Chiff and Fipple Forums

I've been learning the Irish flute (Thompson Student model) for about 4 months now, with reasonable novice proficiency, having transitioned from Uilleann pipes and whistle.

Just a week ago, I happened across an early 2000s Selmer Boehm system flute, picked up from a family member. Naturally I've been playing it ever since, and I've interestingly noticed it seems to require significantly less air than my Irish flute.

With my sample size limited to one flute of each style, I wonder if anyone else has noticed a similar difference? Perhaps it's just the difference between these two flutes, or do Boehm's typically require less volume of air?

Since keyless or keyed simple system flutes are far less standardized than boehm flutes, I don't think a general rule applies. Too much depends on a number of factors that vary from maker to maker:
-- design of the embouchure -- especially how "sharp" it is and how big
-- inner diameter
-- size of the holes
On the flutes I made for myself I tried to make the blowing edge as sharp as possible and the embouchure hole itself is small and round which makes them very air efficient despite super large holes and a bore of 23 mm.
Another factor is the player itself -- do you prefer a stronger airstream directed more downwards into the flute? Then the Irish flute will probably need more air while on a boehm you blow more across the hole, not into it which takes less air.

I picked up the Boehm flute a year ago after 10 years of Irish flute playing. The high price of good keyed Irish flutes drove me to the Boehm. I have no formal training and have relied on YouTube for learning during the pandemic. Key fingering aside, I find the air requirements similar. The difference for me is that the Irish embouchure is much more focused and specific for each brand of Irish flute. Coming back to playing the Boehm after playing the Irish is easier than the reverse. Also I am finding that I sound similar on both instruments due to the focus and technique (no vibrato, glottal stops, ornaments, etc.). The big difference I hear is that I can play with much more volume on the Boehm with the same air requirements.

rogervj wrote: ↑Thu Dec 02, 2021 10:19 am I picked up the Boehm flute a year ago after 10 years of Irish flute playing. The high price of good keyed Irish flutes drove me to the Boehm. I have no formal training and have relied on YouTube for learning during the pandemic. Key fingering aside, I find the air requirements similar. The difference for me is that the Irish embouchure is much more focused and specific for each brand of Irish flute. Coming back to playing the Boehm after playing the Irish is easier than the reverse. Also I am finding that I sound similar on both instruments due to the focus and technique (no vibrato, glottal stops, ornaments, etc.). The big difference I hear is that I can play with much more volume on the Boehm with the same air requirements.

Perhaps I'm just conflating volume:air ratio with requiring more air.

I agree with your observation on price. A solid Boehm is 1/6 the price of a similar Irish flute. I've recently ordered a 6-key flute but have at least a year wait, so the expanded repertoire with the Boehm's fully chromatic scale is a nice substitute in the mean time.

To be clear, I find that I can play my Burns Rudall, my Copley standard, and my Powell Boehm using the same embouchure with the same air requirements to produce good tone. The difference in volume is noticeable though. The Rudall being the more quieter, the Copley being more “Prattenesque” with larger tone holes, and the Boehm the loudest.