Jen Cluff ~ Fluteloops Radio Show No. 9

Canadian Flutist and Teacher

Comparing Galway's sixteen different flutes to my two.....and a whole lot of Godard's Allegretto :>P

link updated 2018

In Fluteloops show number nine, which is just under 15 minutes long on mp3, I do something entirely risky.

This week on Galway Flute Chat, we were privileged to have Sir James Galway create a video that contained sound samples from 16 different flutes.

What a great video ! The flutes are out of sight, and the video changes quickly to black & white (to hide the switches between gold and silver, of course). :>)

The trick was to tell the 16 different flutes apart, and/or to describe what you liked about each and why. Sir James said: "Tell me which flute you like best, and at the end of the week, I'll tell you which flutes I played for the samples." Methinks he might have a trick or two up his sleeve on this one. I mean honestly....wasn't there a student yamaha right at the end?

Well, I was game for the game! I closed my eyes and listened through twice, and then got out my mini-disc recorder, and as my response, decided to re-create the sounds I heard using my own two flutes. (you can scroll down to see what the flutes are that I used for the Fluteloops #9.....)

After two shut-eyed listenings to the video, I wrote the following list of flute characteristics for each of Galway's 16 flutes:

1. buzzy, contained and dark

2. airy, breathy, fuller, and dark.

3. bright, light, fluffy, rounded but thin

4. diffuse, velvety, mellow, (gold?)

5. contained and centered, and thinner

6. open, free, bright, direct

7. less resistant, moderately bright

8. thin, direct, dark

9. contained, dark, centered

10. more open, free, bright, diffuse

11. darker, buzzy, covered

12. diffuse, velvety (like 4)

13. thin, diffuse, bright

14. buzzy, thin, dark

15. moderately resistant, mellow, thin

16. non-resistant, buzzy, open, shallow

Please listen to my Fluteloops number Nine mp3 and tell me what you think of my direct imitations of the above characteristics. I did them all in one take, and without pre-rehearsal of any kind. I just spontaneously tried to "make that sound" (sort of like "name that TONE" )

There's a comment button on my blog post on this topic, or write in to the Flutenet or to Galwaychat on Yahoo. This has been so much fun!! Thanks for the great guessing game Sir James! (Galway's mystery flute answers below)

Jen xoxoxoxox

(don't make those 'xo's too much or you'll wreck yer embouchure! says Jen :>)

Mystery answers:

What flutes did Jen use for the mp3 of Fluteloops 9?

Lighter, thinner examples were played on:

Altus 1007 with its original headjoint

Heavier and darker examples were played on:

Altus 1107

used with a Nagahara silver headjoint .014 with 14k traditional cut gold riser. Headjoint cut: DS

Galway's Mystery Flutes

1 Lois Lot silver 10032

2 Muramatsu silver EX 53320.