Well..I’ve gone and done it…first it was Uillean Pipes, then NSP’s, then SSP’s, then whistles, now..FLUTES. Bugger and a half…my wife is wondering what I’m going to make NEXT!
Anyways..to the point. I’m trying to finalize and tweak my design for irish flutes. I’m trying to keep it relatively simple…no keys so far, 3 pieces…but I will need an “outside ear and embouchure” to test these for me. How would you likely lads and lasses redcommend I go about this? Honestly, I’m looking for good advice here, not just a “pick me pick me!” thing…
well honestly, I being a beginner (8 months or so of flute playing), would be able to tell you how easy of a blower it is
Seriously though, maybe have some folks submit some sound samples of their playing, then pick a few that have distinctly different styles - might give a good overall impression of your flute’s playability?
I’m sure you won’t have any problem finding somebody to test your flute.
I would gladly do it but I live far away from you, and if you want to get something out of the testing you might want to have someone nearby testing it for you.
Check your PMs for a few suggestions Davey. And don’t send the thing to me! There are a few folks here who’d do a good job, though, I think, of a good and honest appraisal.
Good luck!
Edited to add:
Aside from the names I suggested via PM, my advice to anyone seeking this kind of input would be to seek those players whom you know both play well and who have shown they can adequately describe the qualities of a flute, so that the input is more than “It’s great!”, or “I dunno, sort of not so good . . .” Also harangue the folks at your local session, if there are some good players there. You might also check with other makers to see if they are willing to give it a whirl and give some input: I don’t know what the business ethics are, but many makers seem wiling to share their experience and advice, which is how we get future makers, anyway, right?
Or you can always bribe somebody here to say nice things and start a rush on your list.
I’d be more than happy to try one of your flutes, although I am in the market for one so I may be inclined to keep it if I like it too much and send you some money back instead
How about having several of us try out a flute for a few weeks each? You’ll get honest opinions from people with a variety of tastes and levels of experience.
Yeah, a roving flute idea sounds great. Many opinions from folks at differnt levels. We could all review, give our experience and what we currently play - you’d get great feedback, and we’d all get a chance to play…
If the roving flute idea catches on, I’d like to give it a try. While not a rank beginner, I am not yet an intermediate. I can get good solid sounds out of my Seery and Casey Burns, can play some tunes, but the breathing part gives me trouble.
I have Grey Larson’s book/CD on order and check my mail daily.
…well…let’s see…Most conical flutes follow certain patterns in terms of the slope of the cone…so essentially what I did was cheat! I examined 6 different flutes I liked with differing characteristics, measured the cones and tonehole placement and plugged the info into my computer spreadsheet. Once I did that I gained the equation for hole placement on each cone, allowing for individual voicing and tonewoods, then… well…I walked the fence In other words, I averaged out all the good flutes I had on hand and took the average measurements!
The heart of the flute is the shape of the bore, in relation to toneholes (size and spacing) and the waveform generator …er..the embouchure. (still can’t spell it!! :roll: ) The number of joints etc. is unimportant to the overall tonal quality.
And from there..well…shooting from the hip! All the research in the world only helps so much..the rest comes from trying out a model, finding what’s good and keeping it, and how to adjust the stuff that’s maybe not so good.
…man..I just re-read my post…blah blah blah…did I actually answer a question?
..I spelled it wrong! 
Impressive Dave!! Looks very well-made (at least as well as one can discern from a single digital pic 
In other words, I averaged out all the good flutes I had on hand and took the average measurements!