My Baroque Flute

[Down Up Dick]

Yesterday I was talking to another UUer about Recorders, so, my interest piqued, I went looking for mine. However, I ran across my Baroque Flute instead. It took me a while to find all its music, but I did and had a good time playing it. My embouchure was a bit weak (I could barely make a noise at first), but I got goin’ and, still remembering most of the fingerings, managed to play about a half hour.

I’ve been playing and listening to some Bach pieces lately, so I thought I might take it up again. I have a lot of easy Bach and Baroque tunes, so why not? And mebbe even my Recorders too. I’ll see how it goes.

 

[Ms Bean]

Good to read you've rediscovered your baroque flute. The sound is so much more pleasing than the modern Boehm flute, I find.

In September I went to a workshop for small baroque ensembles. Every fortnight or so I now drive up to Morpeth in Northumberland to play chamber music with my new harpsichord friend. Occasionally he has a violinist, recorder or viol (gamba) player over too and we can play trio sonatas. I'm learning so much new repertoire, new alternative fingerings for trills etc. Exhausting, but rewarding!

 

[Down Up Dick]

Yes, I played a bit today too, and with a little better tone. And yes, the tone is a nice change. Though it’s tone is a bit difficult sometimes, as it was before, but, from what I’ve read, that’s just the way of Baroque Flutes. My fingering is a bit rusty, but I’ve got fingering charts.

I‘m even thinking of gettin’ out my Recorders. I guess I’m going for Baroque!

 

[Down Up Dick]

My Baroque tone is gittin’ better now. I’ve got 2 octaves pretty good, but the different alternate tunings need to be figgered out. I’ve gotta polish it’s silver key too. It’s very tarnished.

I wonder why wooden flutes have such small mouth holes. Their size and shape make them difficult to produce much noise at all sometimes.

 

[frets alot]

That's awesome. I played flute and sax in my earlier years. Then got into recorders and whistles. I've now settled into just Native American Flutes. They are like ukes and guitars, though; they keep multiplying in the house!

 

[Down Up Dick]

I’ve played all those except Indian Flutes, though I have a Peruvian one which I also don’t play. I’ve also played all the brass instruments at one time or another and marching snare drum. I still have a Tuba, 2 Baritone Horns, a Cornet, and lots of Flutes, Fifes and a coupla wooden Piccolos. I have all these (and a few more) because I’ve been a musician for 75 years. At 85 Music is about all I’ve got left.

Anyway, I’m interested in the BF because I’m also studying Classical Guitar, and I really admire Bach and the period. My next favorite period is the Classical, but I don’t know, yet, how the BF or CG fits into it. Mozart was big with flutes, though he supposedly didn’t care for them.

 

[frets alot]

I’ve played all those except Indian Flutes, though I have a Peruvian one which I also don’t play. I’ve also played all the brass instruments at one time or another and marching snare drum. I still have a Tuba, 2 Baritone Horns, a Cornet, and lots of Flutes, Fifes and a coupla wooden Piccolos. I have all these (and a few more) because I’ve been a musician for 75 years. At 85 Music is about all I’ve got left.

Anyway, I’m interested in the BF because I’m also studying Classical Guitar, and I really admire Bach and the period. My next favorite period is the Classical, but I don’t know, yet, how the BF or CG fits into it. Mozart was big with flutes, though he supposedly didn’t care for them.

With your experience, were you ever a band director? It's all good, in my book!

 

[Down Up Dick]

With your experience, were you ever a band director? It's all good, in my book!

No, never a band director, but I was a Drum Major in the Ninth grade.

Do you have music books for Native American music? If not, what do you play on ‘em?

I played Recorders for a long time. I have an alto and a sopranino, and I play old music and some church music. I also like to play Irish music on my whistles, but they’re piercingly loud. I prefer using my Irish Banjo.

 

[frets alot]

Do you have music books for Native American music? If not, what do you play on ‘em?

I do read/play standard music notation with my NAF. There's a lot of free NAF music on the web, plus I have quite a bit of music in my library, some which works on it. It is limited in range. I've also attended NAF workshops at the dulcimer festivals that I go to, which teaches playing from the soul, like the flute is traditionally played.

 

[Down Up Dick]

Playing from the soul?

 

[frets alot]

Playing from the soul?

Play from within oneself.....how you feel, using techniques of the flute. I guess you have to watch some videos to get what I mean. Without the structure of music.

 

[Down Up Dick]

Good day today. I played a bunch of scales, and I’m beginning to understand/remember some of the alternate fingerings. I played a few tunes too — just for fun. I oiled my flute and put some Vaseline on its joints. I’ve still gotta polish its key. It was a good day.

 

[frets alot]

Good day today. I played a bunch of scales, and I’m beginning to understand/remember some of the alternate fingerings. I played a few tunes too — just for fun. I oiled my flute and put some Vaseline on its joints. I’ve still gotta polish its key. It was a good day.

Having fun is what it's about, after all!

 

[VegasGeorge]

I take it that a "Baroque Flute" is a transverse flute? I've never been able to get a tone out of one of those. I think my brass player embrasure gets in the way. But, I do play Recorder, and have a full Consort of the Yamaha's. I also have a lovely Moeck Olive Wood Soprano that I bought many years ago in Vienna. It plays very well, but honestly, I don't think it's any better than the Yamaha. I once stopped by the concert hall at the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City and found a Recorder quartet rehearsing there. One of the players was using the same Yamaha Consort that I have. They sounded just fine with the other more expensive wooden instruments.

 

[Down Up Dick]

Yeah, I have a coupla recorders — an alto and a sopranino. I usta play them a lot. but I had too many things going so I had to let somethin’ go.

I don’t have any trouble with transverse flutes, and I have a lot of them — all kinds. I stopped playing them a long time ago because I thought my embouchure was gittin too old. But I play ‘em sometimes.

 

[Down Up Dick]

A setback . . . yesterday, it wouldn’t hardly speak — the weather? Humidity? My old, weak embouchure? Ahhh well, today’s another day . . .

 

[plunker]

My Baroque Ukulele

 

[Down Up Dick]

Well it was much better today. I played better, and some of the old stuff is coming back to me. I’m gonna play some more later.

My Baroque Ukulele

Well, I never heard of one of those, or is it a joke?

 

[plunker]

Not a joke, made by a company called Roosebeck. They make ouds and other medieval instruments . Would do a link but don't know how from my phone.

 

[plunker]