Scotland's Last Flutemaker

[Uni Flute]

A short profile of flute maker George Ormiston.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=na-mFxoAb9Y

[cavefish]

damm 4 years in waiting for the wood to cure, nice i guess that would be a sign of a good maker, patience,

[Conical bore]

damm 4 years in waiting for the wood to cure, nice i guess that would be a sign of a good maker, patience,

Absolutely, and this is how every maker of wooden musical instruments deals with wood. Every guitar maker, every fiddle maker too. Wood takes a while to dry and learn that it's now destined for a different life, and no longer part of a growing tree.

There are methods that attempt to speed up the process, but it's always a sure bet if you're working with a maker who uses the Old School process of just stacking and waiting, under controlled conditions.

[cavefish]

damm 4 years in waiting for the wood to cure, nice i guess that would be a sign of a good maker, patience,

Absolutely, and this is how every maker of wooden musical instruments deals with wood. Every guitar maker, every fiddle maker too. Wood takes a while to dry and learn that it's now destined for a different life, and no longer part of a growing tree.

There are methods that attempt to speed up the process, but it's always a sure bet if you're working with a maker who uses the Old School process of just stacking and waiting, under controlled conditions.

imagine just starting out, the wait , a good 4 years before

[Peter Duggan]

damm 4 years in waiting for the wood to cure

I counted five:
0. Blank from sawmill
1. Round with pilot bore
2. First piece
3. Almost finished shape
4. Finished shape
5. Drill holes etc.

[Terry McGee]

imagine just starting out, the wait , a good 4 years before

That's why God invented Delrin....

Well, it mightn't have been God. Possibly DuPont. God might not have been so keen on homopolymers....

Seriously, knocking up a few flutes in Delrin (acetyl homopolymer PolyOxyMethylene POM) will let you hone your skills (and your tools) while the wood dries....

Nothing should put you off flute making. Simply the best fun....

[cavefish]

[Terry McGee]

And in regard to George being Scotland's Last Flutemaker, I sincerely hope not! Perhaps her Latest Flute Maker?

C'mon young Scots, there's work to be done. Those fiddle players have too easy a run for too long!

It's an interesting question that, if you were challenged to come up with a design for an ideal Scottish Flute, would you settle on an Irish flute? What would you be aiming for?

[cavefish]

nice sounding flutes too, you too terry

[Conical bore]

It's an interesting question that, if you were challenged to come up with a design for an ideal Scottish Flute, would you settle on an Irish flute? What would you be aiming for?

Now that's an interesting question. I play a few Scottish tunes and I've listened to a lot of Scottish and Cape Breton trad. Mostly the fiddle variety and not so much the pipes, thanks to my fiddler Significant Other who is into that music a bit more than I am.

Some of the distinctive characteristics like a "Scottish snap" in strathspeys and the scratchy bow attack on fiddle aren't easy to easy to duplicate on an instrument with a relatively soft attack like the flute. You can do it with great technique (see link below), but it's the main thing I have trouble with, when playing these tunes.

Regarding type of flute, I can't think of anything other than a 19th Century conical bore "Irish flute" that could do a better job. These flutes facilitate a harder, dirtier sound than the Boehm flute, and the best of them are already optimized for volume. It's still largely down to player technique, I think. Check out this Calum Steward clip. He's taking it to an extreme with variations after he gets rolling, but this sure sounds Scottish to me. It's the note attack that does it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvKXuZVzrqM

[Sedi]

That man has just insane skills. I'm a huge fan.

[kenny]

I had thought to post the "Tullochgorum" clip as well, but you got there before me. Sad thing is that Calum has more or less given up the flute entirely to concentrate on the uilleann pipes.

[Sedi]

That is sad indeed.

[Peter Duggan]

It's an interesting question that, if you were challenged to come up with a design for an ideal Scottish Flute, would you settle on an Irish flute? What would you be aiming for?

Same basic type but with at least four keys. My Copley special meets the spec for me!

[an seanduine]

I could be wrong, as the video isn´t very clear, but Calum´s instrument appears to be one of his cylindrical flutes with a French Tuning Headjoint.

Bob