I haven’t posted in a while but now that I’m starting to get some pleasing sounds out of my Dixon 3pc polymer, I’m starting to think more about upgrading to something in wood. It’s not going to happen for awhile but I have an idea or two about what I will be upgrading to but I was wondering if I could hear from people who started on a Dixon 3pc and moved up to something else. I always read about people’s impressions of the Dixon in terms of beginners but now that I’ve been playing a year or so, I wanted to get opinions and comparisons from people that are more advanced beginners and intermediate players on what they moved to from the Dixon, why they decided to get whatever they play now, and get some insight into their transition into other instruments. I’m interested in impressions on physical differences between the Dixon 3pc and whatever you moved up to as well as how difficult the transition seemed and if you had it to do over again, if you would still start with the Dixon or do something else. (I’m already using the Dixon and am pretty happy with it but this might help others decide.)
Thanks for any input.
Funny you ask… That’s what I’m doing right now! I just transitioned from the Dixon Polymer to one of Dave Copley’s flutes. The transition has been very encouraging for the most part. Really, if you technique is stellar on any flute - meaning that you can control your volume and tone at will in both registers without sounding strained (which is a struggle for me in the very high reaches of any flute) it should translate over to the next after getting used to the new embouchure hole.
What I’ve found on the Copley is that while it is an easy blower, it shows off my sloppiness more as it is a very responsive flute. Mind you, this is my first week on the Copley… The head is fully lined so the tone is clearer even when playing dirty…
I have played a bunch of other flutes trying to find the perfect match for me - a Healy, Schultz, Wilkes, Reviol, Murray, Seery (both polymer and Mopane), etc… and I found that my lips took to the Copley like a duck to water… Oh and yes, I’ve played an Olwell - loved it… but I’ll have to wait 6 years for a keyed…
I think the main thing like many on the board would attest to is that you need to start playing other flutes out there, not just go… I need a wood flute and this one’s on Ebay so I’ll get it (like what I did at first!). It’s amazing the difference in playability that you’ll find. I finally went for the Copley however after combing the archives on all the comments that were posted on it. Dave Migoya’s praise finally sealed the deal. Thanks Dave!
One thing about the ergonomic aspect. The Dixon is a bit larger in diameter than my Copley. This was a welcome change as i have average to smallish fingers - I’ve been playing my Dixon for about a year as well however with no real trouble - it was still a nice change. Other flutes with a similar feel would be Olwell, Murray, Seery, Wilkes - My recollection of the Schultz and Healy was that they were a bit large in diameter for my taste…
So, don’t know how helpful that was… I’ve just been looking for an excuse to rave about me Copley!
Best,
I also went from the dixon to the Copley and found
the latter easier to play.
Jim [Stone] and Blayne— did you find the Copley’s fingerhole placements easier than the Dixon? The Dixon’s right hand R3 (last hole) is just a wee bit farther than I would like, but I have quite small hands and short fingers.
After playing a wooden Ormiston and some other strange Pakistani hybrid for about five years, I picked up a polymer last year, thinking it’d be practical for outdoor stuff, etc.
Yuck.
And it keeps getting yuckier. Basically, the more I play my wooden flutes (I’ve since added a Hamilton and an Olwell bamboo), the more I hate the polymer. I even like the warped Pakistani with the huge crack in the head better than the polymer. Unlike plastic, it warms up and responds eventually …
So I think you’ll be quite happy with the upgrade. Hope I haven’t stepped on any toes, but IMHO … wood is gooder!
The holes are the Copley are bigger. On the right hand,
the Copley’s first and second holes are closer together
than on the Dixon; the second and third holes are
very slightly farther apart. However on the Copley
the distance between the first and third hole
is less than on the Dixon. My subjective impression
is that the Copley right hand is slightly easier
to finger.
Cathy, I don’t know which polymer flute you got.
I agree wood is better, but I do enjoy playing
polymer flutes, too. It may be a matter of the
flute you bought or just personal taste.
Polymer flutes do warm up outside,
especially in the sun. Best
Cathy,
If you don’t mind sharing more about your experience, I’d be interested in knowing what kind of polymer flute you tried, and what about it you didn’t care for.
–James
I played a Dixon for nearly two years, then transitioned to a Copley just over a month ago. When I bought the Dixon, I wasn’t at all sure that I really wanted to play the flute and I wanted something that I could kind of “play around with”. There was no way that I could justify the expense of a wooden flute at that time. For me, the Dixon has been a great flute and I am a huge fan. Aside from all the normal pleasures of flute-playing, as I have written elsewhere, I had a major injury accident shortly after I got the Dixon and found that playing it was one of the few ways that I could control the pain.
When I decided to buy a wooden flute, I chose a keyed flute because I suspected that I would want one some day anyway. I, too, chose the Copley based largely on comments made here at Chiff and Fipple. Combined with that was the reletively short waiting list, which finally tipped the scales.
I am not disappointed. From some earlier comments about a difficulty in getting a good tone from the Copley after playing a Dixon, I was concerned, but I had no such problems. It has taken some time to “get it right”, but now I can switch back and forth between them at will. I will admit that I have not played my Dixon much since the Copley arrived, though.
As far as specifics, I think that the above comments pretty much cover it. Since the holes are larger, I find that I have to be a little more precise in my finger placements, or I don’t get them fully covered. They do, however, allow for sliding between notes better. Since I am at best and intermediate player, I hesitate to say more, but I can say that the Copley has a lovely, sweet tone that surpasses the Dixon, but I believe that the Dixon 3-piece is a great starting point, especially for people like me who just aren’t sure they are going to stick with it.
I should mention that I am really glad that I chose a keyed flute. I’m having great fun playing my way through O’Neill’s and choosing all the tunes that I couldn’t play before.
Griff
Hey, guys!
I’ve felt like SUCH a jerk all weekend for being so brazen in my opinon about the wood v. polymer question. In fact, I played my Dixon polymer some on Sat. just to see. After all, I bought it for the same reasons most people do: price, ease of maintenance, consistency, durability …
… But I still find a wooden flute, even a relatively inexpensive one, infinitely more rewarding to play.
(Of course, it can be infinitely more frustrating as well …
)
First, I should probably throw down some background: I own a Dixon and have played an M&E fairly extensively, in fast sessions as well as on my own. I have also played a Seery, but only for a few hours (I like the Seery best, however). I’ve been playing in a working Irish band for 10 years. I also play in regular sessions and I take lessons from a wonderful teacher named John Skelton – so I get in about 10 -12 hours of playing a week on average, although 20 isn’t out of the realm when the band’s busy. I’ve also played concert flute semiprofessionally since I was 15 (I’ll be 40 this month. Eeek!).
Bottom line, I still aver that you will be so pleased when you make the transition from polymer to wood – in my experience, there are places a wood flute can go that polymer, even on your best day, just can’t. Especially after you’ve played the wooden one in … they just seem to get more and more responsive with the years and proper care (according to Mr. Skelton, it took him 2 years to truly maximize his Olwell).
So I still believe that for entry-level playing, plastic does indeed make things possible. And hey, once you sound good on a polymer one, you’re really going to rock on a wooden one.
But I also believe if you’re going to spend as much on polymer as you would on a basic keyless wooden flute from a reputable maker, you’ll be much happier with what you get out of a wooden one, especially as time goes on.
But you’re right … polymer does warm up in the sun. And, as my experiment this weekend proved, it also warms up well in the fireplace. 
All best,
cat.
I do envy you…
Having clearly defined opinions and voicing them is welcome here (or at least I think it is). Thanks for sharing yours.
Sonja
Thanks, sonja. And alas, every lesson with John teaches me one thing for certain: how very, very far I have to go …
And now I’m going to take your sign-off advice and … shut up and play. 