Doc Jones wrote:johnkerr wrote:
There's entirely too much talk here and elsewhere along the lines of "this flute model/embouchure hole is louder than that one, or easier to play/harder to fill, or whatever." That's all a bunch of crap, really, to anyone but the most elite players who can appreciate and take advantage of the differences between flutes.
I'd agree with this if your point is that the the human element is 80% of the equation. I'd also agree that the brilliant players could probably get good tone out of an old gym sock. But I think to suggest there is no difference between flute models and/or embouchures is as simplistic as saying the flute is everything.
Well, Doc, as a flute dealer I'm sure you've seen and played a lot more different flutes than I have - or ever will, for that matter. And I know you are faced constantly with having to try to make some distinction between flutes for your customers, many of whom are probably on the beginner end of the spectrum, as a means of guiding them into purchasing one or the other of them. So I can appreciate where you're coming from, and I certainly don't begrudge you for perhaps telling them that "flute A is a louder flute than flute B" or "flute C is easier to fill than flute D". I wouldn't say that you're lying, either. What I would say is that you're engaging in "market-speak", i.e. you're having to gloss over technical nuances of different flutes that your market either can't or doesn't want to consider (but yet are what really make the distinction) while trying to actually tell your customers what's different between two flutes. I don't envy you that task!
But the point I am trying to make here is that trying to compare orchestral-variety wooden flutes (which is what we're talking about here, because even if those flutes are being made by modern artisans specifically for use by Irish traditional musicians rather than orchestral players, that's still what they are) on the basis of their relative loudness makes absolutely no sense. All of these instruments are designed so that they can be played and heard in ensembles of other instruments (orchestras, or for that matter, sessions) unamplified. If you want an instrument designed for loudness, i.e. the ability to be heard over great distances while probably causing permanent hearing damage to the player, you want a fife rather than a flute. So, from a standpoint of loudness, all wooden orchestral-style flutes (provided of course that they are good flutes rather than chair legs) are equivalently equal to the task for which they are designed, i.e. acoustic ensemble playing. What someone who says "I need a louder flute" is really saying is "I can't hear myself when I play in a session". There can be many reasons why a flute player can't hear him/herself in a session (crowded noisy room, seated next to a loud piper or accordion player, unfocused tone on the part of the flute player, etc), but the specific flute they are playing is never the culprit. In order to hear one's self in a crowd of other players playing exactly the same notes all the time (which is what Irish sessions are), a flute player needs to have a
very focused tone. (And sometimes even that's not enough, which is why the traditional remedy for not being able to hear yourself in a session is to play sharp.) A focused tone takes a good deal of time to develop on any flute, Rudall or Pratten or whatever. In the interim, it
is easier to play a loud but unfocused tone on a Pratten than on a Rudall, which is why many people say Prattens are louder flutes than Rudalls. But they're not. They are just flutes that are easier to play loudly. On loudness as a property of the flute, then, there is no difference. The differences between the flutes lie elsewhere, on other properties.
This may all seem like semantics, but to relate it back to the topic of switching flutes early on in a player's development vs sticking with one instrument, along with your added consideration of "finding the flute that's right for the sound you want", look at it this way. Most of the flute players coming to you for flutes are like teenage drivers coming to a car dealer looking for a car to learn on and provide transportation for a few years, until they get out of college, land a high-paying job and can purchase the ride of their dreams. The dealer has two cars, one with standard transmission and one with automatic. The standard transmission obviously has a bit steeper learning curve, but otherwise they're equal. If the customer comes in saying "I need a car to get me to college and back home as fast as possible, and by the way my dad's a state trooper so I don't have to worry about speeding tickets. Which is faster, standard or automatic transmission on the Geo?", the dealer's answer is not gonna be "standard" or "automatic", it's gonna be "Mister, you shouldn't be buying that Geo." But if the customer comes in saying "I need a car for the drag race tomorrow - standard or automatic transmission?" then there is an answer that makes sense. But is there an answer to "Which is faster, standard or automatic?" Of course not, it all depends on a lot of other factors. Get a good car and drive it, unless there's some particular aspect of your driving where you can really take advantage of one type of transmission over the other. The same goes with flutes. Find a good flute and stick with it while you learn to play. Once you are at a level where there is some quality or difference in another type of flute that you can exploit in your playing, then maybe you might want to try out one of that type of flute. (And as I've said, loudness and the like are not qualities that are different between flutes that a good player would be able to exploit.) So, Doc, while I'm certainly not criticizing you or any other flute seller for trying to communicate with your customers in the terms that they seem to understand and are comfortable with (even though they may be bogus
), if it doesn't jeopardize your sale you might instead just try to steer them to the best flute they can get from you for their money, no matter what type it is. Don't say "This one is easier to play than that one, even though that one may be a better flute". Instead say "This flute is much better than that one. Might have a bit steeper learning curve, but nothing that a bit of time and practice won't overcome. You won't sound any worse now on it than you will on the other one, and in the long run you'll sound a lot better. Now, cash or charge?" Of course, you're a flute dealer and I'm not, so take that advice with a grain of salt. (In other words, if you do what I say and go broke, don't be blamin' me!)