How do I decide whether to play Irish flute left handed or right handed? Experimenting with low whistles, holding it out to the left and keeping the left hand at the top is automatic. Swapping the hands and holding it out left, I can’t play a thing. Holding it out to the right side feels downright odd.
I gave up classical guitar many moons ago after six years as I couldn’t pluck fast enough with my right hand - I was taught right handed and don’t want to mess up on flute. Play whistles left uppermost but IMO it’s easier to finger out front.
I’m likely wrong, but I think most ‘off the shelf’ flutes have their embouchure holes (and keys if fitted) set for right-handed playing (floot out to the right, left hand on top palm facing inward, right hand on bottom, palm facing outward).
I’ve just made meself look like an ejit here in the office trying what I think you said in your post… stick out to the left, with left hand on the top holes and right on the bottom. I can’t do it, unless your left hand is facing palm outward, which feels incredibly weird and would make it virtually impossible to hold the flute in position!
If your left palm is facing inward with the stick out to the left, then your right arm crosses your left, which is even weirder!
I’ve never heard of holding the flute out to the left with the left hand closest to you and the right hand out at the end. You must have very long, limber arms! However, I suspect doing that for very long would lead to all kinds of shoulder problems, so I really wouldn’t suggest it.
Holding the flute the traditional right-handed way (ie, out to the right, fingered the same as a whistle with left hand on top) sounds like something you could do, even if it feels a bit odd at first. It also has the benefit of not having to change the fingerings you know. If you do give the flute a try, I would suggest that position. Plus, as Gary pointed out, that will make it easier to buy flutes, because most of them are made for using that position.
On the other hand, you seem quite happy with the playing position used for whistles and low whistles. Are you sure you want to play the flute, if it’s not a comfortable or natural position? I’d hate to discourage anyone from playing the flute, because I think it’s a great instrument, but if it’s not right for you, you shouldn’t force it. At most, I would strongly suggest borrowing a flute or buying a very cheap one (like a Doug Tipple PVC) for a while to see if you do like playing it and adjust to the position, before you go spending a bunch of money on one.
Steven - I’m sure you’re right about the LH uppermost, LH outwards. I was experimenting with Zoob’s Le Coant Low D Blackwood whistle and discovered that with about 2/5 of the mouthpiece in the mouth and held at 50 or 60 degrees it sounded a good bit like Veillon (in tone anyway, who I was “accompanying” by ear… more or less :roll: ) and needed about half the breath (first whistle to fatigue my diaphragm ). Got me to thinking I should try wooden flute.
What I was angling at was that it feels more natural to hold it out leftwards which would mean swapping hands and might make faster pieces easier with my more dextrous hand at the F/E/D end (I’m thinking keyed for the future). But how easy is it to rethink the fingering for whistle-learnt tunes?
Or to struggle a bit with the faster pieces and hold it standard rightwards but know the fingering is the same. Recently watched a good Uillean piper play his pipes one way and whistles the other which made no sense to me but might to others?
It will be much easier for you in the long run if you hold it out to the right, with the left hand palm facing you (fingers covering top 3 holes), and the right hand covering the lower 3 holes, palm facing outwards.
As someone earlier said, embouchures are more often cut for this hold, rather than to the left. Also, I would think key-work would favor holding it out to the right.
FYI: Boehm/silver flutists ALWAYS hold it out to the right. (As far as I know!) I know that there ARE a lot of to the left holders in Irish music, though.
Yes. It would have been different if you were used to playing the whistle left handed (right hand on top) like I was. I play the flute lefty (holding it out to the left with the right hand on top), it works fine, alot of folks do this. But I think you should definetely play right handed.
If you want to try keyed flutes at some point is the only reason you’d really need to play right-handed. Any maker will make a flute specifically for a right or left-handed player no problem, it’s just that most flutes you’re likely to come across will be righties.
I play left-handed (just how I naturally picked up the flute for the first time - I am left-handed in real-life too), and never had a bit of trouble playing a righty-cut embochure or otherwise, so if you’re likely to never go keyed, you’d be fine either way. Mike McGoldrick, Gary Shannon (and Cathrine McEvoy, I beleive) among noteable others are lefties…not bad company to be in!
It may be your lucky day. There may be a fancy Wilkes left handed Pratten model available shortly ( second hand ).
(Then there is my left handed Firth Pond & Co if you have to support home industries, also second hand ! )
Strange that it is reported that there is a higher proportion of players playing left handed than the proportion of left handed people in the population.
