Doc,
Give the Dixon 3-piece a whirl. It sounds good, has good intonation, plays easily, has very manageable tone holes, is maintainance free, and is one of the most inexpensive flutes out there. Pretty much the total package. I used to have one, but I find playing classical flute and Irish flute incompatible for me, so now I focus on whistle. I will add that I got my Dixon two days after visiting Pat Olwell and playing a bunch of his spectacular instruments, and the Dixon didn’t feel like some sort of big let-down (not to say that the Dixon is as good as an Olwell…this is not meant to be a heretical or inflamatory comment). Alright, enough. Just head on over to http://www.thewhistlshop.com--the sooner you order, the sooner you’ll have it.
Micah
I have Micah’s polymer Dixon and it’s awesome! I started on the Dixon low D combo and it was enough to hook me. It worked for me but may not be the best route for everybody.
Cheers,
Aaron
You think you hate me now, Doc? Just wait, you’ll REALLY hate me once you have a flute and start trying to get a decent sound out of it.
I’ve got mixed feelings on the whole “What’s the best cheap flute to start on?” thing. Having not tried the Dixon polymer conical bore flute (although I would like to at some point), I can’t comment on that one. However I did own the Cylinder bore Dixon Flute/Low D combination, and wouldn’t really recommend that as the way to go - I think for approximately the same price, an Olwell Bamboo flute is far superior - better sound, easier to play.
On 2002-09-28 10:26, Loren wrote:
You think you hate me now, Doc? Just wait, you’ll REALLY hate me once you have a flute and start trying to get a decent sound out of it.
Oh I know, I know. Not to worry I’ve ordered a couple of extra oxygen tanks through the clinic. I think I’m ready.
We just got an Olwell bamboo last weekend. My wife likes it more than any of our wooden flutes (she’s primarily a concert flute player).
FWIW, Doc, after a few months, I still prefer playing low whistle to flute (and the pennywhistle to the low whistle for that matter). I dunno if I’ll still say that in a year or two.
Hi Doc,
pleased to see another whistler joining the fluter’s. You should thank Loren though, a flute is the only possible cure for “Whoa” Tony Dixon’s polymer certainly get’s good reviews, must say I have’nt tried one though. Do you realize that you better start saving for a Copley?
I’d go with a Low D Bamboo Select Olwell. That’s the kind I bought two weeks ago and its simply incredible. Olwell works at the Rennisance Faire near me so I talked to him and bought one. It was 88 dollars for it, which is a stunningly good deal for such a quality instrument. I reccomend them highly…
-Kel
You have to cover those with your fingers too, but since you don’t mind playing the Reyburn Low D, and using your pinkys, I’m sure you’ll have no problem with it.
When I first got my flute I wondered
how I would ever manage to cover those two extra holes in the flute foot. Well, good ole Loren gave me some great finger stretching exercises and after several weeks I could easily use my pinkie finger to rapidly alternate betwixt the two holes.
Just another matter of perseverance, I suppose.
I found the answer to th 8-hole question on the Copley site. Must have missed it the first time.
“Why do your flutes have 2 holes that cannot be reached and don’t seem to have any function?
The two holes in the foot joint are a carry-over from the eight key flutes on which our instruments are based. On an eight key flute these would have keys to close them to play the lower C sharp and C notes. Some keyless flutes are made shorter, and without these holes, but we retain the longer foot joint and the holes because they improve the tone of the E and D notes.”
I’m taking Bill Och’s whistle ornamentation class in NYC. I’ve talked to Bill about flute, and last week, I brought along my Dixon 3-piece, to let Bill try it, and see what he thought.
His take was that the Dixon was very impressive. He seemed surprised that a plastic flute could play so well. But overall, he still recommended that I get an Olwell bamboo, because it’s a better instrument for a beginner. (He recommended the F, not the D, for a beginner.)
Of course, he also pushed me to get onto Patrick’s waiting list for a keyless wooden D. So the experience is going to wind up costing me a lot of money
