In another thread, I asked and got advice on choosing a new instrument to learn. I decided that to get the sound I want, I’m going to learn how to play “bamboo style” 6-hole flutes.
Now I just have to pick out one to buy. After a lot of googling, I’ve found these makers:
Erik the Flutemaker
Windsong
Doug Tipple
Which of those makers would be best for a beginner flute player, and is there anyone else I should be considering? Price is definitely a factor, as is ease of playing. And any recommendation for which key to get? I’d like a deeper, mellow sound but it has to be comfortable to someone with smaller hands too so a low d probably wont work.
Lac Leger’s name was mentioned above. He happens to be one of my Facebook friends, and I have been following some of his recent activities. I’m envious of his abilities. He is able to play the socks off of anything that he picks up. It doesn’t seem quite fair.
I have recently purchased a Miller F Flute from a fellow Chiffer (thanks John) and also have one of his G flutes. These flutes have a nice even tone - they are not “shrill”. Of course, they do not have the depth of tone one finds in a good wooden flute. It takes a bit of embouchre adjustment if you’re coming from Irish flute, but they are fun to play and sound very nice.
I started on one of Erik’s D flutes for a year before I went on to a Copely. It was good for learning, and the price was right. Drawbacks: the upper register notes above G are impossible to play in tune with the rest of the flute.
It was quite an adjustment to go from Erik’s flute to the Copely.
I just bought a bamboo bansuri flute - I was expecting similar intonation difficulties to Erik’s flute, but to my pleasant surprise, the flute has great intonation, so this is not a problem on every cylindrical bore bamboo flute. To be fair, it was more expensive than Eriks, but less expensive than the bansuri.
Hmm, good to know. Yea, the price is a big factor for me, between guitars and wind instruments I’ve already spent a small fortune (for me anyway). I’m actually trying to sell a couple of cigar box guitars right now so that I can afford to buy the flute. Erik’s prices seem to be about as low as anyone I can find and he has a ton of videos which I like. Even if my main flute isn’t his, I’m sure I’ll eventually get some of his exotic scaled ones for fun.
I don’t think I’ll be affording a copley anytime soon. And being a whistle/recorder player, I’d rather not break the bank buying my first flute when I don’t know if I can even get the hang of it. I’d prefer a cheaper used one even, but I’m not patient enough to wait around for someone to sell theirs.
recommend a reasonably priced bansuri in D from a reliable maker. Jeff Whittier is based in USA.
If you like the sliding trad of whistle playing the bansuri is a good flute to articulate that on account of its fingerhole size and subtle shaping coupled with the thin walls of the bamboo.
Very responsive. If you want cross fingered accidentals and cross fingered C dont get it.
If you agree with the argumentation of Irish players who swear by sliding half notes and the like and you love that sound, think about this.
I don’t have a D bansuri but a slightly larger C# bell note one. My small hands can handle that quite well with a “normal grip” and more ergonomically with a bansuric grip ( a type of piper’s grip).