Hi Folks,
Is it just me, or is John (a lefty) playing a 6-key Murray made for a righty? I thought the embouchure was cut in a way to be played a specific way (either right or lefty)? Regardless, he makes it sing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znrDfIAvFiQ&feature=rec-HM-fresh+div
He sure is in that clip at least. Haven’t thought about it before.
Many makers (most?) will cut the embouchure ambidextrous to work for both right and left handed players. I don’t know if Sam Murray is one of those.
Mmm, tonight I get to sample a 29 year old Port Ellen
whisky 
It does demonstrate the oft quoted adage that the keys are on an Irish flute primarily to keep it from rolling off the table top (possibly taking some whiskey with it. 
)
I guess that’s all the keys are good for for him! I thought I was going mad thinking, Why get a 6-keyed flute where you can’t use the keys? Must’ve borrowed someone else’s or got it for a great deal. Love his playing though! Henke-That whiskey sounds good. I just might take a trip to get some!
Mmm, very nice indeed. Not the best I’ve tried but definately a nice one. But you don’t primarily drink a 29 year old Port Ellen because of it’s taste (there are plenty of other better bangs for the buck IMO), you drink it because it is a part of whisky history. The distillery has been closed since the 80s, it’s a legendary dram.
And Port Ellen single malt is not a whiskey, it’s a
whisky
Backwards? Yes.
6-key? Eb, Cnat, G#, Long F, Short F. Can’t see a Bb. It’s possible to play the short F, Eb, and Cnat backwards.
Murray? Maybe.
Asymmetric blow hole? Yes, based on a sample of two Murrays. Perhaps he got a lefty head? Still, it’s possible to get a nice sound playing it backwards.
Guiness-
Now that I look at the clip again I don’t think it’s a Murray. The reason I originally thought it was a Murray is b/c Wynne usually plays a Murray made for a lefty, at least with all the clips I’ve seen of him (except this one). Not sure the Cnat key would be easy to use for him on this flute with his grip, but I suppose you could with a different grip. I guess he had to borrow someone else’s here ?
And then again … it could be a lefty head on a righty body. Mwah-hah-hah!
Now all the vids I see of him lately have him playing a 6-key made for a righty. Maybe he never had a lefty flute 
It is possible to play a righty flute as a lefty. I know a flute player who lives in Germany (Siobhan Kennedy). She plays an antique Metzler with an Olwell head, and she plays it left-handed despite of the keys being made for a righty. And she plays tunes in A or D minor or whatever without problems. It’s all a matter of getting used to it. Watching her play is sometimes a bit awkward if you don’t know that… 
Catherine McEvoy played her old Rudall to the left (it was a “right handed” instrument). 
cathal mcconnell also play right handed r&r flute, although he is lefty too…
marin
patsy hanley showing how it’s done and apparently johnny o’leary approves - (checkout the useage of cnat key)…
People playing right handed antiques like R&R left handed isn’t all that weird. Since they don’t use the keys much they just play the flute they have in whatever way is most comfortable, and don’t bother to learn to play the thing right handed like a classical player would have to. They may prefer their old R&R and old R&R’s aren’t left handed.
Seeing a professional play a modern right handed instrument like a Murray left handed seems more odd to me. These things are typically custom made for the player, but he must have gotten it used and see no reason to get a lefty one.
No matter how it is, I think he deserves a proper
whisky
He certainly does play a righty-keyed Murray - at least he did as of last July. As a lefty playing a Murray myself, I was lucky enough to have a short “gear chat” with him at one of the obscenely large official “sessions” at East Durham last year. The flute he played then is a standard keyed Murray, about ten years old or so.
I can’t play a righty keyed flute easily b/c of my lower hand grip - the blocks get in the way. But it’s pretty easy for a lefty with a more standard grip.
Regarding embouchures, I have no idea if Sam customizes for lefty vs. righty. I do know that the embouchure on my lefty Murray is only subtly different from the embouchure on my GF’s righty Murray. Also, just from messing around, I’ve noticed the variance between makes of flutes is normally a lot wider than that between flipping around a flute and trying it lefty or righty.
And Mr. Wynne more or less proves that embouchure-handedness need not be an impediment to getting a great tone. It’s nice having another lefty in the Murray Mafia:)