am i the only "backwards" person on the board?

daiv · Post by **daiv** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:05 pm

i am just wondering if there is anyone else on the board who learned the silver flute explicitly to play irish music. i have heard of many members who started on the silver flute playing classical (or even learned classical music only to get technique up so they could ditch it and buy a wooden flute), but none that started playing silver flute in the irish style and then later switched to classical.

i learned to play the silver flute in the irish style, meaning i learned to roll in my headjoint, blow down into the flute to dark, harmonic-rich tone. when i took classical lessons, i had to unlearn these things, put my headjoint in line, use ring finger f sharp, use my Eb key (gasp!) when playing every note besides D natural, learn how to tongue every note, and learn how to do vibrato.

when i switched to the wooden flute (a gorgeous, english flute Jon C. sold me), there was some adjustment time, but no more than switching from a pratten to a rudall.

i have long assumed that i am alone on the board. the idea hit me though, that there may be a few of us who are backwards, who got a silver flute to play irish music and not because they couldnt get a wooden flute. i have not met anyone who started on silver flute to play irish music, as far as i know, even the few flute players who DO play irish music on the silver flute started on a wooden flute.

i love my wooden flute (and play it now more than my silver flute, which needs to be repadded), so this isnt about silver being better or even boehm flutes being fit for irish music. i play both, i like both, i know i'm backwards and i am wondering if there are any other backwards people who would like to swap stories.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:15 pm

nope...this one passes through

TheSpoonMan · Post by **TheSpoonMan** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:06 pm

I play silver flute for Irish music. I also got it for band class, though; I couldn't afford to buy a seperate one for both, heck I couldn't really have afforded any Irish flute at all, though I might save for one now (either that, or uilleann pipes, or a viola, hehe).

But yeah, I really just transfer my whistle technique minus most of the tonguing. Put the pinky down when it's convenient, different embouchre... I use the middle-finger F# 'cause the ring-finger F# is difficult, even in Classical music, except in the third octave.

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 5:14 pm

Interesting story!

For me, though, the silver flute was actually a pretty effective deterrent. Every time I started to think I was interested in flute I'd get a whiff of what classical players were doing with their Boehms, and would somehow lose interest. It took some concentrated listening to good Irish players on wooden flutes before I finally decided I needed to give this thing a run.

Of course, now that I've heard some great trad Boehm players, I've sort of come around on the whole thing. (Still don't have a hankerin' to play one, though).

daiv · Post by **daiv** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:50 pm

TheSpoonMan wrote:I play silver flute for Irish music. I also got it for band class, though; I couldn't afford to buy a seperate one for both, heck I couldn't really have afforded any Irish flute at all, though I might save for one now (either that, or uilleann pipes, or a viola, hehe).

But yeah, I really just transfer my whistle technique minus most of the tonguing. Put the pinky down when it's convenient, different embouchre... I use the middle-finger F# 'cause the ring-finger F# is difficult, even in Classical music, except in the third octave.

you live in chicago? i live about an hour west. we should definitely get together sometime and play some tunes.

crooked tune wrote:Interesting story!

For me, though, the silver flute was actually a pretty effective deterrent. Every time I started to think I was interested in flute I'd get a whiff of what classical players were doing with their Boehms, and would somehow lose interest. It took some concentrated listening to good Irish players on wooden flutes before I finally decided I needed to give this thing a run.

Of course, now that I've heard some great trad Boehm players, I've sort of come around on the whole thing. (Still don't have a hankerin' to play one, though).

yeah, a lot of classical music on the silver flute is definitely what i would call dainty and delicate and definitely off-putting. i prefer classical flute to have a bit more interesting of a tone and not so french, but i've learned to appreciate french/international style more than i used to.

seisflutes · Post by **seisflutes** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:12 pm

I'm not sure what you mean by backwards, or if I qualify as such, but I did start on silver flute in order to play Irish music. I knew I had to play Irish music, and there was this $100 silver flute in a thrift store. I got it for Christmas when I was 14 and played it for a couple years until I could afford a wooden flute. So I did want a wooden flute, but it was more convenient to start on silver flute, and I was quite happy with it. I think I was rather defensive about it too.

But now I only play the wooden ones.

talasiga · Post by **talasiga** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:31 pm

I think you're backwood.

daiv · Post by **daiv** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:16 am

seisflutes wrote:I'm not sure what you mean by backwards, or if I qualify as such, but I did start on silver flute in order to play Irish music. I knew I had to play Irish music, and there was this $100 silver flute in a thrift store. I got it for Christmas when I was 14 and played it for a couple years until I could afford a wooden flute. So I did want a wooden flute, but it was more convenient to start on silver flute, and I was quite happy with it. I think I was rather defensive about it too. But now I only play the wooden ones.

*sniffle* you're one of us!

mutepointe · Post by **mutepointe** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:09 pm

i learned how to play the celtic flute to play everything but itm. i'm waiting for my next serious illness to have extended medical leave from work to learn how to play the silver flute. i am sideways?

daiv · Post by **daiv** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:40 pm

mutepointe wrote:i learned how to play the celtic flute to play everything but itm. i'm waiting for my next serious illness to have extended medical leave from work to learn how to play the silver flute. i am sideways?

yeah, and a little crazy

. what type of music do you play and do you have keys?

oh, and uh... i guess, good luck with your next illness. let's hope its a fake one!

mutepointe · Post by **mutepointe** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 5:53 pm

no, i don't have keys. i just transpose in my head. the other folks have an electronic keyboard and a guitar, so transposing isn't so much a problem. mostly, i play church, folk, 70's soft rock, simple jazz, classical, children's tunes, campfire songs, and ambient background music.

i'm not even sure at this point, if i'd want keys and since i accidently taught myself to play left-handed, that's why learning to play the silver flute is taking a bit longer. i'm slowly trying to get myself to be a right-handed player but i'm on hiatus on that right now.

i had heart surgery 4 years ago, i learned the harmonica for my breathing exercises and later the whistle, then the flute. i'd like to avoid the heart surgery again but if i have to, i have to. i'm hoping on something that doesn't limit my activities but keeps me from work. i'm so on the edge of a mental illness, that might be the ticket. do you have any ideas?

talasiga · Post by **talasiga** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 5:57 pm

daiv wrote: ....
oh, and uh... i guess, good luck with your next illness. let's hope its a fake one!

That reminds me that I have seen flutes with fake keys at a souvenir stall at an unnamed bazaar ......