So Many Instruments, So Little Time!

In the event that there are those of you who WOULD prefer to have it all in one go instead of 3 separate entries, here you are! :-)  If you've read any of my past posts, watched many of my Youtube videos, or know me in real life, then you know that one of my greatest obsessions is the wooden Boehm flute. I love everything about wood flutes; the sound, the way they feel in the hands, the way they look, the gorgeous variety of woods that are used in their manufacture.  The topic of wood flutes has randomly popped up in conversation with several different people over the last week or two, and it has come clear to me that a great many people, even within the flute playing community, are laboring under the same general set of misconceptions about wooden flutes; primarily, that they are unsuitable for modern-day orchestral use and that nobody plays them. Many are unaware that they are even currently being produced! This...well, this makes me sad. The modern Boehm flute crafted from w

In the last two posts, we learned a bit about ten modern-day makers of wooden Boehm-system flutes, which seems like a pretty sufficient number of options, ja? Flutists, however, are among the most spoilt-for-choice musicians in the universe, because THERE ARE MORE! (yay!)  When last we saw each other, we were taking a trip around Europe and having a look at who's making what over there. Now, we'll pop back over here for a bit and learn about a couple of US makers who have been turning it OUT on the wood flute scene for quite some time; then, we'll fly back across the pond and wrap it up! :)  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ABELL One of the most instantly recognizable wooden flutes we'll talk about are the works of art created by Chris Abell, in Asheville, NC. The instant you see one, you can tell it is an Abell by the extremely thick metal ferrules at the headjoint/barrel and body/foot connections. The RH3