Bamboo flutes and playing in tune

[Puffer432]

I enjoy playing (hacking on) bamboo flutes on my own but I wonder about the level of difficulty in playing in tune with others. Assuming a good quality bamboo flute at concert pitch, how good does one have to be adjust to conditions through control of embouchure etc.? Is this only for advanced musicians? Thanks in advance.

[cavefish]

if it is tune , it is in tune- i used to make many bamboo flutes--one out of three turned out decent--i had thick walled, i hear Florida has good stuff--------there are many types of bamboo, and wall thicknesses -------- eric the flute maker sells many types, I think he guarantees them too--they are not that expensive either- there are also some good bansuri flutes out there-----it all depends on what your want---Patrick Olwell bamboo flutes roll through here and Ebay-----

the thing with bamboo, they are either good or bad, the really good ones are hard to find-------thin walled bamboo is the best------i dont feel it has the reedy sound I look for though-----Manose Newa is Amazing on the bansuri------ but he is a master------ he can make bamboo sing, he can pull way into the third octave---Clear------------he probably makes his own and has access to good bamboo

[JayDoc]

I have a bamboo flute from Billy Miller at windwoodflutes dot com, and I think it sounds great, and though of course not tuneable seems to be pretty in tune. It has that great low D sound, better than some of my (admittedly not top of the line) wooden flutes. The holes are a little bit of a stretch, but it's worth it for the tonality. He's a player and a nice guy too (I have no commercial interest at all).
Cavefish--those flutes you posted pics of are beautiful. Did you make them or did they come from Eric the flutemaker or someone else?
I have some Bansijeff bansuri that are very nice too.
All of these are pretty reasonably priced, compared to good wood (or even good non-wood) flutes.
Best,
Jaydoc

[cavefish]

i made them a few years ago ------ as far a bamboo flutes go , if Your happy with them ---- thats the Answer---- check out manose newa-----lifescapes bamboo flute- i got it at target a few years ago-------Oh man awsome

[pflipp]

I guess part of Puffer432's question was: what if the flute heats up during play?

I play my current (wooden) flute completely "in" when I start playing, but I have to pull it out 0,5-1cm during rehearsal to stay (kind of) in tune with the rest of the group. On a bamboo flute, you have only your embouchure to adapt. How does this work in people's experiences?

Another question (of mine this time): are bamboo flutes as loud as the wood stuff? I want to be heard over the squeezebox (currently only having a French flute), and I wonder if either Fred Rose (wood) or Billy Miller (bamboo) can help me with that.

[chas]

The two most direct ways to affect the tuning are the angle of attack and the amount you cover the embouchure hole. The easiest way on the fly is the angle of attack -- roll the flute out or raise the angle of the airstream to sharpen the note. To compensate for slow variations in tuning, such as the flute warming up, cover less of the embouchure hole to sharpen (this will affect the tone more). Blowing harder also tends to sharpen the note, but this really affects the tone unless you have a lot of control.

Pflipp, my experience is only with Olwell bamboo flutes, but they're capable of plenty of volume. I'm not sure they're intrinsically louder than your flute, though.