Doug Tipple flute - easiest for this beginner

Irish Flute
1

I have been trying to learn to play the flute for about 3 years off & on. I play the high & low whistle and a few other instruments well enough to have fun, but I have not been able to “get” the flute. The problem has been the blowing part, not the fingering.

I have tried many inexpensive flutes including: A medium quality wooden flute purchased in Ireland, a Tony Dixon plastic, another famous makers plastic beginner’s flute (don’t remember which one), a Sweet, etc. I currently own an Olwell bamboo.

With all of them I could easily blow one octave, but not the other, and which was easy varied from flute to flute. I took a few lessons, tried playing regularly every day, nothing worked. I could not consistently play both octaves without a lot of trouble, especially the “middle” D note.

Recently I read here and in other places about how Doug Tipple makes an inexpensive, easy to play flute, so I thought I’d give it a try.

Well, I can’t believe how easy his flute is to play! I was able to play fairly easily through both octaves the first time I played it and it gets easier each time! There is no comparison between this flute and the others I’ve tried.

I think one of the reasons I’ve been struggling was because I couldn’t get enough consistency in my blowing to get good feedback (the notes) to my brain to help me improve. I’m sure that will not be a problem with this flute and that I will now begin to enjoy playing this instrument.

If you’re interested in Doug’s flutes, just search on ebay for Doug Tipple and you’ll find him.

Regards,
John

2

I just recieved one today from fellow board member Doc Jones, I’ve tried playing a freinds flute, hell i could only get a faint sounding note out of it. Tried out the Tipple, and boy oh boy, for $25 i am quite impressed. Better than spending $100+ on a flute I can’t play. In my opinion anyways.

3

Does anyone have Doug’s email address? bgb

4

You’d better go on ebay and make your choice: tunable-non tunable, 6-8 holes, color…

Cheers

Philippe

5

The e-mail address I have for Doug Tipple is:

life2all@earthlink.net

Don’t know if that address is still good. I last used it about 6 months ago. As others have said, tracking him down through e-bay is probably best.

I’ve had my Tipple D flute (non-tunable version) for close to a year and it’s still one of my favorites. Definitely worth the money for those of us on the beginning end of the learning spectrum!

I’ve got an early version of his G flute, too. If you get one of these, I’d like to hear your impressions of it. I was a little disappointed in the G after the full, rich sound of the D, but I’ve got a feeling he’s probably done some work on that since I bought mine. Given the care and thought that seems to have gone into the D, I suspect he may be the type who wouldn’t be happy until he got it just right.

Good luck!

Daryl