Hi. I’m new to the forum…so please be gentle!
At the moment, I’ve got a Sweetheart keyless D flute, which I’m very pleased with, but would like one with a tuning slide. I’m torn between a keyless blackwood flute from Glenn Watson, or a keyless from Hammy Hamilton.
I’d appreciate any thoughts on the matter, or any other suggestions you may have. Thanks. 
C.
Those are two great flutes. But what you’re most likely to hear from the folks on this board is, “What are you looking for in a flute?”
Think about the sounds you like, the players you admire, your physique, the pros and cons of the flute you play now, etc… If you can, try a few flutes. Everyone is different, and there’s no substitute for actual experience playing different flutes.
On the other hand, if you buy either of the two you mentioned and don’t like it, it’ll be an easy resell. Good luck!
Plug for Watson - they are very similar to Murrays, but more consistently wonderful. Large open sound. Not as loud as a Hammy but require less effort. More like a large-hole Rudall than a Pratten (which would be Hammy). Easier to play ornaments on.
Nothing at all wrong with Hammy’s flutes (just ask Rama). But I sold my Hammy and kept my Watson.
Both are wonderful makers. Glenn is the new kid on the block so he may try a bit harder - no disrespect to the great S.C. Hamilton.
Must admit, I’m leaning more towards the Watson! I want something with good volume, but don’t want to end up in a heap gasping for breath, so the ‘less effort’ aspect does appeal to me. After years of playing low whistles, large holes are fine, but I definitely use more air on my flutes…perhaps it’s just me!
It’s going to be hard for me to find a Watson to try, but I’ll keep on looking! (by the way…all my low whistles are going…my flutes are a lot easier on my wrists and, to me, sound far, far better!)
C.
Once your embouchure is strong (developed, or whtever)
the Hammy takes no more air than a soprano whistle.
It’s the famous garden-hose principle. A little air coming
through a small aperture at high speed goes farther
in driving the flute. Generally flutes take less air than
whistles do, though of course it won’t be that way
on day one.
The Hammy isn’t a flute for somebody with small hands.
It’s a ‘handful.’ However it is set up well, nicely balanced.
I’m hardly a big guy but I have no trouble with it
and it does have one of the great sounds in Irish
flutedom. Good volume, of course.
t’s worth considering how many people
record on hammys.
I’ve never had the good luck to play a Watson.
As cocus gives them positive reviews I would certainly
like to. I know from
private correspondance they are not universally liked.
If it were me I would try before I bought–for both
flutes.
I think you’ll find that after a while your mouth learns how to convert more of the air into sound (that’s the straw of hope I’ve been clutching for 20 years anyway) and the episodes of collapse will get less frequent. I find that an ordinary tin whistle now takes as much breath as a flute.
Which ever one you choose you’ll start to get used to it in time.
Good luck with it.
Thanks everyone for all the input. Must admit, my embouchure is probably sadly lacking! Not been playing Irish flute for terribly long, (just low whistle and silver flute…silver flute is a lot easier to blow!), so there’s hopefully time for improvement! Size wise, the Hammy probably wouldn’t be a problem, as I’ve got quite big hands, and long fingers (I play a Low C whistle…and it’s so big a stretch, it’s like playing a drainpipe with large holes!) I want a good flute that I can grow and improve with and I agree that I need to try as many as I can…I quite fancy a holiday in Ireland actually!
C.
How, when or why Hamiltons gained a reputation for being hard to play, blow or sustain via bellows-like lungs is a mystery to me. Of all the Pratten-style flutes I’ve played, these are among the easiest hybrids to attain a respectable tone at any play level. But, when you’ve attained a good strong lip, the Hammy will deliver an unbelievable tone, where others may not (and some do not). I’ve not played a Watson, so this is not a vote one way or another against it, just a comment on Hamiltons and their playability.
OTOH, Hamiltons are good sized flutes; you certainly don’t feel like you’re playing a dainty flute. How did you come to narrow it down between a Hammy and a Watson? Seems to me, it’s best to play as many flutes as you can get your hands on. If that’s impossible, you should get an idea what flute(s) your favorite players choose to play. It’s not that you’ll end up sounding like them by playing the same kind of flute, but - as it’s their sound your ears are pulling you towards anyway, and you’ll likely end up learning their tune settings, it is only natural that you’d want to go in that general direction.
Gordon
I miss my Hamilton flute. I played one on tuesday night and loved it.
I agree with the last 2 posts. I’ve tried Colin Hamilton’s flutes and never found the need to hire any particular pneumatic devices to feel comfortable with them. It took me more energy to spell pneumatic than it would to find the puff for his flutes. I’ve never tried a Watson flute but I’m sure they’re grand too.
Once you get a well made instrument then it’s probably between you and the flute to come to some sort of understanding as to how the thing’s going to produce the sound you want.
I narrowed it down to a Hammy or a Watson (but I’m still open to suggestions), by trawling the internet, speaking to people I know who play Irish flute, looking at my budget, but mainly by the fact that I play a hand built guitar that is to die for, and know that if I buy a ‘cheaper’ flute, I’ll probably regret it somewhere down the line, (I went through this long and tedious process when I was looking for ‘the’ guitar, many years ago). I’d also prefer it if the maker is reasonable travelling distance to where I live, (I often travel around 200 miles to get my guitar tweaked by the guy who made it).
I don’t mind if it takes a while to find ‘the one’. It’ll be worth it!
C.
Olwell Pratten
yep…not too far away 
Or. . . you could get Doc Jones to ship you one of the Murrays he has - in stock. I’m definitely a new player (2.5 years or so) but it is a lot better than what I started with.
I ended up with a Murray because I had regular access to a friend’s and developed a certain confidence with it. Before that point all the Murrays I tried didn’t impress. So when you do try flutes (which you should) try and get them for a decent chunk of time - a puff or two in a session isn;t much to go on.
Mr. Murray’s flutes are the ones I ended up with too. I’d probably have to add about 20 to the 2.5 years mentioned. As was said earlier, it’s hard to make a decision based on a short try on a flute. I’m for Sam’s flutes as they have always suited me and they allow a range from the most gentle handling of a slow air to the angriest reaction to trying to play in a bar full of two-legged foghorns.
Whichever maker’s one you get, you’ll probably take a while to warm to it and then even longer to be convinced that it’s not the best sort of flute in the world. If it’s well made it will serve you well in the end, whoever made it.
That’s a fact; Murrays are great, Olwells, too, and many, many others, but ultimately, it’s you and your flute, whatever it is. No flute’s a magic pill. Get the best you can afford, and play it lots and lots.
Gordon
My personal experience is that while no particular penaumatic devices are indeed not needed to “drive” Hammy’s timber tubing, but if you happen to feel like really putting some wind into these buggers, they handle it a bit better than instruments by other makers. I might even say that they “go up to eleven”.
I think it can help, in choosing a flute, to consider what you
will do with it, the venues in which you will play, and so on,
if you know. Flutes have different strengths. I play a good deal
in an acoustic jam, all sorts of music, ITM, rock, country,
blues, you name it. Mostly stringed instruments.
It’s in a large room.
The Olwell Pratten has a great warmth
to it, especially the first octave and low notes, which blends
with the other instruments. I’ve played a Hammy there too.
Works well. Rudalls so far work less well. The Grinter, for instance,
can be heard fine, but its focused, refined sound sounds
less good with these instruments and this music. The Byrne
Rudall’s bottom end is a bit hard to hear. Very different
from the Olwell’s. This is
not a typical venue for Irish flute, but perhaps the
point transfers elsewhere.
You may wish to consider what you want to do.
I’ll mainly be using my flute in folk clubs, where it’s so quiet, you can hear a pin drop (sometimes with a mic, sometimes acoustic), as a session flute in noisy pubs, and when I’m recording, as accompaniment to my guitar and vocals (I write and sing folk stuff), so I’ll need a bit of an ‘all rounder’.
C.
As for Hamiltons, relatively recently made Hamiltons that I’ve played (i.e., 5-10 years old) are pretty easy players as far as Pratten-style flutes go, I thought. I play a very old Hamilton that I bought from him directly (he reckoned it was a pretty early one) and it’s noticeably harder to play than his newer stuff. At first I thought it was just me until I started swapping flutes at sessions with very experienced players: I’d be sitting there with lungfuls of air to spare with some Olwell or Murray (or newer Hamilton) and the other person would be sitting there with my Hamilton saying “Whoa…”
I’m not sure if this is typical of older Hamiltons or if I had a bit of a lemon, though it certainly makes sense that his flutemaking has improved over time. I eventually bought a new headjoint for it from Terry McGee and I find that the flute behaves more like a new-ish Hamilton now.
I’ve been very curious about Watson flutes. Didn’t he used to apprentice with Dave Williams? My tastes in recent years have tended more towards the vaguely Rudall-esque (ever since having a crack at a vintage R & R that was absolutely heavenly to play…My pal Mick Mulcrone also plays a Murray that’s really fun to play…). Maybe I’ll wind up ordering one myself one of these days…As for other makers, Peter Noy makes excellent flutes–he can do either a Pratten-esque design or an R & R-type…Or a flute of his own design which is a real easy player. I’ve only played one briefly, but it almost seemed too easy (not that I’m complaining)–you can get a ton of volume out of it if you’re into that sort of thing.