Clinton's "flute for India"

daiv · Post by **daiv** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 10:09 pm

daiv wrote:
Cork wrote:
peeplj wrote:The Clinton metal flute is interesting as a very unique instrument, but I think the advent of the polymer flute (in both keyed and unkeyed varieties) from several makers pretty much fills the need that the Clinton metal flute was originally designed to address: a very durable instrument designed for play in less-than-ideal conditions.

--James
From a purely functional point of view, yes, a polymer construction likely is a great choice. However, a silver flute just strikes my fancy, and, as has already been said, as above, if the quality control were high enough, I'd go for one, too.
i agree. from a purely functional point of view, you would throw out your conical flute and get a boehm.

in retrospect my joke looses its merit when you look at my avatar....

Aanvil · Post by **Aanvil** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 11:08 pm

Cork wrote:
Aanvil wrote:Bah,

Cold draw a tube.

You ever do it?

I wouldn't call it simple a simple task...
Hydraulics, piece of cake.

Heh... you set up the tooling then.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 11:25 pm

jemtheflute · Post by **jemtheflute** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 3:14 am

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... &rd=1&rd=1

Has anyone had a look at this? I'm a bit puzzled there haven't been any follow-up comments.....
This flute is precisely the same sort of thing as the Clinton - just rather less ornately made - and, dare I say it, more elegant? It would probably be much easier to manufacture a copy of this rather than the Clinton!

daiv · Post by **daiv** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 8:30 am

Denny wrote:

i'm not sure what that has to do with the topic, but me want!

(is there a flute lust smiley?)

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 8:45 am

it was in response to Cork

Cork wrote:However, a silver flute just strikes my fancy, and, as has already been said, as above, if the quality control were high enough, I'd go for one, too.

I found the "quality control" odd

mcdafydd · Post by **mcdafydd** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 9:06 am

This same flute is also discussed on Terry's website:

http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/unusual.htm

A slightly newer, similar model of flute by Siour-Chapelain was sold on eBay a while ago as well. Except for Clinton's flute, most of the samples I've come across are French. One antique flute dealer I spoke with said that flutes like this will come up in French auctions from time to time and sell for around $600-800.

I'd be interested in playing one to be sure!

Cork · Post by **Cork** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 9:57 am

Denny wrote:it was in response to Cork

Cork wrote:However, a silver flute just strikes my fancy, and, as has already been said, as above, if the quality control were high enough, I'd go for one, too.
I found the "quality control" odd

Quality control exists. For instance, check out the low cost, conical bore Clarke whistles, complete with wood fipple. I doubt its tapered body was made by an elf at a workbench, as it has a manufactured look to it, frankly, and, somehow, apparently Clarke has managed to stay in business for a long time.

That, however, is the engineer in me speaking.

The artist interprets quality control to be a myth.

Jon C. · Post by **Jon C.** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 9:58 am

jemtheflute wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... &rd=1&rd=1

Has anyone had a look at this? I'm a bit puzzled there haven't been any follow-up comments.....
This flute is precisely the same sort of thing as the Clinton - just rather less ornately made - and, dare I say it, more elegant? It would probably be much easier to manufacture a copy of this rather than the Clinton!

Sorry, the French flute you mention is a Boehm style flute, it is cylindrical not conical.

jemtheflute · Post by **jemtheflute** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 10:12 am

[quote="Jon C]Sorry, the French flute you mention is a Boehm style flute, it is cylindrical not conical.[/quote]

Yes, right you are Jon, silly me not to spot that - though I'll plead a degree of confusion with the other current thread about Boehm bore simple system flutes...... In other respects, though, the similarities are striking and the differences interesting.....e.g. the preservation (as one might expect) of distinctive national style elements.

Gostrangely · Post by **Gostrangely** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:14 pm

"Quality control exists. For instance, check out the low cost, conical bore Clarke whistles, complete with wood fipple. I doubt its tapered body was made by an elf at a workbench,"

Obvlously, Irish whistles are made by leprachauns, even those made in the UK, but otherwise your point escapes me.

Cork · Post by **Cork** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:36 pm

Gostrangely wrote:"Quality control exists. For instance, check out the low cost, conical bore Clarke whistles, complete with wood fipple. I doubt its tapered body was made by an elf at a workbench,"

Obvlously, Irish whistles are made by leprachauns, even those made in the UK, but otherwise your point escapes me.

Well, without some form of quality control, perhaps Clarke, or most any manufacturer, could have gone, or could go, out of business.

Similarly, a modern, and perhaps simplified, version of the flute for India could be attractive, but only if the quality were then good enough.

jemtheflute · Post by **jemtheflute** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:14 pm

[quote="Gostrangely,"Obviously, Irish whistles are made by leprachauns, even those made in the UK, but otherwise your point escapes me.[/quote]

Isn't it just the most delicious irony that the "original" of that most quintessential of Oirish thingummies, the tin/penny whistle, at least as a commercial, regular production model, was English????? (Yes, I know old pedlar Clarke was just semi-mass producing a version of a much, much older, usually individually and crudely handmade thing.) BTW, dare I admit I'm a Clarkes denier/detester? Perhaps the boggarts and peskies and other English equivalents of leprechauns are responsible for the nasty breathy sound, the soggy wooden fipple, the dangerous metal corners that snag your lips if you're not careful and the total lack of tunability. At least with a Generation (and its Irish copies) you can melt the glue and move the head!

mcdafydd · Post by **mcdafydd** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:24 pm

peeplj wrote:The Clinton metal flute is interesting as a very unique instrument, but I think the advent of the polymer flute (in both keyed and unkeyed varieties) from several makers pretty much fills the need that the Clinton metal flute was originally designed to address: a very durable instrument designed for play in less-than-ideal conditions.

--James

Are there really that many makers (happily, I should add) producing keyed delrin flutes? The only two that I'm aware of advertising this are M&E and Terry McGee. Perhaps that's all the current market requires.

rh · Post by rh » Mon Jul 09, 2007 2:09 pm

mcdafydd wrote: Are there really that many makers (happily, I should add) producing keyed delrin flutes? The only two that I'm aware of advertising this are M&E and Terry McGee. Perhaps that's all the current market requires.

Desi Seery is another for the list.