Help me get started, please?

[Anyanka]

I've just acquired a Tony Dixon dual head whistle & flute (low D); I was only after the whistle but happened to get the dual deal via Ebay at bargain basement price. So I thought I might as well have a go at the flute too... I can get a sound out of it, and just about do the scale, but it feels uncomfortable.

I'd be very grateful for advice on posture, things to be mindful of when first practising, and anything else you think I need to know.

[I.D.10-t]

The simple system flute will feel a bit uncomfortable at first, especially the cylindrical ones.

[Denny]

transverse flutes are a bit tricky...

here's a thread on grip viewtopic.php?f=2&t=71457

there's many more but you can at least dig out some of the words to search for...

[Cathy Wilde]

I've played simple-system flute for more than 10 years now and still find the Dixon Duo flute very uncomfortable -- and difficult -- to play. It's also out of tune. I understand this isn't the case with other Dixon instruments, but my Duo flute is pretty much useless. It lives in the back of the car in case some emergency arises; I'm thinking I could use it to hold a road flare or something. In fact, it fell out of the hatch this morning when I was looking for an umbrella and I almost didn't pick it up.

Reducing its leakiness with a strip of electrical tape between the flute head and body might make it easier to blow, but my advice would be to play it as a whistle and get a better flute before you get into a lot of bad habits or pain.

[Anyanka]

Thanks, everyone.
Cathy, can you recommend a beginner's flute? I suspect Low D is not the best to start with anyway...

[jemtheflute]

....can you recommend a beginner's flute? I suspect Low D is not the best to start with anyway...

If you're on a limited budget, Tipple, no question, but yes, stick to "low D" unless you have significant hand-size issues. I agree the Dixon all cylinder thing is a waste of space. As a beginner you want something you know works, that you don't have to fight with beyond the fight with yourself that starting any new instrument involves for most of us!

Then, if you can, get at least a few lessons, even from a modern Bohm system teacher if you can't access an ITM/wooden flute specialist. A good tutor book will help too (again, even a Bohm flute one - just the fingering info won't fit), and so will using the search facility here on C&F for obvious topics.

And if you've never played transverse flutes before, expect to hyperventilate and get dizzy to begin with - we've all been there!

[Anyanka]

Thank you. What do you mean by "all cylinder" - as opposed to what? I've seen lots of flutes (played by other people) but I haven't really paid much attention to the design. I don't mind too much if the Dixon doesn't work as a flute, because I love it as a whistle.

I'm on a very limited budget (shouldn't be buying anything at all, but music makes me happy!) - are Tipples for sale in the UK?

[BigDavy]

Hi Anyanka

There is a Rhiannon bamboo flute being offered on thesession.org that may suit you.

http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/25184

David

[jemtheflute]

Thank you. What do you mean by "all cylinder" - as opposed to what? I'm on a very limited budget (shouldn't be buying anything at all, but music makes me happy!) - are Tipples for sale in the UK?

To play properly in tune between the octaves a transverse flute must have a taper in the body somewhere - either in the head (expanding towards the main body) as in a Bohm flute or in the body (tapering in a truncated cone away from the cylindrical head) as in baroque through to mid C19th simple system flutes (and modern copies thereof). If you make an all cylinder flute like the simplest Dixon thingie, it will be flat in the second octave - and a sa beginner your ear will either learn bad tuning or you will try to correct it ("lip it in") with your embouchure - and then when you get a better instrument you'll find you're blowing the second octave sharp..... or more simply that while using the Dixon you will find the bad tuning annoying if you try to play along with recordings/other folk.......

Re: Tipple flutes - Doug sells worldwide - just Google for him (or go the The Makers List sticky) and browse his website. Doug makes his flutes from cylindrical tubing but simulates a Bohm head taper by supplying a wedge that creates a similar bore reduction and corrects the tuning.

[Anyanka]

Thank you for the explanation - that knowledge should help tremendously.

[talasiga]

....can you recommend a beginner's flute? I suspect Low D is not the best to start with anyway...

If you're on a limited budget, Tipple, no question, but yes, stick to "low D" unless you have significant hand-size issues. I agree the Dixon all cylinder thing is a waste of space. As a beginner you want something you know works, that you don't have to fight with beyond the fight with yourself that starting any new instrument involves for most of us!

Then, if you can, get at least a few lessons, even from a modern Bohm system teacher if you can't access an ITM/wooden flute specialist. A good tutor book will help too (again, even a Bohm flute one - just the fingering info won't fit), and so will using the search facility here on C&F for obvious topics.

I question this advice on these basEs:-

[talasiga]

1. The embouchure cut on a "traditional and concert" Irish flute is unlike Boehm (with lip plate), western (American and European) made bamboo flutes and the Tipple flutes (which tend to be round) , South Asian bamboo flutes (bansuri-s).

2. The embouchure of the Oriental bamboo flute commonly known as "dizi" which tends (consistently) to be elliptical and made with bamboo that is relatively thicker walled than South Asian flute bamboo gives a "cheap" practice embouchure nearest to Irish flute.

2. From my on and off experience over 40 years with a range of different flute types which I still have and play I distil the following:
*bansuri embouchure will inform easy lip lated embouchures of otherwise thin walled instrument(eg Boehm) but not Irish embouchure.
*bansuri embouchure will inform dizi embouchure
*dizi embouchure will inform Irish embouchure
(yes, I accept there is "paper, scissors, rock" thing happening here but this the reality in my experience)
*round embouchure of western bamboo flutes will not inform Irish embouchure
*IMO the Tipple embouchure is as easy (and therefore as difficult to get a virtuosi sound on) as bansuri but the jury is out whether the Tipple is as for the western bamboo immediately above ( I have only played Tipples occasionally in practice leading up to only two concerts that I needed them in last 5 years)

[talasiga]

Therefore (and the summary I give may contradict things I have said in the past) here is my listing of what "cheaper" simple flutes best inform, complement or otherwise do not interfere with the demands of "premium" flutes (whether simple or not):

Oriental dizi >>> concert Irish
South Asian bansuri >>> Boehm
Round mouthole with deep chimney >>> Medieval/Renaissance/Some early Baroque

[BullFighter]

Therefore (and the summary I give may contradict things I have said in the past) here is my listing of what "cheaper" simple flutes best inform, complement or otherwise do not interfere with the demands of "premium" flutes (whether simple or not):

Oriental dizi >>> concert Irish
South Asian bansuri >>> Boehm
Round mouthole with deep chimney >>> Medieval/Renaissance/Some early Baroque

Have you tried the tipple flutes that came with the elliptical embouchure and lip-plate (that makes the chimney deeper) ?

[MarkP]

Therefore (and the summary I give may contradict things I have said in the past) here is my listing of what "cheaper" simple flutes best inform, complement or otherwise do not interfere with the demands of "premium" flutes (whether simple or not):

Oriental dizi >>> concert Irish
South Asian bansuri >>> Boehm
Round mouthole with deep chimney >>> Medieval/Renaissance/Some early Baroque

sorry, I can't see why a beginner would spend money on a dizi just to practice embouchure for ITM, it seems like counter productive advice given that the other elements of the instrument are different and that there's quite a variety of embouchure shapes on old and new simple system flutes used to play Irish music. Maybe I'm misunderstanding.