we’ve followed this convention in the past.
When giving advice, especially to newbies,
say how long you’be been playing Irish flute.
We had a problem where people were getting
advice from folks playing a couple of months
or whatever, who weren’t saying so.
Shall we continue it, as a courteousy
to those asking for help?
Of course longevity is no guarantee of good advice,
nor is relative newness necessarily a disqualification.
I’ve been playing hard for four and one half years,
in case anybody wishes to know.
I’m writing and I take breaks (from the mind boggling stuff
I write about) by reading this board. I would have left
a few months ago (a lot of people have left chiffandfipple
lately) but the truth is that I learn too much about flutes
here to leave. I’m really interested in flutes.
As long as I’m avidly reading, I might as well post
too–especially cause I feel I can be helpful to people sometimes.
The truth is the board energizes my playing. I play
more because I’m involved here.
jim stone"]![/quote]
I play more because I’m involved here.[/quote]
Interesting. I find the same to be true. I played fife since a teenager then switched to Irish flute about six years ago. I also find this list inspires me to play more. No question about the learning curve being enhanced here by many of the better players comments.
I agree that when posting advice, say how long you have been playing. I’d also like to know if you’re a flute teacher. That’s alway helpful.
I can truthfully say that I have been playing simple system flutes for fifteen years, at least. But that fact alone doesn’t reveal very much about my actual flute playing abilities or my judgement. Some people can learn more in 6 months than others can learn in years. There is a difference between “playing at” playing the flute and seriously working at playing the flute. In my case I’m afraid the former is true.
Yes, I’d suggest that those giving advice on playing technique and style at least post audio clips of their playing, so folks have some realistic idea of whether they honestly know and practice what they preach - length of time “playing” the flute means nearly nothing.
Those offering advice on instrument maintenance and repair, how about examples of your work and a run down on your professional instrument making experience and educational background.
The above would certainly clear up alot of things around here. Of course it’ll never happen but it’s nice to dream…
Maybe we could make it like one of those freshman/sophomore in high school projects where you have to care for an egg and not break it?
Like, we each have a small sample of some prone-to-cracking timber (like ebony or cocus) and whenever you give advice you need to put the piece of timber on that day’s morning newspaper to prove you’ve been caring for your timber.
I think making and caring for flutes are two different things, but maybe that’s because I’ve never made one.
Oooh! Or we could make it like it’s a big AA meeting. FA, maybe.
Hi, I’m Stuart.
Hello Stuart!
I’ve been playing IrTrad flute for 13 years.
Of course, here on C&F it would instantly become a 12-step pogrom.
Good point, which is why I mentioned professional experience and educational background: If you work somewhere that they’ve been making instruments for 20-40 years, and people consistently send those instruments back to you over the years for maintenance and repairs, then you get a much better idea of what works with regards to taking care of instruments over a long period of time. You have the advantage of knowing the history of the instrument and how it’s been cared for, because you see those same instruments over and over again through the years and you get to speak with the owners, past and present.
It helps too if you keep actual records of the work done each time the instrument is in for routine maintenance and repairs.
So yeah, making and caring for instruments can be very different things, which is why “new”, self-taught makers are at a disadvantage knowledge and experience wise, relative to the very experienced (15-20 years) and highly skilled maker, or someone who apprenticed with such a maker, particularly one who has put a number of instruments out in the world over the years.
But then there’s always the corollary that there are makers whose flutes invariably seem to have cracked bits, and those whose flutes seem never to crack.
That little bit of information in-and-of itself implies to me that the making is probably much more important than the care of the instrument (meaning oiling or whatever). Some makers seem to have it down, whereas others don’t.
Surely both the making of the flute and the care of the flute have something to do with cracking bits - but I think there are other issues as well. The first is how long the wood has been seasoned before and during the process of making the flute. The second regards the difference in climate between the maker’s shop and the end user.
That said, the only time I had a flute crack was early on, when I wasn’t paying attention.
I think those of us who are regular contributors and earnest advisers should certainly post a clip of our playing, however painful, if we are to be taken seriously. I’ll do so in the next few days.
(We will be kind to each other, yes?)
That is an in-depth topic in and of itself, but I’d say some makers simply care more about the seasoning and durability of their instruments than others. Very few makers are particularly patient when it comes to seasoning, because the process is quite time consuming, and I’m not simply talking about the amount of time the wood sits on a shelf somewhere before the boring and reaming starts, I’m talking about seasoning during the process of making the flute.
In addition, some makers simply live where it’s very humid, and as such it’s fairly difficult to get the wood dry enough so that the completed instrument will survive in much drier places. Unless you start sealing the bore or you have a low humidity work and storage facility.
Another approach might be to skip all the credential-posting bravado, and for readers to simply accept all advice with a healthy grain of salt. Truth is, they’ll need to do that anyway…
Get out of here with your common sense approach! We need certification so everyone knows the qualifications of each board member…
Seriously though, I agree with you completely. Just because you take your car to a dealership for a repair, it doesn’t mean the mechanic truly is an expert on your particular model, honest, or more than a week away from his/her training. Does your bank teller truly understand how to wire money in Euros to an Irish bank account (I was told this wasn’t possible by several folks before they found someone who could help - had I taken them at their word, it wouldn’t have happened). And as one of the doctors who works for me said, just because you made it through medical school does not mean you know very much about medicine and treating patients.
Every interaction we have with another individual, in person, by phone or by internet, requires that we evaluate the merits of the person giving the advice and come to our own judgment before we decide to take the advice or not.
Ditto. Anyone asking advice here oughta read the archives back awhile and get to know different people’s points of view, prejudices, knowledge base, etc. Few of the frequent posters to this forum hide much.
Charlie: hack Irish flute player five years; hack traverso player for a year or two; turned enough wood to know that a small misstep can lead to disaster or danger faster than you can say “2000 rpm”.
Disclaimer, I don’t play flutes anymore and if I ever give some input or advice regarding flute playing here on the forums please, do not listen to me.
Secondly, I have very much appreciated advice I have got from intermediate and struggling players here on the boards, both for flutes and pipes.
I have found it easy to relate to advice comming from people a little more advanced or experience then myself, that still remembers the problems and difficulties of the phase where I am or was at.
I can understand the reasoning and the concern about the problems that arise if a “blind is leading the blind”. I’m sure there are quite a few that are far better players here on the board compared to IRL. In the same way, not all flute players are gifted musicians and all talanted musicians are not by default good teachers.
Every now and then the mega experinced players tend to overshoot, yes I know Olwels, Wilkes and Grinters are the flutes to get, and a full set by Wooff or Fromant is what I should have. And I also know that the way Molloy or Ennis plays the tune is the correct way. Sometimes it just feels good to get some simple advice like, “skip that tripplet I never get the timing right either”. There is only one rule, when you get advice or seek information on the internet you have to learn to be both sceptical and critical.
It is exactly this that makes me wonder at the value of stating one’s time accrued playing when weighing in on a subject. I see that as sort of pointing out the shingle on one’s wall - it isn’t an unquestionable sign of relative qualification. I happen to know some players who haven’t been at it long who are crazy good. And as Marcus says, even the beginner’s viewpoint can be valuable.
kidding.
