Casey Burns or Terry McGee?

[sbfluter]

I already sent Valerie a PM, but the gist of what I said was that the folk flute differs from the more professional models in that it can't be upgraded with keys and has no tuning slide. The tuning slide is necessary for playing with others.

I take my folk flute to the session and it's in tune enough most of the time. But the fiddle players have a tendency to go sharp after a while and the only thing pulling out the tenon will do is go flatter.

Has anybody tried the new boxwood folk flute? Mine's the mopani one. I'm curious how the boxwood feels and sounds. Must be extremely light.

[Craig Stuntz]

I take my folk flute to the session and it's in tune enough most of the time. But the fiddle players have a tendency to go sharp after a while and the only thing pulling out the tenon will do is go flatter.

My folk flute is in tune with the tenon not pushed all the way in, so I can go sharper if I need to. I understand that they are designed this way. I don't think it's fair to say that the folk flute generally can't be played with others, although it's possible that yours is an exception.

[dow]

In answer to your question, Burns or McGee, my answer would be a resounding yes!

They're both great makers, although their methods differ somewhat. I have a McGee GLP, and had a Burns Folk flute before the McGee. I should probably add that my McGee is his MDT design, and has no tuning slide. Both have longer than normal tenons where the head connects, and as such are completely tunable for most situations. Both were in tune for me with the head pulled about 1/4."

As far as keywork is concerned, Casey Burns will not put keys or a tuning slide on the folk flute, so if you want to add keys later, you'll have to get one of his regular flutes. On his regular flutes, he uses post-mounted keys, so adding keys shouldn't be a problem for him, although you'll be without your flute while he does the work. Terry uses block-mounted keys, so f you want to add keys to one of his flutes, then he'll make a new body for the flute with the blocks in place and put keys on that. Then you can either trade in the keyless body or keep it and buy the keyed body to go along with what you have. (I believe that this is still the case... Terry?)

From Terry you can order the MDT design and add a tuning slide later if you want (this is how I ordered my flute, and saved $400). I asked him last year what it would cost to add a tuning slide to my existing flute, and he said, you guessed it, $400. My guess (and it's only that, you'll have to ask) is that Casey has some similar policy.

On your question about flutes for small hands, the folk flute that I had was in the standard configuration, not the "small hands" layout, and the measurements were VERY similar to the GLP that I have now, although the Burns had a little bit of offset in the tone holes, #3 and #6, I believe, while the GLP has the holes in line. Hole size was pretty close as well.

Someone asked about hole measurements on the GLP. These are the measurements on mine. The T designation in the chart is for a C-nat thumbhole.



NOTE: I believe that I took the distance measurements as center-to-center measurements, not edge-to-edge, but it's been a couple of years, so I can't be sure without looking at the flute.

Additionally, here's a chart with the measurements of all of Terry's flutes:


Thanks to whoever gave me the comparison chart... Was that you Jordan?

I hope this helps. Regardless of which maker you end up going with, I'm sure that you'll get a first rate flute.

Good luck!
dow

[LorenzoFlute]

thanks dow for posting the measurements, it's a very interesting comparison.

[dow]

You're welcime.

[mahanpots]

In response to the question of Folkflutes, I bought both a regular-sized folkflute and a small-handed folkflute for my children. The flutes are still waiting for them to pick them up play them, so I'm keeping them and maintaining them.

In my opinion, my small-handed folkflute is a bit more difficult to play in tune with other musicians, although I haven't played it that much really. When I put it on a tuner, the E is very sharp and the A is very sharp, and the B is quite sharp, but not as sharp as the A.

Has anyone else experienced this with a small-handed folkflute?

To me, when I compare my regular-sized Folkflute to my Olwell, the fingering spacing is a bit smaller on the folkflute. And then, the spacing is a bit smaller than that on the small-handed folkflute.

I'd recommend the regular-sized folkflute over the small-handed size.

Michael

[sbfluter]

On the hole spacing issue, my small-handed folk flute is actually spaced closer on the right hand than my Generation Bb whistle. So unless the Bb whistle spacing is an issue for you, you probably don't need the small-handed option.

My Casey Burns boxwood rudall copy hole spacing is more normal and I have no problem at all with the reach or hole size. I have a Tipple flute as well and the hole size and spacing are a challenge.

So again, unless your hands really are tiny or don't move very well the normal spacing ought to work just fine.

[david_h]

Last June I started with small-handed folk flute, a totally undeveloped embouchure (about 10 minutes on an indian bamboo flute in C), a not very experienced ear, and an inquiring mind. Maybe some observations from someone who's embouchure had not been 'tuned up' on other flutes may be of use.

I got something out of all the first octave notes fairly easily, but the A was weak and horrible and took a lot of work and I was aware of huge embouchure contortions to get it to sound. But it came up to volume and with tone no worse than the other notes after two or three weeks

Then I got a tuner (and download a tuner for the computer). That first octave A was way sharp. BUT - if I held an A tuning fork up to my ear then blew an A on the flute it was spot on, and the tone was better than when it was sharp. At that point I don't think I was making much in the way of automatic embouchure changes and so could hold my lips the same as I changed my fingers. Doing that the first octave B and A came out almost in tune with one another, but sharp compared to to the C# and G which were also in tune with one another. I tended to blow the very A sharp and the G a bit flat.

Without much practice, watching the tuner, I found I could blow all the notes of both octaves over the range I would need for equal temperament or just tuning. But it was hard work for some notes and when I started playing tunes things rapidly went off. Many hours with a drone on headphones playing simple tunes with my eyes shut but occasionally holding a note and opening them to see what the tuner said got me the stage were the embouchure changes are almost automatic. I can't keep my lips the same and move my fingers any more (either that or the flute has re-tuned itself).

So I am inclined to think that the small-handed Folk Flute tuning is OK and it is quite impressive that people like the tone of it (even when I am playing it !) when some holes (especially the ones that A and E sound through) are so far from where they 'ought' to be.

But I interpret Michael's observations as suggesting that that the intonation profile is a bit idiosyncratic. I wouldn't know but had been wondering that myself and am going to see if I can manage a 'normal-handed' flute.

[kkrell]

In response to the question of Folkflutes, I bought both a regular-sized folkflute and a small-handed folkflute for my children. The flutes are still waiting for them to pick them up play them, so I'm keeping them and maintaining them.

In my opinion, my small-handed folkflute is a bit more difficult to play in tune with other musicians, although I haven't played it that much really. When I put it on a tuner, the E is very sharp and the A is very sharp, and the B is quite sharp, but not as sharp as the A.
Michael

Michael, have you checked whether the head cork is in the correct position?

Kevin Krell