Handed down : Josie McDermott

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Re: Handed down : Josie McDermott

Post by paddler »

I hope we can agree that it is at least a "German-style" flute, and that its key work is virtually identical to that used on flutes that claim to be in the style of Meyer flutes.

The term "Meyer system" is widely used to refer to German-style flutes that share the design and stylistic characteristics of Meyer flutes. You may claim that it is mis-used, in the sense that Meyer did not introduce a new system for key work, and I would agree with that. However, the term is regularly used today and it has been used in such a way for over a hundred years, and probably ever since Meyer's flutes became famous and a target for imitation. You can see an example of this use of the term as far back as 1905 in a book on German flutes here.

This approach to categorization of flute designs is similar to the way we talk about "Rudall" and "Pratten" flutes today, when referring to flutes from modern makers. They are not actually Rudalls or Prattens, and in fact when you get down to the fine details of individual flutes you can easily argue that those categories of flute design are really not well-defined at all, and hence, they shouldn't be taken too literally or seriously. I think this is the case with the categorization of Meyer System flutes, or Nach Meyer flutes, or flutes in the style of Meyer's flute, or whatever term you want to use to refer to that general category. The categorization is in common use, but it really doesn't have a very precise or useful meaning.

I think many people use the term "Nach Meyer" to refer broadly to this category. That is the sense in which I was using the term, and that is the sense in which I see the term used frequently in this forum. However, I am not arguing that this category is well-defined from the point of view of predicting the playing characteristics of a flute. In fact that was really the whole point of my post. There is great variation among flutes that are usually categorized that way, and some can be used to very good effect in ITM.

Perhaps the apparent disagreement here is simply that you use the term "Nach Meyer" more narrowly/specifically than I do?
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Re: Handed down : Josie McDermott

Post by Jon C. »

I had the opportunity to restore Josie McDermott's flute back in 2012, the flute was a R&R that had seen better days... When the flute was finished an arrangement was set up where an elderly gentleman in a tweed suit came to pick it up on Sunday morning, he had to be at least 90, I asked him how long he had been in the states, he said "65 years", he still had connections with the old country.
Turned out nice, once I killed the mold living in it, and put it back together...
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Re: Handed down : Josie McDermott

Post by Mr.Gumby »

Josie McDermott's flute
Not one of the flutes played in the documentary at hand though , is it? The one he uses when playing Una Bhan doesn't (seem to) have the lip plate and the other one, discussed above, is obviously a completely different instrument.
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Re: Handed down : Josie McDermott

Post by s1m0n »

I'm not an expert observer of flutes at a distance. What confidence do we have that in the doc he's playing the same flute throughout? I know that colour can vary with lighting, but the apparrent redness of McDermott's stick varies a good deal throughout.

BTW, I love the smirk on the face of the young lad playing the snare drum in the ceili band footage (at about 2:35). I wonder if he stuck with music?
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.')

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Re: Handed down : Josie McDermott

Post by Mr.Gumby »

I know that colour can vary with lighting, but the apparrent redness of McDermott's stick varies a good deal throughout.
But look at the keywork and the head: metal stopper in the red flute, wooden one on the other(s). At least two flutes in that footage (well, just to most likely). But no lip plate on either of them.
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Re: Handed down : Josie McDermott

Post by Jon C. »

Just thought it would be interesting, this was the flute he used for "Darby's Farewell" album.
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Re: Handed down : Josie McDermott

Post by Steve Bliven »

You guys think he might have had more than one flute? :boggle: Does that really happen?

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Re: Handed down : Josie McDermott

Post by paddler »

There are several different flutes played in the program. The German-style, perhaps American made, flute were were discussing earlier appears towards the end and is quite clearly visible. He is playing a quite different flute in the beginning. His Rudall flute that Jon posted pictures of looks like a heck of a repair project. Talk about bringing instruments back from the dead!
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Re: Handed down : Josie McDermott

Post by Jon C. »

By the looks of the worn areas on the flute, he must have played this on extensively before giving it to his friend.
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Re: Handed down : Josie McDermott

Post by an seanduine »

Lovely work, as always, Jon. Unfortunately the link given renders a '404' for me, but the pictures can be accessed through the Cochran Flutes facebook page, under the Rudall's I have known album.

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Re: Handed down : Josie McDermott

Post by Jon C. »

an seanduine wrote:Lovely work, as always, Jon. Unfortunately the link given renders a '404' for me, but the pictures can be accessed through the Cochran Flutes facebook page, under the Rudall's I have known album.

Bob
Also have a Josie album.
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