Hey I just joined up!
I have bleary eyes from reading the internet trying to find my flute!
I love playing a boehm silver flute but hunger for the sound of wood.
What to do, what to do.
Thanks in advance for your wisdom…I am also off to Dublin for five days…how wonderful to pick up an instrument there (though…that is not really so important…)
pick up as many as you can
don’t buy any ‘till ya figure out what you’re doin’
Of course, “where for” should be wherefore = why. So this is a very existential topic! 
Most of the main musical instrument shops in Dublin don’t have a large stock of wooden flutes.
I looked a couple of weeks ago and McCullough Piggots had some De Keyser and Dixon (plastic).
Waltons had Seery (plastic). Crehans had one Martin Doyle flute in stock.
You could go to Dessie Seery’s workshop in Bray (about 30 mins drive south of Dublin city).
You already know more of the basics than I do, and less…all at the same time (I’ve been a whistle player primarily).
Don’t go crazy until you are sure it’s what you really want. Though the Delrin models are good (especially for those of us allergic to exotic woods), if you really want wood, it’s not that bad.
Casey Burns Folk Flute is an affordable start and a good flute to boot. The Copley that Doc sells is supposed to be another good entry level wooden flute. In addition, I’ve not heard anything bad about Ralph Sweet’s flutes.
There are definately options for getting your feet wet. Heck, if you want a woody sound but don’t want to pay a lot right now, Doug Tipple’s flutes have a very woody sound and are cheaper than food.
Buy the Doyle.
Go to Galway. Find Sam Murray. Be happy.
So, does the existence of a flute precede it’s essence, or does essence precede existence. 
Okay it is fluteless again…wow…just one sleep and all these ideas! I guess because I play classical music, as well I am in a great little band of celtic musicians I want to keep my knowledge of the boehm system.
Keep the ideas coming - I am loving this! Why did I wait so long to find Chiff and Fipple?
I am in Canada - the five days in Ireland could be all about the flute. Unless anyone knows where we can see a performance of Handel’s Messiah between Dec 16 & 21. We are going to see Poison Love - new band for me.
Cheers - I’ll be back later!!!
Okay it is fluteless again…wow…just one sleep and all these ideas! I guess because I play classical music, as well I am in a great little band of celtic musicians I want to keep my knowledge of the boehm system.
Keep the ideas coming - I am loving this! Why did I wait so long to find Chiff and Fipple?
I am in Canada - the five days in Ireland could be all about the flute. Unless anyone knows where we can see a performance of Handel’s Messiah between Dec 16 & 21. We are going to see Poison Love - new band for me.
Cheers - I’ll be back later!!!
Okay it is fluteless again…wow…just one sleep and all these ideas! I guess because I play classical music, as well I am in a great little band of celtic musicians I want to keep my knowledge of the boehm system.
Keep the ideas coming - I am loving this! Why did I wait so long to find Chiff and Fipple?
I am in Canada - the five days in Ireland could be all about the flute. Unless anyone knows where we can see a performance of Handel’s Messiah between Dec 16 & 21. We are going to see Poison Love - new band for me.
Cheers - I’ll be back later!!!
Okay it is fluteless again…wow…just one sleep and all these ideas! I guess because I play classical music, as well I am in a great little band of celtic musicians I want to keep my knowledge of the boehm system.
Keep the ideas coming - I am loving this! Why did I wait so long to find Chiff and Fipple?
I am in Canada - the five days in Ireland could be all about the flute. Unless anyone knows where we can see a performance of Handel’s Messiah between Dec 16 & 21. We are going to see Poison Love - new band for me.
Cheers - I’ll be back later!!!
Okay it is fluteless again…wow…just one sleep and all these ideas! I guess because I play classical music, as well I am in a great little band of celtic musicians I want to keep my knowledge of the boehm system.
Keep the ideas coming - I am loving this! Why did I wait so long to find Chiff and Fipple?
I am in Canada - the five days in Ireland could be all about the flute. Unless anyone knows where we can see a performance of Handel’s Messiah between Dec 16 & 21. We are going to see Poison Love - new band for me.
Cheers - I’ll be back later!!!
Leave the cannoli…
Or is it “Leave the Doyle, take the cannoli…”?
Hi fluteless.
First off try not pressing refresh or post more then once even if it’s loading slowly. We’ve all learned the hard way 
Depending on the level you want to enter on, and what sort of budget you have there’s a whole world out there for you. If you want to start off simple and get the hang of it, Doug Tipple is your man.
The notch above that would include the awesome delrin/polymer flutes like M&E, Seery, Copley delrin and so forth. If you really, really want wood (although I can’t for the life of mine figure out why since polymer sounds pretty much the same) you should go Burns FF or Sweet, but you’ll miss out on the tuning slide.
Above that is where it starts to get real interesting for both you options, your wallet and your patience. If you’re set on playing Irish flute and know you’ll stick to it and want to start off in style there are maaany makers who’ll provide.
If you are in Dublin, walk into music shoppes and try out everything they have. Since you play classical you have the advantage of knowing how to blow, so you might find something that suits you right there. But there’s a big chance that you go home, check the messageboard and learn that there are other flutes in that range that get better reviews. Dixon 3pc is a good example of a very playable flute that one might find in the shoppes, but most people agree that M&E and Seery are better, and not much more expensive.
Good luck
Get the Doyle it it’s still there.
i must sound like a broken record, but when you do learn, ditch the sheet music! i play irish music very often on a boehm (with my b.a. david copley headjoint, as pictured in my avatar), and it surely can be done, but not if you use sheetmusic as your foundation for learning. coming from (surely) years of training on the modern school of flute tone and technique, there are things you will have to unlearn as the way we do things round here in these parts are very often just the opposite!
i know very many musicians who come from classical music and learn irish tunes from the dots and they never get the feel right. save yourself the trouble. go cold turkey (if you havent already) and buy yourself some nice recordings (seamus ennis, mike rafferty, katherine mc evoy, brian rooney, mick obrien) of music played the way it was taught.
sorry if i’m being presumptuous with any of this, it’s just that i spent about ten years figuring out where i was going wrong, and it’s all easier if you just go plunge yourself in head first. i’m still working hard to undo all my old habits that i developed.