I think the sound and style she gets from the Metal Boehm is mighty. I’ve admired her playing for years. I know next to nothing about Boehm flutes. Obviously Joannie plays these in preference to the more usual system for Irish flute. Does anyone know if also plays simple system wooden flute. To me if I didn’t know I would think that is what she is playing. For other metal Boehm players I’ve heard I would say they don’t sound quite the same. Just wondered why she goes for Metal Boehm in preference. I have some idea of the relative merits of simple v. Boehm; I’m particularly wondering if anyone knows what Joannie herself says on the subject.
I notice she is not using a truly ‘classical’ grip on her right hand. I can’t tell if she is using a plateau or open-holed keyed flute.
Having had the pleasure of attending a Masters’ Class with Jimmy (now Sir James) Galway, I can attest to the fact that a trained embouchure can get any darned sound you might want out of a modern cut embouchure. . . .
I think by shortening up on her right hand grip she gets a little snappier response on the taps and rolls. . . and she’s got to have a very well adjusted mechanism to cut down on key clatter. . . .
My tup’pence worth. . .
Bob
‘I play a solid silver heavy weight Miyazawa (Japanese make) concert flute.’
from Dale’s interview. I believe this is a very expensive flute.
When they get this good the keys are very quiet to silent.
Bet the ranch it has ‘open’ holes.
Just wondered why she goes for Metal Boehm in preference. I have some idea of the relative merits of simple v. Boehm; I’m particularly wondering if anyone knows what Joannie herself says on the subject.
Joannie posts here form time to time, so she might answer directly, but if I’m remembering correctly, she began playing at a time when wooden flutes were extremely difficult to find, particularly in north America*. A friend of her father’s was going to Ireland, and he offered to try and find a flute for Joannie. When he returned, it was to say that he’d no luck finding a wooden flute, but he did have a silver flute for her. She was disappointed, but has since made peace with her flute.
*Even the great Mike Rafferty was reduced to playing a boehm flute when he started playing again until he met Patrick Olwell.
One significant adaptation JM has made to play ITM on the Boehm is to use R2 instead of the recommended R3 finger for F#–I believe it makes rolls possible as well as playing in the key of D a bit easier.
For my ear, I still think the metal flute lacks that extra character that comes from a wood flute. Hard to describe but it’s like the metal flute is too even and smooth, too in tune throughout the scale; lacks the “crunchy” bits to my ears, similar to the “uneven” sound of the Uillean pipes but to a lesser degree.
Joannie is an amazing player - I think she can get that sound because that is the sound she is after. I’m sure if she wanted a dark crunchy sound she would make it sound that way.
I’d stumbled across that video before while looking for vids of her. Thanks for sharing.
When I played with her at an Augusta session a few years ago I remember noting it as a closed-hole flute, or else the holed keys were corked.
Of course, I was mostly focusing on not humiliating myself in front of her, so it was a bit of a blur …
I have never played Boehm but would it be fair to say that as she is a whistle player she could easily swop to simple system wooden if she wanted now they are easily available?
At a class a few years ago at Wind on the Bay she said she cuts “everything” with her left hand ring finger - “fastest finger in the west” she said, holding it up. Also I asked about directing the wind downward to get the deep tone on the Boehm flute making it go flat and she told us that her flute is actually set up a bit sharp to compensate.
Not so easy, I don’t think. Each flute has its idiosyncracies, from simple to simple and from Boehm to Boehm. The jump from Boehm to simple is even a larger adjustment. I play both flute types and find playing ITM on Boehm very challenging. So for JM to transfer all the subtlties she knows on Boehm to the simple system may not at all be worth her while.
I was at the Wind on the Bay that doogieman was referring to, and snapped this great shot of Joannie, her Dad (RIP) and John Skelton. She’s playing a Healy in this pic, and IIRC Skip had just finished making this for her.
Partly on the evedence of the previous post I would think it is as I was expecting; ie she doesn’t see any advantage to swopping systems, it might even be a disadvantage to her. I notice the Healy is unkeyed but I would think if she was to change to simple system she would need a keyed flute. Anyone know if she ever plays simple system flute now?
Many years ago Joanie told me in the course of a chat that she had acquired a wooden flute and was playing around with it. When I saw her again a year or so ago, I asked her if she was still playing around with the wooden flute and her answer was something like “Oh, I have lots of flutes, but I really can’t play them.” My take away from that is that she can surely play rings around the likes of me on a wooden simple-system flute, but she’s never going to be satisfied enough with her playing of them to abandon the silver flute on stage. Plus, as she also said to me once, she can play in any key she wants to on the silver flute.
