Doug T sent me a (high) A flute, which is very nice.
It enables me to play in D using what would be
G fingering on the D flute.
Doug is filling
something of a gap–it’s hard to find
high flutes, and this one has a very effective
tuning slide, excellent volume, and it’s perfectly
in tune. These are a lot of fun to play.
Try playing Cliff of Moher in D on your A flute. It’s fun 
OK, but I’ll have tolearn it first.Thanks.
The Silver Spire works nicely on an A flute, where you can get all those notes below the low D. also Jay Ungar’s Ashoken Farewell. anyone know other D tunes like these? it’s nice if the tune doesn’t spend too much time up at the high end of the 2nd octave, which can be quite penetrating on smaller flutes.
enjoy! /dan
I wonder who else makes A flutes? C flutes, etc.
I know Sweetheart flutes are made in the
higher keys–anybody else?
If yer talking low A flutes, then Casey B, Terry M, and Peter Noy make them.
I think to really get the benefit of an A flute (low or high) you need the bottom G below the A - which means keys. Many or most A tunes use that flat Mixolydian low 7th a bunch. One tune that would rock with an A so configured would be Farewell to Erin - the quick arpeggios aren;t nearly that bad in the same octave as they are split apart. For me, anyway. Gravel Walks would be another (Although you’d need to 1/2 hole it or get a c natural key.)
Yes, I’ve seen a nice Casey B low A in blackwood.
But I was thinking of high A, high Bflat, high
C. Sweethearts, plainly, and now Tipples.
But who else?
I saw a Mark Hoza Bb, high, go by once, in ironwood,
but couldn’t get my mits on it long enough to
evaluate it.
These are nice keys for flutes, IMO.
They sound good.
G flutes are also nice.
I hav a Bleazey boxwood with a tuning
slide that I couldn’t play for a couple of
years. Couldn’t make the embouchure
sound consistently.
Last month, sunspots or something happened,
and, it plays beautifully. What a great flute!
Skip H and Doug T make G flutes, the former
wants 600 bucks, which seems high.
Who else?
I think I said this before. In US there are a few bansuri makers who make these high flutes. I have a nice little A bansuri made by Jeff Whittier which cost about $US45.
I think the advantage of a Tipple is you can tune it.
However, I have had little trouble tuning a bansuri. Bansuris are light and easily adjusted and with experience one’s ear directs the embouchure angle spontaneously. This is my only viable explanation as to why I can easily sound in tune with a bansuri whereas with the heavier and stouter flutes a tuning slide is often a requiste.
Good suggestion. I have an A bansuri, one of good quality,
that I bought in New Delhi in 74. It sounds very good
but it’s too sharp. Maybe I can ‘play it down.’