Hi Cat!
I am delighted to meet you-- I enjoy your posts so much.
I just went looking for my favorite one but couldn’t find it with the
search function. You were talking about how you went through a period
of intense study, listening to ITM almost exclusively. It altered your
perception…and suddenly you found yourself thinking things like
“Wow, that’s amazing the way he rolled that E on the third measure!”
I searched on “flute geek” but didn’t find your quote
(I’m a flute geek wannabe)
Changing the subject, I thought you might have fun with this
(go back a page) –
“Corps de rechange” – not to be confused with a corpse de rechange, which sounds like something from a murder mystery.
Now there is a novel that is crying out to be written.
It was a dark and stormy night. In the distance could be
heard a mournful sound, reedy yet rich, with a hard-edged
bite, but sweeter as it soared into the higher register…
I listened, entranced, and wondered to myself how long the
waiting list might be…then suddenly A SHOT RANG OUT…
Hei there, Dunno. Actually, one of the better, and more authoritative explanations I can offhand think of as to just why one should more carefully “break in” a new, wooden flute could be attributed to Mr. Terry McGee, flutemaker, of OZ.
Beyond that, I, for one, have always been careful to keep my wooden flutes not too moist, not too dry, and always well oiled.
Come to think of it, maybe I have just been lucky.
And, in case I have not said so lately, hello to everybody, here, in the realm of Chiff & Fipple!!
U guys all so kind , specially Doc Jones, his suggestion is very helpful to me (i was writing mails to ask him newbie’s questions and all has replied carefully )
About my flute, its keyless “F”. First, i was considering about “D” as the most common flute for irish music but i realize i will focus on my traditional music rather than irish music and most of them are written at major C, Bb or F. Thus keyless F will be perfect suitable for me. Further, F flute requires less air, smaller means more afforable . But it for solo player - me
Now i have to wait 3 more weeks for Copley to finish it, plus about 1 week for shipping and finally, at least 2 most challenge weeks for testing as u guys said. Im wondering how hard it can be to put down the flute after 10 mins. My god !
It’ll be worth the wait. I’m still after one of Dave’s F flutes – they’re a blast! FWIW, he at least partially based the design on an old Hawkes F that’s owned by John Skelton, so John got to play with the prototype, suggest tweaks, etc. Anyway, if you’re like a lot of folks, there will come a time when you’re so frustrated at not the flute, but your playing of it that you will want to throw the thing out the window during your first 10 minutes … so enjoy the honeymoon!
Bad news. I was so naive. It’s gotten much, much worse since then. Among other equally enthralling minutiae, I’m now wrapped up in comparing tongued vs. glottal articulation.
I listened, entranced, and wondered to myself how long the
waiting list might be…then suddenly A SHOT RANG OUT…
“No, not a shot”, I muttered to myself, “not loud enough.
Could it be…the sound of a flute being tossed out a window?” Corpse de Rechange, by Nellie McChud
(What’s the giddy emoticon? sorry, back on topic…)
When I asked Dave about, is it possible to make a flute that is a
combo C and D, he said yes. But when I asked if a Bb was in
his future, he said he didn’t think so-- that there were many
makers of excellent Bbs, and so instead of working on low flutes
he wanted to work on further developing the F. He said it was
underappreciated, and had a special voice all its own.
Fear not. Thread drift is a way of life here at C&F. We embrace it. Makes things more…conversational, and I’ve learned some things I might never have otherwise without it. Not to mention that it’s a good source of hilarity.
If someone wants to get back on topic, they will. No biggie.
And, gasp, back on topic (sort of but not), one thing you’ll want to check right away is the relative intonation of each body. One might be better than the other. If there are any issues, even if you think you might be mistaken, get right back to your maker, whoever it is, and work it out. And don’t wait. Even the best of makers can have variance in their work at times.
I think this is so cool. I know that many of you have been playing
flute (of some sort or other) since you were in your teens, and I
know that many of you are multi-instrumentalists. To me you are
like rock stars
This morning I sat down with flute in hand and was reading Brad
Hurley’s observations about articulation. It was so technical I had
to read it aloud very slowly Then I downloaded the sound clips
and listened, and tried to imitate what I could hear.
It’s a very heightened state of concentration. It’s humbling. It uses
muscles in my head I didn’t even know were there
And I think it’s so amazing that you guys are going through the
exact same thing. No matter how many years you’ve been at it,
it’s still humbling, it still makes the muscles in your head hurt.
Please. Each and every one of us is human. All too, actually. What’s really cool about this site is that there are so many helpful people of various levels of experience and various perspectives, and all useful in some way.
Give yourself some credit for starting on the path of tradfluteness. Even after a hundred years and polished chops you’ll probably still feel like a beginner.
sorry, back on topic…)
Then I downloaded the sound clips