Mollenhauer single key flute?

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ErikPearson
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Tell us something.: Hi I'm mostly a fretted instrument player but have played flute my whole life and have recently started playing baroque flute. I've found this forum very helpful in this quest.

Re: Mollenhauer single key flute?

Post by ErikPearson »

Yes! that's the same one on the earlymusicstore site. Same size holes and embouchure. I do like it and am thinking of hanging on to it. I (in all of this) did eventually buy a nice wooden Grenser made by Chris Norman from a teacher nearby that is really fantastic in all ways. So I'll be hanging on and playing that one for a long time. The Mollenhauer is a different beast as you might imagine. Because of the larger holes, I think, it's much louder but still has a nice tone. I think it'd be good for playing with louder instruments, for instance. So, thereby worth keeping around as a second, at least for a while. The Bernolin and Norman are much more like each other. Maybe it's right to say that the Mollenhauer is "less baroque" like it might be modeled after a later instrument and intended for later period music, perhaps, or just as an all-arounder that will feel familiar from other kinds of flutes. (I did need to come up with some of my own fingerings for F# though).

I took a close look at the embouchure edges on the bernolin and I'd say they are definitely hand worked- the sides are rounded off and the shelf that you blow on is sharp-er but not like a knife, like it's been rounded a little bit, but still fairly 'hard' as you might call it. Interesting to hear other's takes on it these flutes and thanks for all your input. -thanks!
Tonehole
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Re: Mollenhauer single key flute?

Post by Tonehole »

rykirk wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 5:45 pm
I ordered the Grenser. I had a few people who own both tell me the Stanesby has a nicer tone but that in practice the 415hz was a bit of a hindrance to versatility and the hole spacing was off enough to make it an annoyance switching to other instruments. I intend to use it for more than just historically informed baroque performance and want to be able to play with pianists, guitarists, record with my pipes, and other wind players etc. So the 440hz flute got my $$$.

Prices for these at Western retailers are grossly inflated. I saw them selling for 400-600 USD but I got mine ordered brand new from a seller in Japan for 250 USD. I'll wait the extra two weeks for shipping for that price. I'm really looking forward to it showing up.
Your Mollenhauer 1 key traverso was indeed discontinued. It wasn't cheap either - the house luthiers for Mollehauer don't seem to be quite as refined as niche house makers. I I had one which was a fine player although hardly exciting. The Aulos Grenser offers less though... especially compared to the boxwood Mollenhauer. The Aulos Stanesby is renown for its creamy tones and lovely articulation. It's still one of my favourite traversos I let go of.

Good luck with your 440Hz Grenser.
rykirk
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Re: Mollenhauer single key flute?

Post by rykirk »

Tonehole wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 7:42 am
rykirk wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 5:45 pm
I ordered the Grenser. I had a few people who own both tell me the Stanesby has a nicer tone but that in practice the 415hz was a bit of a hindrance to versatility and the hole spacing was off enough to make it an annoyance switching to other instruments. I intend to use it for more than just historically informed baroque performance and want to be able to play with pianists, guitarists, record with my pipes, and other wind players etc. So the 440hz flute got my $$$.

Prices for these at Western retailers are grossly inflated. I saw them selling for 400-600 USD but I got mine ordered brand new from a seller in Japan for 250 USD. I'll wait the extra two weeks for shipping for that price. I'm really looking forward to it showing up.
Your Mollenhauer 1 key traverso was indeed discontinued. It wasn't cheap either - the house luthiers for Mollehauer don't seem to be quite as refined as niche house makers. I I had one which was a fine player although hardly exciting. The Aulos Grenser offers less though... especially compared to the boxwood Mollenhauer. The Aulos Stanesby is renown for its creamy tones and lovely articulation. It's still one of my favourite traversos I let go of.

Good luck with your 440Hz Grenser.
I've been playing the Aulos Grenser 440hz for about a month now and I absolutely love it. Granted I have no other baroque traversos to compare it to, only Irish style instruments. But it feels like a very high quality and versatile instrument, and at the price you can get them from Japan for I'm not sure how you could do any better. It's certainly leagues above any of the PVC or Delrin 'starter' flutes you can buy in the Irish world, in my experience so far.
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Re: Mollenhauer single key flute?

Post by Tonehole »

Rykirk -

that's good news. Your Aulos resin Grenser is the most basic traverso on the market. If you are happy with this mass manufactured piece, just about every other baroque traverso will be even more exciting.

For a chromatic instrument, the baroque traversos are super compared to the cost of diatonic Irish flutes styled on Prattens or Rudall Rose. If you can work the baroque traverso into your repertoire, even better. The volume is way too low (unamplified, live) compared to a Desi Seery or Copley & Boegli which trade more freely on the folk side of the forum here however these are diatonic.

It was the English maker, Phil Bleazey, who used to make a rather unusual 1 keyed diatonic flute with a hybrid bore from the Rudall Rose & Pratten conical bores with holes just marginally larger than your Grenser traverso, with a single (non-chromatic Eflat key). The rest of the fingerings could be cross-fingered (forked fingering or half-holed) for competent chromaticism - way superior than any keyless conical or standard bore celtic/folk flute. It is a superior hand-made crafted upgrade than the Aulos Stanesby when you outgrow the Grenser although it's next to impossible to find a review of its chromatic potential online ... it isn't even listed by Phil Bleazley on his website anymore.
rykirk
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Re: Mollenhauer single key flute?

Post by rykirk »

Tonehole wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:59 am Rykirk -

that's good news. Your Aulos resin Grenser is the most basic traverso on the market. If you are happy with this mass manufactured piece, just about every other baroque traverso will be even more exciting.

For a chromatic instrument, the baroque traversos are super compared to the cost of diatonic Irish flutes styled on Prattens or Rudall Rose. If you can work the baroque traverso into your repertoire, even better. The volume is way too low (unamplified, live) compared to a Desi Seery or Copley & Boegli which trade more freely on the folk side of the forum here however these are diatonic.

It was the English maker, Phil Bleazey, who used to make a rather unusual 1 keyed diatonic flute with a hybrid bore from the Rudall Rose & Pratten conical bores with holes just marginally larger than your Grenser traverso, with a single (non-chromatic Eflat key). The rest of the fingerings could be cross-fingered (forked fingering or half-holed) for competent chromaticism - way superior than any keyless conical or standard bore celtic/folk flute. It is a superior hand-made crafted upgrade than the Aulos Stanesby when you outgrow the Grenser although it's next to impossible to find a review of its chromatic potential online ... it isn't even listed by Phil Bleazley on his website anymore.
No problem working it into my repertoire, most of the music I play was written down in the late 1600s and 1700s. A perfect instrument for English country dance and Scottish baroque. I also enjoy continental baroque like Telemann and others. Not worried about volume, I'm not a session player.
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Re: Mollenhauer single key flute?

Post by Sedi »

I often thought about getting the Aulos too. Buying directly from Japan it's really cheap. In the end I built a flute myself that can be played chromatically without any keys simply by making one with a larger lowest hole so it can be half-holed even in the first octave. Something that might in fact work on other keyless flutes with a little practice. I still do like that Aulos though. Might still get one anyway. A Bernolin might be better but also costs twice as much. An Aulos I could get for around 240 €.
rykirk
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Tell us something.: I am a piper and guitarist who has taken up the whistle and flute. Mostly interested in and playing Scottish baroque and trad.

Re: Mollenhauer single key flute?

Post by rykirk »

Sedi wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 3:15 am I often thought about getting the Aulos too. Buying directly from Japan it's really cheap. In the end I built a flute myself that can be played chromatically without any keys simply by making one with a larger lowest hole so it can be half-holed even in the first octave. Something that might in fact work on other keyless flutes with a little practice. I still do like that Aulos though. Might still get one anyway. A Bernolin might be better but also costs twice as much. An Aulos I could get for around 240 €.
Yea highly recommend ordering from Japan. Mine was about $250USD shipped and it came in under three weeks. Western sellers started around $400USD and went up from there. I don't see another flute on the market for the price you can get them from Japan that comes even close to doing the same thing.
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