Hi everyone,
Please have patience if this has been covered before, but I am new to the flute forum (although have hung around the whistle forum for some time)
I already play whistle and I am now learning flute. I have been working with an Olwell bamboo and although I have not been playing long, I am progressing fairly fast due to already playing whistle. And also to the advice I have read on this forum over the last few weeks. Thanks for that!
I know a local player who has a beautiful keyed Olwell that cost thousands and took five years to get. I also know a local player who has a Desi Seery that he loves and plays extremely well. My question is, would I be better off right now with a Seery than with the Olwell Bamboo? Or should I stick with the bamboo for the next 5 years and save for an Olwell (or other good but expensive flute). I’m considering the Seery for the affordable price and from what I have read here, it sounds like a big, strong session instrument.
Anyway, I appreciate any advice/opinions you could give me.
Thanks,
Sue
This is what I would do if you’re looking for a good pratten. I’d contact Hammy Hamilton and get on the waiting list for a however many keyed flute you want. It will be half the wait “roughly” for the flute and… he’ll send you out a keyless version of his flute in about 6months to 1 year. You send it back in to have the keys added or for a trade, I don’t remember exactly. If Jim_P reads this he’ll be able to tell you more cause he’s in the middle of the process. But the best part about the deal is that his flutes don’t take as long, are much cheaper, and are as good are better than Olwells, albiet different. I know people think very highly of Olwells but Hamilton’s are in the exact same ballpark. It’s no secret why many of the big names like Paul McGratten, Conal O’Grada, Hamilton himself and many others play his flutes. So taking a Hamilton over a Olwell for the price and waiting period is nothing to scoff at. Check out his site for the details and he covers just about everything you need to know.
http://homepage.tinet.ie/~hammie/
Skip the Seery in my opinion and save the money bye just playing the bamboo until your keyless Hamilton arrives. It takes a long time to gel with a flute so the seery is just an added (unnecesary) step. Anyways that’s my advice and it’s good to give some back cause I still owe you for all that good advice you gave me along time ago.
Peg-leg - you are better off getting something to grow on first while you are waiting on the cows to come home with a good 'un. My advice, which come from 50+ years of flittin and a flutin with strings, winds and skins, is to get on the waiting list of a top tier maker, Byrne, Olwell, Wikes, Murray, Grinter. It will be 1 + years to get a keyless D from the best. While you are waiting, get a lower priced wooden flute from Michael Cronnolly or Tony Dixon. They make pure value proposition flutes. I play both while out in the Texas Hill country for days and nights on end without worry or care) You’ll appreciate the fine piece once it arrives, but will have had plenty of opportunity to develop in the meantime with the lower cost model. (I never take my Olwell or Byrne on the trail). Just remember, the flute won’t make you sound good, its the other way around.
A dead armadillo is usually done in by a truck, not a shotgun.
Peace to the world.
Tex
Can only say that the Seery is a pretty good flute and
you may find it useful forever because it is so rough
and ready–but it will never sound
as good as a good blackwood flute. If it were me I’d
buy a Seery and get on the list for a blackwood.
Good combo. Even if you end up not wanting the
Seery, you can sell it.
From time to time i’m pleasantly surprised by how good a Seery sounds when it’s well played. Great flute.
The Seery’s a very good flute for the price, and isnt too forgiving so you’ll learn to develop a great embouchure if you keep at it. Great, blast of a tone when you learn to play it right too. I personally think that you would be better off with a Seery because the way it works is more or less identical to that of a wooden conical bored instrument. The best thing about it though, is that the Seery can stand in as a great knockabout flute even when you have your fancy Holy Grail keyed Olwell.
However 5 years is a pretty long time to wait, and while I don’t doubt that the Seery is good enough to last your average fluter that long, (from the learner’s/improver’s perspective), you might like to consider a keyless wooden flute (for novelty if nothing) sometime in between anyways. Thats what I would do.
Yes, a keyless blackwood–and some of these can be
retrofitted for keys. I have one of Dave Copley’s flutes
which I like very well, the waiting list is six months,
the price is good, FWIW.
MurphyStout’s advice is quite good. Hamilton’s are up there with Olwell for quality and if you’re after keys on your flute the keyless trade in is a great deal. When the money comes my way I’ll be putting myself down on Hammy’s waiting list.
In the meanwhile the Olwell bamboo is a great flute and will keep you good company while you wait. Brian Finnegan played his Olwell bamboo exclusively for a long time.
To get an ear of the Hamilton sound while learning some tunes maybe have a go at some of Conal O’Grada or Paul McGrattan’s flute lessons on Scoiltrad.
Cheers,
Aaron
There’s really not much you can do with a conical flute that you can’t do with your Olwell bamboo, Peg. I think this discussion is interesting because I can’t figure out why, exactly, you’d want to get a keyless (or plastic) flute as a stepping stone to a keyed Olwell.
If you’re into playing with other people, and you have problems tuning the bamboo, then consider getting another flute only for the tuning slide. The embouchure of the Olwell bamboo isn’t a baby embouchure, and by no means would you need to get a Seery or Hamilton or anything else to learn how to play flute.
I’ve been through the ranks of makers and instruments. Once you start playing a great flute, you may notice that your tolerance for lesser instruments is . . . well, lessened. You’ll want to play the other instrument(s) only when something real prevents you from using your main flute. And consider how infrequent that is. If you travel, and you plan on playing flute in front of anyone, you’ll want your good flute. If you’re roughing it or going somewhere extremely out-of-the-way, or away from reliable climate control, or you’re lost in the TX hill country with Tex . . . then maybe you’d want a polymer instrument.
Part of this whole idea arises from the fallacy (in my opinion) that nice timber flutes are delicate and difficult to care for. They’re not. Honestly. Even cocus. People marched around with cocus pipes outside in Britain, the Colonies . . . Africa . . . India, and the pipes weren’t always falling apart. The best idea is to get a case, a really good case, once you get that Holy Grail flute. And use it. And play your flute!
My advice, then, would be this. If you’re thinking about upgrading because you want keys, and have your heart set on an Olwell, then get on his list. Or one of the other big folks. Don’t get an interim flute unless you can afford it and want to. You certainly don’t need it.
Stuart
Thanks for all the advice guys. I really appreciate your help!
Actually, I wasn’t planning on buying an Olwell particularly, I was using that as an example of a top professional level instrument. As I am new to the flute, (though not to Irish music) I don’t know much about the different makers - except what I have picked up here over the last few weeks.
I have been playing long enough now to get over the frustrations of trying to get a decent emboucher and I’m actually really enjoying playing! I have a long way to go, but have decided to enjoy my journey and go with the best flute I can afford.
I like the idea of a keyless Hamilton to start, then move up to keys as my finances will allow. To be honest, in all my years of listening to Irish Music, playing and teaching it, I have not really paid much attention to the flutes, only the musicians playing them - so I appreciate all your input. If I sell 2-3 of my not-used whistles I may have enough for a Hammy Hamilton Keyless. On the other hand, if anyone has advice on other affordable professional keyless flutes where the maker can give you keys later, I would love to hear. As I said, I don’t know much about the makers, I only know of Hammy H. from his performing.
Thanks,
Sue
Almost anyone will make you a flute that you can add keys to later. Post-mounted keys (depends on maker) can be added at any time to any flute; makers who make keys on pinblocks can turn you a keyless flute with all the blocks.
Stuart