I'm afraid you hit the nail on the head there. The chances are one will be out ot tune. This is no excuse. It's not easy to play the flute in tune, but it's no excuse. If you have good players, you can have as many flutes as you like.
In my experience, two or more flutes will blend much better than the same number of whistles, boxes, fiddles, and most anything else (except maybe two pints...)
three or more flutes sounds a bit windy to me - which is better than too fiddly.
... which in turn is better than a bit boxy.
... and even that's better than BanJo-axed.
Two flutes often sound worse than three due to the "chorus" effect which kicks in from three upwards. i.e. two flutes almost together sound worse than three flutes almost together, but two flutes actually together sounds even better...
A flute and a whistle slightly out of tune bite each other badly too.
I love the sound of, and being part of a session which has, 3 or upwards of flutes. I've been in sessions now and then with 6 or more flutes and the sound is heavenly.
If what you're saying is due to one or more flute being out of tune, then the same applies as to any instrument - tune the feckin thing.
Well you probably know what i going to say! too many ornaments, not enough listening!.
Saying that the flute being in the tenor spectrum the 'shape' of the notes is quite broad, full, this is perhaps one of the reasons.
Different settings?
To play well together for any instruments requires sharing, if they both insist on 'being first' you have the recipe for a mess.
I've seen youtube recordings of sessions with multitudes of flutes and I didn't think it sounded bad. Perhaps it is the quality of the playing that makes it or breaks it.
I'll tell you that after about 2 hours of a hearing a ton of fiddles my ears are ringing and I can barely tolerate it. I would prefer more flutes myself, even if they were out of tune. The tone is just more gentle on the ear.
Old joke. How do you ensure that two flute players play in tune? Shoot one of them.
More seriously, as flutes aren't easily heard, it's not always easy to tune to the other flute. There is a tendency to overblow in the hope that the flute will get louder. More often the result is sharp notes (A,B) and especially at the top of the second octave (a,b). It's the other players who can tell all too easily that the flutes are out of tune.
I think it was Vivaldi (a fiddler don't you know) who said "The only thing worse than one flute, is two!"
But I love it when you get a bunch of flutes on playing those honking flutey reels, with all those bottom D's blasting out. Irish music at its best!
Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
I play the flute so this isnt a anti-flute thread!
But I've noticed that usually (in a small session) any more than two flutes is too many.
Why is that?
Is it because chances are one will be out ot tune?
Although 10 fiddles can be playing at the same time and they all sound good together!
Maybe is just the nature of the sound waves produced, whats your thoughts?
Kess
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by Kess
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
I'm afraid you hit the nail on the head there. The chances are one will be out ot tune. This is no excuse. It's not easy to play the flute in tune, but it's no excuse. If you have good players, you can have as many flutes as you like.
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by llig leahcim
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
In my experience, two or more flutes will blend much better than the same number of whistles, boxes, fiddles, and most anything else (except maybe two pints...)
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
I like the major flutulence myself.
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by wormdiet
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
three or more flutes sounds a bit windy to me - which is better than too fiddly.
... which in turn is better than a bit boxy.
... and even that's better than BanJo-axed.
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by RockyRoader
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
I'd rather have to many flutes than to many guitars or drums.
:^)
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by flyinfiddler
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
Two flutes often sound worse than three due to the "chorus" effect which kicks in from three upwards. i.e. two flutes almost together sound worse than three flutes almost together, but two flutes actually together sounds even better...
A flute and a whistle slightly out of tune bite each other badly too.
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by Crackpot
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
I love the sound of, and being part of a session which has, 3 or upwards of flutes. I've been in sessions now and then with 6 or more flutes and the sound is heavenly.
If what you're saying is due to one or more flute being out of tune, then the same applies as to any instrument - tune the feckin thing.
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by Nick Splease
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
Well you probably know what i going to say! too many ornaments, not enough listening!.
Saying that the flute being in the tenor spectrum the 'shape' of the notes is quite broad, full, this is perhaps one of the reasons.
Different settings?
To play well together for any instruments requires sharing, if they both insist on 'being first' you have the recipe for a mess.
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by the wicked hacker
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
yeah, nice big fat purple sound. btw, you can download nice audio visualisation stuff here and 'see' music you're playing:
http://www.honto.com/av/
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by Nick Splease
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
I've seen youtube recordings of sessions with multitudes of flutes and I didn't think it sounded bad. Perhaps it is the quality of the playing that makes it or breaks it.
I'll tell you that after about 2 hours of a hearing a ton of fiddles my ears are ringing and I can barely tolerate it. I would prefer more flutes myself, even if they were out of tune. The tone is just more gentle on the ear.
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by sbhikes
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
To me, more than two of any instrument is bad news. I don't think flute is any more or less a problem in that regard.
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by Ailin
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
Now you're talking sbhikes
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by Nick Splease
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
I love flutes the more the better ...but then I would
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by bazouki dave
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
I wish there was another flute around , it beats seven guiatirts/mando/banjo, three accordian/concertinas.
MarkB
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by MarkB
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
Old joke. How do you ensure that two flute players play in tune? Shoot one of them.
More seriously, as flutes aren't easily heard, it's not always easy to tune to the other flute. There is a tendency to overblow in the hope that the flute will get louder. More often the result is sharp notes (A,B) and especially at the top of the second octave (a,b). It's the other players who can tell all too easily that the flutes are out of tune.
# Posted on November 9th 2007 by flutefry
Re: Too Many Flutes Spoil the Broth?
I think it was Vivaldi (a fiddler don't you know) who said "The only thing worse than one flute, is two!"
But I love it when you get a bunch of flutes on playing those honking flutey reels, with all those bottom D's blasting out. Irish music at its best!
# Posted on November 10th 2007 by Richard D Cook