Is this a fife?

ConnieS · Post by **ConnieS** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 7:21 pm

What is it? Someone gave it to me yesterday. It has six holes, diatonic like a pennywhistle. But it holds like a flute, with a strange little mouthpiece so you don't have to worry about embrouchure. Big breath requirement, plays offkey if you don't push pretty hard. No markings. Any ideas?
http://photos1.blogger.com/img/149/1139 ... 05_002.jpg

RonKiley · Post by **RonKiley** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 7:23 pm

The link gives me an access denied error.

Ron

ConnieS · Post by **ConnieS** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 7:26 pm

Try again. When you get to the access denied page, click the jpg link on that page.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 7:33 pm

The pic's a little out of focus. Is that a flute type hole, or is it a flageolet?

khl · Post by **khl** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 7:38 pm

Picture still isn't coming through.

But is it like this one on Ebay?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... eName=WDVW

This has a few more pictures and descriptions towards the end of the page. These "Melody Flutes"show up now and then on ebay, but I've never heard reports of what they actually sound like.

Keith

dwinterfield · Post by **dwinterfield** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 8:02 pm

khl wrote:Picture still isn't coming through.

But is it like this one on Ebay?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... eName=WDVW

This has a few more pictures and descriptions towards the end of the page. These "Melody Flutes"show up now and then on ebay, but I've never heard reports of what they actually sound like.

Keith

I've picked up a couple of these. They're sort of squeaky. One is all beat up, dented etc. and plays okay. The other is very hard to regulate breath to get an okay tone. They seem like right angle whistles. They don't have any flute like qualities.

OutOfBreath · Post by **OutOfBreath** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 8:09 pm

Sounds like you're describing a melody flute - basically a cheap side blown flute with a mouthpiece instead of just a hole.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 10:37 pm

ConnieS---now clicking the link on the "access denied" page doesn't work. I did see the picture earlier and now I can't. I have no idea what it is, just thought you might not know the second link isn't working. It is odd looking, and doesn't look to me like the e-bay picture at all----but I would be the last to know if they were basically similar.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 10:52 pm

picture worked for me the second time I tried it (i just tried 2 times in a row). It doesn't look like the melody flute.

I've stuck the image on my website temporarily to help with the weird access issues:

khl · Post by **khl** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 12:15 am

Clearly not a Melody Flute like the ebay sample I posted. So what is it?

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 12:17 am

Well it's not a fife.

ConnieS · Post by **ConnieS** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 6:14 am

Okay, what about a tin whistle with a headpiece to make it play like an Irish flute? Or what about a native American flute? If it's played softly, it sounds like a minor key, but it's not pentatonic.

ConnieS · Post by **ConnieS** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 6:24 am

BTW, thanks, Wanderer, for posting the picture.

And I'm sorry if the post is off topic. I wasn't sure, but it does play like a whistle, so I thought I should post here.

IDAwHOa · Post by **IDAwHOa** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 7:08 am

You should try over on the flute side. Post a link to this thread.

OutOfBreath · Post by **OutOfBreath** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 7:17 am

The picture is fuzzy but I'd say it's some sort of flageolet. The "squarish
" hole looks like a fipple. I'm not sure what the hole above that would be (if it is indeed a hole, it's kind of hard to see) unless maybe you block it for sound, unblock it for no sound, but that would imply that the air supply was something other than a mouth (i.e. some sort of bag or bellows). There is probably a chamber between the mouthpiece and the fipple, and possibly even a small sponge or baffle inside the chamber.

I vote we give it a highly scientific name like "flageolet thingamabob."