I just got this flute in the mail today. I’ll post pics and a sound sample in a few days and a review soon after.
Initial impressions are the sound is bright and big and the craftsmanship is top-notch.
Cheers,
Aaron
Okay, so I tried using Image Event to host my pics but it won’t let me show BBCode all of them here. All it will let me show is this blurry pic of the head cap. Can anybody suggest a better place to host them?
Cheers,
Aaron
Thank Glauber,
Denny
Hello AaronMalcomb,
I can host them for you.
Just send the pictures and sound clip to me.
parkristoffersson@bredband.net
Hi all
Nice stick!
What is the cap made of? What about the stretch between RH2 and RH3?
I hope you’re gong to let us hear some Breton air!
Best wishes.
Thanks, Par, for hosting the pics.
A brief review:
I’ve only had it for a few days but this a great flute. Maybe I’m still in the honeymoon phase.
Appearance-wise it is clean and simple with the crown (blackwood pawn with imitation ivory bushing) being the flashiest bit. The wood has a dark, shiny lustre with the grain being visible upon close inspection. The bore is glassy and each tone hole shows close attention to detail. Overall very clean and trim. This is up there with the Olwells and Byrnes I’ve had the pleasure of inspecting.
As for design it is probably has more in common with a Pratten design. The model for this flute is a vintage Hawkes. That firm is associated with Boosey but I’ll leave it up to more knowledgable folks to declare where in the Rudall-Pratten spectrum this design sits. The bore is on the large side and the tone holes are medium to large (R1 and R2 are particularly large). The embouchure is oval and medium-to-large in size (don’t make me give measurements… that’s expert stuff). As I said R1 and R2 are large with there being a bit of stretch between R2 and R3 and R3 being set a little far from center. It’s no problem for my long fingers but something for the small-handed person to consider.
As for tone, it is complex. It can easily pushed to be big with a lot of bark but it has a threshold. Right now I am blowing either just under or just over the edge but with time I think I can get that edge for a reedy, focused tone.
Intonation and responiveness are easy. For my lips it’s in tune with the slide about 3/8" out. First and second octave are strong and easy to reach. I am unable to get beyond 3rd octave E but I rarely go beyond second octave B so that is most likely due to me, not the flute. Cuts, taps et al. are crisp and glottals an pulsing are very easy too. Cnat sounds good with either OXXOOO or OXOXXX with the latter being a bit truer. G# seems best cross fingered in the first octave, XXOXXX with a bit of lip, but half-holes nicely in the second octave. Fnat is best half-holed in first and second otaves.
So, next will be some tunes. I’ll try and include a Breton air for you.
Cheers,
Aaron
Same fingering for both Cnats?
Thanks,
Denny
congrats aaron, looks like a keeper!
D’oh! You caught me Denny. Second octave Cnat is OXOOOO.
Cheers,
Aaron
Hi Aaron,
On my flutes, the 0X0 XXX Cnat works for both octave, but is sounds a bit strange in the high register: in tune, but more agressive. In the middle, it’s a bit sharp. I think it’s a Rudall feature. I had a discussion with Tom Aebi about Cnat and sharp on Prattens and Rudalls. He said they are quite different, and that it’s actually very difficult to have a good C# on a Pratten. Ward flutes are Pratten type, I think?
For the middle Cnat, I use 0XX 0XX a lot. Its’ a bit flat, but it’s very handy for C-D passages.
Cheers
Matt
The differing maker’s choices in the fingerings for C nat and Bb is one of the most interesting, to me, aspects of the maker’s compromises in the design process.
What are the fingerings for Bb?
Yep! I want a conical, indestructible…
Denny
Those fingerings for Cnat are just by what my ear tells me which may be wrong.
Bb I have not attempted nor will I likely bother. I have no chromatic delusions and Bb doesn’t come up too often.
As for how Prattenesque the design of the flute… I just know that it is patterned after a Hawkes flute.
Cheers,
Aaron
It wasn’t a chromatic desire… It was along the lines of the C nat compromise. If the maker is going to use the same design for a keyed flute, then with a F nat key, the Bb comes next. Ah, given a decent C nat cross fingering.
Denny
I think I see what your after, Denny. I don’t have the flute at hand but my guess is it will be a half-holed Bb.
Cheers,
Aaron
I’m not seriously trad, or any other single genre for whatever that is worth!
If I can play in five different keys on a keyless flute, and I have a D and an Eb flute, I can play in enough keys to get by without resorting to the Boehm!
Two flutes is enough to stick under a bungee cord on a back pack. I don’t think the Tipple will double as a tent peg. Now a polymer…
The PCT is starting to call. 
Denny
I am not a Boehm Boy myself either
but you must be pretty incredible to play in 5 different keys
on the one keyless flute. You must be a wizard at half holing surpassing even the Eastern masters.
Normally only scales and modes covered by two key signatures can be played on simple system flutes. IE on a D flute you can only play in the keys of D/Bmin and G/Emin anf modes relative to them.
I dare ya to play any MAJOR SCALE other than D maj and G maj on a D flute without significant half holing! Five keys indeed!
I was just talking major keys…
On a “D” flute that is D, A, G, C & F
half holing G#
cross fingering or half holing C nat
half holing F nat
cross fingering or half holing Bb
Having a bad night Tal?
You have a Tipple. They half hole pretty easy…
Thanks,
Denny
Well, here’s one tune. You’ll hopefully hear some good things about the flute. The second time through the tune I push it a bit in the B part and you can hear my cheapo microphone push back. Apart from some big pauses for breaths and some hiccups (I’ll attribute that to, umm, lack of practice) I think the recording came out well.
Cheers,
Aaron
Aaron,
Its coming along pretty well!
Watch the attack after the breath…
Thanks,
Denny