Olwell Pratten

MurphyStout · Post by **MurphyStout** » Mon May 16, 2005 12:31 pm

Murrays are Rudall styled with mediumish holes. Very good flutes and they aren't watered down like G&#$*ers and O*&#lls.

Wormdiet · Post by **Wormdiet** » Mon May 16, 2005 12:34 pm

MurphyStout wrote:Murrays are Rudall styled with mediumish holes. Very good flutes and they aren't watered down like G&#$*ers and O*&#lls.

Yeah. . . I have actually played the flute in question, but at the time I had been playing for all of 2 weeks so I had no idea what to look/listen for.

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Mon May 16, 2005 1:28 pm

MurphyStout wrote:Murrays are Rudall styled with mediumish holes. Very good flutes and they aren't watered down like G&#$*ers and O*&#lls.

Mmmm. Being the fortunate curator of a Murray and the equally-fortunate regular "hearer" of an Olwell being put thru exceptionally rigorous paces, I don't know if "watered down" is the phrase I'd use for an Olwell. Actually, the Olwells I know are ballsier than Murrays, but of course, they're Prattens, so they've got a bigger bottom.

The trap I think people fall into with Olwells is that they can be SO easy to play -- partially because they're so incredibly well-made -- that many Olwell owners are satisfied with the sound they get out of the box and don't push the flute much beyond that. But in my playing and listening experience, Olwells can be pushed -- and more important, respond wonderfully to the pushing. Where most other flutes will break their tone, Olwells can just keep going.

That said, I love my Murray like a child and am amazed every time I play it; I can't imagine a flute getting any more responsive and throaty than it can.

However, it doesn't boom quite like my Pratten. And I'm just a sucker for that foghorn sound.

P.S. Jack, if your experience is like mine, your Hammy is training you well for your Murray when it comes.

MurphyStout · Post by **MurphyStout** » Mon May 16, 2005 1:36 pm

Of course that's just my opinion regarding O*(*#ls and Gr&^%#rs. Yours may vary.

tin tin · Post by **tin tin** » Mon May 16, 2005 2:00 pm

I'm inclined to agree with MurphyStout. That's not to say that such flutes aren't capable of sounding great, but I find them a bit one-dimensional. I had a chance to play a couple of Rod Cameron Rudalls, and they were superb, with an amazing capacity for expression and color.

Brazenkane · Post by **Brazenkane** » Mon May 16, 2005 4:38 pm

Jessie sold me the best flute I've ever played and that is and it's an Olwell unkeyed. I also use his headjoint on a Seth Gallagher keyed body.

kp

chas · Post by **chas** » Wed May 18, 2005 4:11 pm

MurphyStout wrote:It's not really giving up.. I sound decent on the Hammy but I just prefer the sound of myself on a Rudall styled flute. I can play those in autopilot and everything is soooo effortless.

But don't hold your breath, I won't be selling the hammy. . .

Ditto to all the above for me. I've only had the Hammy a couple of months, and I'm gonna give it at least another year or two. Somehow I don't see myself selling it at all because it's SO different from my other flutes.

MurphyStout wrote:Murrays are Rudall styled with mediumish holes. Very good flutes and they aren't watered down like G&#$*ers and O*&#lls.

How is an Olwell Rudall-style watered down? I played an exact duplicate of Chris Norman's Rudall at Olwell's place and asked him to make me one of those. He said his Rudall model is the same flute with a couple of tone holes tweaked to play easily at modern pitch and the Olwell embouchure cut, which is just a teensy bit wider.

Kelpie · Post by **Kelpie** » Thu May 19, 2005 2:52 am

I have a Pratten style flute made by D. Allen and whilst the tone was good when I got it, after a year of playing I have to say that it is now very focussed if I want it to be - you really have to put the time in with a Pratten to get the most out of it. More than two or three days none playing and it can take several days for me to get the sound I like back. That aside if you push a Pratten it will wake the dead and i just love the feeling of my flute jumping underneath my fingers when I'm really giving it some stick. I have found big hard cranning to be no problem at all. It's just a case of getting out what you put in

Steampacket · Post by **Steampacket** » Thu May 19, 2005 8:11 am

I've owned a Dave Williams Rudall & Rose replica for some years now, but could never get a decent sound out of it as I never bothered to play it. I took it to Willie Week in the late ´90's and a couple of decent flute players had a blow and couldn't get the bottom end notes to sound. I was told it was probably leaking. Now since I've been playing the flute on a regular basis this last year or so it's really come into it's own and has a powerful bottom end, can be played very loud, and is easy to play. The problem before was me, my lack of technique, and lack of practicing, nothing at all wrong with the flute. I can imagine that the same applies to these Pratten/R&R Grinter's, Olwells, Murray's etc. They're all decent instruments, it's the players that need to practice and improve and get to learn their respective instruments.

MurphyStout · Post by **MurphyStout** » Thu May 19, 2005 12:32 pm

chas wrote:How is an Olwell Rudall-style watered down? I played an exact duplicate of Chris Norman's Rudall at Olwell's place and asked him to make me one of those. He said his Rudall model is the same flute with a couple of tone holes tweaked to play easily at modern pitch and the Olwell embouchure cut, which is just a teensy bit wider.

I've never played an Olwell Rudall, I was refering to his Pratten models.

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Thu May 19, 2005 1:43 pm

I'm getting much better on the Byrne rudall, which is becoming
something very beautiful sounding. Lots of work learning to play it,
still at it.

Brazenkane · Post by **Brazenkane** » Thu May 19, 2005 5:39 pm

The Olwell I have WANTS TO PLAY! There are no eccentricities to it that stand in the players way whatsoever. Patrick is amazing for a good reason.

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Thu May 19, 2005 10:27 pm

I learned something tonight--if you're going to play
blues and such with other instruments, a Pratten is a good thing to have.

meemtp · Post by **meemtp** » Fri May 20, 2005 8:06 pm

The Jazz flute scene from "Anchorman" is starting to come to mind......

Eivind · Post by **Eivind** » Mon May 23, 2005 12:51 am

What about the Cnat and C#, any special fingering/lip to get it proper?

Eivind