Is Hammy making his flutes with high blocks, low blocks, or does builds it to order? In addition, is or has he made a RH touch for the Bb key?
How do you define a high or low block? Any particular measurement in mind? For me, they seem to match those of most keyed flutes, appropriately scooped out on a side where good clearance is desired (room for the fingers).
Kevin Krell
i.e. the first cotter i got that was crushed by UPS, had high blocks i.e. if you played pipers grip, which i do, you’d be S.O.L. I owned a Seth Gallagher flute and the new Eb cotter (the replacement), both have lowered blocks that don’t interfere with that sort of grip whatsoever. I play a keyless Olwell and when i ordered the keyed body some years back (ya, on the list like everyone else) he said his son plays w/a piper’s grip, and had built a flute w/lowered blocks. Essentially, they’re just dead even w/ the body accomadating either position.
know anything about the Bb touch, or is yours the trad. set up (keyed w/ LH thumb)?
Mine’s the classic LH thumb. Block height is basically the same as other keyed flutes I’ve played. I sometimes play with a sort of hybrid grip and I’ve noticed that the short F block rubs the inside of my ring finger a little … but this is an Eb Hamilton, so the distances may be a trifle different.
Why not shoot Hammy a note and ask if he can accommodate? I think his website’s www.hamiltonflutes.com, and you can email him from there. In my experience he’s a pretty swift responder.
Last year when I was in Ireland I stopped by and saw Hammy and he was working on one flute set up for the pipers grip. He had flatten the area around the tone holes. I had him make me a Bb, and It’s a beautiful instrument and sounds great. The web page that I have for him is: http://homepage.tinet.ie/~hammie/
Tjones
Ever quick to throw out an other band name… Swift Responder
You need to put a space at each end of the URL… Yours is including the “,” when clicked!
www.hamiltonflutes.com
alot of folks play hamilton flutes with piper’s grip. i am sure Hammy understands the nature of the beast more than most.
Anyone else have a Hammy Bb? They seem kind of rare, but I’d love try one sometime.
Loren
I keep a Seery next to my desk at work. When my Hammy Bb arrived there, of coarse I had to play it. While I was trying it out, the fellow that works for me comes into the room and points at the Seery next to the desk, and asks to hear it.(He dosn’t particularly like the flute or Irish music) So I put down the Bb and play the Seery a little. He then pionts to the Hammy and said “Now thats how a flute should sound, that’s the best flute.”
And it just keeps getting better the more I play it.
what is the typical wait for a keyed flute form himself (coudln’t find it on the site)?
It has varied. Mine was 9 months, but I have subsequently heard of a 2-year wait. Best to check with Hammy re: his current backlog - he’s pretty reliable as to delivery at or very near the agreed on timeframe.
Kevin Krell
Seems that any info of the length of the list has been removed (temporarily?). It used to say on the site that the average wait for a keyed flute is two years. However, when I joined the queue for my keyed body, Hammy said that due to recent adjustments in the shop he now has managed to reduce the waiting time to 20-ish months. That might be why there’s no waiting list info on the site at the moment.
Anyhow, you’ll probably be best off asking him directly.
thanx muchly
Sounds nice. I love Hammy’s flutes, particularly his more recent one’s. I wish there were more of his Bb’s floating around, so I could give one a whirl.
What’s you take on the flute’s intonation, finger stretch, and volume balance between notes?
Loren
The intonation is more complex and very full, and requires a more focused embosure than the way I had been playing. My main fllute is a Burns 6 key in blackwood, that I love. Playing the Hammy has improved my tone overall in that it takes more control and I’m just begining to appreacate the colors that are hidden and can be brought out.
I was recently able to try out Casey’s Bb and A flutes. The finger stretch on Casey Bb wasn’t much different than my D. While the stretch on Hammy’s Bb was more simmalar to the A of Casey’s. I have no problems with the reach, though.
As far as I’m aware the balance between the notes is fine.
I recently ask about adding more keys to the flute and Hammy said some where under two years, simalar to the wait for his regular keyed flute.
Tjones
Thanks for the additional info, much appreciated.
Loren