New flute!!

            This year has been a quiet one for my flutes and any playing for a host of many reasons. One is due to the constant busy my schedule is and how much I am doing. The other deals with the fact that the facial hair I have grown is making an embouchure much more difficult and therefore that playing is considerably tougher. So the flutes took a back seat as the classical guitar came out. Still, I find myself still trying to get some decent sounds out of the flutes! Then, a few weeks ago a fella in our flute group saw my Ellis Pueblo flute up for sale (made of maple) and wanted to discuss a trade. Up for offer was his Ellis (https://www.ellisflutes.com/) shakuhachi, also of curly maple.


  So, yes...this was certainly a trade I could do and within a few weeks, the new shakuhachi was in my hands. Amazingly, I was able to get some rich sounds from this flute and lo and behold, apparently the facial hair had grown long enough to allow it to lay flat enough and make an embouchere work, even on Hideo, my beloved bamboo shakuhachi!

                                               Here are a few pics of the new arrival!!

                                                         













This delightful flute is incredible and while no, it is not bamboo, it has qualities that the latter does not. Especially it's stability as regards cracking. I will be playing this flute now and then as it will never replace my Hideo . but what a welcome addition to the collection!

Flute update!

                               It is hard to believe that seven months have passed since the last post here! Where did the time go?! Granted, 2018 was a bitter sweet year filled with some amazing experiences and some heartbreaks as well. So music and flute playing took a bit of a back seat to life events.
But, after a January of 2019 saw a move to a new dwelling, the outlook has changed a bit, all in a very positive direction! The new place has a beautiful view, lots of flora and fauna to keep me company and listen to the music played!

This wetland area behind my place is teeming with wildlife and a joy to play to and observe!


This leads me to the current state of flutes and playing for 2019. My playing and practice in 2018 was fractured for so many reasons, mainly due to relationships and scheduling. Not a good excuse but, there it is. As 2019 motored on into February, I decided to change me facial features a bit, growing out my moustache, patch and adding a chin beard. This has made playing rim blown flutes nearly impossible due to the air stream blockage and no matter who much I try, it simply is not easy nor music producing. So I have decided to take the year off from the shakuhachi and rim blown flutes and to devote 2019 to my Celtic flute and the Irish whistles I have neglected for a bit. As neither is affected by the facial furniture I now sport, it is the perfect time to devote to them!