Tom Doorley then and now

[Gordon]

I have no bias toward or against Olwells - the few I've tried or heard in person were clearly very good, well made flutes. Probably more importantly - they sounded significantly different from each other (other Olwells) in every players' hand, including my own, and the players sounded much more like themselves than better or worse because of the flute. As it should be. A good flute does not impede the player - the rest is on the player.

Doorley's playing in these two clips is similar, but - as noted - the tone is a different. The flute will play a big part in this, but - and this was my point - it's virtually impossible to compared two flutes recorded in completely separate settings, through mikes and PA systems, and ultimately played through a YouTube video, what the actual tone of the flute was, beyond the fact that neither impeded Doorley's playing, and he sounded quite good in both clips. What most often seems to happen in these instances, in fact, is that some flutes (the Seery, in this case) often sound brighter (and therefore more alive) in comparison after all this electronic buffering, because many of the subtler harmonics of the other instrument (in this case, the Olwell) were lost in translation.

[jim stone]

Here's the beastie (Eb version) as close to in the rough as we can get it here.
The musician is a large part of the sound, but no accident that he's chosen this
maker's flute. I've heard him play his D pratten in the same sort of venue
and he gets the same sort of sound. A study in contrasts tween him and Doorley.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBTGfmtyde0

[Akiba]

OK, Jim, you picked the one player that I think is the execption to the rule. His tone on that Eflat is phenomenal. Here's another clip of him on it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr-qOnu1M-4

Should be seeing Skelton this summer and look forward to hopefully getting a lesson from him.

[jim stone]

Lovely fellow; fine teacher and IMO impossible to over-rate as a flooter.

[JohnB]

Tom playing Bb air (and other videos with a piper)

http://source.pipers.ie/Media.aspx?medi ... goryId=877

[jim stone]

Just a note to say I think the Breton Tune in the second video is almost painfully beautiful, especially as performed by TD.
What a wealth of music there is out there!
Thanks for posting.

[Akiba]

Tom playing Bb air (and other videos with a piper)

http://source.pipers.ie/Media.aspx?medi ... goryId=877

Nice clip, but I think this one is more germane to this topic:

http://source.pipers.ie/Media.aspx?medi ... goryId=877

[groxburgh]

Just to emphasize the point Gordon made about the perils of drawing conclusions when comparing 2 clips done with different equipment, at a different time and place, with who knows what changes done post recording etc.

Here's some bits of the same 2 clips with the volume altered and a little EQ. These changes are entirely justified because on listening to the original clips the Seery clip was considerably louder, and had less high frequency content.

https://www.box.com/s/bd8957fcafa837f77604
https://www.box.com/s/0fcb6eb82d1e0326c5b1

It should still be obvious which is which but some people may change their opinion as to which they prefer.

Cheers
Graeme

[Akiba]

I still like the Seery better--more focused, hefty tone, less spray of overtones. I much prefer that.

[groxburgh]

I still like the Seery better--

And which is which?
Graeme

[Akiba]

Alright, money where mouth is time:

#2

[Gordon]

Assuming you're right about choice #2 being the Seery, your point is still subjectively vague. We get it - you don't personally care for the Olwell sound, and you find yourself validated in this particular series of vids, where two different flutes are played by Doorley. But when there's an exception (the same or similar flute played by Skelton), to you, that says more about the tone an individual may draw from a particular flute than it says about the innate or natural tone of the flute itself, or the EQ hoops the recording may or may not have involved.

The fact is, the playing with EQ on these clips - after the original miking, room ambiance, and all other considerations - makes such a dramatic difference in the sound that, again, it says little about the Olwell v. Seery comparison. This is why, through the years, I've been very hostile to these sorts of tone comparisons via recordings - even samples on makers' webpages tell me very little, other than (usually) someone of high caliber agreeing to endorse-by-playing the flute as a sample.

It's cool not to prefer Olwells - I have similar preferences/biases regarding other well-thought-of makers, pro and con. I just think that confirming yours/my take on a flute's intrinsic tone, via a YouTube clip, is a highly faulty yardstick. That's all.

[Kirk B]

I think you're all wrong. THIS is the yardstick by which all flute tone should be measured.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHj3pXXLDu8