Hello people, I am new in the community, lately I am interested in Celtic culture, especially the music and I am eager to buy myself and start learning to play the Irish flute, but I don't understand some things, such as:
There are flutes in D, in C, in F ... What change that? (The notes I know, but I do not know what that means)
And where I could buy one, I've looked on ebay but there are from a few dollars to a few hundred.
Thanks for your help, kind regards from Colombia
Help - Irish flute
- Altazor
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- Tell us something.: I am a Colombian flutist and whistler, I want to improve my ability and get a keyed flute, I am saving money for it, but the devaluation of my currency is terrible for this goal.
- Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Help - Irish flute
Hernan (" ) Altazor
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Re: Help - Irish flute
Hola Altazor, Que sea bien venido.
The most typical Irish flute plays in the key of D (and G), and is roughly comparable to a classical, silver flute.
A flute with keys can play in more keys, but the keyless D-flute covers 90% of the music played in ITM. If you had a C-flute, you could cover another 5 or 6 percent (tunes in C or D-minor, for example).
In terms of price, don't even consider the cheap ones. I got to see one the other day: polyurethane finish, worthless embouchure hole, and impossible intonation.
Decent keyless flutes made from Delrin can be found in the $400 price range; good wooden flutes around $800.
Certain well-respected flute makers can receive 50% higher prices.
The rest is details and opinions - some valid some not.
A cheaper way to get started would be a penny whistle in the key of D. $10 or so for entry level, or get a Jerry Freeman "tweaked" whistle for a bit more. The fingering and ornamentation is pretty much identical to the D-Flute.
The most typical Irish flute plays in the key of D (and G), and is roughly comparable to a classical, silver flute.
A flute with keys can play in more keys, but the keyless D-flute covers 90% of the music played in ITM. If you had a C-flute, you could cover another 5 or 6 percent (tunes in C or D-minor, for example).
In terms of price, don't even consider the cheap ones. I got to see one the other day: polyurethane finish, worthless embouchure hole, and impossible intonation.
Decent keyless flutes made from Delrin can be found in the $400 price range; good wooden flutes around $800.
Certain well-respected flute makers can receive 50% higher prices.
The rest is details and opinions - some valid some not.
A cheaper way to get started would be a penny whistle in the key of D. $10 or so for entry level, or get a Jerry Freeman "tweaked" whistle for a bit more. The fingering and ornamentation is pretty much identical to the D-Flute.
- kkrell
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- Tell us something.: Mostly producer of the Wooden Flute Obsession 3-volume 6-CD 7-hour set of mostly player's choice of Irish tunes, played mostly solo, on mostly wooden flutes by approximately 120 different mostly highly-rated traditional flute players & are mostly...
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Re: Help - Irish flute
The most common for Irish Traditional Music is the key of D major.Altazor wrote:There are flutes in D, in C, in F ... What change that? (The notes I know, but I do not know what that means)
A possible resource for you might be the Garry Somers' workshop in the south of Brazil in the state of Santa Catarina.Altazor wrote:And where I could buy one, I've looked on ebay but there are from a few dollars to a few hundred.
Thanks for your help, kind regards from Colombia
http://somers-flutes.com/
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Re: Help - Irish flute
As others have said, avoid cheap eBay flutes like the plague. General rule: anything that says "IRISH FLUTE - PROFESSIONAL QUALITY" is almost assuredly no where near any level of professionalism in their manufacture, they are of very low quality, and most fall into the category of "flute-like objects" rather than true flutes.
There's a whole sticky on this up top so I won't re-iterate it too much.
The best way to go on a budget, as others have stated, is to get an inexpensive delrin flute from a named maker. Two that spring to mind that I have personal experience with are Garry Somers (see above) and David Copley, both of excellent quality (I own a Somers personally).
There's a whole sticky on this up top so I won't re-iterate it too much.
The best way to go on a budget, as others have stated, is to get an inexpensive delrin flute from a named maker. Two that spring to mind that I have personal experience with are Garry Somers (see above) and David Copley, both of excellent quality (I own a Somers personally).
- s1m0n
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Re: Help - Irish flute
Right continent, but possibly the wrong language.kkrell wrote: A possible resource for you might be the Garry Somers' workshop in the south of Brazil in the state of Santa Catarina.
http://somers-flutes.com/
And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')
C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis
- kkrell
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Re: Help - Irish flute
True. Originally, his site was in English & Portugese. However, being from Ireland, Garry might get along in a few other languages.s1m0n wrote:Right continent, but possibly the wrong language.kkrell wrote: A possible resource for you might be the Garry Somers' workshop in the south of Brazil in the state of Santa Catarina.
http://somers-flutes.com/
He's a member on C&F, and last posted on May 22nd:
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=8740
Last edited by kkrell on Wed Jun 14, 2017 5:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
- s1m0n
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Re: Help - Irish flute
I stand rebuked.kkrell wrote:True. Originally, his site was in English & Portugese. However, being from Ireland, Garry might get along in a few other languages.s1m0n wrote:Right continent, but possibly the wrong language.kkrell wrote: A possible resource for you might be the Garry Somers' workshop in the south of Brazil in the state of Santa Catarina.
http://somers-flutes.com/
He's a member on C&F, and lasted posted on May 22nd:
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=8740
And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')
C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis
- an seanduine
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Re: Help - Irish flute
Ah, well now, rebuked or not, we wouldn't want to be stuck with 'No Béarla'.
Bob
Bob
Not everything you can count, counts. And not everything that counts, can be counted
The Expert's Mind has few possibilities.
The Beginner's mind has endless possibilities.
Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi
The Expert's Mind has few possibilities.
The Beginner's mind has endless possibilities.
Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi
- sligofluter
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Re: Help - Irish flute
Don´t buy an ebay flute, it looks like an irish flute but it is only a look.
You have a lot of cheap alternatives for buy an instrument and not a decorative object.
If you want to talk in spanish drop me a pm.
Saludos desde España.
You have a lot of cheap alternatives for buy an instrument and not a decorative object.
If you want to talk in spanish drop me a pm.
Saludos desde España.
Our irish music blog in Spanish: https://theirishflow.com/