Chiff and Fipple Forums

Hello, I'd be interested to hear from any members of the board that play vintage Boehm system flutes. This can include instruments made from wood or metal, with conical or cylindrical bores.

There is a lovely player sometimes spotted in Glasgow that plays a flute by Uebel.
It is an interesting looking flute. Sort of cigar shaped and aluminium I think.

Uni Flute wrote:Hello, I'd be interested to hear from any members of the board that play vintage Boehm system flutes. This can include instruments made from wood or metal, with conical or cylindrical bores.

Which vintage? And what in particular
would you like to know?

The player Patrick is referring to is Sharon Creasey. She came to the Edinburgh "FluteFling" last weekend, and also was a tutor at our event in Aberdeen at the beginning of November. We posted a short clip of her playing a hornpipe on "Youtube" about 2 weeks ago.
Please have a look :

https://youtu.be/vlqAR7kd7GI

Lovely tune. The flute does have (to my ear) the sound of a silver flute,
though I know Joannie Madden can make silver flutes sound like Irish flutes.

Which vintage? And what in particular
would you like to know?

I am thinking about Boehm flutes dating from the inception of the instrument(s) (1847 in the case of the cylindrical flute, or 1832 in the case of the conical flute) up until the interwar period. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has played such instruments, and what opinions they have of them. They can be metal instruments, or like the sold Thibouville flute below;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Flute-Antiqu ... 7675.l2557

dunnp wrote:There is a lovely player sometimes spotted in Glasgow that plays a flute by Uebel.
It is an interesting looking flute. Sort of cigar shaped and aluminium I think.

Yes, she plays one of these guys (many pictures):
http://goferjoe.bygones.biz/uebel.htm

as well as recording on Wooden Flute Obsession volume 2 on a cocus Rudall Carte Boehm system.

Other musicians dabbling in Boehm system flutes: Noel Rice (Chicago), Billy Clifford (wood Boehm & Radcliff), Sean Moloney (wood Buffet Crampon), Calum Stewart.

Me. Of late chiefly an all-thinned cocuswood RC&Co. Radcliff's Model made in the interwar years, but I have quite a few other RC&Co. flutes in both wood and Ebonite, Böhm system, Carte 1867, Radcliff, including a conical bore Radcliff currently undergoing overhaul. No metal ones nor Carte 1851s. I also have a French conical ring key Böhm flute with basically the 1847-52 mechanism, not the 1832 one. I've posted several YouTube videos in which I play a chosen tune on several different systems go check out my YouTube channel.

No offense meant, but which wars constitute the "interwar years"? I was thinking WWI and WWII, but may be wrong - there have been a LOT of wars!

Pat

plunk111 wrote:No offense meant, but which wars constitute the "interwar years"? I was thinking WWI and WWII, but may be wrong - there have been a LOT of wars!

Pat

Yeah, that's the conventional usage. I agree it is now losing its clarity.

A number of Northumbrian traditional players use Carte wooden Boehm-system flutes, and one an Ebonite Radcliff. They can sound wonderful in border laments.

"A number of Northumbrian traditional players use Carte wooden Boehm-system flutes, and one an Ebonite Radcliff. They can sound wonderful in border laments".
Names ? Examples, please ?

I sometimes play on a Rudall Carte old system flute. It has a cocuswood cylinder bore with thinned wood head joint. It has silver keys which have virtually the same fingering as the standard 8 key flute. The flute I have, although originally made in 1887 at high pitch, was rebuilt by Rudall Carte in 1930 to standard A440.
It is exactly the same system of flute that Paddy Taylor played on his "The boy in the gap" LP released in 1970.

Hi.
I have a Boehm wooden flute made by the hands of Theobald himself---has the original case and cleaning rod,
beautiful flute--lovely silver keys and mounts, made in 1847 and signed ''Th Boehm in Munchen". This flute was a gift to Andrew Carneigie from Boehm.

I tried a few tunes on one made by Fischer, I think. A cocus cylinder with standard mechanism. Kinda klunky, and pre-Cooper which means that the musical scale was not as good as it could be. I don't think the blow-hole was cut with any relief, so the tonal flexibility wasn't there either. I enjoyed the ease of playing in any key, but some potential for artistic expression was missing.
The Bettoney had a lighter touch to the mechanism, and was more enjoyable (it felt similar to a Yamaha). Grenadilla with standard mechanism. The blowhole was cut with more geometric features, and was more responsive.
Note: a common problem is the pad seat, regardless of its shape, that can have a hairline crack, spoiling the tone. Sometimes this is a natural surface void in the grain, not exactly a breaking-apart. At the seat, a little superglue can be cured on the spot, then the seat can be recut lightly. This is best done while flute and machine are in position during the initial manufacture, not so easily as a repair.
The Abell Flute is a fine piece, rated among the best modern flutes.
I also played an old flute made by AG Badger. Cocus wood, tapered bore, split ring keys, Dorus G#. Very light on the touch except that the ring keys (over open holes) did not give me reliable results on fast passages. Some notes had a beautiful tone, with real tonal flexibility. On the short tube (left-hand notes), the pitch was unstable. Certain intervals were badly distorted. I tend to think it was designed for a compromised pitch standard, with room to push the slide in (I did not get a good scale at A=440). I brought this flute to a professional flutist who gave a demonstration on it and another Badger. If I were professionally trained and wanted to work that hard, I would get better results. However, I want my instrument to do more of the work for me, so I can concentrate on other things.
I tried a silver Badger with cylindrical bore. Nice feel, but it wasn't the flute for me.
I never have tried a Buffet or Lot. Time to learn more French and visit Claire Soubeyran!
Years ago, I tried playing Bb dance tunes on the 8-keyed flute. Not the way to go.
I'm still working on my own invention, the Boehm Flute in F above C. Good tonal flexibility and response. The range matches the fiddle range, so my flute can play all the tunes. Good projection without being shrill.
Walt