Flute Purchase Research

RonKiley · Post by **RonKiley** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:23 am

I thought I would get back with the result of my first question. I went to the music store and stood in line for 20 minutes. By the time I got in the store they were sold out of flutes.

Yesterday I went o the Potomac Celtic Festival. At the House of Musical Traditions I attempted to play a Sweet maple and a Sweet Rosewood. I could get them to play in the second octave but not the first. The Rosewood was lovely. I also played a Dixon 3 piece. I was able to play it all the way from the bottom of the first octave to the top of second octave. I found that to be very interesting that I could play a scale on one and barely able to get a sound out of the others. I felt that it wouldn't take long to be able to play the Sweets but initially it was much more difficult. Is there that much variation in other brands?

Ron

Brazenkane · Post by **Brazenkane** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:31 am

I can play my flutes all right, but at a trade show I tried a Pakistani flute and LITERALLY not ONE NOTE worked!?

Il Friscaletto · Post by **Il Friscaletto** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:58 am

I tried a Sweetheart flute at a store not long ago and the lower octave was a bit sketchy for me, though I'm sure it wouldn't take too much work to get it to go. I normally play a Seery.

Jayhawk · Post by **Jayhawk** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:32 am

Ron,

I think a lot of the variation is in the player. For example, I traded flutes with a session mate the other day - he plays a restored and slightly modified anonymous german flute, and I play an M&E. We both commented on how difficult the low D was on each other's flutes, and we both thought it funny since we each thought the low D on our flutes was easy.

On my former Sweet, I thought the low D rocked and the lower notes incredibly easy to access.

With regard to the Dixon, I think they're very user/beginner friendly...which may explain why you had such a good experience with it. I started with a Dixon, and I still think they're good, basic flutes.

Eric

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:46 pm

Brazenkaine wrote:I can play my flutes all right, but at a trade show I tried a Pakistani flute and LITERALLY not ONE NOTE worked!?

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:49 pm

RonKiley wrote:Is there that much variation in other brands?

Believe it or not Ron, but there can be that much variation between Flutes from the same maker. I have a Sweet Resonance as my back up Flute and it took some getting used to to get teh lower notes, but now that I can get them they rock.

chas · Post by **chas** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 3:40 pm

Ron, what you point out is not unlike what I observe. The Dixon is a fairly typical small-holed (Rudall-type in common lingo) flute, and the Sweet tends toward typical large-holed (Pratten-type). I find that Rudall-type flutes are more difficult in the upper register and Pratten-types are more difficult in the lower register. I can get a decent sound in the lower octave on my Sweet, but can't really push the bottom couple of notes. This was even more apparent in the Hammy, which is the archetypal Pratten. One time I left the Hammy on the floor and got my foot stuck in the E hole.

It won't take you long to get two full octaves out of whatever type of flute you wind up with.

RonKiley · Post by **RonKiley** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:06 pm

There was a girl there at the same time I was there. She made the Sweet Rosewood sing. It took me a while to be able to play my Olwell G. It is also large holed When I learned to get some sounds out of it it sounded great. I can now play it but I lose embousure after a few minutes. I think the muscles around my mouth get tired. I may work on the Olwell for a while until I am a little stronger.

Ron

Dralore · Post by **Dralore** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:13 pm

No two hand made flutes are the same, even by the same maker. If anyone tells you other wise, they are incorrect. They can be close but never the exactly the same. It takes a few months to get used to any one flute. You can get an idea of what it is like by trying it out but thats it. If I were you, when I look for a flute I look to see how much difference there is in blowing between the two octaves as well as different notes on the same octave. If it requires you to do back flips and every other trick you know to blow it in tune, then I would pass on that flute and move on. A good flute shouldn't have too much difference in blowing to keep each note in tune.

Doc Jones · Post by **Doc Jones** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:58 am

Be patient Ron. It takes and work time to make a flute behave.

Doc

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