Custom options on a beginner's new flute

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Tou-Che
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Re: Custom options on a beginner's new flute

Post by Tou-Che »

These may be an option for you as it seems people like them. I personally have no affiliation with the sellers it’s just ads I came across today.

Personally, I would buy a delrin flute and save up funds for a nice wood flute with keys. Delrin flutes make a nice beater that you can leave out on the table or in the car and not have to baby it which for me means more practice. I’m not saying I treat my delrin flute like trash by any stretch but it’s nice to not have to break it down every time I am done playing it.

https://bellingham.craigslist.org/msg/d ... 35845.html

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Polymer-Irish- ... %7Ciid%3A1
JackJ
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Tell us something.: A new tin whistle player, I'm eager to learn more from the collective wisdom of this group. While my playing could use lots of help, I'm especially eager to learn which recordings to listen to.

Re: Custom options on a beginner's new flute

Post by JackJ »

Wow--these posts are so incredibly helpful to me as I begin my flute journey. While there are clearly some other really good options out there that would meet my needs, I now feel reassured not only with going with the Delrin Copley, but also foregoing all the options. I just placed the order, and it's as plain jane as it gets, but I'm no longer concerned that skipping the extras will leave me with buyer's remorse.

And a special thanks to Casey for his insights. The Folk Flute was the other model I was gravitating towards, especially after getting a strong endorsement from Grey Larsen. But I live in the midwest U.S., heat mostly with a woodstove, and thus have both temperature and humidity swings that are relatively extreme. Delrin therefore feels right to me. I'm already all too familiar with multiple instrument acquisition disorders--that's one of the reasons I didn't go with a cheaper "beginner's" flute that I might outgrow. But there's still a very good chance this won't be the last flute I buy, and thus down the road it might suit me well for travelling/camping, as mentioned above.

Thanks for all your help! It'll be about 12 weeks before I can start pestering you with the inevitable embouchure and technique questions from a beginner who actually owns a flute.
ChrisCracknell
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Re: Custom options on a beginner's new flute

Post by ChrisCracknell »

A tuning slide is a good idea, or at least a longer tenon for tuning, like Casey's folk flute. Which, by the way, I would heartily recommend.

Don't worry too much about the other options - you will probably move to a different flute later (years?) once you have more experience anyway. Not necessarily because your first flute is bad, but more that your idea of what you want will modulate with your increasing experience.

The only drawback to the thumbhole is that you won't want to play flutes without one later. Which shows you just what a good idea it is, but I can personally confirm that it is a pain in the A** when I want to play other flutes without one... And there are a lot of lovely other flutes out there... So, there is a good argument for sticking with the standard layout. The balance could shift if you were a Boehm flute player used to using the thumb for c natural, in which case, the thumbhole is a very easy transition to make.

I went down the thumbhole route, and, in general don't regret it, though trying out other people's flutes is sometimes a little frustrating. I can play without a thumbhole, but my playing is a bit clumsier/slower that way.

Adding or closing a thumbhole later is not a big operation for a maker either...
ertwert
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Re: Custom options on a beginner's new flute

Post by ertwert »

For the first couple of years, I have played a R&R style flute with 6 keys, made by Micael Connolly. It is a nice instrument, especially for the price (less then 600 Euro for 6 keys). In my post history, you can find some more detailed descriptions of his flutes.
Beside the obvious advantage to be able to play in different keys, starting with a keyed instrument has the advantage that you learn to hold the flute in a way that enables you to use the keys (people often have to readjust their fingers a lot, when they transition from a keyed to a keyless flute).
And I think its always nice to have sturdy delrin backup instrument for travels, etc. So even after buying a top wooden flute later, it is nice to still have a delrin backup ;)
Therefore I don't see the point in getting medium priced, keyless wooden instruments that can't be upgraded with keys.
jim stone
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Re: Custom options on a beginner's new flute

Post by jim stone »

Another advantage for thumb holes is that, not only do they function about as well or better than a C natural key, but they facilitate their use. That is, both the thumbhole and the key involve a hole in about the same place on the flute. One is worked by the thumb, the other by the key, AT THE SAME points in the tune, more or less. This has some benefits.

First most of us, if we move to a keyed flute one day, will have a keyless or two too, and it's a lot easier to transfer between a keyless with a thumb hole and a keyed flute, as both work in tandem. The combo of a keyed flute and keyless without a thumb hole can be a problem, cause you are going to be (cross) fingering C natural on the keyless flute, playing it in a way quite different from the way you will on the keyed flute. In short, the thumb hole facilitates transition back and forth between keyed and unkeyed flutes. The two are a lot closer together in the way they are played.

As to buying more keyless flutes without thumb holes once you are used to a thumb hole, makers like Dave C are expert at putting in a thumbhole so that it fits you, at a very low price. So you buy the new keyless you want and ship it off to someone who, for a nominal sum, puts in a thumbhole. I've done this easily a number of times. So when you see the keyless of your dreams, a thumb hole is no impediment.

It is a drawback that the thumb hole makes the flute harder to sell. But if the flute is desireable you will sell it. I've sold multiple flutes with thumb holes. Just sold one.

In short, what the thumb hole gets you is an instrument that in effect does what a C natural key does in a way that is arguably more agile, involves less movement and shifting of the right hand, and has more options for ornamentation (e.g. you can slide on C natural, etc.), and is quite inexpensive. I sure understand people preferring the key, to each his/her own, and the C natural hole is no gimmick, it works well and (if one devotes a couple of weeks to actually learning to use it) facilitates moving tween keyed and keyless flutes. This is why some very good makers offer it.

I don't expect people to agree with me, but I did want to get all this off my heaving bosom. FWIW.
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