Irish flute
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The Irish flute is a name for a wooden flute used in the playing of Irish traditional music. These simple system flutes play a diatonic scale by successively uncovering the toneholes and are often made chromatic by the addition of metal keys. Some musicians consider the term "Irish flute" to be a misnomer, as the simple system wooden flute is used in a wide variety of traditional music, most notably traditional Breton music.
Irish flutes were originally old simple system flutes that were discarded by concert musicians during the advent of the modern, Boehm system, Western concert flute in the late 1800s. These "obsolete" flutes were picked up at low cost by Irish traditional musicians. Today, Irish flutes are being made expressly for the playing of Irish traditional music by many makers. They are now not only made from wood, but also Delrin, PVC and even metal - though wood is still by far the most popular material, and these modern Irish flutes can vary in the number of keys, or have no keys at all. Some of the best known modern flute makers include Michael Grinter, Marcus Hernon, Patrick Olwell, Sam Murray, and Hammy Hamilton. Terry McGee, an Australian maker of Irish Flutes, has a website (listed below) with a wealth of information about the history of flute construction and playing technique.
Due to its wooden construction, characteristic embouchure and direct (keyless) fingering, the simple system flutes have a distinctly different sound from the Western concert flute. Compared with 'typical' classical flautists, most Irish Flute players tend to strive for a brighter, more reedy sound.
Historically, there were two main styles of Irish flute, the Pratten and the Rudall & Rose. The Pratten has wider bore dimensions and provides a louder sound, while the Rudall & Rose has a darker, pure tone and is slightly thinner than the Pratten style flute. Many of these original flutes had a footjoint that allowed the playing of both C# and C with the use of keys. Some modern makers forgo the addition of these keys, but maintain the longer footjoint with two holes where the keys would be, as it is thought to better emulate the pitching and tone of the 19th century originals.
