I've been playing with a D-whistle for a bit (I mostly play mandolin) and would like to try a flute. My daughter may take it up at some point (see earlier post) but she seems a bit ambivalent. So this is for me.
Really great site for learning all about flutes. But they stop short of suggesting THIS flute versus THAT one, as it were. So I've come here for some opinions.
I'd like to get a "starter" flute and not pay a lot of money. Do the many Lark bamboo flutes starting at ~$70USD give you a feel at all as to what it's like to play a really nice African Blackwood (or whatever) Irish Flute?
I'm not very interested in a keyed flute at this point. Here is one I've considered:
I think that bamboo flute is Indian or Pakistani, not Irish. Some members of this site would rather recommend Casey Burns folk flute: http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/ff.php
I think a plastic flute would be a better bet, as they are more similar to blackwood flutes than bamboo is. I'm sure some of the members here could advise you of the better ones. Or look on the flute forum at http://www.chiffandfipple.com/
Good luck!
Mark
also try www.woodenflute.com
i also think for starters, you might better go for a "plastic" polymer flute. a lot of them are pretty good, and you do get a pretty good "woodenflute" feeling. better then the bamboo ones ...
make sure it's tunable though, ans if possible, have someone that already plays flute to try it out for you. ask for his/her advice.
good luck.
mm
Doug Tipple's PVC Flutes he sells them on ebay and has a website I can't remeber the link. Doug's Flutes are great this would be perfect for you it is not too expensive and it is a great atarter Flute and also if/when you decide you want a real wood Flute you can use this as something to play outside and when you are afraide something bad will happen to your wooden Flute. I own one so don't think I am just talking about something I have no idea about I have tried 3 Flutes under $100 one was a Hall Crystal which was very hard to play and one was a Folkwinds (ebay) which sounded horrible but Doug's don't have these flaws I think the 2 piece is about $70 you will not find any thing better for that much. Olwell Bamboo Flutes have been well recieved but have a long waiting list at times I still say go with Doug's.
Also, I am very fond of my Sweetheart Flute in D (non-keyed, but tunable). Here's the link: http://www.sweetheartflute.com/irishflutes.html. I'm sorry to say I don't play it very much anymore since I got my 8-key blackwood, but I considered it a very good beginner flute.
I just got my first flute from Doug Tipple. He's a great guy, and you'll have your flute within a week! I'm a fife player, so I have a hard time with the stretch -- note it's made out of non-standard PVC, so it's a cylindrical bore, which, compared to a traditional conical bore makes the right hand stretch a bit uncomfortable, but he makes flutes with offset holes as well for smaller hands.
Also, I recommend the "dimpled" bore PVC if he still has some. Read up on what that does on his site.
Here's the link to his site:http://home.earthlink.net/~life2all/dougswebspace/
And BTW, I've been playing mine for only 2 weeks now, and I've already session-tested it. It gets funny looks from the players, but a couple of experience players tested it out and were pleasantly surprised. Good luck!
Hmmmm.... i am going to go with the Olwell bamboos... NOT mind you cos they will roar out with that deep wood-flute sound, they won't... they are very good thick bamboo and really well voiced.... good for choons with a nice tone, they will also give you really good practice at focussing your embochure and, should you switch to a good wood or polymer later on you will, perhaps anyway, have an easy time getting your chops together....
I have a Sam Murray keyless which was finished by Chris Wilkes; it takes some really big air to get it roarin' but it is totally worth it once ya do....
I want to get Olwell bamboo flute someday, but as said above, we need to wait for long to get one. Sam Murray flute should be great, but is it really suitable for a starter? Tony Dixon plastic flute-whistle is cheap but certainly not the best. I once tried T. Dixon wooden flute, which had quite good tones.
Tony Dixon has a range of polymer flutes. I have a one-piece one that I think cost less than 40 bucks (US)--while it played remarkably well for the price, and was a pretty nice starter instrument, it helped me realize that, although I like playing the whistle, the flute is not for me.
Al Brown
If you've got a friend who plays flute already, it might also be worth checking out antique shops and stuff like that, as thats where I got my flute. I don't know who made it, but it has a great sound and is fairly easy to play, and only cost £100, 'cause the owner of the shop had just got some guys flute collection (there were about 30), but didn't know much about flutes and therefore was selling them quite cheaply.
The one disadvantage of doing this though is that it may take a loooong time to find one.
Casey Burns from Seattle Washington....his keyless folk flute in mopane wood...............around $275 .................I own this flute and for the $$, it can't be beat
Seerys are good flutes for the money and not being wood. Not really good starter flutes though. I've played flute for six years, but after a 3 month hiatus from flute playing, the Seery is tough. I can still get great tone out of it, can't make it through a set anymore! Seerys require a really good, muscular embouchure which takes time to develop. Kind of what Matt Molloy said about the original Pratten flutes. He said his Olwell is so easy to play compared to his original Pratten, that he didn't really play the Olwell much for a long time because he was afraid it would make him lazy and reduce his chops on the harder flute.
Irish flutes seems to be the topic here. But if interested in concert quality bamboo flutes, you might want to checkout my flutes at http://www.anubodh.com/
All of my flutes are
*Tuned to Western Major scale (unless made against special order) and are favored by leading Indian classical musicians and many western musicians.
*Built in U.S.A. with special-grade seasoned Bamboo from India.
*Perfectly tuned to concert pitch.
*Provided with 7th tone hole for better tonality in higher registers and extended range of playing.
*Tuned to reference pitch A440 normally or as per customer specification.
*Built in tonic pitch [Sa] B bass 247Hz (Key 'C#') to D# treble 1245Hz (Key 'A#') , in 29 sizes according to pitch (in length from 36inches to 10 inches approx.).
*Each bansuri uniquely handcrafted, hand finished and stringed in detail.
Hi Folks!
I alwas played expensive flutes made by great makers as hammy Hamilton and Teery Mcgee, and about one years ago I bought a beautifiull 8 keys cocus flute made by Thomas Aebi.
Just for curiosity and also because I like have a flute or a whistle always with me in my bag, I ordered a PVC flute from Doug Tipple.
It has arrived few days ago, and I still can't believe a plastic flute can play so good.
It has good Tone and Intonation and the volume is Terrific.
If you are for a plastic flute, don't spend a lot for a Seey or a M&E, buy a Tipple flute with 55 - 70 $ and be happy.
Starter Flute
Starter Flute
I've been playing with a D-whistle for a bit (I mostly play mandolin) and would like to try a flute. My daughter may take it up at some point (see earlier post) but she seems a bit ambivalent. So this is for me.
I've spent a fair bit of time on this site:
http://www.firescribble.net/flute/index.html
Really great site for learning all about flutes. But they stop short of suggesting THIS flute versus THAT one, as it were. So I've come here for some opinions.
I'd like to get a "starter" flute and not pay a lot of money. Do the many Lark bamboo flutes starting at ~$70USD give you a feel at all as to what it's like to play a really nice African Blackwood (or whatever) Irish Flute?
I'm not very interested in a keyed flute at this point. Here is one I've considered:
http://tinyurl.com/7ynqx
Has anyone played it? Can anyone suggest a better starter?
Thanks all!
Keyton
# Posted on January 17th 2005 by keytonw
Re: Starter Flute
I think that bamboo flute is Indian or Pakistani, not Irish. Some members of this site would rather recommend Casey Burns folk flute: http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/ff.php
# Posted on January 17th 2005 by slainte
Re: Starter Flute
I think a plastic flute would be a better bet, as they are more similar to blackwood flutes than bamboo is. I'm sure some of the members here could advise you of the better ones. Or look on the flute forum at http://www.chiffandfipple.com/
Good luck!
Mark
# Posted on January 17th 2005 by Ottery
Re: Starter Flute
also try www.woodenflute.com
i also think for starters, you might better go for a "plastic" polymer flute. a lot of them are pretty good, and you do get a pretty good "woodenflute" feeling. better then the bamboo ones ...
make sure it's tunable though, ans if possible, have someone that already plays flute to try it out for you. ask for his/her advice.
good luck.
mm
# Posted on January 17th 2005 by MM
Re: Starter Flute
Doug Tipple's PVC Flutes he sells them on ebay and has a website I can't remeber the link. Doug's Flutes are great this would be perfect for you it is not too expensive and it is a great atarter Flute and also if/when you decide you want a real wood Flute you can use this as something to play outside and when you are afraide something bad will happen to your wooden Flute. I own one so don't think I am just talking about something I have no idea about I have tried 3 Flutes under $100 one was a Hall Crystal which was very hard to play and one was a Folkwinds (ebay) which sounded horrible but Doug's don't have these flaws I think the 2 piece is about $70 you will not find any thing better for that much. Olwell Bamboo Flutes have been well recieved but have a long waiting list at times I still say go with Doug's.
# Posted on January 17th 2005 by Why Bother?
Re: Starter Flute
I would definitely steer clear of the Pakistani flutes.
I know Patrick Olwell makes very decent bamboo flutes. Here's the discussion with Dale Wisely of Chiff & Fipple fame http://www.chiffandfipple.com/olwell.htm
Also, I am very fond of my Sweetheart Flute in D (non-keyed, but tunable). Here's the link: http://www.sweetheartflute.com/irishflutes.html. I'm sorry to say I don't play it very much anymore since I got my 8-key blackwood, but I considered it a very good beginner flute.
# Posted on January 17th 2005 by dumpingsirkey
Re: Starter Flute
Check out this thread on a new flute maker:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/4429
# Posted on January 17th 2005 by brianc
Get a Tipple!
I just got my first flute from Doug Tipple. He's a great guy, and you'll have your flute within a week! I'm a fife player, so I have a hard time with the stretch -- note it's made out of non-standard PVC, so it's a cylindrical bore, which, compared to a traditional conical bore makes the right hand stretch a bit uncomfortable, but he makes flutes with offset holes as well for smaller hands.
Also, I recommend the "dimpled" bore PVC if he still has some. Read up on what that does on his site.
Here's the link to his site:http://home.earthlink.net/~life2all/dougswebspace/
And BTW, I've been playing mine for only 2 weeks now, and I've already session-tested it. It gets funny looks from the players, but a couple of experience players tested it out and were pleasantly surprised. Good luck!
# Posted on January 17th 2005 by FyfferGuy
Re: Starter Flute
I think the hand strech is fine but then again I were a size 12 1/2 ring.
# Posted on January 18th 2005 by Why Bother?
Re: Starter Flute
Doug Tipple's flutes look very attractive to me. I want to try them.
# Posted on January 18th 2005 by slainte
Re: Starter Flute
Hmmmm.... i am going to go with the Olwell bamboos... NOT mind you cos they will roar out with that deep wood-flute sound, they won't... they are very good thick bamboo and really well voiced.... good for choons with a nice tone, they will also give you really good practice at focussing your embochure and, should you switch to a good wood or polymer later on you will, perhaps anyway, have an easy time getting your chops together....
I have a Sam Murray keyless which was finished by Chris Wilkes; it takes some really big air to get it roarin' but it is totally worth it once ya do....
Good Luck!!
# Posted on January 18th 2005 by bestcraic
Re: Starter Flute
Just got a Tony Dixon plastic D-flute. Cheap and good.
# Posted on January 18th 2005 by snorre
Re: Starter Flute
I want to get Olwell bamboo flute someday, but as said above, we need to wait for long to get one. Sam Murray flute should be great, but is it really suitable for a starter? Tony Dixon plastic flute-whistle is cheap but certainly not the best. I once tried T. Dixon wooden flute, which had quite good tones.
# Posted on January 18th 2005 by slainte
Re: Starter Flute
Tony Dixon has a range of polymer flutes. I have a one-piece one that I think cost less than 40 bucks (US)--while it played remarkably well for the price, and was a pretty nice starter instrument, it helped me realize that, although I like playing the whistle, the flute is not for me.
Al Brown
# Posted on January 18th 2005 by AlBrown
Re: Starter Flute
If you've got a friend who plays flute already, it might also be worth checking out antique shops and stuff like that, as thats where I got my flute. I don't know who made it, but it has a great sound and is fairly easy to play, and only cost £100, 'cause the owner of the shop had just got some guys flute collection (there were about 30), but didn't know much about flutes and therefore was selling them quite cheaply.
The one disadvantage of doing this though is that it may take a loooong time to find one.
Good luck with whatever you choose though.
Anders
# Posted on January 18th 2005 by To-Tretur
Re: Starter Flute
I got a Seery polymer (delrin) flute some years back through Keven Krell. He is still importing them (www.worldtrad.org/Seery)
I like mine a lot. Great tone, good low bark, and almost as important, from across the room no one will know that it's not a "real" wooden flute.
# Posted on January 19th 2005 by thomdecarlo
Re: Starter Flute
Casey Burns from Seattle Washington....his keyless folk flute in mopane wood...............around $275 .................I own this flute and for the $$, it can't be beat
# Posted on January 19th 2005 by ecologia
Re: Starter Flute
Seerys are good flutes for the money and not being wood. Not really good starter flutes though. I've played flute for six years, but after a 3 month hiatus from flute playing, the Seery is tough. I can still get great tone out of it, can't make it through a set anymore! Seerys require a really good, muscular embouchure which takes time to develop. Kind of what Matt Molloy said about the original Pratten flutes. He said his Olwell is so easy to play compared to his original Pratten, that he didn't really play the Olwell much for a long time because he was afraid it would make him lazy and reduce his chops on the harder flute.
# Posted on January 21st 2005 by meemtp
Concert Quality Bamboo Bansuri Flutes
Irish flutes seems to be the topic here. But if interested in concert quality bamboo flutes, you might want to checkout my flutes at http://www.anubodh.com/
All of my flutes are
*Tuned to Western Major scale (unless made against special order) and are favored by leading Indian classical musicians and many western musicians.
*Built in U.S.A. with special-grade seasoned Bamboo from India.
*Perfectly tuned to concert pitch.
*Provided with 7th tone hole for better tonality in higher registers and extended range of playing.
*Tuned to reference pitch A440 normally or as per customer specification.
*Built in tonic pitch [Sa] B bass 247Hz (Key 'C#') to D# treble 1245Hz (Key 'A#') , in 29 sizes according to pitch (in length from 36inches to 10 inches approx.).
*Each bansuri uniquely handcrafted, hand finished and stringed in detail.
# Posted on February 10th 2005 by anubodhp
Doug Tipple Flute
Hi Folks!
I alwas played expensive flutes made by great makers as hammy Hamilton and Teery Mcgee, and about one years ago I bought a beautifiull 8 keys cocus flute made by Thomas Aebi.
Just for curiosity and also because I like have a flute or a whistle always with me in my bag, I ordered a PVC flute from Doug Tipple.
It has arrived few days ago, and I still can't believe a plastic flute can play so good.
It has good Tone and Intonation and the volume is Terrific.
If you are for a plastic flute, don't spend a lot for a Seey or a M&E, buy a Tipple flute with 55 - 70 $ and be happy.
gian marco has spoken
# Posted on March 27th 2005 by gian marco