A Martin Doyle one of the ones with the foot that flares out on the foot like a bell on a trumpet. It was hard for me to play it without being way too loud. It did seem very unusual. It was very easy to play it very loud. I soon put it down in a minute or two as I found it difficult to do anything much but loud.
I don't want to get into an internet flaming war here, but the problem is not that the flute is limited because it's too loud That's like saying a Ferrari is too powerful and can only go fast. Doyle flutes can be played sweetly and with a lovely rounded tone. It's up to the player to supply the necessary finesse.
I have been in sessions with people playing Olwell Prattens and big-bore Hammy flutes that were played way too loud for the player's skill set. You can't fault the flute for that. Is harshness built into a flute? Or does the player give their playing the volume, bite and growl that characterizes some fluters?
Loudest keyless flutes (or largest bores)
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Julia Delaney
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- Tell us something.: I play fiddle, concertina, flute. I live in NH. Lived in Kilshanny, Co Clare, for about 20 years. Politically on the far left. Diet on the far right (plant-based fundamentalist). Musically in the middle of the pure drop.
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Re: Loud keyless flutes
Freedom is merely privilege extended, unless enjoyed by one and all. The Internationale
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Jeggy
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- Tell us something.: Started playing trad about 25 years ago with tin whistles, and bought first flute about 20 years ago. Played very sporadically, with very little discipline or tuition and unsurprisingly made little progress. Started playing again a couple of years ago after not playing much for 15-16 years.
Re: Loud keyless flutes
I have a Olwell nicholson with a fully lined head which, to me, feels incredibly loud and powerful. It was the only flute I had for about 20 years and just assumed they were all this way. And for 20 years I've felt like a teenager given the keys to a ferrari and without any driving lessons. As a result, I've been a pretty terrible flute player for about 20 years (stopped playing for about 15 years because of it). That's nothing to do with the flute which, since I've come own a few other flutes with different characters, I can see now for what it is - an absolutely exceptional flute which requires a lot of skill, effort and patience to play consistently well. It can be pushed hard, or it can be played sensitively, and it can be hugely expressive - whatever I am capable of, it can match.Julia Delaney wrote: I have been in sessions with people playing Olwell Prattens and big-bore Hammy flutes that were played way too loud for the player's skill set.
I've learned that it's a flute that I need to earn the ability to play well. It is loud, but as you say, for the longest time, too much flute for my level of skill and ability. If I knew then what I know now, I would have started with a more quiet rudall and then eventually gotten something like the Olwell Nicholson. And a tutor!