I am really interested in getting some ITM tutorials to help me learn. I think that this is the best substitute for actually having a teacher. The two that I am looking at are the madfortrad tutorials and the scoiltrad lessons. I am leaning towards scoiltrad, because you can get send them a recording of your tune, and they'll help you out by email, but they are a bit expensive. At least for me. Has anyone tried both madfortrad and scoiltrad? Do you recomend one over the other? If so, why? If it would really help to get both, I will but it would take longer, due to the extra price. I am looking mainly at the flute lessons and tutorials, but I might do fiddle as well. Are there any other similar products out there that I've missed?
I also wanted to ask everybody who owns, or has played a Casey Burns Folk Flute how they like it. I am going to be buying one within a month, unless someone can convince me that it isn't a good flute. It sure looks good though, and it has been recomended to me by people I trust. It will be my first flute, which is why I am so interested in the tutorials. If anyone can think of anything that might help me with my flute learning, please let me know.
Max, I bought a folk flute from Casey Burns back in December of last year and must say,
for the price you cant go wrong. This was and is my first experence with a wooden flute.
Im very happy with it and plan to keep it for a few years till i uprade to a much nicer one
from Casey. I would recommend the folk flute to anyone.
Yes, the price is part of what makes it look good for me. I was looking at other beginner flutes, and some of them are quite a bit more expensive. Casey even said that he could give me a discount on a slightly damaged flute. He said that it would just look imperfect, it wouldn't effect the playing.
I own two Casey Burns flutes, one of which has a brass-lined head joint and tuning slide. The second one is the one I recommend. Casey's flutes play in good tune, and they play strongly, so you can be heard above the fiddlers. I have played a lot of flutes over 20 years, and have never found one I liked better. Or even as well.
Hey Max, at $40 USD, Grey Larsen's book (The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle) is a bargain and an excellent resource, particularly if you're not able to get face-to-face lessons in you area. The book comes with 2 cds of Grey playing exercises and tunes from the book.
Wow, what timing, Max. I just this week received the Folk Flute as a gift and, with no prior flute experience, and not having played any instrument with any seriousness for decades, I am setting out to learn.
Can't really comment on how the flute sounds, as I am just beginning, concentrating on the hold and proper mouth position. The sounds that have come out so far have me excited for its (and my) possibilities. And the flute looks and feels great, too.
I was also given Grey Larsen's book, which is extremely helpful. What I haven't found in it yet are "instant gratification" tunes, but perhaps they are there in the sections on technique.
The only concern I have about the flute so far (other than justifying the gift by getting "good" at playing it) is that it appears untunable by mechanical means (a slide, if I remember the part name correctly). I'm a long way from playing with others, but would rather not be out of tune by default. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
I noticed that Casey sells it as an option with his Folk Flutes. I was planning on buying it when I bought my flute. I looked at some of the samples for the book on Grey's site, and it looks really great. About how many tunes are on the CD? Does he play them fast, or does he slow them down? Or both?
Haven't got to the CD's yet, but there are two and I think they're both loaded. I've been reading about the Amazing Slow Downer software; that could come in handy for these and other disks.
Scott - I've spoken with Casey about his slideless flutes, and he makes the tenon long enough to tune with...so you really don't need a slide unless you're playing with someone with an ancient out of tune accordion or something.
Thanks, Eric. He makes some reference to that on his fact sheet, now that you mention it. I guess I didn't realize it would be enough. So I'll be fine if I avoid those ancient out of tune accordians.
Yep, the tenon is long enough to tune with any reasonably pitched instrument.
Max, there are 36 complete tunes on CD #2, many played on whistle, most at a moderate tempo. You get snippets of lots of other tunes through the other tracks (there are 98 tracks on each cd, most are short examples of techniques.
If you want your book to lay flat, you can take it to a Kinko's...I think they may only be in the U.S. They will cut off the binding and spiral bind it for you. I don't know the cost, but my fiddle teacher told me about the service after my Matt Cranitch book didn't seem to want to lay very flat.
Thanks to everyone above, I ordered Grey's book last night directly from his own webpage. I was surprised when he emailed me back, I replied, and we had a nice little email chat. Nice guy, modest, too.
The nice thing about ITM is that the tunes are generally simple enough that gratification is, if not instant, pretty quick.
If you are just beginning, try learning tunes on the whistle first, then using the flute when you have the fingering down. A whistle doesn't require the embouchure control that a flute does.
If your music reading is shaky, try using my pennywhistle font to notate them. Scan the page from Grey's book as an image, then use the font to add the fingering. That and an ABC player (or Grey's CDs) to hear the tune, and you'll be on your way with any tune you want. Font and other goodies (non-commercial site) are at: http://members.shaw.ca/dabooks/music
Tutorial & Folk Flute
Tutorial & Folk Flute
Hi Folks
I am really interested in getting some ITM tutorials to help me learn. I think that this is the best substitute for actually having a teacher. The two that I am looking at are the madfortrad tutorials and the scoiltrad lessons. I am leaning towards scoiltrad, because you can get send them a recording of your tune, and they'll help you out by email, but they are a bit expensive. At least for me. Has anyone tried both madfortrad and scoiltrad? Do you recomend one over the other? If so, why? If it would really help to get both, I will but it would take longer, due to the extra price. I am looking mainly at the flute lessons and tutorials, but I might do fiddle as well. Are there any other similar products out there that I've missed?
I also wanted to ask everybody who owns, or has played a Casey Burns Folk Flute how they like it. I am going to be buying one within a month, unless someone can convince me that it isn't a good flute. It sure looks good though, and it has been recomended to me by people I trust. It will be my first flute, which is why I am so interested in the tutorials. If anyone can think of anything that might help me with my flute learning, please let me know.
Thanks!
-Max
# Posted on May 26th 2004 by Max Becher
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Max, I bought a folk flute from Casey Burns back in December of last year and must say,
for the price you cant go wrong. This was and is my first experence with a wooden flute.
Im very happy with it and plan to keep it for a few years till i uprade to a much nicer one
from Casey. I would recommend the folk flute to anyone.
Brad
# Posted on May 26th 2004 by Ani Trec-Noc
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Yes, the price is part of what makes it look good for me. I was looking at other beginner flutes, and some of them are quite a bit more expensive. Casey even said that he could give me a discount on a slightly damaged flute. He said that it would just look imperfect, it wouldn't effect the playing.
-Max
# Posted on May 26th 2004 by Max Becher
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
I own two Casey Burns flutes, one of which has a brass-lined head joint and tuning slide. The second one is the one I recommend. Casey's flutes play in good tune, and they play strongly, so you can be heard above the fiddlers. I have played a lot of flutes over 20 years, and have never found one I liked better. Or even as well.
# Posted on May 27th 2004 by Ailin
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Hey Max, at $40 USD, Grey Larsen's book (The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle) is a bargain and an excellent resource, particularly if you're not able to get face-to-face lessons in you area. The book comes with 2 cds of Grey playing exercises and tunes from the book.
# Posted on May 27th 2004 by Will Harmon
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Wow, what timing, Max. I just this week received the Folk Flute as a gift and, with no prior flute experience, and not having played any instrument with any seriousness for decades, I am setting out to learn.
Can't really comment on how the flute sounds, as I am just beginning, concentrating on the hold and proper mouth position. The sounds that have come out so far have me excited for its (and my) possibilities. And the flute looks and feels great, too.
I was also given Grey Larsen's book, which is extremely helpful. What I haven't found in it yet are "instant gratification" tunes, but perhaps they are there in the sections on technique.
The only concern I have about the flute so far (other than justifying the gift by getting "good" at playing it) is that it appears untunable by mechanical means (a slide, if I remember the part name correctly). I'm a long way from playing with others, but would rather not be out of tune by default. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
# Posted on May 27th 2004 by scott.r
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
I noticed that Casey sells it as an option with his Folk Flutes. I was planning on buying it when I bought my flute. I looked at some of the samples for the book on Grey's site, and it looks really great. About how many tunes are on the CD? Does he play them fast, or does he slow them down? Or both?
Thanks!
-Max
-Max
# Posted on May 27th 2004 by Max Becher
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Darn! I hate it when I sign twice!
That wasn't intentional.
-Max
-Max
-Max
# Posted on May 27th 2004 by Max Becher
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Haven't got to the CD's yet, but there are two and I think they're both loaded. I've been reading about the Amazing Slow Downer software; that could come in handy for these and other disks.
Scott
# Posted on May 27th 2004 by scott.r
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Scott - I've spoken with Casey about his slideless flutes, and he makes the tenon long enough to tune with...so you really don't need a slide unless you're playing with someone with an ancient out of tune accordion or something.
Eric
# Posted on May 27th 2004 by Jayhawk
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Do the CDs come with the book, or do you have to buy them seperately?
-Max
# Posted on May 27th 2004 by Max Becher
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Thanks, Eric. He makes some reference to that on his fact sheet, now that you mention it. I guess I didn't realize it would be enough. So I'll be fine if I avoid those ancient out of tune accordians.
Scott
# Posted on May 27th 2004 by scott.r
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Max, the CDs are in sleeves on the back cover of the book. Sadly, the book itself doesn't lie flat, with its perfect binding.
Scott
# Posted on May 27th 2004 by scott.r
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Yep, the tenon is long enough to tune with any reasonably pitched instrument.
Max, there are 36 complete tunes on CD #2, many played on whistle, most at a moderate tempo. You get snippets of lots of other tunes through the other tracks (there are 98 tracks on each cd, most are short examples of techniques.
# Posted on May 27th 2004 by Will Harmon
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
If you want your book to lay flat, you can take it to a Kinko's...I think they may only be in the U.S. They will cut off the binding and spiral bind it for you. I don't know the cost, but my fiddle teacher told me about the service after my Matt Cranitch book didn't seem to want to lay very flat.
# Posted on May 28th 2004 by autumn
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Good tip, autumn. I'll do it.
Scott
# Posted on May 28th 2004 by scott.r
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Thanks to everyone above, I ordered Grey's book last night directly from his own webpage. I was surprised when he emailed me back, I replied, and we had a nice little email chat. Nice guy, modest, too.
Eric
# Posted on May 28th 2004 by Jayhawk
Re: Tutorial & Folk Flute
Howdy Max,
The nice thing about ITM is that the tunes are generally simple enough that gratification is, if not instant, pretty quick.
If you are just beginning, try learning tunes on the whistle first, then using the flute when you have the fingering down. A whistle doesn't require the embouchure control that a flute does.
If your music reading is shaky, try using my pennywhistle font to notate them. Scan the page from Grey's book as an image, then use the font to add the fingering. That and an ABC player (or Grey's CDs) to hear the tune, and you'll be on your way with any tune you want. Font and other goodies (non-commercial site) are at:
http://members.shaw.ca/dabooks/music
David
# Posted on May 30th 2004 by Dabooks