Byrne Available

Irish Flute
1

Hi all,

I bought Carol’s Byrne last week. I’ve always wanted to try one.

Let me say, when I first picked it up I thought “So what’s all the fuss about?” Then I realized I was probably missing the boat. I mean it’s a Byrne for cryin’ out loud. I also remembered several postings about people having issues with Byrne flutes for the first few days.

So, it was off to the woodshed for a bit to find what it was that this baby wanted. I found it. It’s really a terrific flute…wonderful, dark tone and plenty of volume for a smallish-holed Rudall, also incredibly responsive.

This is a flute that wants a very specific and focused embouchure but when it gets it it really delivers. It would be a great teacher.

I’m not going to keep this one as I have recently fallen head over heels with a McGee mopane GLP with two semi-cirlce embouchre which just really suits my style. I also have a keyed Boxwood Burns Rudall that I could never part with. So that’s already two flutes to my one mouth so I need to keep the personal herd small (remember that I also have a pile of new and consigned flutes for the store that I have to play regularly to keep them happy…tough life I know.).

So anyhoo, rather than being a big fat booger head and selling this flute for an obscene profit three days after I got a bargain here on my beloved board, I’d rather offer it here again. Even guys with online stores gotta sleep at night. :wink:

So, there’s a picture here - http://irishflutestore.com/POFlutes.html

If you have something you’d like to swap I’m up for a bit o’ horse tradin.

If I don’t get a swap offer that makes my heart go fast I’ll sell it for what Carol sold it for (plus a $500 finder’s fee. Oops, just kidding! :laughing: ) which was $1000.

Flutes I still need to try before I die:

Murray
Grinter

Flutes I’m willing to consider for a swap:

Irish ones…with holes in 'em. May also be willing to consider Ulleann pipes (Wow, I can’t believe I said that! :boggle: But I did so, there you go) :slight_smile:

Cheers,

Doc[/img]

PS By the way, don’t make offers on the board. Send me an email or PM instead. :slight_smile:

2

I had a chance to play that flute last winter and Doc’s assessment is on the money.

Speaking of Bryan Byrne, I stopped by his place for a visit two weeks ago and he had me try one of his new small-hole Rudall models which was really fantastic – forget everything you may have heard about small-holed flutes sounding “quiet.” There was nothing wimpy about that flute: it had a powerful bottom D and a very focused, rich tone; I was really impressed. Bryan is pretty much caught up with his waiting list these days, so if anyone has been thinking of placing an order with him now would probably be a good time.

3

Brad, do you know how to adjust the cork in these?
The one in mine doesn’t wantt move.
Best, Jim

4

Sorry, I don’t…you could just call Bryan and ask him if there’s any trick to it. Probably it’s just very tight. I’ve never had to adjust the cork on any flute I’ve owned in the past 20 years, although I’ve done adjustments for friends; if the cork was set properly at the beginning usually it’s the player who needs to adjust, not the cork, unless you have to play with another instrument that requires the tuning slide to be pulled way out or pushed all the way in.

5

As a newcomer to Irish flutes, and a Byrne owner ('98 model) since September, I agree with Doc and Brad’s comments. I noticed the responsiveness immediately, and the dark tone intermittently. The flute does need a focussed airstream, and I am only just getting that tone reliably. Low D is still missing in action, although it shows up just often enough to tantalize. But I reckon that when I do figure it all out, I will have learned a lot that wouldn’t have occurred if I started with a more accessible flute.

As an aside, a big breakthrough was David Levine’s comment in another thread that the lower octave needs more support, and the upper octave less. It was searching for that good, quieter, not sharp upper octave that paradoxically produced a much better tone throughout the range.

Brad, do the newer Byrne flutes have a deeper chimney/different embouchure to get the increased volume mentioned on this board of his newer flutes relative to his older ones?

Hugh

6

Thanks Hugh. When students come for lessons the first thing I have them do is show me how quietly they can play the high A and B. Last week a student came who couldn’t play quielty in the high upper octave. She finally did it and when she came back today, after a week of practise, her tone on the low D was rich, strong, and vibrant.
It is a great way of learning to control your embouchure in order to produce a strong sound without blowing hard – which would result in playing sharp and harshly.

7

I dunno about the embouchure, but whatever he’s doing, it works! The flute I tried actually sounded more powerful to me than my current Byrne, which is based on a larger-holed flute (a Rudall Carte, I believe)…I think it’s due to the very focused sound, which cuts through like a knife. It reminds me of how some fiddlers can can be heard clearly in a noisy room even though they aren’t putting much force on the strings – it’s because their tone is pure and clear. That’s the way that flute felt to me when I played it (briefly) a few Saturdays ago.

8

Hi all,

The Byrne has a new home. :slight_smile:


Cheers,

Doc

9

What breed of horse did you get in that trade, if you don’t mind sharing?

10

Actually a team of horses.

An old keyed up French lady in Cocus
and a Young whipper snapper in Cooktown ironwood by Jon C. :slight_smile:

Doc

11

Thank goodness it’s gone. Maybe I can get some sleep at night now instead trying to figure out what I had to sell or trade. There is a Byrne in my future. I figure everyone needs a Hammy and a Byrne in their stable.

:laughing:

jim d