Flute Tone and Hearing Yourself While Playing With Others

Sillydill · Post by **Sillydill** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 9:47 am

I thought I would open this “can of worms”, I don’t recall ever seeing it addressed before on the forum.

Lately I’ve been venturing into the realm of larger bored flutes (larger holes too) A.K.A. Prattens. They possess a big open sound (nutshell assessment). I’ve found that when I play with others (CD’s I’m a closet case) I can hear myself better on the Healys (till now) than any other flutes. This allows me to adjust my pitch, timing and attack with greater ease and enhances my playing experience.

I prefer the tone of Rudall type flutes for solo play, but have a harder time hearing them with others.

I just acquired a McGee Metzler (in lovely Gidgee with a MK I tuning slide). For me this is the easiest to hear play-along flute I’ve yet found, plus I really like the tone and response!

Just wondered if anyone else has had similar experiences?

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:56 am

Not finding a Metzler on terry's site. Maybe you
can direct me to it. I've heard the name but I don't
know these flutes. Info from anyone welcome.

As to the chief topic of your thread, I don't
have enough experience playing rudalls in
ensembles to comment.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:13 am

bit shy of half way down the page

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:20 am

Thanks. The decorative rings on that flute (blown
up in pictures on the site) are especially lovely.
I keep finding new treasures on Terry's
website, the nooks and crannies of which seem to
elude me.

Is Terry now making a Metzler?

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:32 am

:snirk: I'd quess it was a special order for someone, but that's just a guess.

I don't know much....I'm just good at finding stuff!

And I didn't find anything not in his "Research Collection"

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:57 am

Hey, Sillydill, you there?
Yoohoo!

(In virtual reality, no one can hear you scream.)

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:01 am

Here's a more run of the mill Metzler. Bought in the US during the 1950 this flute was brought to Clare by Paddy Killoran, for his brother in law.

Metzlers turn up for sale all the time.

Sillydill · Post by **Sillydill** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:07 am

Hey Jim,

What you want as I should post a picture?

OkeeDokee!

I'll go grab a camera.

Jayhawk · Post by **Jayhawk** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:13 am

Hi Jordan! It's sure been awhile since you left the old closet and came out to play with us.

How's it going?

As to your question, I've played both a Seery (and Sweetheart original, pratten based flute) and an M&E out in many sessions. Based upon my experience, a pratten is a bit easier to play with others right off the bat...it's more consistently in tune with other instruments, and has a tone that somehow is easier for you, the player, to hear which does make it easier to adjust to other musicians.

It has taken me longer to play as well with others on the Rudall based M&E. It has a slightly darker sound, which I always loved for solo playing, but I couldn't distinguish it's voice as well when in session. It's definitely not a volume issue (the M&E can be plenty loud). However, something clicked in my little brain - perhaps I retuned my aural pathways - and now I can hear the M&E as well as I could the Seery in the past.

I think this is an interesting topic!

Eric

Sillydill · Post by **Sillydill** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:39 am

Here's a picture of the lovely select Gidgee McGee Metzler in her nest!

Here she is braced by the Healy and Aulos traverso.

If you go to McGee's website, under "My Models: D & Eb" at the bottom of the page is a link to "Other Models Are Available": http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/originals.html

I'm very enamourated with this flute, it fits my niche very well!

Hey Eric!

I'll let ya know when I'm ready to come out of the closet again!

Julia Delaney · Post by **Julia Delaney** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:55 am

My first post! But I've been lurking for a while.
I thought that a flute can sound loud to the person playing it but not necessarily loud to somebody else. Is this true do you think?

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:20 am

Welcome, even though you are much younger than I would have thought.

Nyuk. Back to where I belong.

Gordon · Post by **Gordon** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:47 am

Nobody seems to be answering this question, although Julia Delaney (may I call you Julia?

) came the closest, so I'll give it a shot.

I've played a Hamilton for the past seven, eight years - one of the louder Pratten types about - with all the tone and bass end you'd want in a Pratten flute. Always heard myself, even against pipers and accordian players. However, I switched over recently to a Rudall style flute (Hernon), which I greatly prefer playing for personal reasons, and it is equally as loud and easy to hear in session as the Hammy ever was. They have different qualities, both good, but the focus of the Rudall (or the Hernon, to credit the maker, rather than the style) cuts quite well against the usual suspect in a session.

As most posts on this topic have agreed before, 'volume' has more to do with the player, and the purity/clarity of the notes, than sheer volume alone. If you are not a loud player, and want to work on this, playing in a session or with other musicians is the only way to really do it. If you prefer playing one flute over another, your playing will be sharper and smoother. This is the one you should play in public. If you can't quite hear yourself, sit farther from the loudest instruments - chances are others can hear you just fine.

Julia Delaney · Post by **Julia Delaney** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:57 am

Why are you called Weekenders?
And that lovely young girl is my daughter, Mary, who plays concertina. You old lech, you.

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:26 pm

Personally I find that the Flute doesn't matter too much, I tend to play loud and have never had an issue hearing myself or others while playing the Flute, except in really noisy pubs. So to fuel the age old argument I say that it is simply the player and if you can play louder on a Pratten that isn't really that surprising, but there will be people who can play equally loud on a Rudall. Yet at the same time a listener may not have the same opinion as the player, I sound equally loud to myself on pretty much any Flute, but listeners usually don't agree with that. For instance my Doyle D and my Copley Eb sound like they are the same volume to me, but everybody tells me the Eb is louder

Now Mandolin is a completely different story I can never hear myself in a session.