I’ve played only whistle (as far as wind instruments (not counting coronet/trombone)… and want to add another - the flute. (and the ‘white side’ - considering strongly - a Tipple)
Now - a ‘silly’ (set of) question(s). I have a low D whistle (John Eyer) (which I have a hard time reaching/sealing that lowest hole )- is a low D flute going to be any easier to finger? Anyone play(ed) the offset fingerhole designed Tipple?
Are these about the same size instruments?
Would attempting to play the whistle as a flute (just for a feel and ‘embrochure practice’) give me any idea of what I would be getting into? And should I be able to make any tone with this method? (maybe tape over the fipple?)
I have a bit of trouble with a low D whistle but none with a D flute. I suppose you could blow your low D whistle sideways for a while – talk about getting a pinpoint airstream! – can’t see how it would hurt anything, although I don’t know how happy you’d be with your tone quality, but why now? Meanwhile, order up yer Tipple, and welcome aboard!
Flute easier. I like Tipples but the low D is, for me,
a handful due to the cylindrical shape, which
stretches out the bottom hole. Conicals
are easier to finger.
I play both flute and whistle. I agree that the flute is easier to finger, too… May be something to do with holding it sideways! The Tipple is a great flute, but you (probably) will have to use pipers’ grip for the right hand. With a conical flute (I play a McGee), the holes are no problem at all and I play with a “normal” grip. I did check my Tipple against my Burke Viper and I think the hole spacing is almost identical.
I have a low D whistle (John Eyer) (which I have a hard time reaching/sealing that lowest hole )- is a low D flute going to be any easier to finger?
I am not familiar with the John Eyer low D so I am not familiar with its finger hole spacing but Doug Tipple does show the measurements between holes for his flutes on his website. You can compare them. A conical bore flute would generally have holes with a closer finger spacing than one with a cylindrical bore. The Tipple is a cylindrical bore instrument as is, I assume, your whistle. Doug’s flutes are not hard to handle though. I personally am not a fan of offset holes.
You can play many whistles in the transverse position but you won’t learn much about tone production from that evdeavour. Get a Tipple and start the process of learning about your embouchure. It is a good place to start.
To agree with Jim, conical bore flutes generally are easier to finger than their cylindrical bore counterparts, such as the otherwise great Tipple.
However, the differences are slight.
So, unless you have a particularly small hands, I’d say to go ahead and get the Tipple D flute, with the optional wedge and the optional lip plate, as there are ways to conquer the span between the tone holes.
I think the problem I’m having is from skinny fingers just not covering the holes -
The conical design has been brought up - what are good beginner flutes with that design - that can compete with the tone and price point of the Tipple?
(Tipples I’ve heard on youtube sound pretty good - for quite a time I thought 'plastic - bleh - can’t be close to wood sound - and also from what I’ve read on here - the Tipple has a fine sound)
I would go with the lip plate and wedge for tuning and (whatever the plate is for - better sound/embrochure )
Good beginner flutes would include but not be limited to Casey Burn’s Folk Flute, perhaps a Sweetheart, M&E or a Tony Dixon three-piece polymer. I’d suggest the Copley three-piece delrin personally. Pricing for these is in no way comparable to the Tipple. Your talking $300 and up for a decent conical bore flute. The second-hand market is pretty lively these days though. The Tipple is a bargain. Tone is a matter of your own skill.
Welcome to fluteland. All I can add to the above is I have owned a Tipple D flute, 3 piece for 15 months - about 6 months ago I had Doug cut me a new foot w/offset holes which helped my R3 reach. I have chubby fingers & found it hard as a raw beginner to cover them, but all the Pratten type flutes seem to have big R1 & R2 holes that you have to hit pretty precisely to cover…
IMO there is no better value than a Tipple for getting started. If you can play it you can probably play about anything and the price can’t be beat. I love the tone of my Tipple. The low D is very respectable, rest of the lower octave is good and the upper is mighty sweet IMO. I’m comfortable playing it at our local session where it is up against a Seery Pratten & a McGee and it sounds fine. I’d recomend you get the loaded 3-piece with plate & wedge & offset holes. You can always sell it if you need to.
After 15 months of playing the Tipple & trying to make myself into a flautist I think I’m at the point where I’m ready for a conical so I’ve orderd a keyless Forbes for about $400. You may want to consider that option if you are considering others in that price range (ie Burns FF). One other plus for conical is the air requirements are less than cylindrical - at least the ones I tried seemed to have less air requirements. But bang 4 buck I’d recommend a Tipple.
From the photos I’ve seen of the Hamilton flute - it appears to be cylindrical - are my eyes playing tricks on me? And if it is cylindrical - are there ‘pitch’ issues in the upper octave?
It appears to be about the same price as a Tipple with the wedge and lip plate -.
I would guess the Tipple, being a three piece design - can be rotated to ‘fit’ your hands - isn’t that the general idea?
I would pay particular attention to Cork and Feadoggie’s replies above.
You can’t beat the price of a new or used Tipple; but it does have very large tone holes - although easier to reach than a low D whistle.
If you have the patience, deals on very nice instruments turn up on this forum. Read the posts about various models and styles listed here to get an idea of what might fit your hands… then watch and wait. Timing is everything!
… the thought of acquiring a flute had dismissed - back in 2008 - (back when this thread was last updated)… I had just lost my (temp) job and had survival to think about… but finally after a few years of bouncing back and forth between various temp jobs - I’m blessed to have a full time ‘permanent’ job . So now I’m back in the ‘shopping’ mode - I had looked at some of the delrin conical flutes, but still for (this) beginner I think they are a bit much to start with. Just a couple of weeks ago - I ordered a Billy Miller bamboo in F (why F? why anything but D? … I’m sure many of you are familiar with the clips and snips website (http://tinwhistletunes.com/clipssnip/index.htm. The tune ‘The Castle of Dromore’ (aka my wife is sick and want to die?)… has been stuck in my head, and since it’s played in F… (same site - Marcus Hernon’s air - pushed me into getting a Bb Gen (J Freeman))…
I’m still waiting for the Miller flute to arrive…
Brings me back to the original topic (part A ?)… The Tipple flute - has now introduced another option (since I last could afford one) - two different sized embouchure holes. I’ve read the smaller is best suited for beginners… but I’d like to hear more as to why. It seems (in my very limited knowledge and zilch experience) - that a larger hole would be easier to “hit”, and produce a darker/deeper tone.
How ‘bad’ would it be if I started on a larger/oval embouchure?
I’ve been watching the board for the pre-used ones… have just missed a couple … but I’m buying one - this week - no sense it not doing it - since I’ll be practicing the proper lip embouchure thing - could take a while to get that down - better start now besides - lots of tunes I think sound good on a flute.
All for now…(for reel) (practicing my um - ‘wind duration’ as it were)
I started on a Dixon 3-piece conical bore polymer flute which has a very large embouchure hole and very small tone holes. I was able to ramp up on it fairly quickly but now that I play a Rob Forbes flute which has smaller embouchure and much larger tone holes, I have a hell of a time playing the Dixon any more. The one disadvantage of a larger embouchure hole is that in general it makes it harder to get a good hard bottom D.
In retrospect, If I had the money in the beginning and I knew that I was going to be as dedicated as I have become, I would have bought the Forbes to begin with. It is much closer in design and sound to a good wooden Pratten style flute and when I make the jump to a wood flute, the gap wont be as big.
My Billy Miller F flute arrived yesterday … The embouchure is oval, and about the size of the largest tone hole. I have never played a flute before, so it is taking some time to keep getting the sound… and stopping occasionally (getting light headed? and my upper lip feeling similar to when I played the coronet…it’s still ‘funny feeling’ today). You tube has been my friend. (Blaynechastain’s videos - showed me I was holding my lips completely wrong…)
Of course, still purchasing a Tipple in ‘standard’ D.
Having now had my Dixon flute (low D) for a whole two days, with regards to finger position, yes it is easier to reach as compared to a Goldie low D. However at least I can get a sound out of the Goldie and could from day one. These bloody flutes require much practice if you want more than an intermittant sound at best, or at worst the sound of wind through the Pines. I am still intermittant on my sound production, and will be for a while I daresay, But after two days I have made huge inroads to my first go and can just about get sound each time. Now I gotta learn to keep it up for a whole tune, work on my octaves, tone variation, proper embouchure and exercises to improve same, train my fingers to work off to one side rather than out in front etc, etc, etc.
How these things advance past blowing into a half full bottle of beer is beyond me. Someone must have had great patience for it to turn into the instrument that it has, that’s for sure. I know I’ve wanted to turn mine into a frisbee a few times already.
Mick, I’m there with you on the challenge of getting consistent tones out. With practice it gets better, I’ve hit some ‘sweet spots’ where the flute really sings.
Any more experienced users have some basic ‘dos and do nots’ (no chimpmunk cheeks)…to share for a flute noob ? … hopefully kick-start this a bit faster
Q - does each note require an embouchure adjustment? That’s what I’m discovering, but don’t want to learn just to un and re-learn bad habits
I don’t know how I did it a couple of times but swore I hit two notes at once two air streams I suppose
I used to work as a hospital orderly. One woman, a patient in the hospital, referred to me as the “kind white knight”, since I was dressed in all white. Ever since that day over forty years ago I have been inclined to the white side of things, but especially flutes. If they play flutes in heaven, and surely they must, can anyone doubt that the flutes will be as white as snow?
Dave Copley, Casey Burns, Rob Forbes all make really nice conical flutes, depending upon just what you desire–each has different attractions for me. Presently, Dave Copley is making a three piece Delrin (keyless) for me and I can hardly wait. As has been stated, the Tipple is not conical; it is however, a very nice, well made inexpensive flute. I own a Tipple and I have a lot of fun with it on a regular basis. The above three conical flute makers are more expensive than a Tipple. For me the conical is much easier to finger and I like the sound of the conical flute. I also play a Boehm style flute; I guess I just like the flute sound in general. I would suggest that you begin with one of the conical flutes, if you can possibly afford it, and that will keep you busy for a fair amount of time. I would bet that at some point in the future, you will obtain another flute to address your increasing interests in the instrument.
I should look before opening my mouth, but mayhaps a ‘Sticky’, with hints and tips for those of us new to crooked whistles…I mean, Flutes.
Glad to hear I’m not alone Trav. Thanks for the question and…Chipmunk Cheeks?? Cheeks puffed out perhaps? Sorry if I seem confused, Not too many chipmunks to study in Australia. Gotta go on what I’ve seen on Discovery Channel.
. So now I’m back in the ‘shopping’ mode - I had looked at some of the delrin conical flutes, but still for (this) beginner I think they are a bit much to start with. Just a couple of weeks ago - I ordered a Billy Miller bamboo in F (why F? why anything but D? … I’m sure many of you are familiar with the clips and snips website (
two air streams I suppose