I’ve been listening to Joanie Madden, who plays a boehm flute. It sounds like a wooden flute, there is a picture on the back of the album, and the flute is entirely metal. How is she able to get a sound like that? If one can do that, there are plenty of advantages to the boehm flute. Best,
Sorry Bloomfield!
Denny
I think Grey Larsen talks about that in his Megalithic Guide to Irish Flute And Tin Whistle. She took lessons from Mike Rafferty if I remember correctly. Other than turning her headjoint in, I don’t remember if there were any other tricks.
Cheers,
Aaron
She took lessons from Jack Coen.
Yeah, she’s really good.
I love my wooden Boehm flute…it is kind of the best of both worlds, but there is something really special about controlling the notes with just the fingers, as opposed to a mechanism.
“Megalithic.” I love it! 
OK, here’s how I understand it.
The fellow I take lessons from has said that in the early part of the 20th century lots of people used to play ITM on metal Boehms, not only because they were what was available but because hey, as you said, they worked and didn’t crack and stuff and were actually cheaper as mass-production techniques got better and better.
It was just in the last half of the 20th century there was a resurgence. Something about “authentic sound” – who knows? Especially since there were all those cool old wooden flutes to be had cheap floating 'round Oxfam shops, etc. (Probably 'cause their owners traded them in on metal Boehms! 
)
Anyway, I’ve seen Noel Rice and bunch of his students playing metal Boehms – & I’ve even heard them do a not-bad job sliding, etc.; I played ITM on mine for several years (and still occasionally do when there’s call for a tune at wedding gig, etc.); and of course, there’s Joanie.
So hey. In my understanding, there’s no reason NOT to, really. EXCEPT … lots of people still think wood is more flexible as far as a rounder, warm-dark sound (hence the wooden retrofit headjoints starting to show up on a few metal flutes here & there).
And personally, while I can almost exactly match the hard-edged “frowning” low register between the two types, I’m still not convinced I can get that looser, more primitive sound as nicely on a Boehm.
Oh, and there is the infinite variety of shading via open holes/keylessness… And to me, it does look cooler … 
But nevertheless. I think the basic rule of “play what you’ve got” (or “run what you brung” in tractor-pull parlance) is still in force. It’s not like most of those folks way back when had the choices we do now – but regardless, they sure sound cool to me.
(Funny thought: Maybe we’ve all bought into wooden flutes when what we’re really trying to replicate from those 1920s recordings is leaky Boehms & soft embouchures!)
I played Irish music on my boehm for a couple years before getting a wooden flute.At the time,I thought it sounded fine,and maybe it did.And it felt fine too.Everyone kept telling me,“It must be hard,playing the silver flute.” I always said,“No,not really.”
Now,after playing my wooden flute for a few months,I could not go back to the boehm for Irish music.It feels clunky,I don’t feel it “buzzing” as much,and it doesn’t sound the same to me.I can make it sound rough and woody,and I’m not really sure what the difference in sound is,but there’s something.
My main reason for playing the wooden,though, is how it feels.I could live with the sound of a boehm,but not the feel.
Those are my thoughts,for what they’re worth.
-Kelly
Your story is quite nearly the same as mine, and I feel exactly as you do.
I struggled with keys ~ I now feel quite free!!!
Mary
interesting comments. Joannie is reported to say, on the
liner notes, that the Boehm gives her easy access
to various keys. I wonder if she has an French style
flute (the sort with holes in the keys). I’ve never really
played a Boehm. Gee she does sound good on the
CD. Best and thanks, Jim
Jim you are right, Joannie sounds great, and a Boehm flute can be a real joy to play.!
In a different light, though, I have a few CD’s by Joemy Wilson (hammered Dulcimer) that I love. She is accompanied by a flutist who plays a silver flute, and you can hear the keys clacking in the background of the music on many of the faster tunes. It’s a bit distracting. 
Mary
Oops, that’s the second time I’ve mis-cited information from Grey Larsen’s book. No more citing from that book for me until it returns to my possession (it was too big to make the move with me from North Dakota to Washington).
Although to my defense she does credit Mike Rafferty as an influence and he played Boehm after he got back into playing ITM and before he got his Olwell… this cited from an interview by Earle Hitchner.
Cheers,
Aaron
What I really want to know is her technique of blowing the flute.
I also listened to a lot of Joanie Madden music - she plays a metal Boehm-flute, but it sounds like a wooden flute. I don’t know how she could do this - but it must be something with blowing the flute.
I had a Boehm-system wooden flute after my late grandmother - it was my first flute. But it produced a sound like of a metal one’s. So I don’t think that Joanie’s flute might have a different structure than any other metal flutes.
Anyway it’s really a miracle for me and I want to know it.
Bennet
Seems like I read somewhere that Joanie Madden plays an open-hole Miyazawa flute. So, it’s just a regular, upper-end Boehm flute. She makes the traditional “wooden” sound with her embouchure and by turning the head-joint in more than most Boehm players do.
(I just checked the Miyazawa website. Joanie is listed as a “Miyazawa artist.”)
Jeanie
One time, we were at Somerville in NJ where Joanie was getting the
crystal cup award, which the AOH there gives to a great traditional player
once a year. We were talking and Joanie asked if she could try my flute
(Olwell blackwood). Well as she started to try it, she turned away from
me, but I saw looking from her right, that she began what looked to me
like that ‘chipmunk’ embouchure (for lack of a better word).
If she was doing the same thing, John Skelton demonstrated this
embouchure in his summer camp classes. It’s that the top lip comes way
over the bottom one so that you blow more down into the flute with a
very small opening. Hope that helps.
Lesl
Thanks Lesl!
I’m gonna to try it.
Bennett
Joanie has the strangest-looking embouchure of anyone I have seen. It’s totally crooked! But, my Goodness, she gets a great sound.
I should go on record as saying that like Mary, I too prefer my wooden flute anymore. And I also like the “buzzing” feel I get in my hands as the wood vibrates; it seems so alive.
But easy access to all those different keys is nice, especially when you play in working bands or with varying instruments and do solo work like she does – you can just play stuff in different keys (or even change keys as a variation) because it sounds different or better without so much effort.
I echo Jeannie (Jeanne-Marie, is that you, BTW? I’ve been meaning to ask! If so, hi, stranger!) on Joanie’s embouchure. Try rolling the flute in a bit and really frowning – pulling back the corners of your mouth quite hard – on your low notes and you should be able to get that sound with some practice. Just watch you don’t go flat. (And if that is you, Jeannie, we both know where we learned that! 
)
Cathy,
Yes, it’s “Jean Marie,” aka Jeanie! I know what you mean about the “frowning corners.” 
, or rather 
(that kind of looks like frowning corners!)
(I tried to send you a PM but I kept getting a message saying “website not responding.” So, you may not have gotten that.)
Anyway, it’s a small world! We’re still going to have to get that Kentucky group together to play our flutes!
Jeanie, aka “Jean Marie”
[quote=“Hoovorff”]Cathy,
We’re still going to have to get that Kentucky group together to play our flutes!]
I’m thinking we should get out some old Panpipes stuff. 
Anyway, it’s great to hear it’s you! I told John I thought I knew you but kept getting sidetracked instead of asking you directly …
But yes, play some music we must, in whatever genre. Glad to hear you’re still playing, too!
Also, I’m so sorry about the misspelling of your name – 20-plus years is a long, long time! Isn’t it scary?
Best to you,
cat.
Cathy,
Please, NO PANPIPES! (Theme from “Dallas,” or was it one of those other night time soaps?)
Jeanie