Chiff and Fipple Forums

gwuilleann wrote:I love Erwan Menguy's tone (and playing). Here are two examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_BSKhRs8TQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2OsJzotquc

I dream of playing De Mina - Geamparalele ca la nunta Someday

I agree with Steampacket about McGlinchey. I've always been incredibly impressed with his sound.

jenfen wrote:So many more! I also love the way Conal O'Grada provides rhythmic nuance with his sound. Bad assery: https://youtu.be/qYjFn2UYiqg

I like that clip of Conal, one of my flute heroes. I love the way he uses his breath to accentuate rhythm, which may be apart from considerations of "tone." I don't know how you'd separate the two.

I'm reminded of a quote by Miles Davis: ""Anybody can play. The note is only 20 percent The attitude of the MF who plays it is 80 percent." You'll have to use your knowledge of American slang to expand on the "MF" in that quote.

One of my eventual goals if I live long enough to get better at the flute, is to play it with some attitude and not just the notes. That's what I hear in the "tone" of the ITM flute players I admire.

I wrote this yesterday, submitted it, and it never appeared. Here is a second try:
tradlad123 wrote:

Anything from June McCormack is a tone goldmine ... Does she play a Grinter?[

Her main flute (in D) is a Pratten model by Pat Olwell. She owns and also plays a flute in C by the late Mike Grinter. Her tone is a wonder. A feature of Irish flute playing that never ceases to amaze me is the variety of tones obtained by Irish flute players. Each player has a unique, special tonal quality. This is partly due to the wooden flute, but also due to the way(s) it is played. There is much less variety in the playing of the silver flute. In part this is due to the instrument, but also due to there being, for the most part nowadays, a single type of overall tone which is sought after. I believe this is due to the tremendous influence the 'French school' has had on the playing of the flute in classical music. Chet

Eb flute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PoNm3kMqCI

For flute tone, my favorites have been Paul McGrattan (played a Hamilton), Conal O'Grada (played a Hamilton), Tom Doorley (played a Seery), and Sylvain Barou (played a Lesoeuf). They are all brilliant players with complete control over their instruments, who now play other instruments. There are many more, too, but these are the sounds I've tried to incorporate into my own playing.

Flexismart wrote:For flute tone, my favorites have been Paul McGrattan (played a Hamilton), Conal O'Grada (played a Hamilton), Tom Doorley (played a Seery), and Sylvain Barou (played a Lesoeuf). They are all brilliant players with complete control over their instruments, who now play other instruments. There are many more, too, but these are the sounds I've tried to incorporate into my own playing.

As far as I know, Barou has been playing on flutes made by Stéphane Morvan for at least a decade. He seems to have lots of flutes from different makers, but he doesn't mention Lesouef.

As far as I know, Barou has been playing on flutes made by Stéphane Morvan for at least a decade. He seems to have lots of flutes from different makers, but he doesn't mention Lesouef.

Right you are - Morvan.

I agree on Sylvain Barou's tone, what a master!
And so is Jean-Michel Veilllon https://soundcloud.com/yvon-riou-261074 ... eve-kujala

I'll second Chet's (Cac) post re June McCormack's tone....lovely. We've benefited from being in her classes, so slightly off topic (not recorded). I would like to add Louise MulCahy's tone to the mix. She seems to be rarely recorded solo on flute, but I have sat in on a workshop with her. Lovely 'thick' tone. Many Utubes of her playing with her family.

birdman wrote:I would like to add Louise MulCahy's tone to the mix. She seems to be rarely recorded solo on flute, but I have sat in on a workshop with her. Lovely 'thick' tone. Many Utubes of her playing with her family.

One example of her nearly solo (although light accompaniment by her sister Michelle on harp) is on NOTES FROM THE HEART [2005]. The track is "The Bag of Spuds/A View from Across the Valley/The Galway Rambler", which is the one she also chose to appear on Wooden Flute Obsession (volume 3, disc 2, track 12).

birdman wrote:I'll second Chet's (Cac) post re June McCormack's tone....lovely. We've benefited from being in her classes, so slightly off topic (not recorded). I would like to add Louise MulCahy's tone to the mix. She seems to be rarely recorded solo on flute, but I have sat in on a workshop with her. Lovely 'thick' tone. Many Utubes of her playing with her family.

Many of the tracks on her latest album "Tuning the road" are flute solos with only a little accompaniment for some of them.
When you ask Conal O'Grada about tone he always answer to ask Louise, he loves her tone.
Another Breton flutist a little less well known here maybe, Jean-Luc Thomas, he has an ample, rich and large tone : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-YSo_F ... kk&index=2
In any case, there is no better place than a session or workshop, without amplification, to experience the tone of a flute player. I was in session with him three days ago and it was huge, very impressive.

Oh yes! Thanks folks, for the info re Louise Mulcahy's recordings. Lovely stuff.

At the other spectrum of tone from Molloy, here is Colm O'Donnell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9-cYephCsI

Great topic.
Harry Bradley is worth noting surely https://youtu.be/OQhtPY_oLZ0
Ignore the shouting in the audience.

Tone had to be something all players spend a lot of time working on. A lot of the work is listening to those who’ve achieved a tone we enjoy and a lot trying to constantly improve our own tone.