I sit in the middle of this latter discussion; no personal experience with McGee’s work, so I’ll stay out of that part, other than to say that his craftsmanship is very well respected, but his attempts to modernize or improve the works of originals have been met with mixed results and impressions.
g’s comment is right, though; whether or not a maker is popular in Ireland is not necessarily a valid point, for several reasons. Beyond marketing, which has a fair amount to do with it, there are cultural tastes to deal with; embouchure approaches and final tone outcome vary from region to region in Ireland, and change even more radically outside Ireland. So, unless your position is that if it isn’t precisely what they want in Co. Sligo it’s not any good, this test doesn’t really hold water. It seems McGee caters to the more forgiving embouchure, and this is something often viewed unfavorably in Ireland. That said, makers like Hamilton have eased their embouchures in recent years, and his popularity has soared in the States.
On another front, while 19th c. London models are widely appreciated, there’s a clear championing of makers such as Murray, Cotter and Hamilton out of Ireland itself; home team support, well deserved, but still, there may be something in there regarding Wilkes, out of England…
Olwell was accepted in the States a long time ago by great Irish players who live here; players like Rafferty have been ardent Olwell players for many many years, and Noy, Byrne, even McGee, are relative newcomers.
Lastly, famous players who chose one flute over another also bolster sales, where a lesser-known maker, unplayed (at least publically), by the famous, do not share this dubious advantage. Irish players like Crawford using a Grinter is a case in point. But an off-beat player, of mixed trad influences, like Viellon (sp?) playing Leharts, while certainly increasing interest elsewhere for this maker, has had far less impact, far as I know, in Ireland.
Unfortunately, IMO, this all boils down to the same old formula; not every flute maker, no matter how well crafted, makes the perfect flute for every player. I’ve played most of the flutes I’ve mentioned here, and all of them are well crafted, in tune and of the highest quality; I take a leap of faith to say that the ones I haven’t played – according to players I respect – fall into this same category. But playing a flute is a personal thing, how hard you wish to hit the embouchure, what kind of tone you want to, or do, create, better on some than others. So, to base my personal opinion on what players in Ireland want from their flutes (assuming, wrongly, probably, that they ALL want the same things) is a dangerous presumption.
Muddying the waters yet again,
Gordon
