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Help - Irish flute

Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 8:35 pm
by Altazor
Hello people, I am new in the community, lately I am interested in Celtic culture, especially the music and I am eager to buy myself and start learning to play the Irish flute, but I don't understand some things, such as:

There are flutes in D, in C, in F ... What change that? (The notes I know, but I do not know what that means)

And where I could buy one, I've looked on ebay but there are from a few dollars to a few hundred.

Thanks for your help, kind regards from Colombia

Re: Help - Irish flute

Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 10:13 pm
by tstermitz
Hola Altazor, Que sea bien venido.

The most typical Irish flute plays in the key of D (and G), and is roughly comparable to a classical, silver flute.

A flute with keys can play in more keys, but the keyless D-flute covers 90% of the music played in ITM. If you had a C-flute, you could cover another 5 or 6 percent (tunes in C or D-minor, for example).

In terms of price, don't even consider the cheap ones. I got to see one the other day: polyurethane finish, worthless embouchure hole, and impossible intonation.

Decent keyless flutes made from Delrin can be found in the $400 price range; good wooden flutes around $800.

Certain well-respected flute makers can receive 50% higher prices.

The rest is details and opinions - some valid some not.

A cheaper way to get started would be a penny whistle in the key of D. $10 or so for entry level, or get a Jerry Freeman "tweaked" whistle for a bit more. The fingering and ornamentation is pretty much identical to the D-Flute.

Re: Help - Irish flute

Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 10:19 pm
by kkrell
Altazor wrote:There are flutes in D, in C, in F ... What change that? (The notes I know, but I do not know what that means)
The most common for Irish Traditional Music is the key of D major.
Altazor wrote:And where I could buy one, I've looked on ebay but there are from a few dollars to a few hundred.

Thanks for your help, kind regards from Colombia
A possible resource for you might be the Garry Somers' workshop in the south of Brazil in the state of Santa Catarina.
http://somers-flutes.com/

Re: Help - Irish flute

Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 12:31 pm
by MKE_Chris
As others have said, avoid cheap eBay flutes like the plague. General rule: anything that says "IRISH FLUTE - PROFESSIONAL QUALITY" is almost assuredly no where near any level of professionalism in their manufacture, they are of very low quality, and most fall into the category of "flute-like objects" rather than true flutes.

There's a whole sticky on this up top so I won't re-iterate it too much.

The best way to go on a budget, as others have stated, is to get an inexpensive delrin flute from a named maker. Two that spring to mind that I have personal experience with are Garry Somers (see above) and David Copley, both of excellent quality (I own a Somers personally).

Re: Help - Irish flute

Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 6:25 pm
by s1m0n
kkrell wrote: A possible resource for you might be the Garry Somers' workshop in the south of Brazil in the state of Santa Catarina.
http://somers-flutes.com/
Right continent, but possibly the wrong language.

Re: Help - Irish flute

Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:18 pm
by kkrell
s1m0n wrote:
kkrell wrote: A possible resource for you might be the Garry Somers' workshop in the south of Brazil in the state of Santa Catarina.
http://somers-flutes.com/
Right continent, but possibly the wrong language.
True. Originally, his site was in English & Portugese. However, being from Ireland, Garry might get along in a few other languages.

He's a member on C&F, and last posted on May 22nd:
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=8740

Re: Help - Irish flute

Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:28 pm
by s1m0n
kkrell wrote:
s1m0n wrote:
kkrell wrote: A possible resource for you might be the Garry Somers' workshop in the south of Brazil in the state of Santa Catarina.
http://somers-flutes.com/
Right continent, but possibly the wrong language.
True. Originally, his site was in English & Portugese. However, being from Ireland, Garry might get along in a few other languages.

He's a member on C&F, and lasted posted on May 22nd:
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=8740
I stand rebuked.

Re: Help - Irish flute

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 2:27 am
by an seanduine
Ah, well now, rebuked or not, we wouldn't want to be stuck with 'No Béarla'. :D

Bob

Re: Help - Irish flute

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 5:46 am
by sligofluter
Don´t buy an ebay flute, it looks like an irish flute but it is only a look.

You have a lot of cheap alternatives for buy an instrument and not a decorative object.

If you want to talk in spanish drop me a pm.

Saludos desde España.