My surprising thoughts on the Casey Burns Folk Flute

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Fri May 07, 2004 11:06 am

I just got one yesterday, second-hand, from someone on the board. I am both surprised and delighted. This is, by a long shot, the finest beginner flute available. It out-sings all the others by many degrees. Years ago, someone I knew referred to his Casey Burns flute as a "tree branch." I had seen them, and they had looked rather thick-walled compared to other flutes, and when I posted on the board that I had heard one referred to that way, I got hammered, clobbered, attacked. Hmph. The flute looks a bit thick, but not unattractive. The embouchure hole looks strange (an almost-round hole with sanding at the sides, to taper it. I thought it would sound unfocused, as I have been playing Olwells and the like for years, but after a short lip adjustment period (about 4 minutes), I was (and am) outright amazed at what comes out of it, and how it feels. It is very different from an Olwell flute. Olwells have the classic reedy Olwell tone and basically play themselves. The thick wall of the embouchure hole makes this flute very resistant...I mean it feels as if it pushes back at me when I am blowing into it. The tone is superb! All the notes sing strongly and beautifully. The purity is remarkable. The second octave is rich, focused and sweet, perhaps more than on any other simple system flute I have played. This is shocking to me, but is, nevertheless, true. The cross-fingered (OXOXXX) C natural is THE STRONGEST (sounds just like its surrounding notes) I have encountered on any flute. I have spent a happy day with it so far and I can say that this flute makes me feel like a flute player...I get lazy on the Olwells and the like. When I play this one, it feels like, I don't know...a relationship. I am smitten. I don't know how a beginner would sound or feel on this, but I have no doubt that it would grow with you. Remember, though: because of the thickness of the embouchure hole, it DOES require a different embouchure than Olwells and the like. I want to mention that the Grey Larsen recording doesn't do this flute justice. I know Grey is a great player, so it must be the compression that takes away the center of the tone. This is a seriously good flute, by any standard.

Hoovorff · Post by **Hoovorff** » Fri May 07, 2004 11:13 am

Jessie,

I agree with you that Casey Burns makes a fine flute! It's good to see him getting recognition for his craftsmanship. I have one of his Boxwood Rudall flutes, and played one of the folk flutes (on loan) while waiting for my flute. Both were superb instruments with great tone. They also respond quickly to ornamentation.

Jeanie

TheGrixxly · Post by **TheGrixxly** » Fri May 07, 2004 11:46 am

Jessie,

Great post. I posted earlier that I should have never sold my folk flute and your post is exactly why... I'm expecting a Burns Boxwood Rudall some time this month so maybe that will make me feel better. I may end up buying another folk flute just because they are great instruments. In my beginner opinion Casey is extremely under-rated...

Cheers,
Tony

AKA Grixxly

bruceb · Post by **bruceb** » Fri May 07, 2004 3:34 pm

Jessie wrote.....
>>Years ago, someone I knew referred to his Casey Burns flute as a "tree branch." I had seen them, and they had looked rather thick-walled compared to other flutes, and when I posted on the board that I had heard one referred to that way, I got hammered, clobbered, attacked.<<

That would have been me. At the time I had a mopane CB flute (this was way before the CB Folk Flute) that played really well. It sounded great and was very responsive. I ended up selling it & moved on to more expensive flutes, but I always missed the CB. Due to a cash flow problem I recently sold all my flutes and ordered a CB Folk Flute just to have something to play with as I've been much more into the concertina. The Folk Flute arrived the other day and just blew me away. It's a seriously great flute! Mine is amazing in the lower octave, it has one of the strongest low D notes I've heard from any flute. It responds really well to finger articulations, rolls sound very crisp. The tone is wonderful. I'd say it's kind of warm & woody, but powerful & complex too. More on the pure than reedy side. I've always liked playing CB's flutes, maybe it's the resistance that Jessie mentions that I like, but something about them just feels good to me. I find them a very easy flute to play, in terms of blowing, but even more so the easy finger stretch. They feel very comfortable in my hands. I happen to like the thicker walls, makes the flute feel substantial. If you like simple lines (which I do) you'll love how this flute looks. Mopane is very pretty and when it ages and darkens it looks even better. Mine has a lighter patch of wood on one side that looks cool. This is an excellent flute at any price.

Jessie, I'm sorry for ripping into you for saying CB flutes were tree branches, but I did like the flute a lot and that seemed very unfair. Good luck with the baby, my kids are 19 & almost 15.
bruce boysen

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Fri May 07, 2004 3:47 pm

I like trees.

Dana · Post by **Dana** » Fri May 07, 2004 3:59 pm

I'm anxiously awaiting a Burns R & R puny-hands model. Casey's a great guy to work with. I'm thrilled that someone out there is making flutes for those of us with size-challenged hands. Someone help me figure out a way to wait till the end of next week, I should have it by then!

Dana

bruceb · Post by **bruceb** » Fri May 07, 2004 5:36 pm

>>I like trees.
_________________
~JessieD<<

Good one! Me too.
bruce

IDAwHOa · Post by **IDAwHOa** » Fri May 07, 2004 8:40 pm

If we didn't have trees, where would we get all these great instruments from?

Regarding the low d. The first time I hit the low d JUST RIGHT on my wifes fold flute I almost jumped out of my sking. It actually vibrated my chest and surpised me a lot. I was used to the low d's on my whistles which are great in and of themselves. This though was a great and intoxicating (dare I say addictive?) feeling.

Once I can pry the thing out of my wifes hands I will be giving it a more serious go, for sure.

Berti66 · Post by **Berti66** » Fri May 07, 2004 10:41 pm

if we didn't have trees, there would be no life at all

berti

curious after the CB folk and when I succeed learning to blow then will get one myself later.

toddyboy50 · Post by **toddyboy50** » Tue May 11, 2004 8:27 am

Howdy.... does anyone have experience to compare the Burns folk flute with either a 3 piece Dixon or bamboo Olwell as far as tone and volume? Thanks for any thoughts - Tod

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Tue May 11, 2004 8:34 am

I don't know how much this will tell you but you can hear Grey Larsen playing a folk flute on his web site. Look under flutes.

http://www.greylarsen.com/

Steve

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Tue May 11, 2004 9:41 am

SteveK wrote:I don't know how much this will tell you but you can hear Grey Larsen playing a folk flute on his web site. Look under flutes.

http://www.greylarsen.com/

Well, as I mentioned in my review,

the Grey Larsen recording doesn't do this flute justice. I know Grey is a great player, so it must be the compression that takes away the center of the tone.

The sound in Grey's recording (on Casey's site) is not the sound of the potential of this flute. Nor is the tuning (off-key last note). I suppose that was a stylistic choice on Grey's part.

TheGrixxly · Post by **TheGrixxly** » Tue May 11, 2004 10:00 am

Jessie,

I'd be interested in hearing more, if you wouldn't mind. I really miss mine... I gather that you'll be giving it more playing time than you might have anticipated?

On a side note, I'm getting very anxious. I received and email from Casey on Sunday that he was in the final stages of voicing/tuning my Boxwood Rudall model, and that he anticipates shipping near the end of this week. Then I think I'll be down to only needing a few more instruments... An Olwell and an Abell whistle.

Cheers,
Tony

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Tue May 11, 2004 10:53 am

TheGrixxly wrote:Jessie,

I'd be interested in hearing more, if you wouldn't mind.

Sure. What do you want to hear? I have been playing this flute exclusively since I got it. It FEELS good to play. I am going to order a curly boxwood all-wood 5-key flute from Casey. I just have to decide which model to go with.

Berti66 · Post by **Berti66** » Tue May 11, 2004 11:05 am

what is curly boxwood? will that give curled flutes? how original

good to see you are having fun jessie!

berti