I just received my Tipple D flute. I got the 2 piece white pvc with the copper slide. This is my fourth flute. Honestly, this is the most enjoyment I 've had playing, including flutes I’ve had in the $1000 range. It is responsive in both tone and volume. I think I’ve been victim to the “grass is always greener” effect of always wanting that next instrument before getting the Tipple. In my case this may be this flute that I stay with. I’ve spent a lot of time moving from one flute ( and whistles too) to another, constantly spending more and more. I just didn’t expect that a $60 flute is the first flute I can spend an hour playing and not getting frustrated! I think I’m going to move into a better level of playing, because I’m settled on this flute. It makes me wonder if many of us would be less frustrated if we stopped constantly trying to spend more, but rather try play a lot of flutes and see which one we are just comfortable with? (Whether that be an Olwell or two pieces of pvc) Any thoughts on the “grass is always greener”?
The most difficult part of playing the flute is developing your embouchure, of course. Some people have more trouble with this than others. To some extent it does depend on what flute you pick to learn on. Some flutes have easy embouchures, some don’t.
Some higher end flutes have more difficult embouchures, where I imagine it is felt by the maker that if you have a flute that is more or less meant for advanced players, you can manage it with some practice, once you have developed and trained your facial muscles for a reliable embouchure.
If you had started out on a Hamilton, most likely you would have a hard time. There are others that have been mentioned as not being “easy” players, along with many easy playing flutes mentioned too.
Of course, people differ, and so do their abilities to play a given flute for whatever reasons.
If a $60 Tipple allows you to play happily for an hour without frustration, that is where you should start. I don’t think that $60 flute will be the equal of a higher priced conical flute from a good maker, and as you develop your skills on it, you can probably pick up one of the more costly flutes, have a much easier time with it, and also hear and appreciate the differences as to what makes it more of an advanced players instrument.
But, your $60 Tipple flute is far superior to the $60 Pakistani flute that just looks like a wooden flute on the exterior. Talk about difficult embouchures!
I agree that sometimes we get caught up in the more expensive must be better thing, and for beginners it’s especially not usually true, and sometimes not even for advanced players. Flutes have to be judged on an individual basis, and one that suits you might not work for another.
I can understand buying a better instrument to start on, so one doesn’t have to upgrade as quickly, but for a complete beginner, it should be an easy player to encourage rather than discourage you in your playing.
I think Doug Tipples flutes can be enjoyed by beginners and more advanced players, and the same goes for Casey Burns Folk Flutes. They both are easy players, and are ideal starters. It just depends where you want to start. If you want a pro level instrument that is also easy to start on, Dave Copley makes great flutes that are easy to get along with from the beginning too, and there are others.
If you’ve tried all three, and the Tipple is the only one you could get on with, then you just need some time to develop your embouchure.
Does this make sense to you?
It does make sense, but I would still say that I’ve really worked on my embochure and this is the first flute I can play with ease. I guess there is more than owning a flute than ease of playing, like the aesthetics of the materials etc. But ultimately it comes down to enjoying the music with other people, and being able to project a consistent tone. And with the Tipple, I have the stamina to do that. Thanks for the great reply, Brian