Cross-post: My thoughts on the Casey Burns Folk Flute

Whistle
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I posted this on the flute forum, but since many whistlers may consider taking up the flute, I am posting it here, too. At $250, this flute is affordable.

I just got one yesterday, second-hand, from someone on the board. I am both surprised and delighted. This is, by a long shot, the finest beginner flute available. It out-sings all the others by many degrees. Years ago, someone I knew referred to his Casey Burns flute as a “tree branch.” I had seen them, and they had looked rather thick-walled compared to other flutes, and when I posted on the board that I had heard one referred to that way, I got hammered, clobbered, attacked. Hmph. The flute looks a bit thick, but not unattractive. The embouchure hole looks strange (an almost-round hole with sanding at the sides, to taper it. I thought it would sound unfocused, as I have been playing Olwells and the like for years, but after a short lip adjustment period (about 4 minutes), I was (and am) outright amazed at what comes out of it, and how it feels. It is very different from an Olwell flute. Olwells have the classic reedy Olwell tone and basically play themselves. The thick wall of the embouchure hole makes this flute very resistant…I mean it feels as if it pushes back at me when I am blowing into it. The tone is superb! All the notes sing strongly and beautifully. The purity is remarkable. The second octave is rich, focused and sweet, perhaps more than on any other simple system flute I have played. This is shocking to me, but is, nevertheless, true. The cross-fingered (OXOXXX) C natural is THE STRONGEST (sounds just like its surrounding notes) I have encountered on any flute. I have spent a happy day with it so far and I can say that this flute makes me feel like a flute player…I get lazy on the Olwells and the like. When I play this one, it feels like, I don’t know…a relationship. I am smitten. I don’t know how a beginner would sound or feel on this, but I have no doubt that it would grow with you. Remember, though: because of the thickness of the embouchure hole, it DOES require a different embouchure than Olwells and the like. I want to mention that the Grey Larsen recording doesn’t do this flute justice. I know Grey is a great player, so it must be the compression that takes away the center of the tone. This is a seriously good flute, by any standard.

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Geez!! Make me want to flutle why dontcha???

I remember when Norcal got one for his wife, I believe. I hope they have consistent quality control. I have always felt that STUDENTS NEED GOOD INSTRUMENTS. My VERY limited experience with cheap flutes was that they were a lot harder to play than good ones. This is great news…

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Jessie, thank you for verifying what I have been trying to say about the flute I got for my wife. She adores hers. She is still a beginner and is working up her flute lips but has not gone through the stage that I have heard about where sometimes a player is just not able to get a sound out. She is able to play hers every time she picks it up.

How much of that is her inate ability (she was playing Herbivores polymer 3 piece in less than 5 minutes) and how much is the flute we do not know since the only other flute she has played for more than a few minutes is a nickel C fife that she rarely picks up since getting this flute.

Jess, is yours in mopani or blackwood? I can’t remember if he does this one in box too.

The only complaint she has is that the holes are a bit small and restrict half holing, especially on the D#.

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He does this flute only in mopane.

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Mopane is wonderful wood. Tools and finishes almost like plastic (only prettier).
If I didn’t already have a beautiful Cocobolo Schultz flute, this is the flute I would buy.

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I agree entirely. I’m very much a beginner on flute but I’m making progress on a standard Burns keyless (which I was lucky to get on loan) and a Le Hart keyed. The Burns is a very easy blower and at the start you sure need encouragement. I assume the folk flute would also have that playability which is so helpful to beginners.

If the price is still a bit steep for you, you might want to try an Olwell bamboo. But don’t go straight for the D, it has a long finger stretch and is very hard on the hands. The alto F is a great little flute though.