Greetings,
I just joined the forum and this is my first posting. I used to play the boehm flute 20 ish years ago but haven’t picked it up since then. Recently I have been inspired to learn the Irish flute. I have been visiting several flute makers websites and realized that a simple looking instrument isn’t so simple. After not having played the flute in so long, I consider myself a beginner. I am a believer in buying the best instrument you can afford. That being said I am requesting advice on what makers of Irish D flutes I should consider. What will a tuning slide do for me especially since the added cost is considerable? Some makers offer different finger spacing. Is this something I should be concerned about? I don’t think I am interested in a keyed flute. Should I consider buying used if I can find the right one? Recommendations and advise are very much appreciated. Thanks,
The usual advice is to go try a bunch and buy what you like best. That is a bit harder here obviously because most people don’t live near a wooden flute dealer. I’ve just recently been through the process of choosing something. I tried different flutes from different people who would let me. I bought and sold a couple beginner instruments to get a feel for the characteristics that I like and I decided on an Olwell. Several people near by play one and I got to try a few. High quality, great sound and consistent.
I’m getting a blackwood D with tuning slide, a half lined head and short foot. I went up to his workshop, tried each out and ultimately decided I liked the half lined head a little better. I liked the short foot too because I like a booming direct lower register.
I am in St. Louis Missouri. The only place in town that sells these types of flutes doesn’t know anything about them. That seemed strange. They suggested I talk to a flute player that comes to the store and jams with an Irish music group. Apparently he is in Ireland now. He’ll be back in about a month. I am willing to spend $800 to $1300.
First off, If there are any forum members in the St Louis area they might chime in and and offer to let you try what they have. At least I know I would do that if you were in the Pittsburgh area.
That budget gives you lots of options for a keyless flute. If you’re willing to spend that much I would definitely get something with a tuning slide. Especially if you plan on playing with others such as in a session.
Lots of people may chime in here but my short list of makers would be:
There is a wealth of info on these two sites concerning the “Irish Flute”. Then you can do a search for individual flute makers reviewed on this site. Most have been reviewed. There are a ton of threads on which flutes are good for beginners, here at C & F.
I guess that’s me, but i’m in New Mexico (not Ireland), taking care of a sick friend. I’ll be back in St. L at the beginning of
August. These guys are giving you good advice. If you want to wait till I’m back in town I can show you some flutes, good ones. If you will PM me contact info I can e mail you or phone. I’ve been playing these flutes for 15 years. Kind regards, Jim
I’m with Kirk, but I would narrow it down to the first one on this page. $985 is in the middle of your budget range and, in my opinion, Dave’s flutes are the absolute best for a “newbie” and will serve for experienced players as well. I’ve owned LOTS of different flutes (currently a blackwood John Gallagher 8-key and a delrin Garry Somers Pratten keyless) and have had 3 Copley’s over the years. While I love both of my current ones, I wouldn’t recommend either for a newbie (the Gallagher is pretty pricey and the Somers requires a bit of finesse). If you do go with the Copley, you can keep it forever as your “spare” flute once you move on to a keyless (trust me, you will if you stay interested!). The Olwells I’ve played are great flutes, but do (IMHO) require a little more “mature” embouchure, btw. Dave Copley is great to work with, too… Keep us posted on your “journey”!
There is a Martin Doyle with slide on the for sale section of this site. I have a keyless Celtic Doyle and a keyed traditional Doyle. They are both lovely. Martin makes very good flutes, and they are easy players.
Buying a used flute can save you some money, but more importantly, time. Most of the good builders have a lead time for builds, which can range from weeks to months. C&F is one of the best sites to buy flutes, as it tends to be a small, close community, and less “faceless” than EBay.
There are so many great makers out there right now, and it can be difficult to try different makers, as we are something of a niche market and they can be a bit thin on the ground. It’s also difficult to form a meaningful opinion about a flute without spending some quality time with it. People have preferences based on their own experiences and exposure, so flute recommendations tend to be based on what they have or know best. The usual response to a question for recommendations generates a pretty standard list of makers, most of which you’ve already seen. The truth is, they all make great flutes. I would add Hamilton and McGee to the list.
There are differences between flutes and makers, but they can be subtle. They also seem to be less obvious to the listener the better you get. Crawford, Molloy, McGoldrick, and other top players sound remarkably like themselves on any good flute. Pick a flute from a decent maker and play the heck out of it. You will grow into it.
Welcome. Enjoy the journey, and play as much as you can.
Thanks for the suggestion on the Doyle Flute. I don’t think I’m educated enough to purchase one yet. I have to wait till I meet with my flute consultant ( thanks Jim ). That won’t be for another month.
Good suggestions all around on this thread, but I’ll echo Pat–you can’t go wrong with a Copley flute. They’re excellent in every regard, well priced, and don’t have a long wait time. Or grab the used Doyle on the forum.
Excuse me if I jump in on this thread. I have a Doug Tipple flute. I have been playing whistle for about 10 months and I have had the flute for about 6 or 7 months I guess. I like the tone although It is not quite as loud as I would like. My problem is that it is not at all forgiving in terms of beginners embouchure. I play every day and am struggling to play the most basic tune whereas with whistle I can play some polkas and jigs etc. I have had two flute players pick it up briefly and both said basically, great sound but very precise embouchure needed. I live in Sicily so there is nowhere to really go and check out other flutes. I wonder if anyone has experience with a similar Doug Tipple and M&E or Walt Sweet Shannon. Would these be a little easier to play? Or should I just keep plugging away with the Doug Tipple flute and save some money.? I want to stick with Polymer for price and because Sicily is hot and humid. I’ll be in London in September so hopefully I can try something to get a comparison. Any advice really welcome.
Hey, fellow ST Louis-er! Come by Riley’s pub on Wednesdays to the session! You can play my Casey Burns folk flute to see if you like it. I’ve played it at sessions all over the US and I always get compliments on how good it sounds.
As a fellow newbie to Irish trad, I understand your consternation. With a limited budget, it’s hard to face the decision knowing you could screw up and get a bad flute. I’m not a newbie to instrumental music, however, and I learned 25 years ago that all you need is a competently made instrument and the ability to practice an hour a day or more and you’ll sound pretty good.