Table of Contents
How are Irish flutes made?
Today, transverse “simple system Irish” flutes are being made for the playing of a variety of traditional musical styles. In the Irish tradition, the material used is most commonly wood, but also Delrin, PVC, and even bamboo is used – though wood is still by far the most popular material.
What is the difference between a flute and an Irish flute?
Classical flutes usually have cylindrical bores, while Irish flutes have conical shaped bores. The difference affects both the tone and the resistance of the flute.
How do you make a wooden flute?
Measure the length between the finger holes with a flute calculator. Mark where each hole should be and make sure that these will fit your pole. Clamp the bamboo down and drill the embouchure. Begin drilling with the 2mm (0.078 inches) drill bit and increase to a larger drill bit just like the 8 mm (0.315 inches).
How do I get an Irish flute?
By far, the best way to buy a new Irish flute is directly from the maker. In fact, for most makers this is the only way to buy a new flute! Very few makers offer their flutes through online retailers, but most have websites with prices, information on what they offer, and contact details.
What key is Irish flute?
A simple-system Irish style flute’s scale is in the key of D; the Boehm’s scale is in the key of C. Most of the basic fingerings between the two flutes are the same, except for the XXX XOO fingering, which is F# on an Irish flute (and tin whistle) but is F natural on a Boehm system flute.
How do you make a plastic pipe flute?
Steps for Making a PVC Flute Step 1: Cut the PVC Pipe. You will want to make sure that your PVC pipe is the correct length. Step 2: Measure the Hole Distances. Step 3: Attach the End Cap and Mark the Hole. Step 4: Drill the Holes. Step 5: Customize Your Flute.
Who is a famous Irish flute player?
Sir James Galway OBE (born 8 December 1939) is an Irish virtuoso flute player from Belfast, nicknamed “The Man with the Golden Flute”. He established an international career as a solo flute player.
Is the Irish flute hard?
So, is Irish flute hard to learn? Yes! The embouchure might be the hardest thing to master on the Irish flute, making this instrument disappointing one day and very rewarding the next day. So if you’re just a beginner on the Irish flute, hang in there, you’re in for some serious work… and some serious fun!.
Did the recorder evolve into the flute?
These instruments can certainly be regarded as the ancestor of the flute. Thus, the vertically held recorder was also called a “flute.” Indeed, up until around the middle of the eighteenth century (the era of Baroque music), the word “flute” was commonly used to describe the recorder.
How do you make a bamboo flute?
Next steps to making a bamboo flute Once the bamboo is prepared, measure from the node, measure 2cm out and mark with a pencil. Carefully cut along the pencil line with a hacksaw and sand the end to make it smooth. The embouchure or mouth piece should be one inner diameter length from the cork.
What wood is used for flutes?
The most common types of wood used for creating flutes were granadilla, boxwood, mopani, cocobolo and couswood. Today’s wooden flutes weigh about the same as a solid silver flute and the tube of the flute is wood while the keys and all their mechanisms are made from either silver or gold.
What is an Irish flute called?
The simple system flutes such as those made by Martin Doyle are commonly known as ‘Irish flutes’. The term simple system flute refers to the conical-bore flutes that were in use before Theobald Boehm introduced his cylindrical bore flute designs in the mid-nineteenth century.
What is the small Irish flute called?
The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, flageolet, English flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, tin flageolet, Irish whistle, Belfast Hornpipe, feadóg stáin (or simply feadóg) and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple, six-holed woodwind instrument.
How do you buy a second hand flute?
Condition: First, look at the tubing. It should be free of severe dents, deep scratches, pitting, and corrosion. Then, look at the pads – they should be clean, solid, and should completely seal when depressed. Many used flutes have worn pads.
How many notes are on an Irish flute?
Fingering hints. Despite claims to the contrary, all 12 notes used in standard Western music can be played on a good keyless flute. Some notes are harder than others to play: A and G are easy, Bb takes a bit of work, D# is quite difficult.
Is it hard to learn the flute?
The flute is a medium difficulty instrument to learn. The flute fingerings and care of the instrument are easy to handle. Producing sound and playing the more challenging music associated with the flute, however, is a challenge for some. Fortunately, it’s easy to work around these with the right help.
How do you make a metal pipe whistle?
Using a small ball-peen hammer, carefully depress a triangular section of the metal pipe just below the sharpened lip. The lip and the depressed area will separate the airflow when you blow into the end of the tube, which is what creates the whistling sound.
How do you make a Fipple?
Making the Fipple Measure and cut off a 3.5-cm length of pipe. This will be the fipple. Cut a second piece of pipe 26 cm long. This will be the body of the whistle. Deburr the ends of the pipes (use pipe cutter tool). Then smooth both ends of pipe using first the wide flat file and then sand paper.
Why is James Galway called sir?
In December 2009, Sir James was awarded the honour of being made the first Artist Laureate of the Ulster Orchestra. He has been honoured twice by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, with The OBE in 1979 and again in 2001 with a Knighthood for his services to music.
