I have played a silver flute, mostly classical, since I was 7 or so. I began with the Suzuki method and did all the “usual” things, like school band and church accompaniment, until college where I joined the the college’s Celtic Ensemble, led by an excellent Scottish fiddler. A lot of the other players there were brought up in the classical world, too, including the only other flute.
Somehow, in all of this (expensive) music education, I didn’t really learn to read music. Not a huge loss in the ITM world, fortunately, though I’m actually learning now.
I play a Yamaha student flute. It’s decent. Borrowing a friend’s Armstrong, which was cheap but I prefer the tone. It’s just a little warmer. I also have an Olwell bamboo D flute (and two of those black PVC Tony Dixon practice flutes, and a E bamboo flute for which I can’t find a name, and a few other odd things). I usually play the bohem flute at sessions (can’t yet play the Olwell fast enough to keep up anyway).
So, between my flute and my background, I have somewhat of a classical sound. I’d like to try to step away from this, but am having trouble finding good, helpful resources. Suggestions?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWpXNr3ith4 - here’s a quick clip of me with my silver flute. It’s not great, and I messed up the end of it… but it gives you an idea of where I’m at (the beginning)…
Get a ton of good CDs. Listen to them a lot, like until you can’t get the tunes out of your head.
That’s really step one…learn to hear what you want to eventually play.
Find either another good flute player to learn from (does not have to be formal lessons, not that formal lessons are a bad idea but you can learn a ton playing along side of a good player).
Tutor books can help (Timber for example or Grey Larsons book).
Use the slow down option on your computer’s media player to slow down your CDs and try to do what you’re hearing.
You’ll do fine. Take your time but keep pushing to learn something each time you play. Whoever you’re listening to, other musicians you play with or recordings, it needs to make sense to you (gradually at first) such that you get the music into your head; & it sticks.
Embouchure? You never stop improving your embouchure but it depends on which flute you’re playing. If your goal is to play a simple system flute that’s where you want to spend most of your time on developing an embouchure.
You may find some of the resources linked from my signature below of use, especially the one on embouchure. See also stuff on tone/tone production from C19th sources on Terry McGee’s website.
First decide if you want to go on with your Boehm system or change to simple system. I would recommend simple system but also with Boehm system you have some options.
You could get a wooden (or even delrin) headjoint for your silver flute, even better if the embouchure hole is elliptical. That alone would generally cost more than your student flute though, and it won’t help with the style. One notable example of player of covered hole system cylindrical flutes is Paddy Carty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0Ro1INYLXQ
Ben from Israel, a friend of mine, has just started a blog, he plays a silver flute with a delrin headjoint made by flutemaker Vincenzo Di Mauro (I think he would make it for very cheap, not sure of the price but maybe around 200 euros)
This is Ben’s blog: http://boehmiantypewriter.podbean.com/category/marches/
Conal O’Grada’s An Fheadog Mhor book will really help move you toward a traditional sound. June McCormack’s book is nice, too.
Didn’t have a chance to listen to your clip, but ditching the vibrato is one of the first orders of business for most classical players.
I come from classical training as well. I’m still learning the Irish style which is very, very different than the classical approach. It’s taken me a lot of listening and practicing but here are few things that help me differentiate Irish from classical. Classical tone emphasizes smoothness of tone and having the tone go through the whole flute; Irish tone is more of a blasting tone (think trumpet) with the tone coming much more from out of the embouchure hole than going through the flute. In Irish music, each note can have it’s own characteristic (similar to Uillean pipes), whereas in classical the player tries to make all notes even and similar. Also, don’t worry too much about an airiness to the tone–in classical I tried to get rid of extra air sound, but in Irish I think it’s actually necessary to have a certain amount of airiness (it’s more of a by-product of generating an Irish tone).
I play both a keyless Irish flute and a Boehm flute for Irish music. The keyless is much easier for the standard Irish keys, particularly D major and G major, the 2 keys used most in Irish music. Thus, I use my Boehm to play in the “off” keys, such as C, F, Eflat, G minor, and crazy keys like E flat minor, B flat minor, and A flat major.
It is, however, definitely possible to play in the Irish style on the Boehm, I just think it’s more difficult for the majority of tunes and it’s more challenging to get the ornaments just right.
And I might add that, in addition to all the great and time proven advising on this thread, that there is no substitute for finding a session where a highly skilled and experienced player frequents. Go to sessions and listen and learn from that person. Even strike up a conversation with them and mention you are working on your styling, they may likely give you a tip that you will use and benefit from all your playing life. With your general background in flute, you are likely to take such advising, and also what you observe, and be able to run with it. Enjoy the experience and avoid giving yourself unrealistic time limits on what you learn, how and when, or even avoid time limits at all, they can make learning too much like work. (though I’m NOT suggesting that you not set any goals )
Happy tooting!
You play music with the people closest to you. I always go back to that. In this day & age numerous recordings are easily accessible. We can dip back in time & listen to wax cylinders from the turn of the last century then seconds later listen to McGoldrick, Lunny, John McSherry, et. al.
Point is don’t loose touch with the musicians who are right next door. Listen to everything you can get your hands on but don’t for get to learn & play from/with the local talent.
Hello thaneydesign, my name is Ben, and I am a Boehm-flute player. and a damn proud one too.
I’ve seen your video on youtube.
I won’t define your tone as classical, but that is up to you to decide really.
The Boehm-system (Or any “closed” system for that matter) will never sound “Irish” (at least what most consumers of ITM will define as Irish).
You will reach the tone you’re after, there is no doubt. this will only take practice, muscle, tightening your embouchure a bit more, maybe rolling it in some more, and listening to a lot of trad flute.
The moment you start playing though, the action that the buttons trigger will make it obvious what system are you using. kinda like a Diatonic (button) accordion and a Piano one, or an English and an Anglo concertina - you get my point.
Joanie Madden gets an amazing tone out of a Boehm-system silver flute, yet you can still hear clearly, by the length and attack on each note, that there something between the player’s fingers and the holes.
There is no way around it.
It really is about what kind of music are you in to, and what elements you would like to have in your playing. from experience, anything that has to do with breathing, pulse, tone and drive - the two are identical. once the air starts flying through the flute and out below the buttons, that is where you really hear the difference. I played a couple of notes with the Headjoint I got made by VDM in Neachtain’s in Galway one day. Sam Murray walked around the corner and asked to take a look at it. he said it sounded like a wooden flute to him, and he knows flutes.
I have met a few player that started on the Boehm and converted into the simple system after a while. that’s all Kosher, but if you do, make sure you do for the right reasons. A wooden flute doesn’t make you a kick-ass trad musician, work and practice does.
Closed systems are no aliens to this music. Paddy Carty (Galway), Paddy Taylor (Limerick), Tom Ginley (Belfast), Mike Rafferty (Galway) all played silver/wooden closed system flutes. this is an instrument that stands on it’s own. It’s not a “step-towards” or a “gateway” flute.
By the way, don’t learn anything from my Blog, I use a pair of cheap headphones (!) to record them, and many of the tunes are so-called “Orange” marches that might piss some people off.
mind yourself,
Ben.
As an adult beginner, I chose to go with a Boehm flute for a number of reasons not limited to price and ease of obtaining basic beginner lessons, but primarily ergonomics. My hands lack a lot of flexibility due to chronic tendonitis and the simple system flutes are mostly much too big for my hands to handle. I did recently pick up a small hands model Casey Burns folk flute, which I’m very happy with, but I still keep practicing ITM on the Boehm, too.
Hola! Same boat here … and after about 15 years at it, I agree with pretty much everything above. It’s my experience that a good, flexible embouchure will serve you well anywhere, on any flute. After that, it’s a matter of phrasing, articulation, and how you “put the music across.” Conal O’Grada’s book and CD are the best I’ve come across for clearly explaining all these things as they relate to Irish music.
But fundamentally, as the others said (and as O’Grada says too), listening, listening, LISTENING is the best thing you can do. After a while, you may notice that tone and style can vary quite a bit from player to player, but good phrasing, articulation, rhythm and “tune presentation” are pretty consistent across the board. Some go about achieving their brands of tune presentation in different ways, but the result is always something that makes you want to play along.
Finally (this from my own “journal of negative results”) … for heaven’s sake, don’t worry about how loud you are, or aren’t!! Get the music good and the other stuff will take care of itself. And if you’re doing really well, all but the most insensitive boors will play more lightly so they can hear you and follow along.
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