So, I feel like I’m looking for a bit of a unicorn flute, and I could really use some suggestions.
I play in a renaissance band (me, recorder, violin, drum, guitar) and am looking for a new flute. This flute needs to:
Fit in historically (be or look wooden with minimal silver or accents. Preferably not black.)
Be able to tune at least a little bit
Withstand 90 - 40 degree weather as I will be playing outside.
Have enough keys (I’m thinking 4) to play in a decent amount of key signatures easily. My half-holeing is dismal.
Last season I used a wooden D folk flute by Casey Burns. and a wooden fife in C by Sweetheart flutes. These instruments did ok, except tuning was non existent on the fife and not all of my accidentals were covered between the two.
Any suggestions would be absolute awesome. Thank you!!
As I understand, baroque flutes are generally 1-keyed (at the foot) and use recorder-type cross-fingerings (and half-holes and shadings) for accidentals. They are also relatively quiet for outdoor playing. So if it’s keyed accidentals you’re looking for, a baroque flute is probably not what you want.
Hard to know what you mean by that. Sweet fifes are tuneable at the joint, and don’t have a reputation for bad self-intonation. But you do know that fifes are intended to be played mostly in the 2nd and 3rd registers (octaves), right? That’s a tessitura of 2 octaves above a concert flute. If you’re playing mostly in the lower octaves, that could be part of the problem.
It sounds like what you want is a 4-8 keyed simple system Irish style flute in a wood other than blackwood. There’s plenty of choice of fine instruments of that description. I’m sure others will chime in. And if “prop value” is an issue, decorative cloth can cover rings and cap.
The baroque flute is proper but it depends a bit on your band, the music, their standards and the laws of the realm where you will be playing.
Keys are not proper for the period, IMO. Depends on whether there is a sheriff in your musical woods. I am sure the guitarist in your band is not using a period correct instrument. Right? The violin is gut strung, right?
Keyless Sweetheart flutes and Casey Burn’s Folk flutes show up frequently at the fairs I go to. But you’ll see most any type of “Irish” style flute being played in the bands. Wood flutes with faux ivory rings are fairly standard in more dedicated period music groups in these parts. A delrin Copley with alternative ivory rings should work IMO. Dave makes a Baroque style flute too.
I make/sell flutes and whistles at Ren Faires on occaision. I do sell instruments made from CPVC pipe. They are ivory colored and I advertise them as being made from “faux Unicorn horn”. Everyone has a chuckle and few seem to care. My point is that a plastic or delrin instrument, provided it is not too brash looking, will usually pass muster. Lots of the recorders I see at Ren Faires are plastic Yamahas or even the Dolmetsch bakelite models. Environmental conditions are a concern when you play out of doors. When all else fails wrap a few ribbons and sparkly bits around it and no one will care.
Hmmm. I didn’t think about it being quiet. I can do cross fingering, but half-holes are generally my problem. I guess I should work on that more.
Mine didn’t have a joint, so it was difficult to tune with other instruments. I could roll my embouchure to adjust, but it was getting a little ridiculous.
I would love some suggestions! I’m having a hard time finding some as many makers aren’t showing up in Google searches. I’ve looked through a decent amount of the makers from the makers thread, but aren’t finding many 4 keyed instruments.
Our festival is very fantasy oriented, and not historically accurate at all. I only strive for accuracy as my costume IS historically accurate, and I don’t want my instrument to look too out of place. I think a few keys would go unnoticed as you are correct in assuming the guitar and violin are modern. We also had a glockenspiel at one point, and our guitarist will occasionally play celo, hammer dulcimer or a second recorder.
Our band plays for a dance troupe, so most of our music are irish reels and jigs, historic folk music, and other historic music including consort music.
Would you say a baroque flute would be too quiet?
Also, your unicorn flute is really cute and sounds hilarious.
Gosh! I wouldn’t trouble too much about historical accuracy then. As long as it looks kind of old. I reckon you’d find a Baroque flute a bit quiet and a bit awkward to deal with. If I were in your place, I’d go for an antique, 8-key wooden flute. Try the Used Instruments Exchange hereabouts. Also, members jemtheflute and Jon C. are very knowledgeable on such things. Prices, btw, range from expensive - thousands of dollars - to really quite cheap. Sometimes you have to wait and have a little bit of luck to pick one up cheaply that will work OK.
I’m gonna guess the costumes are sewn on a sewing machine with nylon or polyester thread. The fabrics are all natural - wool or cotton maybe? Dyed with natural dyes. Right? Unless you grew the flax and wove the cloth and hand sewed the pieces there is only so much you can do to be historically accurate.
It’s good that your festival is fantasy oriented - most are - whether intentionally or not.
Here’s what I would suggest. It has your keys. It has a the look. And it would be impervious to the environment - excluding fire eaters.
Haha, you got me there! Historical in appearance if not execution.
That Delrin looks very nice, though I wish they could come up with a brown color. I know that is probably too much to ask. My budget is really anything under $1300, although I’d much prefer to stay at the $500 range as I want to also pick up a gemshorn. I know if I’m looking at keys, prices will get much more expensive.
Ah, something like the one-piece “Camp Fife”, I guess. Then maybe all you really need is a tuneable C fife, depending on your repertoire. For example, for Irish dance tunes, a combination of D/C instruments covers virtually the entire range of keys/modes with very little half-holing or cross-fingering needed.
Also … most tuneable flutes/fifes/whistles are set up so that you can pull out quite a bit to tune flatter, but not push in so far. If you’re playing in cold temperatures, this can be a problem, as your instrument will tend to be consistently flat. In which case, since you’re playing with mostly other tuneable instruments (guitar, fiddle, cello, recorders), it behooves them to accommodate you by tuning a bit flat - especially since stringed instruments will tend to go sharp when cold. If your bandmates don’t understand the physics of why all that’s so, you need to educate them.
As for keys, you’ll limit yourself thinking in terms of a 4-keyed instrument. Six or eight keyed timber flutes are more common - including, as Ben suggests, reconditioned antique flutes. For example, a German “nach Meyer” flute can often be had rather cheap, and may be perfectly OK for your needs (if it can handle A440 tuning).
Delrin does come in brown. In fact it comes in all the colors of the rainbow. I have used tan and dark brown in my shop. The dark brown was a special formulation as I recall. But it is like most other plastics in that coloring may be added as the material is being extruded.
Of course that does not mean that any flutemaker stocks delrin/acetal in colors. I can say that most plastics suppliers would have to special order the colors and there may be minimum order requirements that could preclude a flutemaker from ordering it. But it is out there.
Susato makes a reasonably priced Gemshorn in plastic -festooned with ribbons no one would care. That could save a few bucks. And the DIY route is available for a Gemshorn too. My daughter recently gifted me with two cow horns (she can surprise me on occasion). That prompted me to find these instructions for a DIY Gemshorn.
Speaking as someone who commissioned (and is very happy with!) a custom four-key because he can’t play a standard six (or four for that matter), I’d like to gently dispute that. Since your standard four keys are Eb, F, G# and Bb with the six adding C and a duplicate F where I’ve got a C thumb hole effectively equating to a five-key, the only thing I’m missing is the long F. And, while the additional low C and C# of the eight-key might give you a low tonic for C or leading note for D, they’re not exactly going to give you more fluency in multiple sharps and flats…
Or did you simply mean ‘keys’ as in eight is more than four?
Sorry, I meant “limit” in terms of ready availability of instruments, not in terms of playing in desirable modes/keys. And your situation is a bit unique.
The multiple ambiguity of the term “key” - instrument, music, key signature, physical key - is one of the dumbest things we’re saddled with. To whom do I write to complain?
Well, mine actually has 8 keys, but since I’ve played in temps from 100 to 37 (and heavy rain at 37…let me tell you that is not fun in a kilt) I much prefer to not take my antique flute out in those extreme temperatures…plus, if you have a daily parade, you get bumped, pushed, and walk over really rough terrain and might fall.
I really don’t think you want a baroque flute…you want volume out at renfest. Plus, it’s no more historically accurate than an 8 keyed flute. Renaissance flute reproductions are available and they’re just cylindrical bored 6 hole flutes…again, not the loudest critters.
A final option, and probably one that looks the most historically accurate, would be one of Doug Tipple’s unicorn horn or faux ivory (e.g., white plumbing pipe) flutes: http://tippleflutes.com/flute-photos/
Those will be, looks-wise, closer to a renaissance flute than anything else, plus they’re easier to half hole because the PVC is thinner than the body of a wooden flute. Just another option.
How relevant! KCRF is actually my faire!! I am liking the sweetheart, but I’ve heard some people don’t like the rosewood. I am partial to boxwood myself, but I think that might be impossible to find in my price range.
I like the idea of delrin, but I just can’t get over the black color. I mean at that point I might as well just truck my silver flute out there and be done with it.
Does that look legitimate? I’ve never bought an antique instrument, so I have no experience with it. I am however friends with two instrument repair people, so replacing pads wouldn’t be an issue I shouldn’t think, unless they were special.
OK, do we know each other? I’ve played in the past with Aaron and Kelsey’s May I Have This Dance Troup, I’ve played for (and danced in many, many years ago) the Clanna Eireann Dancers (which would mean you know John Bunch). My band, Fraoch, played at the wine bar the last two weekends this year (overlooks the waterfall down where the pirates are) and have played in other spots as well. We actually formed from a bunch of friends who played for both the May I Have this Dance group and the Clanna Eireann Dancers.
Do you go to any of the local Irish trad sessions at Mike’s in KC or up at Henry’s in Lawrence? If not, you should…great way to get your chops in shape if you like Irish music. Kelsey makes the KC sessions from time to time I know, and I’m always up at Henry’s in Lawrence…but rarely get back into town these days.
Anyway, and more importantly…you can try my flutes and see what you like (both in looks and how they play). My M&E is something you can buy, but if you want an older wooden flute I got mine through Jon C on this board and if you like my flute…you could ask if Jon has one that plays similar to my E. Baack cocus flute.
As long as it looks kind of old. I reckon you’d find a Baroque flute a bit quiet and a bit awkward to deal with. If I were in your place, I’d go for an antique, 8-key wooden flute. Try the Used Instruments Exchange hereabouts. Also, members jemtheflute and Jon C. are very knowledgeable on such things. Prices, btw, range from expensive - thousands of dollars - to really quite cheap. Sometimes you have to wait and have a little bit of luck to pick one up cheaply that will work OK.
