kept secret in flutedom; I like mine much more than my Burns 3-piece, and it’s quite sturdy, too.
Amber— I’ll agree with the number of people here on the Casey Burns; I think the mopane would fit into your budget at $450 and help your dad with his blood pressure . I have this flute and it does have a nice woody tone and isn’t a chore to play. Since you are a music major, and you really are leaning towards wood, the small and commonsense amount of care that the mopane would require shouldn’t pose a problem at all.
I think this would give you a quality flute at a reasonable price and give you a good start on the Irish flute. If in the future, you want to go with a more expensive model, the flute would still get a decent price, sold used, if you wanted to part with it.
