I have been playing a M&E Cronnolly polymer flute for just about one year now, and I am loving it. The flute is great; it has a strong tone and plays fairly easily. I am hoping one day to “upgrade” is a wood flute. Has anyone played M&E wood flutes? Because they look nice, are reasonably priced, I haven’t read anything about them, and if they play like the polymers, it might be a good buy.
Also, in general, what would be a nice flute to transition to from a M&E polymer? I have only played one other flute since being able to play. (I am really a whistle player…)
The wooden ones are very like the polymers but are lighter and have a slightly more complex tone. Both have lined heads so the tonal differences are minimal.
Well…as I said, I like my M&E polymer. I like flutes with a strong, loud tone. A strong tone has a lot to do with the player, but my M&E has a louder tone than the other flute I have.
Honestly, I haven’t played enough flutes to know what my dream flute would be. I co-lead a session and perform with a fiddle player, so I need a loud flute. My hands are large enough that I don’t need to worry about whether I can handle a flute.
I would love to get my hands on a performance-grade instrument without busting the piggy-bank. Ideally, I would like to get a keyless flute for less than $800.
what’s the point in buying a wooden version of a flute you already have? you might as well buy a wooden flute from another maker. if you dont like it, you can sell it.
that’s the problem… you’re thinking with your piggy bank! 800-1000 is about what you’ll have to pay for a good, new, wooden keyless flute. if you’re not willing to pay that price, then you dont want a new flute very much–there’s nothing wrong with that! you have a great flute. instead of wasting your money on geting an identical flute, wait until you have the passion to spend an extra 200 bucks to get a flute that will challenge you and bring you joy.
I didn’t think much of the blackwood he was using five or six years ago. Maybe things have changed, i’m not sure. I would recommend you stay with polymer and if you want wood, pay a bit more for something else.
The Maker is much more relevant than the material. If you’re happy with the M&E polymer stick with it. If you want a flute that’s significantly different than what you have in terms of tone and volume you’d find more difference in a different maker than a different material.
I’ve had the pleasure of playing a lot of flutes in both wood and delrin (same makers, same models)…real apples to apple comparisons. The differences made by the material are extremely subtle. And are in the case of blackwood vs delrin generally not percievable by the listeners only the player.
I’d also submit that your M&E polymer has the potential to be a fairly loud flute. Might be that more time in the woodshed would do as much good for your volume as anything. Matt Molloy could likely rattle the windows on a baroque flute.
If you’re looking for a lot of volume I’d say a McGee Pratten or a Hammy would get you there quickly (again, if you have the chops).
I started out on the M&E standard and then moved to the M&E R&R and I’m just selling it now (4-5 years down the road), but I found Jon C.'s Rudall’s to be seemless in transition and they improve on all of the M&E’s qualities…in tune through out the octave, strong tone…I’d suggest him since he is on the West Coast and well within your budget.
