Tell us something.: Musician considering the Irish Flute. I am a Mandolin player interested in most genres of music. I am searching for an Irish flute to tryout and see if I like it!
I purchased a Copley and Boegli 6 Keyed flute! I should be receiving it today!!
Any tips to help me learn to use the keys would be helpful. Ideas? Tunes to begin with? Online learning?
I also want to venture outside the ITM repertoire but not to insult anyone..
I am excited to enter that rabbit hole!
Thanks for any suggestions or references.
If you like classical music, I'd recommend some Johann Sebastian Bach flute pieces. Many of them are not very fast but very chromatic and will give you a good workout using those keys. I love basically everything Bach wrote for flute. My favourite player who recorded them all, is Emmanuel Pahud. You can find a lot on YouTube.
Mozart also wrote some music for flute but I find these to be a bit more difficult, also faster. One has to be careful though -- many classical pieces from Bach have been recorded with "period accurate" instruments that are not tuned to 440 Hz. I avoid those (lovely to listen to though but not useful for playing along, unless you use a software that can transpose the tune). That's one more reason why I like Pahud -- he used a normal concert flute in 440Hz-tuning.
Tell us something.: Musician considering the Irish Flute. I am a Mandolin player interested in most genres of music. I am searching for an Irish flute to tryout and see if I like it!
(1) Try Tunes with occasional accidentals rather than all at once.
(2) To play with keys you need a relaxed, three-point hold (See Rockstro - which works for most people - not Kevin, though). Without three-point hold, you cannot play the Bb. Might as well start now rather than later, otherwise you will have to undo old habits once, twice or three times,
(3) Add one key at a time. For example, learn tunes in A major for a while (Handsome Young Maidens), then tunes in C major (Good Natured Man, Porthole of the Kelp),
(4) Learn tunes you REALLY, REALLY like. That gives you patience for something that might be boring if you just do scales.
(5) But, you do gain facility by doing scales and arpeggios. Key of E: E F# G# A B A G# F# E, E e B G# E, then start the same pattern on F#.
The key of E is surprisingly easy on simple system - once you have learned the G# key.
The key of F (Lad O'Beirnes, Eileen Curran) is slightly hard because it's the first time you have to deal with losing the left thumb hold to play the Bb key. I am a long-F person, using the short F only on the occasions where I want to play in the key of Eb.
Key of Bb (When the Tide Comes In/Brown Coffin).
Last edited by tstermitz on Fri Jun 18, 2021 6:35 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Tell us something.: I have a keen interest in wooden flutes (modern and antique), early music (Renaissance, Baroque), Romantic music and Irish Traditional Music of course! I also play the clarinet (my first instrument) and I've also started learning the cittern.
Bcoopmando wrote: ↑Fri Jun 18, 2021 4:51 pm
Thanks Sedi,
Would you mind suggesting a couple of easy pieces to work on?
I'm a fan of Bach too. The partita in A minor is probably his most famous piece, and for a reason. The first movement (allemande) is quite difficult but the others are more approachable (sarabande, bourrée angloise). It's a great piece to learn when to use the short and long Fnat and to practice intervals.
I'd start with the sarabande.
Have fun
Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.
For non-ITM music. That all depends on what you like.
I found a very nice Telemann in F.
You could try the finger twister "Tico Tico no Fuba". Here you will be learning not just keys, but how to play in the high-register up to the high g' - good luck. Not to be sarcastic, but playing in the high register will really strengthen your embouchure and make your low notes powerful.
Tell us something.: Musician considering the Irish Flute. I am a Mandolin player interested in most genres of music. I am searching for an Irish flute to tryout and see if I like it!
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions.
I also like Jazz and Klezmer! That is what motivated me to be “crazy” enough to pursue a keyed flute. By the way I purchased it from Blayne at the Irish Flute Store. He was wonderful very helpful to recommend an appropriate flute. The purchase and delivery to Canada was seamless and fast.
Often when I'm busking people ask what instrument I'm playing. I say 'Irish flute.' They say, 'That isn't a flute! Flutes are shiny and silver and....' ITM will always be the core of wooden flute repertoire, and it is worth remembering that our flutes can play just about anything, including Old Time and Blues and Rock n' Roll and middle eastern music and Klezmer and jazz and Gershwin and... I've made a lot of money playing blues and ragtime and... I think it would be good for the world if our sort of flutes began appearing more in other venues. They really sound beautiful there, often a good deal better (IMO) than silver flutes do. Also Irish flute ornamentation transfers very well.
Considering those Bach pieces - I like the following:
BWV 1034, III Andante (that's what I am currently working on)
The first part of this piece is also very nice.
BWV 1030 is also lovely.
Or "Minuet and Badinerie". Badinerie is a bit overplayed and faster but the Minuet is a good beginner piece.
Tell us something.: Because I play flute and whistle.
With a toot on the flute and a twiddle on the fiddle Hopping in the middle like a herrin on the griddle Up, down, hands around and crossing to the wall Sure hadn't we the gaiety at Phil the Fluter's ball
I would suggest looking at Playford tunes and other English country dance music. Also Swedish music--there is a lot available online. And some Scottish music, such as the Simon Fraser collection. And Irish music has tunes in A major, D minor and G minor.
My idea is to move you into more chromatic music more gradually than jumping straight into Bach or Telemann, which can be somewhat challenging. It's up to your taste which style you enjoy.
Tell us something.: Ive played Irish Flute for a number of Years. Have played Sessions as well but not currently. I have also played Colonial American Flute in reenactment Groups. Started playing Clarinet in 1960 in School and later Community Bands. Also have played Bagpipes Solo as well as in Pipe Bands I played Drums in a Garage band in High School, probably my Instrument I played the best!
Get a copy of the Mozart Oboe Concerto and learn it, its surprisingly easy to play
It fits well within the range of your Flute
Believe me learning Music of this type will make you a much better Player than if you only played ITM
If your not a good sight reader learning Mozart Pieces as well as Bach will make you one
Written Music will open up your Musical World and stimulate your Mind!
In the space of a week I probably play 12 or more classical Pieces Play Pieces, as well as many Etudes and you will find its wonderful to do so
also play Pieces that have been written for Violin as well as Clarinet
I am waiting for a baroque flute, in fact. Bach wrote little for unaccompanied flute (not that one can't play the flute part in ensemble pieces), and there is all this divine music he wrote for unaccompanied cello and for violin. I do want to find out if these (or parts of them) will transfer to flute. And of course there are all the other baroque composers. A new world.
Tell us something.: Musician considering the Irish Flute. I am a Mandolin player interested in most genres of music. I am searching for an Irish flute to tryout and see if I like it!
Thanks for all the feedback. Your all so welcoming!
I find the Copley and Boegli flute quite easy to play! The keys though as expected will be kind of a struggle! I guess slow, patience and humility!
Do you think the basic Bohm Trevor Wye books would be useful?
Just one more thought - even though sight reading would be an advantage, I still learn all the classical pieces by ear just like I do with Irish tunes. I did sight read for boehm flute when younger but can't do it anymore.
But everyone has his own preference in that regard. For me it'd drain all the fun out of the whole process. But others find it way easier to read sheet music than to learn by ear.
Last edited by Sedi on Sat Jun 19, 2021 2:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.