A customer in Boise, Idaho asked me to make him a 7-hole low D minor flute with the scale: D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C, C#(thumb), D. I sent him off a 2-piece prototype flute which he is refusing to part with. On the attached video he has a microphone off-camera playing through a guitar amp with some reverb and recording with a Logitec Webcam.
http://www.youtube.com/user/fixedfocus1#p/u/0/lwIwIXaAz-Q
Darn, I thought it said Fission…bout that time of year agin, I guess.
68 degrees here today…blame it on Spring Fever, if you will.
Keep up the fine work yer doin, Doug!
I love when people make a video with stuff in the background. I challenge someone to identify all the instruments.
I enjoyed the music too. Very hip.
Flute.
There is someone who can do better than this and name maker/model.
Doubt it. Mostly ethnic.
I think that most of the flutes that are visible in the background of Ken’s video are Native American flutes, in different keys and scales and from different makers, not easy to identify from a distance.
I don’t get the ‘fusion’ part. What is the name of his band?
Arbo
Arbo, I couldn’t quite get the name of the band either. I’ll ask Ken for clarification and get back with it. As for fusion music, here is a link to explain fusion music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_(music)
Playing world music on what we commonly think of as an Irish flute, at least on this forum, I think of as music fusion, but I could be wrong in calling it that.
Ken has gotten back to me after my email inquiry, and he wrote:
"The band is named Beltane (a solstice celebration). The band has been together for about a dozen years and I joined them about a year ago … first as a percussionist and then expanding into the other instruments I play. Only in the last 6 years have I discovered a deep deep joy of flutes.
We would be considered a “fusion” band because we include other world influences in our music. We are fronted by 3 beautiful women with really nice vocals. The leader and songwriter, Susan Saint George has a real love for traditional Celtic folk music. Her husband, John … has a light rock influence. Dana, our violinist, has western classical and Celtic roots. Krista, our bassist, has a pop/rock influence. I have a melodic, contemplative, new-agey sort of nature that enjoys Native American flutes (for their pure simplicity), Bansuri (my wife and I used to live and work in southern India). A truly fine player, named Gary Stroutsos befriended me and introduced me to the Xiao and Dizi. A few sessions with him, and a lot of listening to his music has been very helpful. So we’re a hodge-podge (fusion)." A new CD will be available soon.
Another Irish flute fusion musician is Raymond Robinson, Belfast, Ireland. Raymond sent me an audio file of him playing my low E Irish flute, by over-dubbing making it a New Age flute trio with an electronic drone. I paired his audio file with some of my vacation photos of last summer to make this rather meditative video. I find myself wanting to go to sleep in the middle of it. I think that this is a good example of “Irish Flute Gone Fusion”, whether you like it, or not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNz63wf5fnQ
I mostly hear the Irish flute being used to play melody, but it the right hands it can also effectively be used to play accompaniment, but don’t try this in an Irish session. I think that the sound of Grey Larsen’s McGee flute supports his wife’s, Cindy Kallet, singing very well. I see that they will be doing a house concert here in Indianapolis in a couple weeks.
http://www.youtube.com/user/glarsen127#p/a/u/2/OfBcIbGyL84
Yet another example of “Irish Flute Gone Fusion”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjLWe7SSOdY
Ken Kolman sent me a photo of his band, Beltane. A new CD is in the process of being mastered, he mentioned. With three women and two men, I’m sure my wife would not let me play in such a group regardless of my inclination, especially with all those late night practices.
Beltane was/is an equinox festival, not a solstice one. The spring equinox, I believe.
According to Wikipedia, source of all knowledge, Beltane is, "…the Gaelic name for either the month of May or the festival that takes place on first day of May. …
“… In Neopaganism, Bealtaine is considered a cross-quarter day, marking the midpoint in the Sun’s progress between the spring equinox and summer solstice. The astronomical date for this midpoint is closer to 5 May or 7 May, but this can vary from year to year.”
Best wishes for Beltane, whichever date you choose (or chose).
Steve
Thanks for the correction-correction, Steve. I wasn’t in a position to look it up or would have before posting. Knew it definitely wasn’t solstice.
I think I will call my band Con Fusion
because our music is inspired by the phantastic summer equinox sunsets.
I also played small bansuri a bit because my wife and I lived and worked in Australia for many years …
I thought Beltane was May Day…maybe not (no pun intended…or maybe so).
JD