Marcus Hernon flute maker

BillG · Post by **BillG** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 9:14 pm

andrew wrote:I fear that opinions posted on ( lesser ? ) makers tend to be generous firstly because those who have the experience of the work of good makers are reluctant to offer a negative review in case they offend makers and are seen as carpers or trying to be superior , and secondly because praise is freely given by those who have little experience of fine flutes and are comparing appraised flutes with the second raters they have tried .
Another problem is creeping in through well known players succumbing to the " generosity" of those wishing to promote their flutes .
New web techniques will soon enable more or less standardised comparisons of fine flutes in controlled conditions by well regarded players .We may well try something like that in coming months.

HUH???

BillG

Whistlin'Dixie · Post by **Whistlin'Dixie** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 9:28 pm

BillG wrote:
andrew wrote:I fear that opinions posted on ( lesser ? ) makers tend to be generous firstly because those who have the experience of the work of good makers are reluctant to offer a negative review in case they offend makers and are seen as carpers or trying to be superior , and secondly because praise is freely given by those who have little experience of fine flutes and are comparing appraised flutes with the second raters they have tried .
Another problem is creeping in through well known players succumbing to the " generosity" of those wishing to promote their flutes .
New web techniques will soon enable more or less standardised comparisons of fine flutes in controlled conditions by well regarded players .We may well try something like that in coming months.
HUH???

BillG

Too right.

I think I'll go to bed now.

Mary

BMFW · Post by **BMFW** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 3:10 am

andrew wrote:I fear that opinions posted on ( lesser ? ) makers tend to be generous....

I don't think anyone could argue with that statement at all. That is one problem inherent on forums such as this, where it can be very difficult for beginners, or those with limited access to other players, to get impartial opinions on various flutes.

If you read through the archives seeking opinions on flutes, they are predominantly glowing - "I've got one and it's great". You really need the balance of someone saying "I've tried one and I found it a bit......"

I am very lucky in that I live within a few miles of a lot of great players who are very generous with their knowledge. Anytime I have passed on that knowledge to people looking for advice on the web, I have always done it off-list for fear of starting a flame war - and that's a shame really, because if I were a beginner I'd like to see a bit more balance.

Well, that had nothing to do with Mr Hernon and his flutes, did it? I guess I've taken an early lead in the 2004 off-topic championships then.

Happy New Year to you all,

Graham

cocusflute · Post by **cocusflute** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 5:51 am

You could always send a private email to somebody asking for an opinion of a flute-maker. You'd get an honest review that a reviewer mightn't want to post publicly. I have never liked a single flute by a maker that some posters have raved about. These ravers were for the most part beginners who didn't know the difference between a heavy, clubby flute and an elegant, great player. On the internet nobody knows you're a dog.
There are many people on this list pretending to be really good players with lots of experience. These guys don't know jack yet they offer opinions of crappy flutes as if the flutes were wonderful. They don't know enough to play a hard D, or even know what it is.
I got some good advice privately from some experienced players. But it's hard to winnow through the chancers. What we really need is an impartial review of the people who post to this list.

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 12:49 pm

Looks like the tide has turned in the last week or so and the message board has switched from flutemaker bashing to reviewer bashing!

Fair enough I suppose, just seems like something is missing without the flutemakers themselves having at us for their pound of flesh as well

Now seriously though (because it must have escaped me) who here (doing reviews) ever claimed to be a great player? I certainly never have, nor can I remember any such claims by others.

Loren

Jayhawk · Post by **Jayhawk** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 1:55 pm

Loren - I agree that I don't recall a review where the reviewer claimed they were great. Also, I don't recall a review where anyone claimed what they were reviewing was the best flute ever made. Mostly, they just rave about the flute (I've done that myself). Where comparisons have been made, they've been made by people who own or have played both makes of flute.

Overall, I don't take every movie review as the gospel truth, same with car review and restraunt reviews, so I look at flute reviews the same way.

I think reviewer bashing is a wee bit out of hand right now. By the standards recently forming on this board, only professional level flute players and the makers themselves (provided board consensus says they're good enough) should be allowed to provide a review...it's just getting silly.

Eric

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 2:14 pm

Jayhawk wrote:I think reviewer bashing is a wee bit out of hand right now. By the standards recently forming on this board, only professional level flute players and the makers themselves (provided board consensus says they're good enough) should be allowed to provide a review...it's just getting silly.

Eric

What, Matt Molloy won't be available to do reviews for C&F?!? I'm shocked!

Loren

dlambert · Post by **dlambert** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 8:45 pm

Now seriously though (because it must have escaped me) who here (doing reviews) ever claimed to be a great player? I certainly never have, nor can I remember any such claims by others.

It's just that when someone puts out many seemingly informed opinions with no other qualification the assumption is that he/she is a really good player.

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 6:39 pm

dlambert wrote:
Now seriously though (because it must have escaped me) who here (doing reviews) ever claimed to be a great player? I certainly never have, nor can I remember any such claims by others.
It's just that when someone puts out many seemingly informed opinions with no other qualification the assumption is that he/she is a really good player.

No poster/reviewer can be responsible for the uninformed or poor assumptions of others.

What would you have Don, a certification test for anyone who wishes to write a review? Are reviews by all but the best players useless? Kevin Crawford might be a great person to review a flute for the advanced player, but since Mr. Crawford could probably make a Coke bottle sound amazing he likely wouldn't have difficulty playing virtually any of the flutes that would give a beginner trouble, so his reviews might not be helpful to a beginner. On the other hand, if several beginners try a brand x flute and find it easy to play, isn't that more beneficial to other beginners?

Why don't you just come out and name names, since you obviously have a list of unqualified reviewers in mind.

Loren

andrew · Post by **andrew** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 3:19 am

Mr Crawford is perhaps the best blower of a flute I know .But I would hardly call him impartial .Same for other good musicians .

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 9:30 am

andrew wrote:Mr Crawford is perhaps the best blower of a flute I know .But I would hardly call him impartial .Same for other good musicians .

Obviously Andrew, but no need to muddy the discussion with all of that - I was simply illustrating a point.

Loren

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