Just received my first ‘real’ flute, and I can tell already its going to make me happy. I have had a Hall Crystal flute, and had/gave away a Cheap Pakistani Ripoff. The M&E that just arrived (thanks Wes!) is obviously in a different class. I’ve tried playing other people’s flutes and hadn’t had much luck at getting a sound, but had no problem with the two octaves up to high B. Of course there is much work to be done, but it will be a joy.
Gonna go ramble through the Flute Forum to see if there are good pointers for newbies like me. Please PM, email or post any handy tips, threads or assistance!
I found the above sites helpful. If you already know about them, just ignore.
Isn’t a nice flute a big improvement over the Crystal flute? I have one too, it’s not bad in its own way, but you can’t really push them like a more traditional flute (in my opinion).
Jim, that’s exactly what I’m going to do tonight…but he’s warned me that, unlike the whistle, he is a ‘qualified and experienced’ flute teacher. I think that was a threat!
Bill came to session last Wednesday, and I had the pleasure of listening to him play, and watching. Made me very eager to do this flute thing properly, not ‘wing it’ the way I have with so many other instruments. I did tell him it would be a cold, cold day in hell before I ever picked up a fife though!
I also think that I’m doing something terribly wrong. I have no problem with the infamously difficult low E and D. Maybe I’m not getting great sound…hey, I don’t have a clue as to how good this flute can sound. I think I’ll take my mini-disc recorder tonight too.
I believe its the standard or ‘classical’… read that as ‘less expensive’ no keys. Pretty silver bands, nice wood box. Oh, yes, and it is a heavy hunk of instrument! Very substantial. Thou shalt not meet me in a dark alley while I’m toting this puppy!
The F# is a bit flat even with an experienced person playing it, but at my level of ear and play, it hardly matters. (Bill thinks it may be due to a compromise to get an easy reach on the right hand) He says its an excellent flute to learn on. I am now doing ‘long tones’ B->A, A->G, G->F# down and up the scale. I have zero stamina (but you should hear me whistle after I’m done practising the flute! whooo hooo!).
I did a little Planxty Fanny Powers today. I dont’ think anyone would recognize it, but it made me very happy. Also, Kilfenora Jig (what my session calls #2). Okay, I did it at 1/4 speed, but I got ALL the notes in there!
Tyghress
…And I go on, pursuing through the hours,
Another tiger, the one not found in verse.
Jorge Luis Borges
[ This Message was edited by: tyghress on 2003-02-25 21:16 ]
Note: the F-sharp and C-sharp are tuned intentionally somewhat flat on the M&E (and nearly all non-Pratten simple system flutes).
This is the “old flute scale.”
Now why they were tuned that way is a matter of fairly intense debate at times on the woodenflute and earlyflute lists. I don’t think a 100% true answer has emerged yet; Ardal Powell (www.baroqueflute.com) feels it was so when flutes played together or played with voices they could produce perfectly just intervals; Terry McGee has produced good evidence that perhaps it was so a flute could play at two different pitches without using corps de rechange; I personally think it was probably simply a hold-over from the Baroque flute, where these notes had to be flat for the cross-fingered chromatics to work.
But no matter who you believe, Michael Cronnolly is in good company making flutes tuned that way.
I have actually played my antique 8-key enough that the old scale sounds more correct to my ears, and when I play silver flute, I am shocked at the F-sharps and C-sharps, which sound very very sharp to me.
If you are interested in the tuning schemes of old flutes, a good place to start would be
Thanks for the info, James! Nice to know that it was intended to be this way, not just happenstance.
There is such a range of tone and color and volume that I can get…when I get a note at all!..that I’m not sure yet what I’m supposed to sound like.
Odd thing is, when I’m whistling, I really am not totally happy unless I’m playing a tune, and playing it halfway decently. Exercises are a means to an end, and okay as long as I eventually get to tuning. This is also true for when I play guitar, HD, ocarina, etc. And always has been true. But with the flute I’m painfully happy just playing those long tones, going from one note to the next, and feeling this column of air thrum.
I’m delighted that I went with the polymer, too, because I don’t want to take it apart and dry it and put it away every time I think I’m done playing. Chances are 15 minutes later I’m going to have a few minutes while the water is boiling for dinner, or Tyghre is cleaning up after dinner, or before he comes home in the morning. . .
I agree with you on the polymer and it’s ease of care. I often find myself only playing 10 or 15 minutes here or there each evening. Between pets, kids and a spouse time can sure disappear quickly and interruptions are all too common.
M&E. I love the sounds of James’ M&E on the flute site.