FIFE HELP!

Irish Flute
1

[color=red][color=red]OK, I’m lost. I was looking for a chap by the name of Davig Migoya who, I am told, is a fifer extraordniar and can heelp me in my quest. I’m here cause I didn’t notice a forum speciffically for fifer(s).

However, don’t let that stop any of the rest of you that have any advice.[/color]So, here it is:[/color]

[color=green]I’ve been knocking around with the tin whistle for a couple of years and would now like to try the fife.

I ordered a couple of those black plastic ones, from two different sources, and could hardlyget a not out of just one of them. So I took them to a buddy who played the flute all thru Jr, High and HS, and still keeps his hand in. He had better luck than I did, but it was hard even for him to get the notes out of the best one.

He’s not a fifer and has only played a standard metal flute (that’s MY discription of his instrument), but he thinks it was harder than it should have been. Plus, when messing around with his flute, even though I can’t “play” it, I can at least get decent and variuos notes out. :thumbsup:

So, my questio is: Can anyone recommend a specific fife or two or three (and a sorce/site for them) that are not expensive, but generally are of good enough quality for the biggner not to get frustrated on… unless it really is the players fault?

I know fifes are generally not THAT expensive to begin with, but I’m still on disability for a bit longer and need to make the $ count. Besides having already wasted $25 (including S&H) on the two plastic pipes.

Plus, I don’t know if i’ll be any good at it or even like it, so I don’t need a $200 instrument.[/color]

[color=darkblue]Also, can some one recommend a CD fife tutor for the musically impared? :stuck_out_tongue: . I know I really would need a teacher, if I decide to go on. But I’ve found CDs or tapes good for the basics and a few simple tunes on a few other instruments over the years.

So, if ANY of you can help, please respond to my e-mail at:

HeyMichaelS@Yahoo.com[/color]

[color=red]I thank you in advance for your time and effort.

MRS[/color]

2

Someone’s bound to say it eventually, so I’ll go ahead:

Doug Tipple (of this board) makes wonderful flutes for beginners out of PVC. He happens to make Bb and C fifes, as well, and his prices are wonderful. As a beginner, I am amazed that I was able to get a sound out of his flutes so quickly. Anyway, his website is http://home.earthlink.net/~life2all/dougswebspace/index.html

3

Ralph Sweet puts out a fife tutor that is a great little book…best buy !

www.sweetheartflute.com

“The Fifer’s Delight” by Ralph Sweet:
Fingering, graded instruction for fife, flute, whistle, or flageolette, plus over 330 tunes, complete with guitar/piano chord symbols for accompaniment. Excellent for any concert pitch instrument; used by many fiddlers, dance bands, and drum corps, 8½ x 11", 81 pages.

Yeah…and you can’t beat Doug Tipples fifes either !

4

I have a Cooperman Maple Fife which is a beginner’s instrument I hyave been trying to sell it see my “Selling to Buy a Flute” thread or just PM or Email me.

5

One question to ask yourself is do you really want to play fife (Bb usually played in the screechingly high 2nd and 3rd octave, but you get cool uniforms and march) or are you wanting to play piccolo/folk fife (more traditional irish, scottish, american dance tunes)?

If it’s the later, Ralph Sweet makes a nice Folk fife (might be called a pro model - costs between $85 for the old Folk fife model to $120 for the new Pro model) or if you want to really scrimp I quite like his Renaissance fife in D (it’s about $35, in maple, well in tune, one piece so you can’t tune sharp or flat which is a consideration if you play with others, and a nice fife overall).

I haven’t tried Doug Tipple’s instruments, but he gets great reviews.

If you want a military style fife, someone like Dave Migoya, who does frequent this board, will have to guide you.

Eric

6

I have the Tipple Bb and the Sweet Renaissance fife in D…both real nice and easy players…

7

someone looking for me?

8

I would say that if you are looking for a fife to play with others find what fife they play. Tuning is different between one fife to another. (I saw one Cooperman fife with the cork partly covering the embouchure to be in tune with another Cooperman a decade older)

Cooperman use to sell factory seconds of their high end fifes (usually the furrels were banged up and it’s play ability was fine) Other than that, for less than 80$ that plastic fife is the best option (Although I have not played the Sweet Renaissance fife in D.) Make sure that your plastic fife does not have any burrs or plastic hanging around the holes.

Edited to add that I forgot that Tipple makes a fife. I think that Fyfer wrote a review of it.

9

I started on a $5 metal fife in 1966, followed by a rosewood one of about $12 when I joined the corps at 8 years old.

My first “real” fife wasn’t until I was 11 when I was given a McDonagh model 6-hole. At 13 I flipped to the McDonagh 11-hole model (never played a 10-hole as a regular fife) when it was an “experimental” thing.

For authentic look, the concert fife of Cooperman’s construction is nice. It has the same playability as the nice two-piece models. I think they still offer it.

The Sweet fifes were okay for noodling, but didn’t do a lot for me otherwise. Same with the Ferrari fifes. There’s the F fife out there now, butnot sure who makes it. Seems to be based on that Ferrari design? Either way, it has a strong following, which says something I suppose.

I have not played a Healy fife for a long time, so dont’ know what he’s done to switch designs or anything. I remember it having a discernably different tone than the other fifes, but that was a long time ago. I play a Healy F flute at the moment.

10

Well, that all (above) helps quite a bit.

Because of my bad bad experience with a couple of the plastic fifes, form two different sources, I had pretty much dicounted them. But I will check out the Tipples based on the recomendations here.

For a biginner, does anyone have an opinion on the 'persimmon" fife offered by Copperman?

Looking forward to hearing from any and all:

HeyMichaelS@Yahoo.com

11

[quote=“Jayhawk”]One question to ask yourself is do you really want to play fife (Bb usually played in the screechingly high 2nd and 3rd octave, but you get cool uniforms and march) or are you wanting to play piccolo/folk fife (more traditional irish, scottish, american dance tunes)?

See, that’s just the thing. I don’t know if I want to play the fife. I don’t know if I’d (1) like it or (2) be any good at it. But it looks kinda “cool” and I’d like to give it a try.

But I don’t want to invest over $100 dollars (I’m still on disability and have to watch the old $'s) in something I may not like or be any good at.

Penny/Irish/Tin whistles spoil you that way. Meaning a very good instrument can be had for a very low cost.

Still, as I’ve said, I just want a decent instrument to learn on to start with. And if, in fact, I am no good at it, then so be it. But I’d rather know it was me that was no good rather than the instrument.

PAny and all, please feel free to e-mail me with any comments or advice you may have. The more info I have (about fifes and fifeing in general) will not only help me, buyt I’m sure there are more than a few others out there with similar questions.

THANKS ALL

HeyMichaelS@Yahoo.com

12

Hi Michael,

I can understand where you’re coming from. Fifes are cool - both the formal, renactment/competition types of fifes like Dave M. played and the ones that might better be called keyless piccolos which are designed to play in the lower octaves (for it’s size, mind you).

Regardless of whether or not you’ll really like it or be good, do try to think of what type of music you’d like to play since that’s what usually makes you happy in the end. I wanted to play an irish flute, was way too poor, played whistle for years, then folk fife, but neither was a substitute for that sound I really wanted, a traditional wooden flute. So I’ve gradually worked my way up the instrument chain and ended up with what I wanted. I learned a lot along the way (still like the whistle and fife BTW), and it’s been loads of fun.

Doug Tipple has gotten rave reviews for his simple, exceptionally reasonably priced instruments, so I don’t think that would be a bad choice at all since money is in question. But then again, some folks just want a wooden instrument, and that’s cool, too. One of my flutes is wooden (keyed), the other polymer - and they both sound great, so don’t let experiences with poorly made plastic fifes disuade you from trying one that’s well made.

Best of luck,

Eric

13

Oh sure , Eric, go ahead. Confuse me with the facts :smiley:

I don’t know :boggle: I thought I just might like to play the fife. Now it turns out I have to think about it too :cry:

I guess I want to play a few sanppy (well, slow at first) little military tunes like the British Gernadires, Dixie, Bonnie Blue Flag, Rally 'round the Flag etc. etc. etc.

So, what do I need to do THAT :confused:

Thanks for your help and advice so far. :slight_smile:

14

Sounds like you want a Bb fife - the kind most commonly used by reanctors and fife & drum corps.

See, by listing the type of tunes you wanted to play that really nailed down what instrument you want to play!

Unfortunately, I don’t know too much about the fifing world, but there are several board members who do…I can’t recall who it was, but their corps went to Ireland to march in a parade, even.

Best of luck!

Eric