Chiff and Fipple Forums

The lesson? It is generally best to deal close to home. This is the greatest truth I have ever seen on here. I have had some bad experiences trying out flutes by the "great" makers across the pond. Some cases ended up in stolen money and others with firewood quality instruments. I'm stick...

Ronnie wrote:I give up, too hot to discuss on the Net.
lol

No, I got myself in hotter water a few years back, when I suggested the whistle was little more than a child's toy...

Again, trad music is almost never notated the way it's played, so playing a tune with others while reading notation will not get a player through a session, unless it's one of those amateur-hour pubs where everyone breaks out sheet music. Then, nobody plays the tunes correctly, so I guess everyone's...

Good to see you're stayin on, Ronnie. I wasn't saying there was a problem - thinking of leaving the forum in your subject line implied that there was. Since I don't personally mind addressing a person by either a self-created title or their real name, if that's what they prefer, I didn't really unde...

I'm not really sure what the problem is here, Ronnie, unless you simply don't like internet forums - that , at least, I get. I've gone off the forum for days or months myself because certain topics are irrelevant to me, or something has been discussed over and over too many times during the ten-plus...

Jem's posting is more or less what I was thinking as I read through these posts. You can't learn tunes 'by ear' if it isn't first in your head. The term 'by ear' is misleading when it comes to learning tunes - tunes are played without notation because we know them already, like singing a song only h...

" but after all a simple system flute, even with keys, is relatively quickly made, compared to a set of pipes or a violin." Gabriel. "The Hill book on Stradivari assumed he was making 1 to 2 instruments a month to come up with a life time total of about 1,100." from a http://www...

...What I'm trying to say is that it sounds like you need to work on strengthening your flute embouchure. After a while you should become more able to switch. You're right that the muscles used for one are interfering with the muscles used for the other, but it will get better as the necessary musc...

I think it's a good idea to distinguish tween delrin and ebonite. Acousitically I really don't like the sound of the former, FWIW, having played now most of the well-made ones. I don't know much about the latter, though and have hopes for it. Sure. Distinguish away. Same with boxwood or blackwood; ...

Yes - agree with Eric completely. Wood is more aesthetically pleasing on a number of levels and I do agree with Casey that choosing a musical instrument for its indestructible qualities - or the irresponsibility of the player - is really beside the point. Still, I might argue that sounding "lik...

Steve Bliven wrote: Bryan Byrne recommended using isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol on a Q-tip to clean the walls of the embouchure.

Better than Meth.

Had a Hernon Rudall not long ago. Greatly regret letting it go.

woodfluter wrote:^ ^ ^

Good observations about fine motor control and over-arousal.

Must... not... go.. there...

Like most things, I think, everyone's experience(s) with different fluids - besides water - and how it effects their lips, or playing in general, varies from person to person. I no longer drink Diet Coke, but when I used to, my lips lost elasticity and I had trouble playing when drinking it. Maybe i...

It's also an audio thing - in the clip, you and the piano are nicely balanced - IMO, both of you are playing appropriately for the musical arrangement. In the room, I'm sure, the piano was/is deafening, and you felt/feel overwhelmed when playing beside it - similar problem to playing in a loud sessi...