May I ask what kind of music you like to play.

[fatmac]

I had always understood it to be a Celtic Flute, but am happy to call it a Simple System Flute, likewise, I knew the Whistle as a Tin Whistle, because it used to be made of tin.

I'm learning.

[JCortese]

Started with Irish tunes since that's the gateway onto a SS flute

* You hand even an Irish flute to an Italian and eventually opera's gonna get blown out of it.

There is no Irish flute. Unless it's actually Irish or at least playing Irish music. I hate the term!

Which is why I made the point to call it a SS flute and specified that it's only that Irish tunes are the current gateway onto it.

But what do you think people played on 19th century English flutes in the 19th century?

I'm sorry, but I really need to ask, did I f*rt or belch or back over someone's dog on this forum and not realize it or something, or am I just imagining that everyone suddenly seems extremely pissy, at least toward me?

[Peter Duggan]

imagining that everyone suddenly seems extremely pissy, at least toward me?

Absolutely not personal! While I might have taken my lead from your post and quoted you there, it could equally have been Jim Stone's or many others not necessarily on this thread or even this site. Speaking for myself (and surely Ben et al. as well), I'm not getting at any of you but simply expressing dissatisfaction with a commonly-used term.

FWIW, I just say 'flute' and only start explaining (never by calling it 'Irish'!) where necessary to differentiate...

[fatmac]

From my, admittedly very short time here, people seem friendly & happy to help - maybe you were just feeling a little touchy.

An instrument is an instrument, music is played on it, be that Irish, Scottish, English Folk, or even Pop - we just differentiate between the various styles/types of an instrument, for informational purposes, be it a Boehm or a wooden, (simple or with keys).

A harmonica is a harmonica, but to my knowledge there are at least seven different types, let alone all the miriad of tunings.
To an outsider it's just a harmonica, but to a player, we want to know what type & in what tuning it is.

[benhall.1]

be it a Boehm or a wooden, (simple or with keys)

Just a small point ...

To me, a simple system flute is one with keys arranged in the old, usually 8-key format. Keyless are something else, and I wouldn't class them as "simple system" flutes - they're just "keyless".

I guess I must be a splitter after all!

[fatmac]

........& I'm still learnin'......

So, 'Simple System' is with keys, otherwise it is just 'Keyless'........& I was just clueless!

[benhall.1]

........& I'm still learnin'......

So, 'Simple System' is with keys, otherwise it is just 'Keyless'........& I was just clueless!

Well, don't just take my word. That's the way I see it.

However, not all keyed flutes are "simple system". There are Boehm flutes, Siccama, 1851 system (I think that's what it's called), Radcliff and all sorts of other things, almost all of which I know next to nothing about.

[Peter Duggan]

And you can get wooden Boehms and non-wooden others. So the closer we get to just 'flute' (except where contextually unsafe) the better! On which note I'd be a 'lumper' here despite thinking this forum ('The Chiff & Fipple Irish Flute on-line community') to be both horribly and ambiguously named for the job...

(So why 'horribly'? Because there is no 'Irish flute' unless it's actually Irish and/or playing Irish music. 'Ambiguously'? Because it's not clear if it's a community for 1. 'trad'/simple-system-style flutes playing specifically Irish music, 2. same (the mythical 'Irish flute') playing anything, or 3. any flutes playing specifically Irish music.)

Edit: or 4. flutes made in Ireland and/or by Irish makers. (Willfully awkward interpretation? Not really... try substituting 'English' or 'French' for 'Irish' and see! But guessing you're safe on all counts as an Irish player playing Irish trad on a Hamilton or Murray... )