I traded my Dixon three piece polymer flute
for a Sweet flute yesterday–this happened
at Music Folk in Webster Groves, a suburb
of St. Louis. The Dixon flute is like new, several
months old, it’s quite good–but i’ve replaced
it with a Seery. So anybody wanting a Dixon
now who can get to MF, it’s there.
if it isn’t out yet, talk with the owner, please.
Music Folk has a good selection of
flutes and whistles, by the way.
Swell place.
Jim - How do you like the Sweet (I’ve heard if you can try enough of them, he has some very, very good ones)? Do they have a good selection over at MF? What other wooden/trad. flutes do they have? I might make that long drive on I-70 (for work later this year) and am curious what their flute selection is like.
One other thing, what do you see as the advantages of the Seery over the Dixon? Is it primarily just louder, or did you feel there were sound/tone differences? Also, how is the finger spread in comparison? I can do the Dixon with no problems, and I’m sure I could deal with larger holes and a bigger hole spread. I guess what I’m wondering is if average hands, would it be hard to play (I can handle a 2 inch spread between the D & E holes on the right hand - I only know this from making my own flutes)?
Thanks,
Eric
The Seery is louder and has a fuller, better sound,
IMHO–though the Dixon is good. The Seery is
a Pratten style, and something of a beast–
I like that. But it’s beastlyness doesn’t
make it particularly harder to finger.
If there’s a drawback it’s that the Seery
is heavier. Bigger holes, too, but I
doubt that you will have trouble.
The Seery is approaching
a wooden flute in tone, though not
quite.
I think Sweetheart flutes are
underrated.
There’s a nice Casey Burns blackwood D at
Music Folk that has been there forever.
Also a CB mopane. Quite a few Sweet
fife’s. Flutes come and go, so you might
give em a call and ask what they’ve
got when you are thinking of going–
they’re quite helpful. If you can
arrive on Weds night, there’s a session
at 7. Best
Jim - thanks for the info! Just a couple more questions:
Can the Seery play sweetly & quietly as well? Does the tone suffer when played this way?
And, how is your Sweet flute volume-wise? Louder or quieter than the Dixon? Finally, what wood is it made out of?
Thanks!
Eric
I’m not the best person to ask, because I’ve only been
playing flute since Dec or so. More experienced
flutists–please chime in! The Seery sings in
the second octave and I’m unable to play it
quietly and sweetly. I think it’s remarkably
good for a polymer flute, but quiet and sweet
probably not.l
The Sweetheart D is in walnut–it’s more quiet and
sweet than the Seery, in tune, balanced, with
a nice sound. I was playing with a hammer dulcimer
the other day and it blended nicely. I think the same flute
in maple or rosewood would be somewhat louder.
Again those with more experience…help.
My impression of the Sweetheart flutes is that
they are really nice folk flutes. They’re light,
easy to play, relatively inexpensive, in tune,
and while I’ve never played one that
knocked my socks off, they’re solidly
good for what they are–and they have
a nice tone. I am not commenting on
the high end flutes in blackwood,
which I’ve never seen. I’ve never
seen one that was a dud.
I wasn’t playing the Dixon, because
playing it ruined my embouchure for
the Copley and vice versa. I would
expect that it’s louder than the
Sweetheart walnut…
Thanks Jim! I agree that Sweetheart’s are often underappreciated. I have one of his folk fife’s in D which I like a lot. In fact, I like it so much I rarely play tin whistle now since the fife is much more expressive (in my hands at least). Also, I find it help focus my embouchure for my Dixon. Music Folk sounds like a great store to have around. I’ll definitely drop by the next time I’m in St. Louis.
Eric