if you had it to do over . . .

[tomcat]

i've toyed around with flutes for awhile - but decided to get serious and purchased a nice wooden flute from doc jones . . . so my question is now,

"if you were just starting out on irish flute, what would you do differently?"

[Jayhawk]

Hmmm...three main things come to mind:

1) Not try to convice myself that playing the whistle would fulfill my need to play flute.

2) Start off with a real conical flute and not mess with bamboo, Hall crystal and other low price non-conical beasts.

3) Start with a keyed flute and not try to convince myself I'd learn to be happy playing keyless.

Eric

[I.D.10-t]

I would not worry what is considered “the best” and get what I want. (Similar to 1 and 3 of Jayhawk)

I would invest in lessons sooner; perhaps even from someone that was in a different tradition, to develop my embouchure faster.

Concentrate on good habits that seem mundane, like posture, grip, consistency, and fundamentals like rhythm and tone.

[monkey587]

I wish I could erase from my head all the things I learned from reading tutorials and internet forums, and learn them (if they are there to be learned) by listening to my favorites of the older generations of players, so I would better appreciate ornamentation, note choices, tone, timing, etc as a means of expression rather than just something you're supposed to do in certain ways in certain situations.

I'm sure it would be better than continually reevaluating every aspect of my playing (ie, did I mean to do that, or did I just do it by default?)

[chas]

Two things come to mind immediately:

Many people say to play Irish music you "need" a big-holed flute. I wish I had back the year or so I spent on big-holed flutes. (similar to ID's first point)

I'd set my sights higher from the beginning. Don't try to be a mediocre flute player, try to be a great flute player. (not unlike ID's second point)

[Bridges-PdP]

I'm finding the thoughts expressed in this thread very insightful. As someone new to flute (less than a year) I appreciate the candor. Thank you all.

[Wormdiet]

i've toyed around with flutes for awhile - but decided to get serious and purchased a nice wooden flute from doc jones . . . so my question is now,

"if you were just starting out on irish flute, what would you do differently?"

1) Listen more carefully,

2) learned to learn by ear sooner,

3) Become more modest at sessions.

4) Have somebody really critique my playing (particularly tonewise) much, much earlier. That's probably the biggest thing. I radically changed my embouchure after about a year of playing (due to the lack of a competent observer) and am still paying for it.


One thing I would not change would be to have a lot of fun

[rama]

damn...should of never sold my fiddle.

[sbhikes]

Never should have traded my flute for a fiddle.

[Guinness]

Although it's taken a long time to get where I am now, I don't know if having done something differently would have improved my playing appreciably. Sure, I could have compressed a lot of what I learnt and practiced but then maybe I would have gotten sick of it all and taken up collecting Pez dispensers. Hindsight is not always 20/20.

[cadancer]

i've toyed around with flutes for awhile - but decided to get serious and purchased a nice wooden flute from doc jones . . . so my question is now,

"if you were just starting out on irish flute, what would you do differently?"

I have done a similar thing and just bought a nice wooden flute from Doc. However, I do have some experience with a Bulgarian flute (kaval).

I plan on doing some things the same and some differently.

The Same:
Tone, Tone, Tone !!!
No matter what ornamentation, how many tunes you know, etc., etc., the basis of *getting* the right sound is the fundamental quality of the tone. Spend some of most practice times working hard at developing good, solid, diaphram-supported tone. (I like the feedback sound playing in the kitchen).

Different:
I will be (this time) working on integrating ornamentation from the beginning and making that a part of the notes that I play. There is a dichotomy here vs. the Tone advice above. In my opinion, the ornamentation will never *sound* quite right without the proper tone underneath. However, without the finger dexterity and practice you will just have good tone and the music will not sound Irish.

I will spend more time playing music with others. (I am hoping this will be easier to do with Irish than with Bulgarian.... plus I am Irish).

I will spend more time learning music by ear.

Best Wishes,

John

[Jim Troy]

if i had to do it over , i would get my brother to do it .

he gives up a lot quicker than me ..



but if i had to do it over i would start on the flute , cause then i would still have my two front teeth
( clarinet took care of them , and they were really good ones , i miss them )

[cocusflute]

It never hurts to be reminded of basics. Here they are as given by Catherine McEvoy:

(1) Listen to as much music as you can, not just commercial recordings -- try and get hold of old recordings as well. There are a lot being re-issued now.

(2) Play slowly when learning. Take your time to play the tune correctly, and don't be in a rush to brush over things.

(3) Concentrate also on getting a good tone. Have plenty of patience. It can take a long time -- but sure what's the rush! I'm playing over 25 years and I'm still learning!

(4) If you have a new flute, keep it well oiled: it takes more looking after than the old ones.

(5) Make sure you tune the flute correctly when playing with others.

(http://www.firescribble.net/flute/mcevoy.html)

[jim stone]

I would arrange to be born in Ireland of musician parents.

[crookedtune]

but if i had to do it over i would start on the flute , cause then i would still have my two front teeth
( clarinet took care of them , and they were really good ones , i miss them )

If your mother had it to do over again, she'd tell you, "Never run with scissors, OR CLARINETS!!".