For immediate doubling access to the flute while wearing a strap-on instrument (guitar, mandolin, TB, etc.) without having to open/close/carry another case or gigbag during outdoor/campground playing.
I'm thinking.... length of 1.5" or 2" diameter PVC with a padded cloth liner inside, capped on the bottom end. On the top, a slide over cap of larger tubing. The headjoint would protude from the tube when the top is off, so it can be drawn out like a sword.
Scabbard could be slung over the back, or hung on the belt.
Whistles, you can just jam into your clothes or jacket pockets, but a keyed flute is a bit big for that, plus needs the casing to protect it.
Anybody done this or tried something along these lines out? Results?
Scabbard? Now I have this image of someone brandishing his flute with a flourish, saying in a Spanish accent, "You killed my father. Prepare to listen to the seven part version of the Mason's Apron!"
If i'm playing, I'm usually sitting down. That would seem to obviate both the need and the practicality of such a rigging. Why not just set the flute near you? You could carry a cloth of some sort to set it on, if you didn't want to set it on the ground, which would be understandable.
You can make a REAL cheap flute stand with some PVC pipe and a dowel. Just drill a dowel-sized hole thru two pieces of PVC that are about 18" long, stick the dowel thru both, form them in the shape of a cross, and voila! I use one all the time for church and gigs.
Taking a KEYED flute camping sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. Also, I don't think I'd want to slide anything with keys into a tube, padded or otherwise, and taking it out smoothly without bending keys might take longer than your "quick-changeover" would support. How about getting a keyless, or even better, a keyless plastic flute for those occassions. Then a soft scabbard or sack type of holder might suffice.
I have exactly what you're speaking of. It is made of leather and is essentially a piece of 1/8" thick leather in a 8"X22" piece. It is looped (not folded) along the length and stitched acros the bottom and along the side 4" short of the top to allow easy withdrawal of the flute. A wide and long piece of leather is stitched to the back to form a belt loop. The side facing out has designs tooled into it to make it look nice. This design is for a keyless flute - keys will make it impossible to pull out and will likely damage the the flute if you try. It works well and looks good. If your headjoint removes, make sure the flute will move freely or you will simply pull the headjoint off when you go to take the flute out.
Plug the bottom with a 1.5" thick disc of wood. In the center a hole is drilled (with a drill press) in which a 9"-15" long dowel is mounted. Thus the flute is on the vertical dowel (much like a flute stand) and won't shift around within the tube havoiding contact with the sides of the PVC tubing shell. (Probably would be better if the PVC was a little wider in diamater...2.5")
Of course, one wouldn't be pulling out the flute with the speed of drawing a Samurai katana. I see it as no different than taking it off a stand, only the "stand" is sheilded by an exterior (PVC) shell and mounted on your physical body rather than on the ground/floor.
BTW - would be useful on any purely acoustic "stroller" gigs.
Go for the full-on, Three-Musketeer-style, about-five-inch-wide, over-the-shoulder flute baldrick. (I think "baldrick" is the correct term for that rig.) Then, of course, there is the Sam Browne style.
I use a flute quiver. Can find them at www.oregonflutestore.com. Come in all shapes, sizes, and soft or hard construction.
If I'm going to a specific event and know which instruments I'm going to be using I have a smaller quiver and have made some of my own so I can mix and match to meet my needs. I always keep my Boehm flute in it's case or standing upright on a proper dowel like stand when not being played. Non-keyed flutes slip in and out of the quivers with no issue. Each one has it's own "cozy" for protection.
I have a leather belt scabbard I bought at a festival for my whistle, but just use it as a case, I would not actually wear it on my belt. And I have stored whistles and fifes in a mailing tube, makes a good case. I find that a piece of felt fabric, folded so that it is two layers thick on each side, folded at one end and then stitched along the bottom and up the side, makes a good case for a whistle or fife, keeping it safe from dings while sharing a case with another instrument or being stored in a drawer.
Using a scabbard as the OP described? I would think one would open themselves to quite a bit of ridicule with that arrangement. And when is there not enough time between playing one instrument and another that you need a quick draw arrangement? Music played for fun should not be that difficult, slow down and relax!
Why not buy a secondhand double-bass case. I use one for my flute. I've padded the inside with foam and there's room for three flutes, cork grease and korg tuner, and even a cheese sandwich.
Steamie - I prefer a standard shipping container. It's a bit awkward finding a place to drop it near the bar (parking in Cambridge is never easy) but once you land it, you've got your flutes, plus space for a guitar or two, mandolin, button box, second box in C#/D, a few whistles, bouzouki, fiddle, bodhran, shakey eggs, and a collection of tunebooks in case you want to look up some oddball gan ainm from Breathnach's collection. And as a bonus, it's pretty easy to get it to any port city for a session, if you plan ahead.
The double-bass case also serves as an emergency shelter when you have to spend the night out after a session because you drunkenly misplaced your keys.
Tansy has a fine selection of flute scabbard attached to his belt. He squatted once on stage and looked like a sumo wrestler. A baldrick is the hard leather cup that houses your, er, well, balls. You see is on early flemish paintings like those of Bosch.
Mightn't those strange, old articles of masculine clothing have been called "codpieces?" Better to shove your flute down a trouser leg, as this arrangement might draw less attention than might a flute-length codpiece .
Scabbard for Flute?
Scabbard for Flute?
For immediate doubling access to the flute while wearing a strap-on instrument (guitar, mandolin, TB, etc.) without having to open/close/carry another case or gigbag during outdoor/campground playing.
I'm thinking.... length of 1.5" or 2" diameter PVC with a padded cloth liner inside, capped on the bottom end. On the top, a slide over cap of larger tubing. The headjoint would protude from the tube when the top is off, so it can be drawn out like a sword.
Scabbard could be slung over the back, or hung on the belt.
Whistles, you can just jam into your clothes or jacket pockets, but a keyed flute is a bit big for that, plus needs the casing to protect it.
Anybody done this or tried something along these lines out? Results?
Niles H
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by Niles H
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
Scabbard?
Now I have this image of someone brandishing his flute with a flourish, saying in a Spanish accent, "You killed my father. Prepare to listen to the seven part version of the Mason's Apron!"
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
If i'm playing, I'm usually sitting down. That would seem to obviate both the need and the practicality of such a rigging. Why not just set the flute near you? You could carry a cloth of some sort to set it on, if you didn't want to set it on the ground, which would be understandable.
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V7zbWNznbs
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by bogman
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
Ask Seamus Tansey about his flute holsters/shop apron/buttless chaps. X D
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by Seosamh Ui Sinan
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
You can make a REAL cheap flute stand with some PVC pipe and a dowel. Just drill a dowel-sized hole thru two pieces of PVC that are about 18" long, stick the dowel thru both, form them in the shape of a cross, and voila! I use one all the time for church and gigs.
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by plunk111
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
http://www.jimmaginn.com/diddileedee/
See photo of Tansey at this website, link came from a recent discussion.
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by Kenny
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
although it's not all that clear, but that's what the strap is for.
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by Kenny
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
Taking a KEYED flute camping sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. Also, I don't think I'd want to slide anything with keys into a tube, padded or otherwise, and taking it out smoothly without bending keys might take longer than your "quick-changeover" would support. How about getting a keyless, or even better, a keyless plastic flute for those occassions. Then a soft scabbard or sack type of holder might suffice.
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by Latticino
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
I have exactly what you're speaking of. It is made of leather and is essentially a piece of 1/8" thick leather in a 8"X22" piece. It is looped (not folded) along the length and stitched acros the bottom and along the side 4" short of the top to allow easy withdrawal of the flute. A wide and long piece of leather is stitched to the back to form a belt loop. The side facing out has designs tooled into it to make it look nice. This design is for a keyless flute - keys will make it impossible to pull out and will likely damage the the flute if you try. It works well and looks good. If your headjoint removes, make sure the flute will move freely or you will simply pull the headjoint off when you go to take the flute out.
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by Ailin
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
Plug the bottom with a 1.5" thick disc of wood. In the center a hole is drilled (with a drill press) in which a 9"-15" long dowel is mounted. Thus the flute is on the vertical dowel (much like a flute stand) and won't shift around within the tube havoiding contact with the sides of the PVC tubing shell. (Probably would be better if the PVC was a little wider in diamater...2.5")
Of course, one wouldn't be pulling out the flute with the speed of drawing a Samurai katana. I see it as no different than taking it off a stand, only the "stand" is sheilded by an exterior (PVC) shell and mounted on your physical body rather than on the ground/floor.
BTW - would be useful on any purely acoustic "stroller" gigs.
NH
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by Niles H
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
This could be handy if you're practicing flute fu:
http://www.kungfumovies.net/31294.html
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
Go for the full-on, Three-Musketeer-style, about-five-inch-wide, over-the-shoulder flute baldrick. (I think "baldrick" is the correct term for that rig.) Then, of course, there is the Sam Browne style.
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by Atahualpa Quigley
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
I keep thinking of people smacking each other in the face with leather gloves and declaiming, "I challenge thee to a duel, knave. Prattens at dawn!"
# Posted on January 5th 2011 by Red Menace
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
I use a flute quiver. Can find them at www.oregonflutestore.com. Come in all shapes, sizes, and soft or hard construction.
If I'm going to a specific event and know which instruments I'm going to be using I have a smaller quiver and have made some of my own so I can mix and match to meet my needs. I always keep my Boehm flute in it's case or standing upright on a proper dowel like stand when not being played. Non-keyed flutes slip in and out of the quivers with no issue. Each one has it's own "cozy" for protection.
# Posted on January 6th 2011 by CW
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
I have a leather belt scabbard I bought at a festival for my whistle, but just use it as a case, I would not actually wear it on my belt. And I have stored whistles and fifes in a mailing tube, makes a good case. I find that a piece of felt fabric, folded so that it is two layers thick on each side, folded at one end and then stitched along the bottom and up the side, makes a good case for a whistle or fife, keeping it safe from dings while sharing a case with another instrument or being stored in a drawer.
Using a scabbard as the OP described? I would think one would open themselves to quite a bit of ridicule with that arrangement. And when is there not enough time between playing one instrument and another that you need a quick draw arrangement? Music played for fun should not be that difficult, slow down and relax!
# Posted on January 6th 2011 by AlBrown
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
They seem to have been standard issue in the 19th century French army:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Edouard_Manet_018.jpg
or if you prefer
http://www.vowelmovement.com/artkicksass/gifs/Manet_Edouard_-_The_Fifer_1866.gif
# Posted on January 6th 2011 by Jack Campin
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
Nah, Jack, the brass thing is a telescope for spotting the enemy and knowing when to scarper.
# Posted on January 6th 2011 by oldstrings
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
Look at camera tripod bags. They come in a variety of lengths and are a lot cheaper than anything music stores sell.
# Posted on January 6th 2011 by Paul_draper
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
Why not buy a secondhand double-bass case. I use one for my flute. I've padded the inside with foam and there's room for three flutes, cork grease and korg tuner, and even a cheese sandwich.
# Posted on January 6th 2011 by Steamwilkes
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
Steamie - I prefer a standard shipping container. It's a bit awkward finding a place to drop it near the bar (parking in Cambridge is never easy) but once you land it, you've got your flutes, plus space for a guitar or two, mandolin, button box, second box in C#/D, a few whistles, bouzouki, fiddle, bodhran, shakey eggs, and a collection of tunebooks in case you want to look up some oddball gan ainm from Breathnach's collection. And as a bonus, it's pretty easy to get it to any port city for a session, if you plan ahead.
# Posted on January 6th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
The double-bass case also serves as an emergency shelter when you have to spend the night out after a session because you drunkenly misplaced your keys.
# Posted on January 6th 2011 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
TSS - once again, the shipping container is your only man. A bit bulky, but you can't fit a queen-size bed and change of clothes in your bass case.
# Posted on January 6th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
I did say emergency shelter. Not five star hotel accommodation.
# Posted on January 6th 2011 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
Well, that's me. First class all the way.
# Posted on January 6th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
Tansy has a fine selection of flute scabbard attached to his belt. He squatted once on stage and looked like a sumo wrestler. A baldrick is the hard leather cup that houses your, er, well, balls. You see is on early flemish paintings like those of Bosch.
# Posted on January 7th 2011 by iwerzon
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
Mightn't those strange, old articles of masculine clothing have been called "codpieces?" Better to shove your flute down a trouser leg, as this arrangement might draw less attention than might a flute-length codpiece .
# Posted on January 7th 2011 by Atahualpa Quigley
Re: Scabbard for Flute?
Sounds like a good swap!
# Posted on January 8th 2011 by Ebor_fiddler