Chiff and Fipple Forums

in the American Navy that’s what they say when they want to get on board the ship. Someone else, probably an Ensign, either responds, “permission granted” or “permission denied.”

I trust that those of you who have been a part of this for him for some time will allow me permission to board.

I am a 63-year-old retiree, who spent 25 years in manufacturing of all different types, and all different machines and applications; and then 20 years in QA, starting off as a Bench Inspector and then becoming a Technician, and then becoming a Lead, doing some Engineering, Facilitating and so forth; and then doing some Management within that field.

Around the same time, I put down finally, anything having to do with tobacco products, after 40 years of consumption. The methodology I used to put that stuff down successfully I won’t bother to go into unless you ask, but I can tell you that the substitution I did was to purchase a Flute and started playing at the end of the cycle of getting off of the tobacco.

My entire life has been full of music. But the only other instrument that I ever owned and tried which was a wind instrument was a trombone back when I was in grammar school. I remember lugging that thing to school and back home again and I was really put off about it. Especially after I got braces and I would try to blow in the mouthpiece and my teeth would rattle. That was very unpleasant and it was the catalyst that drove me to stop playing the trombone.

On the other hand my voice has always been an instrument that I have used, since I was quite small. Along with my voice, I have used piano, Mandolin, guitar, ukulele, a quick dabbling in the saxophone which I did not enjoy, because of the vibration of my teeth on the mouthpiece, which reminded me of the trombone. I still on and play a Native American flute which takes virtually no push of air at all and requires extensive sustain, using a pentatonic scale.

So six months ago, or is it seven now..... I started in August 2019, which I guess means it’s been seven months, my wife who is a professional flutist and has been for many years, and has also taught many students agreed to teach me how to play it.

I pretty well know the notes on the scale in both the G clef and the treble clef; but if you go above or below the Registers, I get lost. I think the last formal lesson I had on the piano, taught me how to play “swans on the lake” from the John Thompson book (No. two, I think). But I have a really good ear and I can play improvisationally on just about every instrument I’ve ever played. And that includes the flute.

If you go to my profile and you look for the link to YouTube which is one of two of my accounts in there, You will see there a record of videos as I progress most of the time doing improvisational work with different pieces by different artists. I tend to prefer the slow jazz easy jazz folk gospel and country types of music, I am not a classical player by any stretch of the imagination, nor do I desire to be. The closest I get to classical, is trying to learn some of Ian Anderson’s more traditional pieces.

So I’m here to share what I’ve learned, and I’m also here to soak up what I can from those of you who have been playing forever. I am being told that my tone is improving every day and I try to give a couple of hours a day to practice, whenever possible.

Currently I’m playing an Armstrong, closed hole, concert C, Offset G, C foot joint Flute. Maybe someday I’ll advanced to a open hole flute, but I don’t anticipate that happening any time soon. From time to time I have attempted to play my wife’s open hole, very professional flute, made by Powell, and I have found it difficult to play, as you might imagine. Not because of the flute, I’m sure. Most likely because of the player.

I have tried my best to edit this narrated text, and apologize for any interpretations that have to be made because I have missed some correction that I should have done. I look forward to your responses and contributions.

-Nutmegger1957

Hello and welcome

Most of the people here play in folk styles. Lots of Irish music. That's what I play or rather practice to play on the keyless flute. I have a nice Boehm flute and it's interesting to compare it to the conical bore flute.

The Irish tradition focuses a lot on getting a very different tone than the more round and open tone usually associated with the Boehm flute, much more blowing down into the hole than across it.


I'm a bass player at heart, jazz soul and R+B, but there is no comparison between lugging an upright bass to a gig and carrying a flute. At my advancing age the flute is very appealing. And all my gigs were canceled anyway, so its practice and some skype lessons for me

Welcome aboard.

As above, most on here are ITM players, but that doesn't stop folks like myself from joining in, it's a nice place to converse about flutes, whistles, & pipes mainly, but some other instruments get a mention too.

I have ukuleles, chromatic harmonicas, (tremolo, & diatonic too), several keyless folk flutes, including some high ones, (also have a Boehm flute & piccolo), & lots of whistles, both high & low.

I just play for my own enjoyment.

PB+J wrote:Hello and welcome

Most of the people here play in folk styles. Lots of Irish music. That's what I play or rather practice to play on the keyless flute. I have a nice Boehm flute and it's interesting to compare it to the conical bore flute.

The Irish tradition focuses a lot on getting a very different tone than the more round and open tone usually associated with the Boehm flute, much more blowing down into the hole than across it.


I'm a bass player at heart, jazz soul and R+B, but there is no comparison between lugging an upright bass to a gig and carrying a flute. At my advancing age the flute is very appealing. And all my gigs were canceled anyway, so its practice and some skype lessons for me

My grandmother and her four sisters lived in Belfast for a few years before they came to the states. It’s my understanding that they were English, living in Ireland. So when I was a lot younger I thought I was Irish and then I discovered I really wasn’t. However I’ve listen to a lot of Celtic music and have learned to love it and I recognize there’s a lot of that represented here on this website.

My flute playing is filtered with non-conventional playing techniques. Such as using my Uvula For trilling, because I cannot roll my “R’s.”

I also will sometimes imitate Ian Anderson, with regard to singing behind the note. Not necessarily intentionally in all cases.

fatmac wrote:Welcome aboard.

As above, most on here are ITM players, but that doesn't stop folks like myself from joining in, it's a nice place to converse about flutes, whistles, & pipes mainly, but some other instruments get a mention too.

I have ukuleles, chromatic harmonicas, (tremolo, & diatonic too), several keyless folk flutes, including some high ones, (also have a Boehm flute & piccolo), & lots of whistles, both high & low.

I just play for my own enjoyment.

One of the things that my wife and I have done over the last couple of months is to visit various Flute makers and see how they actually produce their flutes. Most of these places were in the Boston, Massachusetts area, and apparently have been in that general area for sometime.

sorry to keep you waiting there......permission granted!

rama wrote:sorry to keep you waiting there......permission granted!

Ty Sir! (Salutes)

salute right back at ya

Welcome aboard, as well. As you may know, the ´Poststructural Pub´ is ´Liberty Hall´, within limits, of course. I think you might get by with ´spitting on the mat´, but I don´t think you could ´call the cat a b-----d!´. The mods run a rather tight ship as to language.
Frankly, unorthodox articulation is perfectly ok as I see it. If the effect you wish to achieve requires something the French School doesn´t know or approve. . .tough. Only lose the throat vibrato if you´ve got one.
I would say, ´Smoke-em if you got-em´ but that wouldn´t be appropriate So instead, Sláinte!

Bob

an seanduine wrote:I think you might get by with ´spitting on the mat´...

I have no earthly idea what that means.

an seanduine wrote:... but I don´t think you could ´call the cat a b-----d!´. The mods run a rather tight ship as to language.

Well, it was founder Dale's idea to make use of the word filter, so the mods don't have much to do in that regard. In fact, we found that certain words apparently attracted spammers of, let us say, a concupiscent thrust, so in practical terms a certain amount of bowdlerization made sense. Plus Dale found it amusing to play with the word filter, which is why when you type the word "p-o-r-n" (without the dashes, natch), once submitted it presents as "lichen", and "b*st*rd" becomes "basmati". Stuff like that. So in reality, most mod interventions happen over combative or other inappropriate behavior, not naughty words. But the members here are a good bunch; seldom does emotion overtake reason to a disruptive degree.

We uncompromisingly consider C&F to be a family site, but it's not all puritanical around here; you just have to be good at conveying the inappropriate - if you really must - in sideways fashion. It's good exercise. Just don't overdo it, is the unspoken rule.

In case you haven't yet, Nutmegger1957, do take a moment sometime to have a look at our index of rules and principles; you can find it at the top of every forum page with the heading of "CCCP". You don't have to read it all at once, but it's there for you in case you have questions about how things work at C&F. We recommend everyone get to know it over time, and occasionally check back in on it too, because sometimes amendments are made, and we don't announce those. But at this point it seems that we may finally have covered everything that needs to be covered. But you never know, so...

“Roger” that. Ty

Nutmegger1957 wrote:“Roger” that. Ty

If that was a sidewaysedly inappropriate response, I think you're well on board.

Now I have to decide whether to laugh or scowl.

Nano, re: Liberty Hall, etc., see A Bertram Chandler, aka ¨John Grimes¨. A lover of all things nautical (or perhaps ´naughty-cal´ )

Bob

Nanohedron wrote:

Nutmegger1957 wrote:“Roger” that. Ty

If that was a sidewaysedly inappropriate response, I think you're well on board.

Now I have to decide whether to laugh or scowl.

Nope. That was just a typical two-way radio communication and response. Apologies if it was offensive

I don't think anyone here has anything against a proper Rogering.
welcome aboard Sir!