Inexpensive Bamboo Flutes

Irish Flute
1

http://www.mindspring.com/~serenitybamboo/index.html


I’ve mentioned my favorite under-$100 G flute before, but usually am met with odd looks or resounding silence when I say that it’s a bamboo walking stick flute that I bought from Lark in the Morning. I’ve also been afraid to promote it too heavily because I thought it was imported and wasn’t at all sure about the consistency of quality or sound from one to the next. But…

I just found the maker’s web site (see above). Turns out they’re in Massachussets, and they’ve been hand-making these flutes for almost 30 years. I called them spoke with an exceptionally nice and helpful woman named Linda Kramer, who makes and sells these flutes, and learned that their “Dark Glossy Flutes” are made from the same bamboo and have the same nearly indestructable finish as the walking stick flute. The flutes are fully guaranteed for a year, “Even if the dog chews them,” she says, and the prices are most definitely right!

I just ordered a G ($15) and a D ($20) and bags for each of them; with shipping my order’s still under $50.

I’ll probably be off in Texas when these arrive, so I’m going to be even more eager than usual to get home so I can try them out! If anyone’s interested, I’ll let you all know what I think – about the flutes, I mean – after they arrive.

– Daryl

2

Got the walking stick (the 48" with the compass)…but mine is not in very good tune…so I expect they vary quite a bit. (I’m not so sure its the same maker though…any way to tell for sure?)

Related question…does anyone play a G flute in sessions…if so, is it played in tune or in harmony (up a fifth) ??

3

Jack,

I wish we could hold them side-by-side for comparison. Short of that, I don’t know how to tell for sure if yours came from the same maker, except to say that mine looks a lot like the one on Lark’s web site:

http://www.larkinthemorning.com/product.asp?pn=FLU062

Where did you buy yours? I don’t know if Lark only sells Serenity’s BWS (bamboo walking stick) flutes or if they have other suppliers, but I’d guess it’s probably a Serenity if you bought it from Lark.

The Serenity flute I’ve got is made of burnt bamboo with a heavy, sturdy finish. It has fairly thick walls and a solid feel. There’s a built-in compass recessed in the head, a rubber tip on the bottom and a leather thong wrist strap. I don’t have mine with me, but I don’t recall any maker’s marks or anything that would really distinguish it as being theirs rather than someone else’s. It was the rather plain, sort of generic look that made me originally think these were made overseas.

After talking with Linda at Serenity, though, I think that they try to check each one pretty carefully and are very concerned with customer satisfaction. She said they make them by hand and work carefully to get each one just right. If your flute is one of theirs and you’d had it less than a year, they’d probably be willing to replace it if you didn’t like it. Maybe it’s worth giving them a call?

I would definitely be interesting in hearing from others who’ve tried these flutes, especially now that you’ve raised the consistency question again.


– Daryl

4

I don’t have one, but i’d expect them to vary quite a bit. Look at the pictures, they go from straight to snakelike…

When buying this kind of instrument, try to buy directly from the maker, instead of from Shark or other stores. Contact the maker first, let her/him know that you’re a moosician and you need a flute that is in tune and has an accurate scale (if these things are important for you). Say that you play in a band, and you need it to be in tune with the other instruments.

This way the maker knows you really want a flute to play, not something to hang on the wall, and you’ll have a better chance of getting a good one. My experience is that makers of cheap flutes often have an “A pile” for musicians and a “B pile” for tourists and assorted civilians.

g

5

Now that you mention it, Linda did say she was going to re-check the tuning on mine before she shipped them.

Another advantage in buying right from the maker is that you don’t get the extra markup. That walking stick flute is $70 from Lark, but only $50 if you buy directly from Serenity!

– Daryl

6

Linda is a wonderful woman and a friend of mine. I know her from craft shows. She and her business partner are always great to talk to, and I met her husband recently, too. I have a walking stick flute that I got from Linda in trade for a pendant that I made.

The tuning issue comes from the fact that they have models that they copy, rather than optimizing the tuning for each individual flute (bamboo obviously varies in bore diameter). So some work better than others.

Placement of the (round) embouchure hole also affects tuning, and that varies, too.

7

I’ve talked to them. The word is definitely to
let them know if you are a musician and
want something externally as well as internally
in tune. All their flutes are returnable. Best

8

Jessie,

I was very impressed when I talked to Linda. She seemed more than willing to go the extra mile or two to make sure her customers were happy.

Do you like the walking stick flute you got? Have you tried any of her other ones?

– Daryl

9

The potential here is that there are some quite inexpensive
good bamboo flutes in tune in the keys we need,
made by people who actually care about
customer satisfaction. What, the low D is
20 bucks, I think? Definitely worth finding out
more about this, IMO.

10

Jim,

That’s what I was thinking, too.

Granted, I’ve not been around here all that long, but I don’t remember seeing Serenity flutes mentioned before. That surprises me because they seem to have been doing this for so long (over 25 years).

Even if they turn out to be less than ideal as session flutes, at $20 and under they might at least be excellent beginner or backup flutes. (At the very least, they make it easy to satisfy an unexpected case of FlOA – Flute Obsessive Acquisition disorder!) And if they can cherry-pick better flutes for the more serious musicians, even better.

Whistle players prize that rare-but-still-cheap GOOD Generation whistle. I don’t think I’ve seen an equivalent to the Gen whistle among the flute discussions. Is there one?

Anyway, I’ll know more in a week or so. It’s always fun to get new toys in the mail!

:smiley:

11

As I said, I really like the people. I don’t feel comfortable saying more.

12

Update…

I ordered my Serenity bamboo flutes, a D and a G, last Friday. When I got home from work yesterday, I got a pleasant shock: they’d already arrived. Linda had also thrown in their little $3 song book as a freebie.

I’m still thinking about the G. I haven’t played so much lately, so my embouchure is a little off. When I tried playing my other G flutes, I ran into the same intonation problems in the 2nd octave, so I’m pretty sure that the problems I’m having are my own.

But the D… Wow! It’s got a full, rich sound, it’s very responsive, it appears to me to be in tune (I still need to check it), and it plays oh-so-easily! Plus, the bamboo just feels great in my hands. It’s lightweight, and the burnt finish looks quite nice. I even like the smell.

I’ve paid a lot more for flutes I like a lot less.

Now, granted, I’m still not playing much Irish traditional music (although I love listening to it) – it’s still mostly too fast and complex for my skills (or lack thereof). I’m not playing with a group, and I’m usually in a more meditative mood when I reach for the flute, so I often tend to play slower, non-Irish pieces. For my own playing, though, I think these flutes are a great bargain. Only $20 for a D that sounds like this??? AND they have a full, no-questions-asked 1-year warranty, even if the dog chews it?? Come on!

Bottom line: I’m happy with my purchase. Very happy. I’ll probably even order the low C today.

If you decide to go for one, though, be sure to do as others have already mentioned: tell the folks at Serenity that you want one that’s got a nice tone and is well in tune.

– Daryl


:slight_smile: