I am a beginner who plays a bit of tin whistle (love it) and would like to try the keyless Irish Flute. I don’t want to spend several hundreds of dollars before being sure that this is the way I want to go. I read that Hammy Hamilton produces a decent student practice flute for around $ 125.00. It’s made in alluminium with the mouthpiece in nylon.
Is there any forum member who has tried this flute and can give me an
opinion ?
Thanks !
one of my students has one, also a whistler who wanted to try flute. it’s great, works just like a wooden flute with a decent sound at a bargain price. I would recommend it. Don
I’ve played one and I would recommend a Tipple instead. It’s cheaper and it plays better.
I had one and it was OK but ultimately a bit
frustrating. I wouldn’t go this way.
I’ve been practicing with one of them for 2 months and I’m very happy with it (though embouchure was rather hard at the beginning). I really like its sound, the holes are rather comfortable and you can take it wherever you want, seems indestructible (which is good if there are children around; my son has a the G one, but he normally uses it as a light saber)
It will be cheaper (if you are in Europe) if you order from him directly around 70 plus shipping
Most people in the forum regard highly Tipple flutes (check his site, there are sound samples), so that could be also a very good option
The Tipple is tunable…
The Hammy’s holes are closer together than the Tipple’s,
so it’s easier to handle. A consideration, especially if you
have smaller hands.
If it was me I would get a goodish but not terribly expensive
wooden flute, one that I could sell in the future. IMO, this sort
of expense can make the difference between whether or
not one goes on with flute. And you can get your money
(or a good deal of it) out again. The new boxwood Casey
B folk flutes strike me as attractive.
Sometimes
it’s sensible to spend more money.
Also flute is going to be difficult, almost certainly.
Best not to take it personally if it is.
I’ve played one. I think it played rather nice, easy to hold, easy to finger, easy to blow. Ugly as hell though, but it sounded close a wooden flute.
The fact that you can’t turn the headpiece is a downside.
Jim has a point about spending some more for a flute. Get something which is not a pure practice/beginners instrument, which you can keep for the rest of your playing carreer or sell later if you don’t want it. Burns Folk Flute as mentioned seems like a good option for a cheap wooden flute. Personally, I favour the great polymer flutes, M&E or Seery, for the simple reason that they are “real” irish flutes with tuning slides and retrofit possibilities, not trimmed down versions in wood. You can get any of them, learn on it and if you decide in a few years to get a top notch wooden flute you can keep the polymer as a backup/camping/grab and play sort of flute, because you will never need to worry about it cracking because of the weather or because you didn’t have time to wipe it out after playing, or you kept it assembled for 3 months, etc. Plus, they sound great and they play like a “real” flute, but so does the Folk Flute I’m sure.
If spending some more is not an option, I’d happily recomend the Hammy Practice Flute.
Mmm, my girlfriend is baking Apple Pie, and no I won’t have it with
whisky 
Thank you for all the suggestions. I understand that the Tipple has a wider fingering than the Hammy, however I can always order the Tipple with off-set fingering which should make things easier. The Tipple also has the advantage of being tunable and comes in two or three pieces. The Hamilton is just one piece. Cosmetically, though, the Hamilton looks nicer.
What a dilemma !
(To the members who suggested me to start with a more expensive flute that I can sell if I don’t go on with flute music: You are right, but in this moment I am really on a budget !).
Thanks.
I’m in the same boat, a whistle player for several years, making the leap to flute. I bought a hamilton practice flute last year and also have an olwell bamboo. I’ve been working with a teacher for 3 months and using the hammy. I’ve been able to blow and finger notes and play tunes by now (PSYCHED!!). My teacher thought the sound and feel of playing it were good and a good beginning flute. I bet you could sell it later on for 3/4 the buying price if you wanted to since it’s a known name flute (even if it is low-end price wise). The tuning issue worried me a couple of months ago, and my teacher said, try twisting the head. The head moved, the glue let go, and now I have a TUNEABLE hammy practice. But I just bought a Casey Burns wooden flute; it hasn’t arrived yet, but I bet I’ll keep the hammy for sea kayaking trips and so forth.
TED
Yes, if my experience is any indication, the Hammy will
sell at a large fraction of its price.
When looking to buy a flute, Doc Jones sent me a Hammy and a bamboo flute to try and I kept the Hammy. First flute I ever owned, and I got along fine with it. Usualy huffing and puffing to get the lips going.
Now I have an antique Czech flue that I modified to play A=440 and while I like the sound better, I still play the Hammy some because it’s easier to blow, and a little louder. It’s easy for me to finger with a normal left hand grip and I use a piper’s grip on my right hand. But I learned the piper’s grip on my low whistles so maybe it’s just easier for me since I know it. The tone of my Hammy is fine, and I also took my head loose so I could rotate the embouchure to my liking.
I don’t think you can go wrong with a Hammy if you can’t afford the bucks for a “real” wooden flute. If you can spring for it, getting a “real” wooden flute to start with will reduce the flute envy later, but if you can’t, I woodn’t (sp) wait six months for the wood flute. I’d get a Hammy and in six months you’ll know if the flute is for you and what sort of flute you might want next and you’ll have some tunes too.
It’s all about having fun, not owning the most impressive flute. You can buy $3 worth of PVC and make yourself one too, but you’ll never know if it’s supposed to be that hard to play or if you messed up the embouchure. Hammy’s tops at enbouchures.
I have tried the Hammy practice flutes. The cut of the embrochure is close to a wooden flute, so it’s a good flute to learn to play. I can get a much better sound out of the Hammy flute than a Tipple.
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I got one and HATED it!! I am a long-time flute player and also plat Irish whistle. The Hammy Hamilton flute in low D is a struggle to play, even if you use a piper’s grip. The low notes (if you can get them out) are quiet and not nice-sounding, and the rest of the registers are just ok. Don’t waste your money.