New McGee GLP and a question

Irish Flute
1

Well, after much deliberation and pestering of the seniors on the board, I had a chance to get a McGee Grey Larsen Preferred on a trial basis from a board member. Got it yesterday.

This flute rocks!! :astonished: :boggle:

Blackwood, tuning slide, elliptic embouchure, silver rings.

Very nice looking, light, easy to hold. Iā€™ve been playing on a poly flute (R/R model), and I am now a convert to nothing beats wood for tone. There was an immediate resonance that Iā€™ve never noticed on my best days with the poly. Very easy flute to fill, and while Iā€™m sure that the smaller tone holes (Itā€™s the smallest tone hole model Terry makes) produce less volume than a pratten, I was able to push it at least as loud as my other.

Crisp and responsive, and since I have smaller hands, this flute really fits me well there too.

Itā€™s been played in, but has been sitting, so Iā€™m playing it less than I might normally until it gets played in again. I hated to put it down. :smiley:

Since I now have a GLP, and the GL book for flute/whistle, does that mean I have to join the Grey fan club? :laughing:

I am debating whether or not to keep the poly. I am about 99% sure this is going to be THE flute for the next couple years, but I also play at Renaissance Festivals. The one Iā€™m worried about is here in Arizona, 8 weekends during February and March. Hot during the day, brutally cold at night (Especially in Feb).

Anyone have any ideas about the blackwood being safe out there? Think desert, dust, heat. Generally average 4 half hour shows a day, plus a couple hours busking here and there.

Aodhan

2

That sounds like a great flute! :slight_smile:

On the question about the polymer, why not keep it? Unless you need the money, of course.

If your experience is like mine, youā€™ll find that after a few months of playing mainly your new flute, if you pick up the polymer and try a tune on it, youā€™ll be surprised at how well it plays. And having a zero-care, almost indestructable backup flute is a Good Thing.

ā€“James

3

Iā€™m with James here - hang onto the polymer. I felt that the tone on my rosewood flute was incomparible, stopped playing the Seery for a month or two, but have recently picked it back upā€¦and itā€™s tone is much better than I thought it was (nothing against the tone of the old wooden flute here at allā€¦itā€™s still lovely) and easily on par with the other flute.

Plus, Iā€™d stick with the polymer flute for the ren. fest. Iā€™ve been in one of those before I played flute, and who wants to worry theyā€™re going to break an expensive instrument when youā€™re out there having so much fun???

Eric

4

Aodhan,

What youā€™re doing is very dangerous. Switching from a polymer to a wooden flute so suddenly you are begging for a case of P.P.P.P. (Post-Polymer Pucker Problems).

You need to take these changes gradually for your own good. I recommend you stop playing the GLP for a few months now to let your lips rest. If you send it to me I could get it all broken in for you and then send it right backā€¦say in September. :smiley:

Donā€™t worry, Iā€™d be perfectly safe, after all I am a medical professional.

Doc

5

Well, ya know, it occurs to me that having my EMT-I, I am a medical professional as well. Tell you what, Iā€™ll monitor myself, and the MOMENT I find my mouth puckering, Iā€™ll send the GLP on over.

Butā€¦then Iā€™d have to go back to the poly, thereby inducing the cycle all over again. Maybe I should just send you the GLP and be done with it?? :smiley: :smiley:

Aodhan

6

That would probably be best. :laughing: :laughing:

Doc

7

You could always check in with Mark Hoza who offers an awesome PVC airtight case for flutes. You just dry out the bore and put it in the case with humidifiers and then a stable temperature environment.

MArk

8

Played one of these at the Tional;
immensely sweet and good volume.
Terrific flutes.

You will be humidifying the flute
by playing it. At night you can keep
it in a humidified caseā€“unless
everything goes below freezing,
you should be OK.

9

My 2-key McGee GLP flute arrived in the post yesterday. Wow, what a nice flute! And so light and easy to play. I am in love ! : )

10

wolvy - pictures!! what key did you get? wood?..
basically - your post is not detailed enough :wink:

11

The GLP flute is made of blackwood in the key of D. The 2 keys are F-nat, and G#.

Here are some photos:

http://www.impulse.net/~wolvert/glp1.jpg

http://www.impulse.net/~wolvert/glp2.jpg

http://www.impulse.net/~wolvert/glp3.jpg

http://www.impulse.net/~wolvert/glp4.jpg

enjoy.

(p.s. I am a terrible photographer)

12

Vewwwy sexy!

13

Wolvy, how do you find the funky Fnat key? (Itā€™s reversed from what I would consider the ā€œnormalā€ Fnat key orientation.) I have one like that on an antique 4-key and find it a little difficult to use.

Aodhan, I wouldnā€™t sweat the blackwood flute in a desert climate. You will need to treat it right, though. Keep it humidified, which is not difficult. I use a Rubbermaid box and cigar humidifier.

14

I like the F-nat key just fine. I didnā€™t think it is that funky. It is identical to the F-nat key shown on the flute at the top of the woodenflute page:

http://www.woodenflute.com/


Seems like a normal F-nat key to me. Perhaps my crummy camera work does not show this well.

15

Wolvy - Chas is right, the Fnat. is backwards from whatā€™s done on the majority of flutes. I hadnā€™t noticed it was that way on the woodenflute page, but Iā€™m pretty sure thatā€™s a McGee on that page, too.

Personally, I find my ā€œnormalā€ oriented short F unwieldy, so this one may be easier to use.

Eric

16

looks normal to me.

17

That F-nat key looks just like most others Iā€™ve seen. Do you mean that it should be placed with the keyhole facing the audience? Isnā€™t that where the long F-nat usually sits?

18

OK, I surrender, and Iā€™m flat out wrong about that Fnat key. It must be the block mounting which looks odd to me since my old flute is post mountedā€¦but mine opens just the same.

Do you ever have those moments where you realize that obviously youā€™ve been possessed by aliensā€¦or how else could I be so stupid???

Eric

19

All the time Eric, all the time. :slight_smile:

OT: **** Sweden is loosing against the Canadians. This is not fair. :angry: