Recently I decided to try again to play the flute. I’ve always been attracted to traditional music and traditional instruments and even went so far as to buy a decent bamboo flute to try out. After a few frustrating weeks I put it in a box and buried it in my closet. Sixteen years later, which was last month, I took it out again for some unaccountable reason. I found that the attraction was still there so I’ve been doggedly trying to play it. Now that I have more patience and perseverance (so far the only good thing about getting older) I’ve been making pretty good progress and I’m really enjoying it. I cannot explain why, but it’s somehow so relaxing and so satisfying. I would even say it’s soothing, as odd as that sounds.
At some point (over ten years ago) I also bought a Native American flute and a pennywhistle. Those went into the box as well and sat untouched for years. The whistle is a Clarke Original. It’s in the key of C, not that I knew it at the time that I bought it. Anyway, I’ve also been playing those when the flute becomes too frustrating.
I’ve been reading these forums and learning a lot, and I very much appreciate that everyone so willingly shares their hard-won knowledge. As a beginner, I have lots of questions and so I thought I’d start this thread and just keep posting questions as they come up. I think it’s high time I join the Forum anyway.
Hi Rick,
Welcome to the wild world of the Irish flute!
I would think you might consider getting a decent conical irish flute, and a decent inexpensive whistle. This would help in getting into this music. The advantage of a conical flute and a bamboo flute, you have better tuning in the second octave notes. Dave Copley makes a nice delrin flute, that is reasonably priced. You can also check out Doc Jones site that sells new and used flutes http://www.irishflutestore.com
Overblown is a term for increasing the air channel to go into the second octave notes. i guess it could also apply to pushing the notes to hard? You can get more comments form the “professors” of the flute…
I second Jon C… If your bamboo flute is 16 years old and was not taken care of, it probably has some leaks. I started on a Tipple and that is a super way to get into it (and pretty cheap, too!). Doug’s flutes are easy to play well and impervious to almost anything! The next step would be the delrin stuff. On the low end, there is the Dixon (although I did not have a good experience with mine) and on the top end are Copley, McGee, and M&E. I currently own an M&E polymer and highly recommend it. Used to own a Copley in blackwood and it was a superb flute, but I was too worried about cracking, so I sold (traded) it back to Doc Jones. Since then, I’ve attached myself inextricably to a McGee GLP in blackwood and don’t think I’ll go back.
One thing a lot of people don’t mention to raw beginners is the different styles of flute. The Pratten models have bigger holes that are a touch harder to reach and give a (supposedly) bigger sound whereas the Rudall and Rose style have smaller holes, are a little more “conical” (i.e. get smaller at the end), and give a smaller sound. I, personally, have migrated to the R&R style and will probably never go back to the Pratten style. I just like the feel better and seem to get a better sound out of the smaller-holed flutes. FWIW, however, I practice a LOT (wife thinks TOO much!), so I might pick up a Pratten now and like it just fine, but there you go.
Bottom line: get a Tipple, practice, and then start buying/playing a lot of different ones until you find what you like! My first love is still the trumpet and cornetto, but the insane attachment I’ve gotten to the Irish flute is a big part of my playing life now. Oh yeah, one more thing - find some people to play with!
I’m at the stage where I spend more time reading about flutes than I do playing one. So far I’ve compiled quite a wish list. It’s almost as though I have my entire playing career mapped out already: first a Tipple, then a delrin or a Burns folk flute, then a McGee GLP, and then…wherever the music leads. It’s hard to imagine that I’ll ever reach the level of play worthy of a McGee. Of course, I might change my mind a hundred times by then and not get a McGee, but I HAVE made up my mind to begin with a Tipple. It seems like a good place to start.
But first I want to make sure that this flute thing isn’t just a passing fancy. So I’m going to continue with my bamboo flute for now, working on my embouchure especially. The flute is rather short so the fingering is easy. I’m thinking that I’ll get a Tipple in February. That’s my plan, anyway.
My next question has to do with motivation to practice. Is it enthusiasm/enjoyment that makes you set aside other things and hole up by yourself to practice? Or do you have to discipline youself to do it? I guess I’m asking if I should skip a practice session on those days when I don’t feel like doing it, or does skipping one or two days set me back too far? On some days ten minutes is all I can stand, and on other days I feel like time has stopped and I could play on forever. In those longer sessions there always comes a moment when I accidentally get my embouchure and everything just right and I hit a note so clear and pure and lovely that I feel magic in the air. I can’t believe that my breath and an old stick of bamboo produced such a beautiful sound. When I try to duplicate it I fail miserably, but the hope of doing it again, and of one day being able to do it at will, motivates me to keep practicing. Do you all remember having such moments when you were first learning how to play?
Well, you’re not alone in having plans like that. It’s fun to plan stuff, it doesn’t usually fall out the way you’ve planned in the beginning but that’s another story.
As far as the practicing goes. When you get a decent flute, and you start putting some practice into it, you will feel that magic happen more and more often. The flute is a magical thing after all. When you get that feeling, you start to long for it more and more. That’s my experience anyway. Therefor it’s a very good thing that you’ll get a Tipple, you can leave it assembled and just pick it up whenever you feel like it. For me it comes and goes. There are periods when I don’t play much at all, and then there are other periods when I just long for it all the time when I’m not holding a flute. Right now I’m still at my honeymoon with my Firth, Pond & Co. and I feel the magic happen all the time when I pick that one up, it’s great. Having a flute which is lovely both to look at, to hold and to play that you can connect with and feel that magic is something special, and motivating enough for me. If I don’t feel like playing, I don’t. I do it for recreation. Sometimes I just open the case and look at it, take it up and polish the keys a little or something. She’s my second girlfriend.
Yes, I’m very passionate about my flutes, just as I’m very passionate about my
whisky
it’s the tunes that keep me happy - find tunes you like & learn 'em & you won’t get tired of “practice”. The further along the road you get the faster the tunes will come - don’t be frustrated - just keep at it - shoot for daily practice.
There will be good days, and there will be bad days. Enthusiasm/enjoyment goes a long way, but eventually discipline has a role, too.
Or, as James Galway once said, if you plan to be a flute playing professional, then plan to have a flute in your hands every day of your working career.
Moreover, were mastery of the flute simple, then there would be a far greater number of flute players, today, no doubt.
The flute is a demanding instrument, as most musical instruments tend to be, and regular practice appears to be a keystone of success.
Yes, that means practice is called for, even on those days when one just doesn’t care to practice. That’s the discipline part.
A bit of advice. If you have settled on a McGee GLP, and can possibly afford one, buy it now. You will learn to play much more quickly and easily on a high-quality conical bore flute with an expertly cut embouchure. Good flutes hold their value well, so it’s not as if you are throwing money away.
As far as practicing, look at bad days as an opportunity to really figure out the mechanics of playing. You will always have some days that are worse than others, so it is valuable to learn to fix your playing on bad days.
I never practice. Like Henke seems to suggest he does, I enjoy the flute. Sometimes I enjoy it by playing some passages that I was not happy with at the last session, or I slowly work up a new tune that I wrote down (“Say, what’s the name of that second one?”) But I never practice. Practice sounds like work to me. As soon as it starts to feel like work or I’m trying too hard I put it down. Only to pick it up again some time later. Because I have to. It calls me. And I don’t measure my progress in any way. It’s not about how far I’ve come or especially how far I have yet to go. I play for the enjoyment it brings me now.
I’ll never forget a guy I worked with had trouble hanging onto pens (that was back when people actually used pens.) We wandered into a pen shop as I needed something. He complains to the shop keeper that he’s always losing pens, and the shopkeeper says that’s because you don’t but expensive enough pens. If you buy a nice pen that you are really proud of and enjoy writing with you won’t lose it. So he bought one and hadn’t lost it in the next foce years I knew him.
Now I don’t own a four-digit flute, but I’ve played them. Are they worth it? Depends on what else you need the money for. Are they nicer? You bet. Nicer to hold, and nicer to play. They seem to do what you ask of them with less complaint. Placebo effect? Probably not.
Moral of the story is if you are serious about playing the flute, go ahead and get the best one you can as soon as you can. (I’m not sure I’d go for keys right away though. I have them and don’t really HAVE to use them very much at all.) Because of what it is and what it does a nice flute will make you want to pick it up and play it that much more. Which is what it’s all about, eh?
One of the nice things about Tipple, PVC, and non-wooden whistles and flutes is that you can just keep them out and play them when you want to play them. High end flutes and whistles need to be taken care of and sometimes, I think about how much bother putting my boehm flute together will be, so I don’t bother playing it. But my crystal flute stays by my keyboard, tucked away safely, so it’s always ready to play. Whistles stay in my car for traffic jams. And a Yamaha Fife stays is in the zipper pocket of my winter coat. I might not always play them but I do have them for when I have the opportunity and inclination.
I don’t feel that I’ve earned a McGee flute yet. I feel that I should be further along on my journey before indulging in that reward. However, after considering everyone’s advice, I have decided to get the Tipple flute sooner.
I much prefer the look of the gray PVC, and since it’s schedule 80 I presume that it’s also stronger and less likely to break. This is a consideration for me because the flute will often be in my daypack which gets tossed into the bed of my truck, etc.
I’m still working hard at developing my embouchure, so my questions are about the embouchure hole options Doug Tipple offers. Should I get the lip plate (I’m also wondering if it’s gray to match the flute)? And should I choose the standard size hole or request the smaller one?
I intend to practice and play alone, and I’d prefer a more quiet flute. But the most important consideration is learning proper technique and embouchure. By the way, my hands are fairly large so I’m planning on getting inline holes instead of offset, so I’ll be used to fingering that way whenever I do move up to a wooden flute. And I do want to get the wedge.
Thank you for all your help. It is much appreciated.
I think Jemtheflute is correct. I have and I’m very pleased with. I have the white sch #40. I, like you like the look of the gray better; however, I recall that they (the sch.#80) are softer and scratch more easily. You can ask Doug Tipple, he is really responsive and will give you all the info. you need to make a good purchase. I might mention that when you begin to think about up grading to a wood flute, if in fact that is your thing, that you might consider looking at a Casey Burns flute. He makes some wonderful flutes and has a range of prices and materials to choose from. I recently purchased a Folk Flute made of Box Wood and I love it. Best of luck. Don.
The early days are aggravating, exhausting and, occassionally, thrilling. Keep up the great attitude you seem to have and soon enough you’ll be able to make the rascal make those loverly tones at will. If you can find a flute player (doesn’t need to be Irish flute) and get a few embouchure pointers it may be helpful.
Just watching a good flute player’s embouchure intently without thinking too hard about what the are doing is vastly helpful (a la The Inner Game of Tennis). Go to youtube and watch some good players blow. Tradlessons.com has good videos you could watch too. Watch intentlly without thinking too much, then relax and imitate (without thinking too much).
