Grinters and Wilkes Flutes

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Uni Flute
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Re: Grinters and Wilkes Flutes

Post by Uni Flute »

So, how do Bryan Byrne's flutes compare with flutes by other makers? I have only ever seen one picture of an instrument made by Brian, so I imagine they are quite rare...
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bradhurley
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Re: Grinters and Wilkes Flutes

Post by bradhurley »

Uni Flute wrote:So, how do Bryan Byrne's flutes compare with flutes by other makers? I have only ever seen one picture of an instrument made by Brian, so I imagine they are quite rare...
They're right up there with Wilkes and Grinter in my opinion. His craftmanship is superb; I've shown my Byrne flutes (I've owned two of them) to other flute makers and they were uniformly impressed, although some of his early small-holed Rudall-style models didn't have enough punch in the low end for a lot of people. He deliberately set out to make flutes that stand apart and don't sound like most of the other flutes that everyone plays, and I think he's succeeded at that. My current Byrne flute is a 6-key made roughly 10-12 years ago; I also own flutes by Chris Wilkes (in C and Bb; the Byrne is in D).

You can hear this flute here, recorded a few months after I got it: https://soundcloud.com/bradhurley/milliners-daughter
Uni Flute
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Re: Grinters and Wilkes Flutes

Post by Uni Flute »

bradhurley wrote:
Uni Flute wrote:So, how do Bryan Byrne's flutes compare with flutes by other makers? I have only ever seen one picture of an instrument made by Brian, so I imagine they are quite rare...
They're right up there with Wilkes and Grinter in my opinion. His craftmanship is superb; I've shown my Byrne flutes (I've owned two of them) to other flute makers and they were uniformly impressed, although some of his early small-holed Rudall-style models didn't have enough punch in the low end for a lot of people. He deliberately set out to make flutes that stand apart and don't sound like most of the other flutes that everyone plays, and I think he's succeeded at that. My current Byrne flute is a 6-key made roughly 10-12 years ago; I also own flutes by Chris Wilkes (in C and Bb; the Byrne is in D).

You can hear this flute here, recorded a few months after I got it: https://soundcloud.com/bradhurley/milliners-daughter

Thank you for putting up the sound sample, your playing is excellent, and the flute sounds solid and punchy. Is your flute one of the earlier ones with the smaller tone holes?
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bradhurley
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Re: Grinters and Wilkes Flutes

Post by bradhurley »

Uni Flute wrote: Is your flute one of the earlier ones with the smaller tone holes?
No, it's a medium-hole model designed very loosely after a Rudall Carte. He made it for me, and he knows my playing (and the people I play with) well. He wanted it to blend with the chanter of a certain uilleann piper I like to play with, and when we play together the sounds of the two instruments lock into each other in a way I've never experienced before. I play quite a bit differently these days, less smooth and flowing than what you hear in that recording, and it works fine for that more rhythmic articulated style as well.
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eilam
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Re: Grinters and Wilkes Flutes

Post by eilam »

i love the tune !!! one of my favorites for more than a decade now (i hope you don't mind me playing it?) i also love Sarah Bauhan and did not know she recorded it.....i play many of the tunes she composed as well. thanks so much for sharing the story !
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bradhurley
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Re: Grinters and Wilkes Flutes

Post by bradhurley »

eilam wrote:i love the tune !!! one of my favorites for more than a decade now (i hope you don't mind me playing it?)
I'm always happy to hear people play my tunes, thanks! I haven't composed many, and only 3 or 4 are keepers, but this is one of them.
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