wanted: beginner flute small hands

lswinden · Post by **lswinden** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:00 am

I'm looking for a keyless flute manageable for very small hands.
I'm a beginner at irish flute, but a classically trained Boehm flutist.
I have tried the M&E polymer flutes, but found the reach for LH3 too painful.

Would consider wood or polymer, keyed a possibility too, but prefer keyless to start. Also looking for a Baroque Traverso if anyone knows of one.

Thanks for any help!

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:24 am

http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/

Sillydill · Post by **Sillydill** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:17 am

Dear Lswinden,

You could try a flute in the key of G.

Here are a few makers of G flutes that I know of:

Sweet (Wood) - http://www.sweetheartflute.com/
Tipple (PVC) - http://dougsflutes.googlepages.com/
Miller (Bamboo) - http://www.windwoodflutes.com/

All the Best!

Jordan

Meadhbh · Post by **Meadhbh** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:51 pm

Denny wrote:http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/

I am going to second this....
I just got my Burns small handed flute a couple of weeks ago. It is a very easy reach for small hands and I think it would be a nice transition from playing the Boehm flute. (At least it is for me.

)

trish · Post by **trish** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:14 am

There's a Rod Cameron keyless flute for sale elsewhere on the board... These are great for the small handed

Hoovorff · Post by **Hoovorff** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 7:55 am

meadbh,

You finally got your flute! Hurray! How do you like it? Maybe I'll see you at the session this weekend.

Jeanie

Meadhbh · Post by **Meadhbh** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 11:19 am

Hoovorff wrote:meadhbh,

You finally got your flute! Hurray! How do you like it? Maybe I'll see you at the session this weekend.

Jeanie

Ya hoo!! Yep.....I did a major happy dance when it came. The finger spacing is great, but I have had to do some major bonding and work with the tone. I just found the spot last week that made the flute vibrate in my hands.....with little/no effort. Of course, that brought on another happy dance.

I'll see ya Sunday!!

Bridges-PdP · Post by **Bridges-PdP** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 10:59 am

Meadhbh wrote:
Denny wrote:http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/
I am going to second this....

I'm going to third it.

I have smallish hands and the Casey Burns FF (small handed) is wonderful. Easy reach, nice tone, reasonable price!

yillbrillem · Post by **yillbrillem** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 6:36 pm

I second (or third, or forth?) the recommendation for one in G also. When I'm demonstrating and teaching at craft shows, Ren. faires etc... G seems to be the key that everyone, (excluding small children) can play with the greatest ease. It's also capable of playing in C with the cross fingering...

G = XXX XXX
A = XXX XXO
B = XXX XOO
C = XXX OOO
D = XXO OOO
E = XOO OOO
F# = OOO OOO

F nat. = OXX OOO

When you "cross finger" to OXX OOO on the G flute you flat what is normally a C# on the standard D, but in this case an F# to F, hence the C scale as well.

Thanks for the plug Jordan! G is by far the favored flute for beginners Iswinden... and I'd be happy to make one for you if you like, or try the other excellent suggestions. You can graduate up to the D later once you get oriented to the simple system style flute. I play a 4 keyed Copeland D at sessions but the cost.... over $2000... and most Classical players I've let try it still have a hard time with the reach... it's also a bit pricey if you're just getting your feet wet!

That much said I do try to make a honkin' good flute for beginners as well as more advanced players that usually want a cheaper, (under $100) but good playing alternate key than the treasured D they already own. The main drawback for bamboo flutes is, there is no tuning slide, but I work hard at making them play in tune (A=440), but still, if you're at a session when folks are a bit sharp or flat (a rarity now thanks to cheap digital tuners) you are stuck... though you can lip it up or down a tad. I can also add that I've met a couple of Casey's flutes and they are wonderful.

Hope this helps,
Cheers, Billy

www.windwoodflutes.com

daiv · Post by **daiv** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 9:45 pm

maybe the grey larsen preferred flute from terry mcgee would be the highest quality irish flute with the best spacing, though i cant imagine any rudall and rose model from anyone not fitting the bill.

http://greylarsen.com/store/glpreferredflutes.php
http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/models.html
http://irishflutestore.com/Terry.html

yillbrillem · Post by **yillbrillem** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 10:29 pm

Just a thought, so it's your LH3...hummm, I know that cramp very well... if you have your heart set on a fine D (and who doesn't?) ask your flute maker of choice to offset the 3rd hole from the top a few mm to the left. This will help a lot but depends on if your personal aesthetics can handle it (this flute looks weird to me!)

Also, my Copeland was originally very top heavy which added to the strain on my left hand... I had Michael make me an extended foot joint and that pretty much solved the balance problem and made it much easier on the left hand.

Sillydill · Post by **Sillydill** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:00 pm

Dear Lswinden,

The following picture is to show the comparative size between D-flutes and F-flutes.
I'm sorry I don't have any G-flutes, but the F-flutes are among my favorites.
G-flutes will be a tad smaller than my F-flutes.

All the Best!

Jordan

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:21 pm

Another consideration is a flute from George Ormiston:

http://www.ormistonflutes.fsnet.co.uk

When I first made the crossover, I bought a four-key Ormiston and it served me well for many years -- until,

!, I fell in love and ran away with the bigger flutes. And since I have insanely long fingers (see left), the bigger flutes fit me a bit better anyway.

Anyway, while they're not the first flutes that come to most peoples' minds, I can't say enough good things about that little Ormiston. Well in tune, easy player, very reliable, and since it had post-mounted keys it was easy to get the local band-instrument guy to repad or adjust. George is a very nice man; a fine craftsman and responsive to whingeing emails as well. My only complaint was that it 's probably a little refined for my style -- I'm an inveterate honker -- but those might be worth a look, too.

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:09 pm

I don't know if we're up to fourths or fifths on the Burns recommendation. (Heck, it's only Monday, but a fifth sounds pretty good to me).

Anyway, I'm a relative newbie, and haven't played many "high-end" flutes. But, I have test-driven a few of the popular synthetic-material tooters since getting "serious" about a year ago. I have medium hands with slight arthritis, and enjoyed but didn't really connect with any until I managed to pick up a used Casey Burns 'Large-holed Ergonomic Standard' (in mopane) a few weeks ago.

We're all different, I know, but for me this was a jaw-dropper. Easy-playing, loud, woody, resonant and wonderful. If you're able to adjust to offset finger-holes, (I prefer 'em), Casey's flutes are a tremendous deal for the price. I had a brief go at another player's 'Folk Flute' and liked that, but not quite as much. If you can do it, go the extra mile for a standard.

FWIW, my backup/travel flute is a Tipple, which I continue to marvel at, as well. Good luck in your search!

dow · Post by **dow** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:18 am

daiv wrote:maybe the grey larsen preferred flute from terry mcgee would be the highest quality irish flute with the best spacing, though i cant imagine any rudall and rose model from anyone not fitting the bill.

http://greylarsen.com/store/glpreferredflutes.php
http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/models.html
http://irishflutestore.com/Terry.html

I'll second this. I've had a glp for about a year. While the finger spacing is comparable to other D flutes I've played, including a standard layout folk flute, the holes are small, and are easier to cover, especially for someone new to the instrument. It's a very responsive flute.