I’ve played the Sweetheart G, A, C and high D.
I think these are professional level, they compare
well with anything out there. There may be better
flutes in these keys, but if so, not by much.
Also I’m finding the cherry flutes very expressive.
These higher pitched flutes are very helpful in
developing embouchure, IMO.
(this post was toward the end of ‘bang for the bucks’ thread,
but I thought the subject might warrant its own
thread. Eilam and Cork had posts on this, too.)
Well, yes, they can be helpful, but perhaps in more ways than one, and so I would like to ask as to how you see them as being helpful, please.
I have an evil little bugger that Michael Cronnolly made me…it’s an F piccolo, an octave higher than his F flute.
I call it my “ouchpfife.” My wife Shannon calls it “that damn foul thing.” 
That’s it alongside a Seery D flute and a Generation D whistle for a size comparison.
Once you get lined up and can actually control the tone on that thing, go back to a regular flute and it’s just dead easy to play. Hard D’s, a nice focused tone, resonance…that little fife really gets your embouchure set.
I think Michael sent that to me as a good-natured joke…I’m not really sure it’s meant to be very playable. The tone holes are so close together that I literally press my fingers together tightly to be able to play it.
I can just barely play it: http://flutesite.com/samples/highf_cron_trav.mp3 .
–James
An octave higher than an F flute? When I saw that I wondered just how small it could be, and, yes, I am sure it calls for close fingers. I have a little D flute, at just over 30 cm overall length, and for me that is short enough that I modify my usual grip, especially on the left hand, just to get fingers into a better position.
C piccolo players are cautioned to not play the instrument for long periods of time, especially in the top register, or could risk hearing damage, BTW, and in that sense I can appreciate your use of the word evil.
Edit: Aha! Now I see the picture. Not that I have sausage fingers, but, I’m not so sure that I could play it.
One needs a very focused embouchure to play a high
pitched flute. For instance, the Sweetheart D fife.
Ergo playing one develops a very focused embouchure.
I had a D fife for a good while before I could
play it.
It’s the same idea of playing overtones to build
embouchure. But with a high pitched flute
pne is playing tunes.
Also these mean straight wrists.
You know a G flute gets you the keys of G, C and
D. Nothing to sneeze at ITM-wise. The A fife
gets you A and D. Again nothing to sneeze at
and a welcome alternative on D tunes.
I’ve never owned a sweet Bb fife.
A sweet flute in A, G,or C is the acoustic equivalent
of a very fine D flute. A D flute sounding that
good would probably cost over a thousand bucks.
As the pitch increases it seems to me that design
differences get minimized, so that a playable
flute sounds good. The simple design of the
Sweet flutes, plus the woods they use,
really sound great.
By the way the tipple flutes in higher keys are
pretty impressive too, though I confess I prefer
the sound of wood.
The fifes in D, C and A sound better than whistles,
IMO, because you are the whistle and so have more
control of sound. Walt Sweet has argued this
onboard, anyhow. The instruments are more expressive.
Also they have better volume than whistles, but
you don’t have to play them loud and can play
the second octave soft.
I have an older, cylinder bore Sweetheart D fife, but are you aware that Sweetheart currently makes a similar, but conical bore, D flute? I have one, and, frankly, if you like the D fife, then just wait until you get your hands on one of these little D flutes!
Yes, I dohave one in dymondwood.
One thing to remember is that the D “renaissance” fife and the folk fifes are optimized for the lowest two registers. The really do not go past the third octave G, and are difficult to play E and F clearly and in tune. His C and Bb military fifes are designed for better playing in the upper ranges and can go to high B and probably D4 (although I personally cannot hit that note).
I have one of his 2 piece D folk fifes, I have only been able to play one of his military fifes briefly and just ran through the scale, but they are quite different.
It’s hard not to when every time you go to pour a drink your spouse cracks the glass with the third octave.
I don’t know about the ‘renaissance’ fife, but the conical folk fifes
Sweet makes go up, well in tune, to the third octave G.
These aren’t military fife’s, as you note,
but they do what good Irish flutes
do.
Oh, I love that little fife. It’s so cute. Now, for your playing…you call that hardly being able to play it??? Geeezzz James, you played that awesomely!!! 
Lyn
The conical “folk” flutes Sweetheart makes go way up, to the third octave G, and then some.
This thread prompted me to pull out my Sweetheart F flute, (blackwood w/silver rings), which I don’t play nearly enough. It’s really a fine flute — bright, focused and clear as a bell.
I bought this as I was moving up from fifes to the full-sized D flute. It makes me wish there were F and Bb sessions around to show it off at. Truly a lovely little thing! I’ve played a couple of less impressive Sweethearts, (one of which may have had “introduced” problems), but when they’re good, they rock! 
Good low D sweethearts are very good, IMO.
They don’t compare with the best flutes,
but they are all wood and they’re sensitive
and expressive. Quite desirable in their
own right. Lately I’ve found I like the
softer woods, cherry and apple, which
have a lovely, subtle, expressive sound.
But as they ascend in key they begin to
compare with the best, IMO.
That little flute is so cute and it sounds cute too. I am putting your clip in my iPod. It’s a keeper.
I almost bought a little Indian cane flute in high D. I liked the way it sounded, and only $8. But I didn’t.
I have a Bb fife. I play it only in the lower two octaves. Who cares, huh? It’s just me. I do like it much better than a whistle. I can’t play whistles anymore. I’ve learned tunes sideways, not up and down. My fingers can’t find the tunes. Plus there’s some kind of endorphins or something from blowing a flute. Whistle doesn’t do it for me. Gotta play flute.
Edit: it was suppose to be a PM
I should be getting a “best flute” in a few days, so my Sweetheart D in cherry will be going up for sale. It is a very nice sounding flute that I have been told to keep, but I just can’t afford to keep it.
PM me if you have an interest.
…john
So hold the whistle over to the right.
Flute is more expressive. more control over how notes sound.
But they’re different instruments, finally.
Good low D sweethearts are very good, IMO.
They don’t compare with the best flutes…
Have you ever played one of these? In what way don’t they “compare?” Is volume your only criterion? It is not a Pratten design and won’t have the volume of a Hammy or an Olwell. It wasn’t meant to.
You’re doing a disservice to a well-respected flute-maker. His new-model 8-key is a lovely flute. Granted, it isn’t the loudest flute, but the intonation is spot on and it is loud enough to hold its own against any comparable flute; it is certainly adequate for any session.
Ralph Sweet’s new model 8-key blackwood flute