I’m new to this board - I’m from the dark side (Uilleann Pipes Forum).
I’ve been given what seems to be a lovely flute, (by a lovely friend, won’t go into that) and wondered if anyone can shed some light on what it is. I appreciate that metal flutes might not be the thing here, but I’d thought I’d ask. OK I’ve got my hands full learning the pipes, but since I have it, I might have a go at a couple of tunes.
Now that I have a fingering chart, it seems awefully complicated - it has more keys than a jailer! It has “Revelle” and a serial number stamped on it. I can’t discover much from Google, unfortunately. Perhaps there’s a Board member who might know something?
In terms of playing Irish music, I don’t recommend Boehm system flute at all. The abundance of keys makes a nasty clacking sound when rolls, crans, etc. are played, which I expect you’ll probably be doing, as a piper.
If you’re playing other music in weird keys (C#major shudder), It’s basically impossible on simple system flute, even with keys. The fingerings aren’t that much more complicated than simple system if you ignore the chromatic notes.
So if you’re only using it for Irish music, I think it might be a good idea to sell it and buy yourself a keyless flute.
No clue on the maker, but what the heck, have fun with it. Works for Joanie Madden, Noel Rice and a few others. Paddy Carty had a keyed flute, too (though a Radcliffe setup). If it’s got holes in some of the keys, go to your local music store and get some corks to plug them; then you can flat-finger happily away. Keep your fingers as low as possible to minimize the clack, but yeah, it’ll be there; you’ll get used to it. Oh, and that cool double key by your left thumb? Hold down both and get Bb “automatically” (sort of) thru those trappy F tunes that leave your pipes on your lap. Welcome aboard!
First, musicians such as Noel Rice and Joannie Madden do just fine playing Irish music on the Boehm-system flute. You should listen to Cherish the Ladies or Baal Tinne before making such blanket statements. Also, the key mechanism of a properly maintained Boehm-system flute is virtually silent.
Second, C-sharp major is perfectly playable on the simple system keyed flute. Just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
I agree that, for most players, if you are wanting to play Irish music, a keyless Irish flute is a good place to start.
However, if you have access to a Boehm-system flute, there is no reason not to play it.
First, musicians such as Noel Rice and Joannie Madden do just fine playing Irish music on the Boehm-system flute. You should listen to Cherish the Ladies or Baal Tinne before making such blanket statements. Also, the key mechanism of a properly maintained Boehm-system flute is virtually silent.
Ok, I didn’t know that. Sorry.
If you’re playing other music in weird keys (C#major shudder), It’s basically impossible on simple system flute, even with keys.
That was a bit of a hyperbole. By “impossible”, I meant “more difficult than it needs to be”. Apologies for the confusion.
The only thing weird, IMO, about C# major
is that it is written as this (according to your Western Music conventions):-
C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C#
However if you call it Db major it is no longer shudderingly weird:-
Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db
Its just another point in a spectrum of sound and, like every major scale, has the same interval pprogression
of 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 from the keynote.
The hard part about a key like C-sharp major (which is a different key from D-flat major, but only if played on the Baroque flute! ) is getting your mind wrapped around it. Once you get it in your head that it’s just another key like any other key, then suddenly getting it “under the fingers” is a hell of a lot easier.
james peeplj, can you tell me more about that Baroque flute comment please?
is it a noumenal convention thingie or is the baroque tradition open to microtonal
distictions ie a Db which is a tad sharper thhan C#? and an artic. tthat makes it diiscernible?
Talasiga, James is referring to Baroque ideas about temperament etc.. In e.g. mean-tone temperament and other unequal temperaments, there is a pitch distinction between sharp and flat semitones. I don’t know of any short articles, though I’m sure there must be some out there - try websearching/wikipedia…). I’ve been reading a bunch of books about temperament and its history lately and have this stuff buzzing around in my head! Quantz’s essay on the flute explains about the practicalities of playing observing such distinctions, though it doesn’t explain the background theory… that’s why it is one of the primary sources for Baroque performance practice.
Similarly, Baroque practice made a distinction between B-flat xoxxxx[Eb] with the E-flat key depressed, or xoxxxo, and A-sharp, xoxxxx without the key.
You would also depress the key for A-flat xxoxxx[Eb], but not for G-sharp xxoxxx.
This convention survived in a slightly altered form well into the nineteenth century as the playing of “sensitive tones,” i.e. raising the leading tone to be deliberately sharp.
I believe most recordings of Baroque flute observe these conventions.
Usually only HIP musicians (Historically Informed Performance) will be playing Baroque flute anyway, and they are very likely to be following Baroque-era performance practice as accurately as possible.
No. That’s 'cos it ain’t one! It is a Classical era 4-key on that vid, if I recall aright, as appropriate for Mozart (though 1-key flutes were still in use in his time and it would not be anachronistic to use a suitably pitched and voiced one for his music).
Wow, nice! thanks for that link, James - I hadn’t seen that before. Just a pity the (obviously deliberately chosen) natural reverb of the recording space was too much for the camera sound system to cope with!
I definitely agree…I’m not much of a fan of excessive reverb, even the natural kind, and it tends to obscure the finer points of the sound. A shame, this flutist obviously plays to a very high standard.
But as much of the playing as I could hear was lovely!
) is getting your mind wrapped around it. Once you get it in your head that it’s just another key like any other key, then suddenly getting it “under the fingers” is a hell of a lot easier.