I am completely new to the world of Irish flutes, so I am in desperate need of help. I am generally a clarinetist, but I’d like to expand my horizons some in a fluteward direction.
I saw Peter Jackson's movie the Lord of the Rings recently, and one of the things that I loved most about it was the beautiful score, especially the sound of a certain instrument that kept popping up from time to time. It has an unbelievably pure, sweet, wistful airiness to it that I haven’t heard in any other instrument and I would love to learn to play it. The best example of it would probably be in the piece “The Breaking of the Fellowship,” at the end of the movie. Unfortunately, the part with the instrument in it is not included in the soundtrack clips on Amazon or CDNow, but if anyone has the soundtrack it is about 2 minutes and 15 seconds into track 17. The strings and chorus sing very low and softly and a flutelike instrument plays a very moving solo. Although I think it’s an Irish flute, but I can’t tell if it’s an Irish flute or an orchestral flute played in a Celtic style or a completely different instrument like a whistle. I’ve compared the sound with clips of flutes online and Irish flute seems to be the closest match, but, not having much experience playing Irish or Celtic music, I don’t know the different Irish/Celtic woodwinds, so I really don’t know. Unfortunately, although the soloists are credited on the CD, their instruments are not mentioned anywhere. Is the mystery instrument an Irish flute? Or is it something else like a whistle of some sort? It seemed less airy than a pennywhistle but less harsh than a fife, with a slightly clarinetish liquidness in the purity of the notes. If it is an Irish flute I’d really like to get one; it’s one of the most beautiful instruments I’ve ever heard.
I have looked up as many guides to choosing/buying Irish flutes as I can find, but I really can’t figure out what would be best. Honestly, I can’t understand a lot of the terminology used, and I’ve never heard of any of the companies… I have decided so far on a keyless flute in D, (they say it has the same fingerings as a pennywhistle), hopefully for less than $200 US, but I have no idea where to go from there, as I have not been able to find anyone in my area who knows anything about them.
When I perform, I usually play clarinet or piano, but am also fluent on the tin whistle (pennywhistle) and fife. The climate in my area is pretty stereotypical- four nearly equal seasons with the extremes being somewhat warm and humid and somewhat cool and dry. Should I choose wood or plastic? I don’t know anything about plastic flutes but I’ve noticed my ebonite clarinet lacks the warmth of tone my wooden one has. Also, I made the mistake of buying a plastic (PVC?) fife a while ago… it was very easy to pick up, but on playing it I found out that although all the other notes are perfectly in tune, the B flat is nearly a quarter-tone flat, making it very difficult to play eighth, sixteenth, or shorter/faster notes in tune. Honestly, it’s a real annoyance and a pain to play, and I wouldn’t want to make the same mistake again. It also has a slightly harsher quality than my friend’s wooden fife. I’d like to match as close as possible the liquid tones of the flute from the movie… is that possible in a more inexpensive flute? If I got one in wood, what kind of wood should I get? All of the references I’ve found say that Cocuswood is best but is extinct and that blackwood is the next best substitute. This confuses me some, as the two cocuswood flutes I’ve found so far (one at Hobgoblin, http://www.hobgoblin-usa.com/local/cartflut.htm, and one at WarCry music http://www.warcrymusic.com/IrishFlute.htm) are less expensive than their blackwood counterparts. If Cocuswood is the best and is extinct, wouldn’t it be more costly? Also, there was a guide promoting ?Mojave? wood or bamboo that are apparently better/more common than blackwood. Which is best? And what brands/makers are best?
Another question, I’ve noticed all the different flutes look different, have different shapes (some diameters taper off to the end, others don’t) and each headjoint looks different. How much do the different shapes affect tonality? On which headjoint or shape would I get closest to the pure yet airy sound I heard?
In getting a flute I would probably perform some, probably mostly with piano or guitar accompaniment, but play mostly at home. I have heard that this would affect the hole size in the flute, but never having been able to hear flutes and know if they had small, medium, or large holes (I usually hear them on CDs) I’m not sure of the real difference between sizes in tone or dynamics. Also, would I need to get a tuning slide on a flute? After that experience with that untunable fife, I’d like to be able to tune the flute at least some. Is a flute without a tuning slide like a clarinet in that you pull the head joint out to tune it precisely? And if so, how precise is the tuning? Firescribble.net (http://www.firescribble.net/flute/choosing2.html) says that it’s best to have a tuning slide, because otherwise you have to tune by changing embrochure, but Terry McGee (http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/) says it really doesn’t matter, as you can pull the headjoint in and out to tune. Which is correct? Or does it vary from flute to flute? Also, what is the difference in the number of parts to the instrument? Why are some one piece and some four? Is it for convenience or compactness, or is there a difference in quality?
All of the guides say a lot depends on how much you know about music and playing instruments. I am pretty musical and found the pennywhistle and fife extremely easy and am looking for a bit more of a challenge.
Please help me, I’m completely confused.
Thanks so much,
Bombadil
