We gals like 'em, too!
M
if Byrne says a couple of months, add about another 9 to that and you’ll be near the time he might deliver. If this isn’t the case anymore…good on him and his lucky customers.
I agree. People often assert that Prattens are louder or easier at the bottom of the first octave. But I cut my teeth on Rudalls, and the big difference I see is that Rudalls are easier at the bottom. I’m doing my best to become bilingual.
He did deliver pretty well on time, not egregiously over–there
were some delays
cause we all got sick during the winter. I think it took
about three monthsish.
Lucky you. I had lived horror story that I won’t repeat. I’m pleased to hear that things are different.
ps as you might suspect, i’m not playing his instruments.
(Gallagher- Pratten)
I talked to Byrne yesterday and mentioned your post,
without mentioning you. He said he’s not surprised,
there was a time when was overwhelmed with
work and he couldn’t deliver. He seems to have
re-arranged things, he doesn’t seem to have
a waiting list anymore, though how he’s
operating without one I’m not sure. He appears
to just be taking a few orders at a time,
those he can fill in a reasonable time.
He says he is ready for more work.
The flute’s bottom is beginning to open up.
I played with a hammered dulcimer group
yesterday and it did well. They described
it as ‘sweet and penetrating.’ I’ve got the
low D and E in tune and volume is
increasing.
Bryan said it might take a year for me
to really understand the flute!
Intriguing.
Will you be able to go back to a normal flute, Jim, after spending a year learning to adapt yourself to an awkward flute ?
I ain’t a-skeert, neither! 
Bryan says it takes him 15 minutes to adjust to a Pratten.
Brad Hurley said, I believe, it takes him a good deal
longer. I continue to think very well of my
keyed Copley, by the way.
THE QUEST BEGINS
[quote=“jim stone”]I talked to Byrne yesterday and mentioned your post,
without mentioning you.
Real classy…
He doesn’t have access to the internet.
Nobody wants to get on the wrong side
of Dangerous Bryan Bryne, I know,
but you’ll probably be alright.
This is an exception–if you post here
the makers may well read your post.
The flute continues to open.
Brazenkaine,
I’m pretty sure that when one posts a comment like that to a public forum it generally becomes public knowledge and is not only suitable for but intended for public discussion.
Correct me if I’m wrong.
Chris
I wish I could read all these exciting posts without access to the internet.
Think of the money it would save me !
( Especially if it saved me from buying any more flutes ! )
It is no wonder they have waiting lists if they spend their time reading all this drivel !
M
(sorry andrew, couldn’t help it!
These remarks, plus a good strong cup of coffee, have gotten my day off to a good start!
Mary
They are no better than we are in this regard,
I suppose, except they post less often.
Bryan had never heard of chiffandfipple,
by the way–a genuine exception.
I believe he lives in a small whiteframe
19th century home, where he sits up
nights by candle light, polishing
flute bores.
Bryan is an old friend of mine. He lives in a 19th C. manner, not just in an old house. His small house is on one floor, and rather bare. He doesn’t want much furniture or many rugs on the floor because he wants to hear the flutes better. He is a perfectionist to the extreme. That is why his flutes take so long to finish and deliver. His work is exquisite, which should come as no surprise: he learned a lot about making flutes from his friend Chris Wilkes (n.b., AK).
Bryan is an accomplished potter and a sculptor in clay. He also repairs fiddles and plays them, in addition to making and playing the flute. It is no surprise that it might take a while to get a flute from Bryan. He works alone and has neither apprentice nor co-worker. They are wonderful instruments.
As most of you know, my main flute is an Olwell. This comes in part because of my friendship with Patrick. Bryan’s flutes are more Rudall-like and Patrick’s more Prattenesque. I couldn’t say that one is better than the other. I play either flute when the mood takes me to play one or the other. As Aaron Malcom pointed out, one should have as many flutes as one can afford to have.
Learning to play one of Bryan’s flutes is like learning to play an exceptional fiddle or to drive a sensitive sports car. The technique acquired in mastering the instrument might be longer in coming but you will emerge a very good player at the end of the learning process. And in the meantime, in the process of becoming a good player, you will have a great deal of enjoyment playing the flute and learning how much you can get from the flute in terms of volume, sliding into notes, controlling the pitch, and getting a clear tone.
There are two philosophies here, it seems.
One is to have as many flutes as one can
afford; the other is to play just one and get
what one can out of it.
I prefer the first, lust-driven wretch that I am,
my wife definitely prefers the second (though
she doesn’t play flute).
Comments?
I prefer the second, although sometimes I think it would be handy to have two flutes for different moods or particular tunes, as David described. Well, I do have two flutes, one D and one Bb, but I mean sometimes it would be nice to have two D flutes. But any more than that and I don’t think you can really get to know your flutes.
Bryan does indeed live a somewhat 19th century life; for a while there (and this may still be true) he didn’t even own a refrigerator as he didn’t like the noise. I think the advice of adding nine months or more to whatever delivery date Bryan quotes is probably reasonable, at least for a keyed flute…he can produce keyless flutes much more efficiently. Having owned two of Bryan’s flutes, I can definitely say they’re worth the wait.
I’m glad David brought up the subject of playing multiple flutes. I’m still trying to discover which flute, or even style of flute, is for me. But I suspect in the end I’ll still have at least 3-4 that I play regularly. My wife has played one flute exclusively for >25 years, although now she has one silver flute and one keyed wooden flute. So I wondered if I was strange in leading a life of flute polygamy.
I’ve just received an M&E R&R, so I played it for a few days. Then I picked up the Hammy again last night. It was as though I’d been playing with earplugs that I removed when I started playing the Hammy. Wow it’s got a big sound.