Flute Wanted!

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aine
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Tell us something.: Living in Canada, originally from Ireland. Have become knowledgeable about flutes via my teenager who is a flute player and admirer of sweet, old-styled flute playing a la East Galway style.

Flute Wanted!

Post by aine »

Interested in buying a French-made keyed flute (5 or 6 keys).
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paddler
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Re: Flute Wanted!

Post by paddler »

There is a nice French antique flute for sale at the Irish Flute Store right now. I’m not sure if that is the kind of thing you are looking for, but they have a trial period that allows for returns if it isn’t.

https://www.irishflutestore.com/collec ... lver-8-key
aine
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Re: Flute Wanted!

Post by aine »

Many thanks for getting in touch. Keeping a sharp eye on Irish Flute Store and have seen that one, however, she is not interested in an antique flute as too scared of it being very temperamental and needing repairs.
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Average Whistler
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Re: Flute Wanted!

Post by Average Whistler »

A Jerome Thibouville-Lamy flute is advertised in Facebook Marketplace in Canada.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... 504788010/

I remembered seeing it when I read your post. Good luck in your search, let us all know how it turns out.

AW
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Re: Flute Wanted!

Post by Jayhawk »

Are any of the modern French/Breton makers actually making a classically French styled flute? Most make modern "Irish" style flutes (larger bore and holes).

Is she simply looking for a French made flute or a modern copy of what those older French flutes were?

Antique flutes can be great, and Blayne will give you the inside skinny on the condition of any flute he is selling. I'm playing a flute from 1830-ish I bought from him. It's no more finicky than a modern made wooden flute.

Eric
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Re: Flute Wanted!

Post by Sirchronique »

What are you looking for, more specifically?

Are you wanting a list of flute makers in France? Are you looking for a specific type of simple-system flute?
aine
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Re: Flute Wanted!

Post by aine »

Many thanks for the replies. It is to play Irish music and she is particularly interested in a Pol Jezequel but would also consider something similar. She is looking for something with small holes, not such a big stretch and sweet responsive tone which is easy to play. Issue is that she needs it fairly soon as will be competing in the North American Fleadh Cheoil in May.
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paddler
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Re: Flute Wanted!

Post by paddler »

aine wrote: Wed Feb 01, 2023 12:51 pm Many thanks for getting in touch. Keeping a sharp eye on Irish Flute Store and have seen that one, however, she is not interested in an antique flute as too scared of it being very temperamental and needing repairs.
That is perfectly reasonable. In general, if you buy an antique flute via eBay, say, it will need a lot of repair work and will likely not play at modern pitch standards. However, the flute I linked is fully restored, plays at modern pitch standards with a reasonable slide extension, and is likely just as reliable as a modern flute, and maybe more so. If it survived 150+ years without cracking, you can be sure the wood is very well seasoned! I also know that this particular flute is in great condition because I was the person who did the restoration.

I’m not trying to convince you to buy this flute though! I think the more important question is what style of flute you are looking for. There are several excellent French makers whose work frequently gets discussed on this forum. Some examples are Lehart, Morvan, Lesouef, etc. But all these makers are making a style of flute that closely resembles the modern “Irish” flute in terms of its bore, tone holes, general performance and sound. When people around here talk about “French flutes”, more often than not, they are talking about flutes that share the typical characteristics of older French flutes, such as the one I listed. These will have smaller tone holes, sweeter high notes, etc. They are excellent flutes with high-quality craftsmanship that can be used for a variety of genres, but are generally not a first choice for players primarily interested in ITM.

So, I think the most important issue to clarify is whether you are looking for a modern “Irish-style” (for want of a better term) flute from a French maker, or a flute more typical of the traditional French style. If the former, and it is the nationality of the maker that is significant to you, then that simplifies your search, but also probably means you are looking at a fairly high price bracket. If the latter, and you want smaller tone holes, say, then you might also want to take a look at American-style flutes, of which there are both nice playing antiques available and copies made by some modern makers.
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Re: Flute Wanted!

Post by Terry McGee »

Aine, your friend might like to try out one of my Grey Larsen Preferred flutes to see if that would meet her needs. The flute is based on a flute by US 19th century makers Firth, Pond & Co but my suspicion is that they derived it from a French original. I have made copies of French 5-key flutes, and the bore, hole placements and hole sizes are suspiciously similar. You can see the story behind its development at http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/Grey.htm

Grey normally has some of these in stock (if I've been keeping up with demand), or you might be able to find a second-hand one.

Here's the relevant part of Grey's website:
https://greylarsen.com/webstore/flutes/ ... lp-flutes/
aine
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Tell us something.: Living in Canada, originally from Ireland. Have become knowledgeable about flutes via my teenager who is a flute player and admirer of sweet, old-styled flute playing a la East Galway style.

Re: Flute Wanted!

Post by aine »

Many thanks for replies.

Indeed we are looking for more a French style flute than an actual French made flute. At the moment she plays a typically traditional Irish flute, but would like something a little different, with smaller holes, sweeter high notes more control etc. I've heard that the big French names, Morvan, Lehart eg. aren't really what we're looking for. While it doesn't have to be of French origin we are looking for something similar and are slightly weary of antiques in general, so preferably a newer model.

Thanks,
Aine.
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Altazor
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Re: Flute Wanted!

Post by Altazor »

If you are interested in a new copy of a French flute like Thibuille (with 5 keys) you can contact Cesar Palmezano, he is an excellent craftsman, and in recent times he has been making models of French flutes, contact him at: https://www.facebook.com/cesar.a.palmezano/
Hernan (" ) Altazor
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