Switching flutes

[greenspiderweb]

Well as you know Jordan, I am a one flute kinda guy
It's funny, I remember years ago a long and intense thread on whether or not to stick to one flute. I couldn't do it then and I sure can't do it now. My flutes all have a little something different to say and I have the pleasure of being the sole recipient of their offerings. I have traded flutes and sold them and for a while tried to justify it to myself by telling myself that I was in surch of the ONE. All bull. I love the darn things. I will never be a flute player realy but I do love the noise I get out of them. And to my mind, when I am, say playing my darn nere 200 year old Pelubett, or my darn nere 150 year old BS I can't help but think about who else played these beauties and what beautiful sounds they must have gotten out of them. Jon C. worked his magic on both of them and no I would'nt part with them. I still dig out my first wooden flute, my rose wood Dixon, and I still love it. And my bamboo Williams and my Pratten impover picalo and my dang whistles to. Who's obsessed

Sometimes I wish I could be a dedicated musition(?) but hell I'm too old to be dedicated to much other then breathing and getting up in the morning. But hey I sure do love hearing all you play so much good music.Take care

Tom

If those aren't words to explain it all, then I'll eat my flute! Well said, Tom!!!

[daiv]

i have two flutes. an antique english and a silver flute (with a dave copley headjoint).

i'm pretty happy with them, but i still cant loose the feeling that i might be just a little happier with a keyless flute floating around that i could stick in a backpack... and maybe a keyed olwell for when i'm feelilng lazy and an antique rudall when i'm feeling snobby and possibly an Eb copley when i feel like driving a race car and maybe a delrin flute if i ever decide to take up deep sea fishing or something equally rugged and manly.

EDIT:
i just added a profile pic, with a picture of me and my amazing copley headjoint.

[roj]

As everyone knows, the sound of box type instruments (guitar, fiddle, mando, etc.), improves the more they are played. Is this true of wooden flutes as well? (How about silver?)
.
If someone has a dozen flutes and never gets around to playing them all, does it eventually detract from the resonant qualities of the neglected?

[Jon C.]

If someone has a dozen flutes and never gets around to playing them all, does it eventually detract from the resonant qualities of the neglected?

Is this one of those Zen sayings?

If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it exist?

[Jon C.]

Now this flute would be a good addition to any collection, both serviceful and handy... I like the bamboo look, with the boxwood nodes!
The problem is they want $5K for it...

150134214926

[BillG]

"F A D" - Flute Aquisition Disorder explains it all!

I'm finally down to playing thee on a regular bases: Copley Blackwood; Casy Burns Boxwood and a Jon C Mopane (a broken Delrin M&E that I haven't figured out how to fix yet or what to do with it). Each of the above flutes has its own quality, sound and feel. I have finally realized that each of them has improved greatly - as I get better.

Oh! Six years at it - after multiple years at the fife.

[Hoovorff]

Daiv,

Tell us more about your Copley headjoint for your silver flute! Sounds very nice.

Thanks, Jeanie

[chas]

As everyone knows, the sound of box type instruments (guitar, fiddle, mando, etc.), improves the more they are played. Is this true of wooden flutes as well? (How about silver?)
.
If someone has a dozen flutes and never gets around to playing them all, does it eventually detract from the resonant qualities of the neglected?

There you've hit upon my main reservation in owning multiple flutes. I think wooden flutes, especially boxwood, do benefit from being played regularly, but it's the player who benefits more. Of my several flutes, I would list five as my main flutes. Of these, two are Olwell Irish flutes (small- and medium-holed), which play pretty siminarly and have virtually identical embouchure cuts. The Noy requires something less focussed and the lips need to change much more toward the top of the second octave. The two traversos require embouchures and breathing entirely different from the Irish flutes and from each other.

I play different music on the three families of flutes and try to rotate through them frequently, sometimes spending a week or two on one flute, sometimes changing daily.

[daiv]

Daiv,

Tell us more about your Copley headjoint for your silver flute! Sounds very nice.

Thanks, Jeanie

it is a treat to play in every respect. before i received the headjoint i had never played a handmade headjoint for the silver flute (my english flute is of course handmade, but that's a different beast!) and could not imagine why i would ever want a headjoint better than the one i had.

upon arrival, i could instantly tell the quality of the headjoint... it jumps the octave effortlessly, the tone in the low octave is rich and full of all sorts of possible tone colors and it has a dynamic range far beyond my silver headjoint.

it can take anything i throw at it. things i had gotten used to with my other headjoint (like holding back to avoid cracking the harmonics) are no longer a problem.

the headjoint can play so loud that for the first time in my life i find myself pulling back on the flute, as it can easily take over a session.

the headjoint is technically not mine... as far as i know it is still dave copley's. my uncle was testing it out for him and then dave said that he could lend it to me.

p.s. did i mention that it does the laundry, cleans the floors, and cooks me dinner twice a week?

[daiv]

Now this flute would be a good addition to any collection, both serviceful and handy... I like the bamboo look, with the boxwood nodes!
The problem is they want $5K for it...

150134214926

jon, can you turn a flute that looks like that for me? it wont even have to be a walking stick flute or have any keys...

[sbhikes]

Ooh. I totally want a walking stick flute. But I want it to be a hiking stick flute. Taller than a walking stick. Even if it was a Native American hiking stick flute. that would be great.

By the way, that's got to be the nicest-looking flute I've seen with those little boxwood nodes appearing like decorations. Sort of reminds me of ostrich skin.

[Jon C.]

jon, can you turn a flute that looks like that for me? it wont even have to be a walking stick flute or have any keys...

Sure, wouldn't that be cool, make it look bamboo.

[Jon C.]

Ooh. I totally want a walking stick flute. But I want it to be a hiking stick flute. Taller than a walking stick. Even if it was a Native American hiking stick flute. that would be great.

By the way, that's got to be the nicest-looking flute I've seen with those little boxwood nodes appearing like decorations. Sort of reminds me of ostrich skin.

Could make the bottom section longer and then it would be a Danda length (Indian staff) I think I will knock one out and see how it plays/hikes!

[sbhikes]

I found this: http://www.cedarsongflutes.com/flute_walking_stick.htm

But it's just got the flute stuck on top of the stick. I like the walking stick flutes on the sweetheart flute site where the flute is the stick. Not sure which is better, actually. How strong is a flute as a walking stick anyway?

[jim stone]

Sweetheart walking stick flutes tend to be pretty
functional as walking sticks and also as flutes--
however I tend to misplace/lose walking sticks,
sooner or later.