Hey all,
I hoping to get some info on Mark Hoza’s Kything flutes and how they compare to the Casey Burns folk flute in sound/tone.
Matt
I have no idea but Chiffer Kevin Krell has one on eBay right now.
Doc
Thanks Doc,
There’s another guy that has some too, which is why I’m asking. I was originally thinking about a Casey Burns folk flute. At the price those go for, I would need to wait a few months at least. I know Glauber has a Hoza headjoint, but not the same kind of kything flute. So I’m hoping to find someone who can say what the difference might be. Either way, it is a nice looking instrument, and I do like ironwood.
matt
I have a Hoza that’s a little more than 1.5 years old. It’s his most basic model, no slide, no rings, two piece body. It’s the large hole, large bore model. I’m very happy with it. I can play it reasonably well in tune. I think it’s stronger on the low end than at the very top.
I also have a Casey Burns, this time from about 4 years ago. This is not his folk flute, or whatever he calls his intro model, but it was his most basic model at that time. It’s Mopane wood, no rings, or slide, 3 piece flute. It has the dimple on the far edge of the embouchure hole.
The Burns flute seems a little stronger at the top end than at the bottom, but both of those comments probably reflect my playing at least as much as they reflect the flute’s construction.
I tend to play the Hoza a little more, but I would have a hard time saying why I do that. It’s holes are definitely larget, and I think the sound is more powerful. The Burns was more expensive and it looks like it would be, the turning work is a little more elegant.
Just to give some background on me that might influence my thoughts on these flutes: I’ve been taking Bohm flute lessons for a little over 5 years now. The lessons are very classically oriented. Wood flutes are something I do just on my own, and purely for personal entertainment. I probably play Japanese music as much as anything, but Irish airs are fairly common too. Never been to a session. I’m not a particularly fast player.
Not sure if this helps much! But that’s my take on these flutes.
Thanks for the comments. Sounds like both flutes have their pros and cons, and possibly balance each other out, depending on what I could get out of them. From what I can see on pics at both web sites, the embrochure looks very similar, if not identical.
matt
i have two Kythers, in Eb and F, that i bought as a set about 5 years ago. Brass rings, no slide. Love the grain of the wood, sort of tight little orange-gold waves, reminds me of Van Gogh brushstrokes.
Large holes & embouchure. Bright sounding (not surprising since they’re in higher keys, but i do think the ironwood has something to do with it as well). Strong first octave, as mrosenlof said. They have the embouchure cutaway on the blowing edge. Easy to blow, being smaller of course they’re easy to fill. They have the Bigio crown, not sure how much difference that makes.
I haven’t played them recently but one of them – can’t remember which – has some tuning issues around the “C#”/leading tone but nothing that can’t be blown in tune and not really noticeable on faster tunes. The other one seems well in tune.
Ummm… what else… the tone holes weren’t chamfered (i think that’s the term) but it isn’t uncomfortable to play. He finished it with some kind of citrus oil which gave it a pronounced citrus smell – not unpleasant, and it faded over time but it is still detectable.
Considering i paid US$300 per flute including the leather case i think i got a lot for the money. I can pretty much pick one up without having played flute for a while and get a decent sound out of it, which is impossible with some of the other flutes i’ve got. The ironwood seems to be extremely stable – i really do not take good care of the flutes, they’ve gone from South Florida summers to Chicago winters with no problems at all, they still look and feel like new.
Never played a Burns, and i’m not much of a flute player, so can’t really make any comparisons.
Hi - well, I’m keeping the Casey Burns 3-piece in Boxwood (no slide) - actually I’m going to lend that out to someone. Just something about boxwood, and it was a good buy. However I’m selling the Hoza R&R in Ironwood as my best bet to raise some funds. The Hoza has a deeper chimney, and does have a very sweet, mellow tone, and easy low octave. OK on the 2nd octave, no problems really. Somehow it strikes me that the tone is much more pleasing to hear in a solo playing environment or in a small group of instruments, not in a session situation. You know, too pretty, not enougyh “bark”. But then I still seem to prefer Pratten-style flutes. Those Eb & F Hoza 2-pieces on eBay are probably pretty nice, but will likely go higher to players who need the other pitches on hand, if only to play with recordings.
Kevin Krell