Proposition to flute makers...

Cork · Post by **Cork** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 7:47 pm

A quite recent FF thread, Clinton's "flute for India", http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php ... 59cba3e27d , features an interesting flute.

Any interest?

Lucas · Post by **Lucas** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 3:01 am

Cork wrote:A quite recent FF thread, Clinton's "flute for India", http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php ... 59cba3e27d , features an interesting flute.

Any interest?

No thanks, I already bought this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0114706885

I.D.10-t · Post by **I.D.10-t** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 5:17 am

EUR 132.00? looks like you bought it at a nice price.

Lucas · Post by **Lucas** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 5:48 am

I.D.10-t wrote:EUR 132.00? looks like you bought it at a nice price.

Indeed, 200 is my limit for these folies. Just a pity that there was no case.

Coffee · Post by **Coffee** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 4:32 pm

I'm not sure, but I think the question is whether any of the flute makers on this board would be interested in making a metal conical flute.

I.D.10-t · Post by **I.D.10-t** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 4:55 pm

One of the big questions would be why would a person want one. If it is for durability, Delrin flutes do not have problems with humidity and do not tarnish, so they may hold their own for that alone. Compared to a thin metal tube, they may be able to take more abuse too. They have the added benefit of allowing a maker to make them with relatively little re tooling and R&D. This allows the flute to be made without being a prototype.

The only person that makes metal tapered bores and has flute making experience is Michale Copeland, but a whistle is not designed to go into the third octave and a new taper may be needed to get to the third octave. He also seems to have his hands full with his specialty.

Daniel Bingamon makes flutes of delrin and metal and has compensated for the taper with a step in tubing diameter. If that is not enough, perhaps if a Boehm head joint was found, he could attach a metal tube with properly placed holes. But that would not have the classic bore.

If you want a turned “Irish” flute made in metal, it most likely would be very heavy, but there are plans that can be obtained and you could find a CNC person to make it.

sbhikes · Post by **sbhikes** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:26 pm

How about for beauty? It's a beautiful thing to look at.

Doug_Tipple · Post by **Doug_Tipple** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 9:20 pm

I have a very nice, open-holed, fully-keyed, Boehm-style Venus silver flute with gold-plated keys that I purchased new on ebay for around $150. It wouldn't be difficult for the same manufacturer to make a similar simple-system, fully-keyed flute with Boehm-style headjoint or conical-bore for about the same price. Such a new flute is not available currently because there is not a sufficient demand for simple-system flutes. If they were available, I would be first in line to purchase one.

talasiga · Post by **talasiga** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 5:19 am

I.D.10-t wrote:One of the big questions would be why would a person want one.
.......

One big answer is lightness.

Another big answer is thin walls.
One can go thinnner with metal than with with wood or plastics (which may start getting bendable) and I don't think thin plastic would accomodate key mountings. Even Boehm developed a fetish for thin walled flutes. Bansuri players have an inkling about Boehm's fetish because of the hundreds of types of bamboos available in tropical South Asia the bansuri tradition has always gone for the thin walled bamboos.

I.D.10-t · Post by **I.D.10-t** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 8:19 am

talasiga wrote:One big answer is lightness.

Another big answer is thin walls.

For light weight and thin walls you would think that Hammy's practice flute would be king.

I assume Bingamon, Tipple, and Alba flutes are not far behind.

sbhikes wrote:How about for beauty? It's a beautiful thing to look at.

I doubt that any serious flute player would be so attached to a material for such aesthetic reasons. Justification for acoustic differences in wood types is highly documented and the same is true for Boehm flutes and the metal. Even whistle players debate the sound quality difference between a nickel plated body verses a brass body and it's tone. They even debate how the color blowing edge of the fipple makes a difference on the sound of the whistle because Generation has red and blue ones. I am not one of those musicians.

...but I do not play seriously, and think a simple flute like a Clark body with a flute head would be fun.

Gordon · Post by **Gordon** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:51 am

sbhikes wrote:How about for beauty? It's a beautiful thing to look at.

Perhaps, but once we're here, I'm not sure why not just go with a silver Boehm (modern) flute? The only reason to play a (good) wooden flute, is that it is a, well, wooden flute. Though I greatly prefer a conical wooden flute for ITM, once you're in the realm of metal flutes, really nothing will beat a good modern flute for balance, volume, tone, etc.. The conical/cylindrical thing won't really matter, much, if you've shifted over to metal. And, if it's not sacriligious on this forum to say so, a silver Boehm is a thing of beauty, in and of itself.

Gordon
(no longer in NYC, but forgot my password and can't seem to change my profile)

TheSpoonMan · Post by **TheSpoonMan** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 10:11 am

Gordon wrote: The conical/cylindrical thing won't really matter, much, if you've shifted over to metal.

Well... a completely cylindrical metal flute has the same problems as a completely cylindrical wooden flute. Boehm flutes have tapred heads. I'm sure you know that, I'm just pointing it out for anyone who doesn't happen to

sbhikes · Post by **sbhikes** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 2:12 pm

I suppose the engineers of the world look at the "flute for India" and see a thin-walled, conical flute that may or may not have acoustical or other advantages or disadvantages over other materials and designs.

I look at it and see a beautiful ivory lip plate and ornamental treatment all over that makes the whole instrument look like a piece of beautiful jewelry.

talasiga · Post by **talasiga** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 7:29 pm

The flute's soul
is in its holy spaces
and not her bodily sheath.

Gordon · Post by **Gordon** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 9:27 am

talasiga wrote:The flute's soul
is in its holy spaces
and not her bodily sheath.

True, but flutes' souls vary, and so do their bodily sheaths.

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Proposition to flute makers...

Proposition to flute makers...

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