So Many Instruments, So Little Time!

In the last post, we discussed the wood flutes by Yamaha, Sankyo, Powell, and Di Zhao. Some of you may have been surprised that there were even *that* many modern wood Boehm flutes available, but as the late, great Billy Mays was wont to say... BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! Let us now take a short trip to Europe and explore some of the flutemakers there who are bestowing gifts of wood flutage upon the world. First up, we have: BERNHARD HAMMIG In my very first blog post ever, I wrote a short review of my experience with his "Mezzo" flute, a collaboration with American flutentrepreneur Jason Blank that fits in the intermediate/pre-professional handmade head/Asian body market segment. It's a fabulous flute, and I very much enjoyed playing it. Bernhard makes amazing headjoints, and many people know of his magical 22K gold flutes (he also makes flutes in silver, 9K, 14K and 18K gold), but did you know he also makes a killer wood flute? He uses both grenadilla and cocus...

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 wood is an instrument capable of just as much power and projection as her silver, gold, and platinum sisters; it is also possessed of a ...

Since my last few posts have been clarinet-centric, and I've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about flutes (which isn't really all that new or unusual), I thought I'd do some talking about a topic that seems to generate some mild disagreement in the flute world, or at the very least is the source of a bit of division among flute players, and that is...Japanese flutes vs. American flutes.  Much is written and heard about the glorious Haynes sound, or the unrivaled mechanics of the Brannen Brothers' offerings, or the rich history of Verne Q. Powell. Let us also not ignore Lillian Burkart and Kanichi Nagahara, also churning out much-beloved magical flutey-tubes from their Boston workshops. (It should be noted that Nagahara, while certainly of Japanese origin, lives and makes his flutes in Boston, and as such is considered an American maker.) But, this isn't about them... On the other side of the globe, we have the big Japanese heavy-hitters of ...