Chiff and Fipple Forums

Many (probably most) flutes that are 150 years old were not made to play at A440 with the tuning slide at the optimal position, i.e. that position at which the internal tuning remains true note-to-note, given of course the temperament in vogue at the time of making, which may have been equal or mayb...

The late great East Galway flute player Jack Coen had all the advice you'll ever need in just one quote: "Always play with someone who's better than you are. That way you can only get better." You could twist this around and realize that you'll never get better until you start playing with...

Patrick Olwell has told me it's okay to store the flute with the bottom two pieces together, provided you pull them apart just a bit (1/16th to 1/8th of an inch) instead of keeping them flush. He even told me why it's important to have that separation, but I forget.

The OP is looking for a non-wood flute, a good flute that may not necessarily be easy to play, to transition from piccolo/fife to ITM. The Seery Delrin D flute that I have on consignment at House of Musical Traditions in Takoma Park MD would fit that description. It is a couple hundred dollars above...

Hey fluters! Looking to go high or go hard? I've got you covered on both counts. Just placed two flutes on consignment for sale at House of Musical Traditions in Takoma Park MD. If you're in the area, HMT is open seven days a week, so you can drop by and try before you buy. If you're outside the DC ...

Non venting is pretty common. The Flute is a non slide Rudall. I'd guess supporting the flute on the shoulder negates the need for anchoring it with the pinkie. Catherine plays left-handed. Her flute is a right-handed Rudall with no tuning slide and she has the keys blu-tacked shut. She couldn't ve...

I hope you got the story of how Mike Rafferty got his flute. Also, I hope you got mucho footage of Patrick and Aaron playing tunes. Those guys need to do a recording! And everyone on Patrick's waiting list can rest easy knowing that he didn't take valuable time away from flute-making to spruce up th...

There are no weak notes. Only weak players.

Just tell Patrick to precede every one of your questions with "You know, this is taking time away from completing [insert name of someone on waiting list here]'s flute. So this better be a really good question." Then you can count on that person to buy several copies of the DVD because the...

Julia Delaney wrote:I want to know how to do all this after three or four pints.

Twenty five years ago Christy Moore wondered how your man stayed up on the surfboard after 14 pints of stout. Now we're down to three or four pints. Are they making the Guinness stronger now, or have we become a nation of lightweights?

Is there a point to this? Of course there is, despite your not reading and Rob's decision to get snarky (why not address my response?). If you had read any of my many posts in this thread, you would know that I am talking about seven high-end flutes made by the same maker, regardless of whom. Olwel...

I have an antique William Hall flute that I think could benefit from a repad. However, I notice that the keys have a bit of lateral play. Would this prevent the pads from ever getting a perfect seal, or do keys generally self-center as they come down? I'm mostly worried about the Eb key, which is t...

This unidentified second maker may be reputable, but he/she is not very smart. What he/she should have said when the owner asked him/her to put keys on the Olwell flute was "No, I will not do that. But I will sell one of my own keyed flutes to you." Why? Because presumably the owner respec...

This thread reminds me of a T shirt I saw being worn once at some protest of US involvement in foreign affairs:

"US OUT OF NORTH AMERICA"

You know what I call this key? "The only key on my flute I've never once used." Either that or "My right pinky finger rest."