Introducing myself. Hello everyone!

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Stev0
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Tell us something.: I'm here as a milti-instrumentalist to learn about and discuss my new interest in irish-style keyless flutes. I played the Boehm flute from 5th grade through 8th grade (I am now 36yo), and recently aquired a Windwood bamboo flute.
Location: Elgin, Il, USA (Chicago)
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Introducing myself. Hello everyone!

Post by Stev0 »

Hello, my name is Stephen, I go by Steve or Stevo (pronounced Steve-O). I am 36, from Elgin Il, USA, a suburb of Chicago. I have been making music longer than I can remember. My parents told me I was whistling tunes before I could talk, so I consider my native language to be music, English as my second. I would make up songs to sing in church because I couldn't yet read to follow the hymns being sung. I started playing instruments in early gradeschool, taking piano lessons, but that didn't last very long (I don't remember why). In 4th grade I took up violin, and in 5th grade started classical Boehm-flute. As I entered middle school, I dropped violin to focus more on flute, and let that go when I reached highschool. I soon discovered guitar and taught myself to play by listening to cd's and applying what I knew from violin towards guitar. after a couple of years of acoustic guitar, I bought my first electric bass. I focused on bass for many years, joining countless bands along the way, but have always considered myself a multi-instrumentalist. I can pick up almost any instrument and figure out how to play a basic song on it sometimes within minutes, or at least within a few days. When I got married and started a family, I let music go for a while to dedicate myself to family life, but made sure to keep my instrument collection and introduce my children to music. After I got divorced, I decided to start playing more again.
I've always had an interst in all kinds of music, following my dads philosophy of "there are only 2 kinds of music, Good and Bad". I find things I like in pretty much any genre or artist, with very few exceptions.
Recently my health has been declining rapidly due to extreme difficulty controlling type 1 diabetes. this spring It cost me my job, and am now living in a nursing home, trying to start the process of getting on disablity. Sitting here with nothing to do has rekindled my passion for music like never before. I have 1 acoustic guitar (a crappy Arbor) and a fairly nice bamboo flute (a Windwood, by Billy Miller). All my other instruments are stored either with friends or with relatives for the time being. I'm trying to re-gain my chops on guitar, as I haven't played in around 9 years. It hurts my fingers a lot still because I lost my calouses over the years, so I alternate practice between guitar and flute. I have trouble with having enough breath as well, but it is improving with practice. I have very little experience with keyless flutes, so I'm trying my best to learn along the way, using the internet as a guide, which brought me here, so, hello everyone!
I look forward to learning about ITM, keyless flutes, and other musical instruments in general. I tend to be somewhat sporadic when joining forums, so I may dissapear for a while, sometimes lurking and just reading all the different forums, or I may join into many different discussions.
-Stevo
busterbill
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Re: Introducing myself. Hello everyone!

Post by busterbill »

Welcome.

The forum can be erratic as well, sometimes full of posts with interesting questions and interesting and occasionally humorous answers. And other times it can be slow. There is an ebb and flow.

Feel free to read up on old posts. The whistle forum might interest you as well. Quite a bit of the musical technique bit is relevant to flute players as well.

If you are interested in Irish Traditional flute playing there are a number of free tutorials on YouTube. Often a school or teacher, as a way to advertise their business will post a few free lessons. Take advantage of these. You will learn quite a bit even if you can't afford to sign up to paying lessons right now.
PB+J
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Tell us something.: I'm a historian and the author of "The Beat Cop:Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music," published by the University of Chicago in 2022. I live in Arlington VA and play the flute sincerely but not well

Re: Introducing myself. Hello everyone!

Post by PB+J »

Welcome and good luck in your journey.
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Stev0
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2020 12:38 am
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Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm here as a milti-instrumentalist to learn about and discuss my new interest in irish-style keyless flutes. I played the Boehm flute from 5th grade through 8th grade (I am now 36yo), and recently aquired a Windwood bamboo flute.
Location: Elgin, Il, USA (Chicago)
Contact:

Re: Introducing myself. Hello everyone!

Post by Stev0 »

Thanks guys. I suppose I should introduce the instruments I have available to me at the moment as well. (it also gives me a chance to test the image hosting site I found, imgbb.com)

Image
this is my Windwood bamboo flute, made by William Miller. I bought it at Bristol Renn Faire a few years ago. It sounds wonderful, took some getting used to in order to play it though. The intonation isn't perfect, but good enough to practice with (It could just be me, I have very little experience with this type of flute).

Image
This is my Arbor acoustic/Electric with piezo bridge and passive electronics. I got it at a local pawn shop about 10-15 years ago. I don't know much about it, just that the action is quite high. It sounds really good to me.
-Stevo
Andro
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Tell us something.: Beginning flute and whistle player. Starting out seriously in Irish Traditional Music. Also interested in flute making.
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Introducing myself. Hello everyone!

Post by Andro »

Welcome @StevO!

There's so much that can be learned here. There are strict rules against medical discussions for obvious reasons, but I just wanted to mention that I also have diabetes which has become unmanageable to the chagrin of myself and my Professors of Endocrinology. I have a scientific background, but complementary to that, I took up the flute for two reasons, one the music and the instrument, and two, I am quite convinced that learning to breathe properly and with fine control (I have a 200 page book on just breathing alone for Boehm flute) makes a vast difference to the control and balance of chi. or prana, or whatever you may term it, and it has been the best thing for my health ever. Utterly at odds with Western Medicine, but I feel there is definitely a beneficial effect. [Please don't think I am a lunatic!]

All the best from Melbourne, Australia!
BKWeid
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Tell us something.: I really enjoy the information and experience from the members on this forum. I've learned so much from the long time members about ITM, flutes, and whistles in general. I also enjoy the humor and culture. Instrument reviews have been helpful and the posts on embouchure are priceless. As I generally don't get out to sessions, the information from this board is my only connection at times to the music.
Location: Utah

Re: Introducing myself. Hello everyone!

Post by BKWeid »

Steve-O. Welcome. The simple system flute and Irish Traditional music are a source of great joy in my life! Love the music. Enjoy the challenge and journey.

Brian
fatmac
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Tell us something.: Kickbiker - at over 70!
:lol:
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Re: Introducing myself. Hello everyone!

Post by fatmac »

Welcome aboard. :)

Just because most people play ITM on the flute & whistle, you don't have to...... :D

(I play anything I want to, & just for fun / my own enjoyment.) :wink:
Keith.
Trying to do justice to my various musical instruments.
Dan A.
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Tell us something.: I can only hope that my proficiency with the whistle is steadily improving. A few of my whistles get a workout on an almost daily basis. And I'm almost certainly afflicted with WhOAD.
Location: Detroit Metro

Re: Introducing myself. Hello everyone!

Post by Dan A. »

fatmac wrote:Just because most people play ITM on the flute & whistle, you don't have to...
True. I found, on this board, a transcription of the Cranberries' "Zombie" for the tin whistle. Eventually I intend to learn it.
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