That was well put James and I agree. The thing that drives me crazy around here is the push for the beginer to drop a thousand dollars on an instrument that they may not even get into. And as far as 300 dollar flutes go I say bull to the guitar comparison. My rosewood Dixon is still teaching me about itself. In fact after I got the Lehart it tought me about the Dixon. And don`t forget Tony makes these things one at a time and is a very good craftsman. And I might add the thing is beautiful and light and quite capable. Of course my first flute was an Almount which still sits here by my desk ready for a quick tune. I also love bamboo flutes(not cane) and enjoy playing everyone of those. There have been many long threads on this subject and I do feel sorry for the rank begginer who comes here for advice. The flute is a very subjective thing but there are solid choices in the lower price range and we owe it to those people to make it known to them. In my humble opinion that is.
Yep, that bothers me also. It’s what I call “The Myth of Equipment,” and one disappointing discovery for me was when I found out that it is just as prevalent among Irish flutists as among their classical counterparts.
I have heard flutists with an $8000 Powell who were only competent players with mediocre musicianship. Then I have heard flutists with a $300 Artley who could play with such technique, depth, accuracy, and emotion that you would be out of breath when they stopped playing–because you had forgotten to breathe.
A bad flute is a hindrance to learning, that is true. But even the best flute plays no better than the flutist playing it.
Another reason I favor not starting on top-of-the-line flutes is the deplorable lack of care many students provide their instruments. Start with that $8000 Powell or Haynes, never dry it out after playing, keep it in the trunk of your car over the hot summer, and then take it out and see what condition it’s in. Now imagine what that would do to a blackwood Olwell or Hamilton and you’ve got the point.
That’s the main thing that makes me a bit nervous about moving to a wooden flute, actually, when I upgrade from my Dixon 2-piece. I’d been looking at the Dixon 3-piece, M&E, and Seery - all with decent reputations but requiring minimal care.
Now this appears - a wooden flute from a reputable maker right at the bottom end of the polymer flute price range. It’s very, very, tempting - but I do wonder about care. One of the things that sent me towards the polymers in the first place was several people describing how they keep their poly flutes set up next to the computer or reading chair so they could play a quick tune whenever the fancy hit.
I’m glad to have another reputable choice - but I wonder if the real appeal here shouldn’t be “Casey Burns” rather than “Wooden Flute”.
I owned a blackwood McGee headjoint (for my Boehm flute) a few years back and now have a Burns mopane flute, and I think that the fragility of wooden instruments is somewhat overrated. True, don’t store it in a barrel of water, don’t dry it in the oven, but provided you break it in slowly, play it regularly, oil it periodically and don’t abuse it or your common sense, the flute should be fine.
I agree with Micah here. These flutes are not indestructable, but they’re not horribly fragile things either. This is especially true for flutes that don’t have metal linings or tuning slides. One of the biggest causes of cracking is a wooden part shrinking against a metal part that doesn’t. Eventually something gives, usually the wood.
The two of you are doubtless right - it’s just because I’ve never dealt with it before it seems like a big deal.
But this flute is definitely on my short list. I’ve got a bit of time to think, anyway - I won’t start looking seriously until early next year (got the family Christmas gifts to consider before toys for myself!). By then, I imagine there will be folks on the board with firsthand experience of these flutes.
I wonder if this might not be fodder for another thread, but anyway…
What’s the true value of tuning slides anyway? Whistles generally have limited tunability, which doesn’t seem to be a big deal. When I play my Boehm flute I don’t adjust my headjoint more that a few millimeters to tune, and on my new Burns, I can get a moderate range of tuneability with the headjoint/body tenon. Really, there’s one spot where I can most easily play at A-440, and that’s where the headjoint sits. Are people out there really adjusting/using their tuning slides that much? Is not playing at A-440 so prevalent that a tuning slide is necessary? I wonder also because regardless of how much physical mobility may exist for tuning purposes, the flute will not actually stay in tune with itself over a large range.
'I’m often playing with other instruments, sometimes
on the street, and the tuning slide helps me stay
with them. It’s a very efficient way
of tuning the flute. Also if you want a lined head, which
has its special sound that you might want or need,
the tuning slide comes with it.
As has often been said, we tend to view
wooden flutes as terribly fragile,
and many aren’t. I confess I just
play my Sweet flutes as if they were
polymer–don’t dry em or oil em
and leave em about. It isn’t horribly
dry here, they’re not terribly expensive,
they’re soaked in tung oil, and nothing
bad at all has ever happened to any
of em as a consequence.
But even flutes it would be foolish to
treat that way are less vulnerable
than we often think.
I notice, also, that many flutesmythes
give incompatible instructions about oiling,
humidyfing and even swabbing. It’s
confuinsg and charming both.
I didn’t think i needed a tuning slide, until somebody started coming regularly to the session i play in with a sharp accordion! :roll: That was the end fpr my non-tunable whistles too.
So tuning slide virtues are: different tonal characteristics (assuming the head is fully lined) and being able to tune sharp, which seems harder to do on a flute without a tuning slide. I happen to really like the sound of an all-wood flute, and I’ll cross the tuning sharp bridge when I come to it…
(I’m amused that I’ve come across posts by people who hold the silver flute in low esteem but at the same time seem to want a flute with a metal lined head…I know they sound different, but it is somewhat funny…)
Micah - a well made slideless flute should be nearly as tunable as one with a slide. It shouldn’t be perfectly in tune all the way in. On my recently (hurray!) sold Dixon, I could tune nearly as much as with my Seery with slide.
Having had one flute with and one without - I could take it or leave it provided I don’t play the flute in such a way the tenon joint has to be all the way in to be in tune (which I know we all play differently - if I blow flat, another may blow sharp on the same flute).
After all, all those traversos out there are slideless yet they tune with other baroque instruments fine.
As to lined heads and tuning slides, I
do think it matters what you’re using
the flute for and the circumstances
under which one is playing.
I have a G flute without a slide (well known maker)
that I cannot use outdoors because
it’s flat when it’s cold and I cannot
go sharp enough to play with
the banjo, etc. Same thing with
a D flute. But in my living room
it hardly matters.
The lined head seems to add volume and
very definite articulation between
notes. Not that this is better or
worse, but I find it helpful in performing,
especially without amplification. .
It’s rumored that even banjos can be tuned, even to play sharper, if need be. I haven’t seen a lot of evidence for banjo players actually using those little cranks their strings attach to, but if my theory is right, a banjo player could, conceivably, tune to you . . .
The trouble is that the temperature keeps
changing, so the tuning of the instruments
keeps changing. It’s a lot easier to shift
the tuning of the flute than the banjo,
especially as by the time the banjo
is in tune with me I may have changed.
There is a special joy to playing
on the street, I promise you,
especially Christmas Carols. Best
Yah, I was just ribbin’ you, and through you, banjo players (definition of perfect pitch: when the banjo lands right on top of the accordion in the dumpster, that sort of thing).
I’ve only ever played on the street as part of well-rehearsed, hired groups (brass quintet hired for the holidays, etc), sound fun, though.
The lined head seems to add volume and very definite articulation between notes.
That’s interesting…I’d not heard anyone mention that before. I was thinking an all wood flute w/o tuning slide sounded fine with me, but I tend towards the articulated side of things so maybe not…
P.S. I just made a ‘discovery’ … I was ‘playing’ around with my only flute (Bb bamboo Olwell) and was trying it with my hands reversed (left on the end, right towards top). Suddenly I was getting a much nicer and easeier sound out of the flute. I switched back and forth a few times to try and determine what changed. I finally noticed that when I had my hands reversed (the wrong way) that I was holding the end of the flute out from my body at an angle. When I normally practice I’ve got it perpendicular to my body. Maybe my position was wrong to begin with ??? I’ve had lot’s of whistle lessons but never a flute lesson so I may be doing things incorrectly…I sure have a hard time hitting anything above 2nd octave d.
All wood flutes sound beautiful, it’s just different.
If that’s a low Bb, Olwell bamboo
flute, I think it’s no surprise that you’re having
trouble! If you want to play flute, well,
aint nothing like a teacher, and
there are some where you live.
Also a D flute. Best
Jeez Mary Im turning red. Im not sure my shrink would agree with you on the grounded part and as for musicianship, well, I still think Bob Dylan can sing. Now back when I was a little bit more spiritualy tuned in then I am now it was presented to me that one of the criteria for this go around was to work on loyality. But Ive always been that way for good or for ill. I do have a pretty high standard for my loyality but Im a sucker at heart. And I am still bowled over by kind words.
Eric, speaking of baroque, have you checked out eilam`s web site and that baroque flute he created. Mother of pearl, what a beauty.