I’m curious, as I can’t seem to find any information regarding this, does anyone know why Joannie Madden plays/prefers the silver flute over the traditional wooden flute?
That’s what she started on.
While that makes sense, many irish trad flutists started out on the silver flute only to switch to the wooden flute (Chris Norman comes to mind). Maybe there is a little more that keeps her playing the flute she does.
There’s an interview here:
http://www.chiffandfipple.com/joanie.html
but she doesn’t mention specific reasons, unless I missed it. It seems to me that Grey Larsen may mention her reasons for playing silver flute in his book but I don’t have it with me right now.
-Brett
Yeah, I read the interview hoping she would mention it or that Dale would ask (Dale: Why didn’t you ask, silly boy?). And I’m waiting on my Grey Larson book which will be coming in the post within the week.
It’ll be in Grey’s book. She likes being able to play in other keys and the ability to get it repaired. pg. 426
Denny
Thanks!
Still though it doesn’t make much sense. She could obviously have a wooden flute made with keys and any number of wooden flute luthiers could repair it. Maybe she just likes being different. Or maybe she secretly plays classical ala James Galway in her bedroom.
She seems to be doing okay with it!
Denny
it doesn’t make much sense 
Suggested compromise: Fluthiers.
I met her at Boxwood. In one of the classes she said her dad had gotten her a wooden flute as a kid and it cracked coming back from Ireland and then she got another wooden flute and that also cracked so she ended up starting on a metal Boehm. I guess she just stayed with it or felt that the wooden flute was cursed. 
She’s self taught and still plays f# with her middle finger instead of the ring. She also said that she’s thought of changing to a wooden flute but hasn’t done it so far.
Noel Rice plays metal flute too.
Maybe it just doesn’t matter. A lot of you all talk like not playing a certain kind of flute makes the music less pure. ITM developed from the common people who wern’t classically trained. It’s kind of like reciting the common man’s poetry from a long time ago and preserving the poor grammer. IMHO what makes ITM so wonderfully powerful and meaningful is that it does come from the common people and captures their sorrows and joy. If you can get that across using a silver, bully for you.
Yep. The only reason ITW is traditionally played on the wooden flutes is because they were available cheap at the time (since they had just been replaced by the metal ones).
Yep. The only reason ITW is traditionally played on the wooden flutes is because they were available cheap at the time
Glauber is right about the reason and given a little different timing and economics we would all be talking about tarnish prevention or something. However, the wood and tuning imprecisions etc. make for a particular sound that over the years has come to be associated with ITM. Joanie does alot of stuff to make her playing on the silver flute sound as “traditional” as possible.
That said, however, the essence of the MUSIC (not the sound) is expressed well by Nopaul. I once played a session where a sax guy showed up. We all kind of silently groaned but welcomed him. Well the overall sound was weird to my ear, but the craic? Man could this guy play! Turns out he was a professional musician traveling who played Jazz on the sax and ITM on the flute. All he had with him was the sax as he passed the pub and decided to give it a go. It was a fun time and that’s the heart! … I still prefer the sound of wood.
Clark
It is said that Josie McDermott used to play ITM on sax in a Ceili band. More volume in the crowded noisy dance halls. You can bet he sounded good. I wonder if there are any recordings of him on that instrument?
Then there’s At The Racket. Shows it CAN be done. Still not sure WHY it should be done anymore, though, except to be reminiscent of a “lost” old sound. I love At The Racket mainly for John Carty’s playing, almost despite the sax.
Have a nice tune!
As for playing in other keys, the modern instrument is made for better ease in all of them, as I understand. Try playing in Bb minor with a keyed simple-system flute! I shudder to think.
Yet… that’s what those things were used for!
The music of that period contains some of the hardest, flashiest stuff ever done in flute.
Grey Larsen loves to do stuff like this. For example, he plays The Old Bush in B mix first, before he switches to D mix. Granted, that’s only 4 sharps, but still…
I think the real reason for the modern flute is equality of sound in all tonalities, and more power to compete with biger orchestras. There were a lot of controversies in the transition period about which system was better for playing difficult passages, especially in the 3rd octave. Proponents of the old system knew many variations for fingering the same note, which allowed them to manage tricky passages.
Grey Larsen loves to do stuff like this. For example, he plays The Old Bush in B mix first, before he switches to D mix. Granted, that’s only 4 sharps, but still…
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Hi all,
One thing I notice is that simple system flutes are “biased” towards the sharp keys (the first 2 sharps are “automatic”) where as boehm flutes are biased towards the flats (the b flat thumb key and e flat key are used without any stress). I play various studies (badly) on my six key mc gee and it is the flat keys that kill me every time, even with two choices of f#, and half holeing! Playing in the sharp keys are OK. It is taking me so much longer to get to the point where I can play the mc gee like I do the boehm, that I am staring to find it difficult to justify the time required.
( most of the music I play, other than ITM, is extremly chromatic).
Also, it is worth remembering that Joannie Madden plays a muramatsu flute. These are amazingly good flutes, we are talking serious high end gear here. Many peoples experience with boehms seems to be with student and intermediate models, that feel completly different to play, so you may not relate to the attraction of playing that kind of flute, especially if you are happy with its sound.
regards
Michael