I know this is a Pakistani flute, but I seem to recall someone on this board saying they have one of these and it isn’t half bad. I’d really like a (wooden) Baroque flute and I don’t want to shell out the money for a Sweetheart. Would this be playable?
Thanks,
Kim
can’t tell…
just because 1 out of x is passable doesn’t mean you’re gonna get the one.
where ‘x’ is some number between too many and way too many
Ever look at the Aulos Baroque Flutes?
Never tried one, but they have a decent reputation, a bit more expensive, but less of a gamble it seems. If you are dead set on wood though, I guess it is not an option.
The description of this ebay flute really catches me as odd and really makes me wonder…
Irish Flute with Key
4 parts in Cocus wood, tunable, in “DD” (one octave below middle D). Cocus Wood is much more durable than rosewood. Key allows the most distal note to be played.
Again, no personal experience, all just hearsay.
Probably not THAT one. Awfully tiny tone holes.
Kim wanted a “Baroque flute”.
It’s the ad that’s iffy.
I’ll gladly go along with the Aulos recommendation. Not that a one-key Baroque flute couldn’t have some inherent, although correctable, intonational flaws to begin with, but Aulos, of Japan, makes as good of a modern version as could be found. Unfortunately, it’s not made of wood, as you are looking for, as it’s made of some sort of hard plastic. Again, however, it’s of very high quality, and potentially could serve your Baroque traverso needs quite well. For the money, the Aulos is about as good as it gets.
The Aulos Grenser models are pitched at a modern A=440 Hz, and the Aulos Stanesby models are pitched in a period correct A=415 Hz.
I have one of the matte black Grenser models.
BTW, I’m also a Sweetheart fan, but in this case I’d still recommend the Aulos.
Apart from almost certainly being unplayable, that eBay thingy would not play anything like a Baroque flute even if it turned out to be the one-in-a-zillion playable one. Waste of money - avoid. Anyway, it is masquerading as a diatonic “Irish” style flute, based on late C19th models. Some of the Baroque chromatic cross fingerings may work on such instruments, but they are not designed with that in mind…
If you really want a Baroque flute, research them - use the Makers List and have a good look at the ones available. Low end of the market has the aforementioned (and reliably decent) ABS Aulos models and Moeck wooden ones… There have been quite a few “proper” repro Baroque flutes on eBay recently too, going at prices in the £300-800 range - not bad!
It seems to me you are not too sure what it is you want, so you definitely need to learn more before spending even a moderate amount of money. Tell us more too - what repertory do you want to play? What pitch standard do you expect to play at?
Don’t settle for those.
Thanks for your replies!
I have played the Aulos and it is a great flute, but I like the feel of wood. I like a Baroque flute for its “almost chromaticism”. I do mostly jazz improv and riffs on world music. Boehm flute is made for it, but my Boehm just doesn’t attract me to play it. Too cold. I had a great bamboo flute some years ago that got lost in a move. It had a wider bore than some of the bamboos I’ve seen and played lately. Very resonant flute, and I could half hole it pretty well. I haven’t found one as good since.
I guess I’ll avoid the eBay flute and keep looking.
Kim
check out these http://dougsflutes.googlepages.com/home
large bore, big holes, half holes easily, inexpensive & more durable than bamboo
(get the wedge…)
Excellent phrase, so appropriate!